A Profile of Housing Assistance Recipients in Washington State: History of Arrests, Employment, and Social and Health Service Use

This report examines histories of social and health service use, employment, and arrests for individuals who received assistance from housing programs recorded in the Department of Commerce’s Homeless Management Information System and who were also served by the Department of Social and Health Services at least once in recent years. These jointly served clients experienced increases in cash assistance, food assistance, and medical coverage over a five-year period leading up to and including SFY 2010. Their employment and arrest rates rose and then declined over the same time. People who received help from the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (HPRR) and Transitional Housing Programs tended to have similar demographic, employment, arrest, and social and health service use profiles. In addition, recipients of Emergency Shelter and Permanent Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing tended to be more similar to one another.