Outcomes for women after leaving a shelter: A scoping review of the quantitative evidence

Abstract

Women and single mother families constitute one of the fastest growing segments of individuals experiencing homelessness. While women experiencing homelessness may temporarily use emergency shelters, second-stage shelters, or transitional housing, whose services range from basic life necessities to extensive supports, many women experience ongoing housing instability after leaving a shelter. We conducted a scoping review to explore outcomes for women after leaving a shelter, as well as factors influencing post-shelter transitions to prevent housing instability and identify research and policy gaps. After removing duplicates, we screened 6895 titles and abstracts, selected 457 articles for full-text review, and a total of 20 articles met our selection criteria. In this paper, we included the outcomes in the quantitative (n = 16) and mixed methods (n = 4) articles. A companion scoping review paper of processes and experiences of women in the post-shelter transition is forthcoming. The majority of the included studies were conducted in the US (n = 16; 80 %) and Canada (n = 3; 15 %). The quantitative data reported outcomes related to five domains of community integration: physical integration, economic integration, psychological integration, social integration, and health. We also summarized individual, service-related, and system-level facilitators and obstacles affecting women's post-shelter trajectories. The results highlight that for women and children leaving a shelter stay, living with housing precarity and financial insecurity continues, along with living with multiple unmet needs, and thus being housed is not an endpoint to a homeless episode. Furthermore, health and safety concerns are on-going and can be worsened by difficulty accessing supports. To advance research and practice, there is a need shift focus away from crisis management and to consider sustainability of housing and intentional gender-specific and trauma-informed opportunities for community integration for women and women-led families post-shelter.