Homelessness and Housing Measures

Welcome to the Columbia Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies Housing/Homelessness Measures Library.

This compendium contains housing/homelessness measures that have been used by researchers from a variety of disciplines. The measures were selected and formatted for the Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies website for use by a wide audience. In particular: (1) homelessness/housing researchers; (2) other researchers seeking to gauge homelessness/housing histories as a part of their research projects; and (3) agency-based researchers or providers.

The library is organized as follows:


Development of the Measures Library

The Columbia Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies Measurement Task Group was organized in 2005, consisting of Drs. Angela Aidala, Susan Barrow, and Deborah Hasin. Housing providers and other service partners from the Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies' (CHPS) Research Network Development Core provided input as well. Research support was provided by Annika Sweetland, Jocelyn Apicello and Karen Johnson.

The Task Group conducted a review of existing literature, governmental policy and practice statements, as well as unpublished reports and manuscripts for conceptual definitions, screening tools, diagnostic assessment instruments and other measures of housing and living arrangements, residential history, housing instability and homelessness, and housing services needed or received. They also contacted researchers in the housing and homelessness fields and asked them to identify additional measures related to these conceptual domains.

The Task Group considers housing status and homelessness as multi-dimensional concepts and looked for measures that collect information to reflect this reality. Measureable aspects of housing include: (1) physical structure of dwelling unit: house, apartment, room in a house, room in a hotel, group living quarters, place not meant for sleeping, etc.; (2) physical quality of the living unit; (3) household composition; (4) control or an individual's ability to occupy and use the living unit; (5) permanency or stability of the individual's housing situation; (6) choice or preference for the housing; (7) affordability; (8) receipt of subsidy; (9) the existence of supportive services associated with the housing; and (10) sense of home or other aspects of meaning and identity attached to housing. Other aspects of housing important for housing/homelessness research would include recent and lifetime history of housing and living arrangements, and characteristics of the neighborhood or broader residential context.

Guidelines for Using

Information about each measure is consolidated onto one page and includes: (1) instrument name; (2) citation; (3) purpose of measure; (4) population; (5) publication date(s); (6) housing domain(s) addressed; (7) mode of administration; (8) reliability and validity information; (9) item description/response options; (10) brief description of the original study; and (11) directions for how to obtain the instrument. Wherever possible, a hyperlink is embedded on each page allowing users to directly access PDF copies of the instrument. Otherwise, users are provided with guidance on how to access any relevant contact information. In addition, summaries also include links to any relevant cited articles.

For those planning to use a measure contained in this compendium, it is recommended that you contact the author(s) to secure requisite approvals and to obtain guidance on using, scoring information, and training.

Additional Entries

Researchers are invited to submit additional housing and homelessness measures for inclusion in this library by contacting chpsweb@pidata.cpmc.columbia.edu. Entries will be added after being reviewed and approved by the Columbia Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies Measurement Task Group.

Measures Included in the Library

The following measures and related resources are included in this library:

Instrument Name:

  1. Community Care Schedule (Part IV: The Community Care Environment) read more
  2. Community Health Advisory & Information Network (CHAIN) Baseline Questionnaire Housing Status and Housing Service Need read more
  3. Contexts of HIV Risk (Quantitative & Qualitative Instruments) read more
  4. Frequent User Service Enhancement (FUSE) Baseline Questionnaire read more
  5. Homeless History Form read more
  6. The Homelessness Severity Scale Coding Form (HSS) read more
  7. The Homeless Supplement to the Diagnostic Interview Schedule read more
  8. Housing and Neighborhood Conditions read more
  9. Housing Arrangements for ACCESS Program Clients read more
  10. Measures utilized in the ACCESS Program read more
  11. Measures utilized in the HUD-VASH Program read more
  12. Modified GPRA Housing Items, Research Version read more
  13. Moveout Family Interview read more
  14. Moving To Opportunity (MTO)Evaluation Household Survey read more
  15. Pathways Supported Housing Tenant Classification Guide and sample interview questions read more
  16. Personal History Form read more
  17. Point-In-Time Guide and Survey Questions read more
  18. Residential Follow-Back Calendar for the Collaborative Program to Prevent Homelessness read more
  19. Residential Timeline Follow-Back Calendar read more
  20. Service Users Form - National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients read more