BUSSW Researchers Assess Anxiety & Depression in People Receiving Rapid Rehousing Services
While recent research has highlighted the critical role housing plays in overall health, Rapid Rehousing (RRH) programs have emerged to help individuals and families move from homelessness to stable living situations. However, despite RRH’s growth as a solution to homelessness, its impact on mental health has remained largely unexplored until now. A new study by BU School of Social Work (BUSSW) researchers and the Pine Street Inn sheds light on mental health outcomes among people receiving RRH services. The findings suggest that anxiety and depression symptoms improve over time after people obtain stable housing through RRH, but the authors stress that more research is needed to better understand the exact nature of the relationship between RRH and mental health.
The research team on “Assessing Anxiety and Depression Trajectories Among Single Homeless Adults Receiving Rapid Rehousing Following Placement in Housing” included BUSSW Profs. Thomas Byrne and Jordana Muroff, Senior Academic Researcher Deb Chassler, PhD candidate Mohit Tamta (PhD’26), Lecturer Roxanne Anderson, and Elizabeth Hestead, a program evaluator from Pine Street Inn.
They conducted surveys with 98 single adults in RRH programs every six months to examine changes in their mental health status over time following their placement in stable housing. The authors also examined factors associated with mental health status over time. The authors found that RRH participants experienced declines in the severity of their anxiety and depression symptoms over time following their placement in housing. These findings suggest that improvements in housing stability and improvements in access to mental health services may lead to improvements in the mental health of previously homeless individuals.
Key factors influencing mental health changes in an RRH program included:
- Age: Older participants showed a reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms.
- Race: Participants who identified as “other” (not Black, white or Latino) were more prone to depression and anxiety.
- Income and Credit History: People with higher income and better credit histories saw more substantial mental health improvements.
- Difficulty Living Independently: Participants who reported mental health issues as a barrier to living independently experienced slower decreases in anxiety and depression symptoms.
The findings indicate that while RRH may positively impact mental health by providing stable housing, there is still a need for tailored support services, particularly for those facing significant mental health challenges.
Future Research
The authors call for more rigorous, large-scale studies to further explore the mental health effects of RRH and other housing interventions. They suggest that all future RRH research should incorporate mental health objectives to better understand how RRH affects people with anxiety and depression.