Residential Follow-Back

Instrument name: Residential Follow-Back Calendar for the Collaborative Program to Prevent Homelessness*

To obtain the instrument click here

Citation(s):
Williams VF, Banks SM, Robbins PC, Oakley D & Dean J. (2001). Final report on the Cross-Site Evaluation of the Collaborative Program to Prevent Homelessness. Delmar, NY: Policy Research Associates.

Tsemberis S, McHugo G, Williams V, Hanrahan P & Stefancic A. (2007).  Measuring homelessness and residential stability the residential time-line follow-back inventory.  Journal of Community Psychology, 35 (1), 29-42. click here for text

Purpose: To assess the residential history of adults who are formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless

Population: Formerly homeless adults, or adults at risk of becoming homeless

Publication date(s): 1998, 2001

Domain: Housing history

Administration: Structured interview

Reliability and validity information: None reported

Item description/response options: Twelve structured questions assess lifetime experiences with homelessness, detailing number and duration of homeless episodes. The Residential Follow-Back Calendar (NH Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, 1995) is used to assess residential history six months prior to the interview and includes 34 different types of sleeping locations, as well as different household compositions, and main reasons for moving in and out of these living situations. A Location Grid is included to code and document data.

Description of the original study: The Collaborative Program to Prevent Homelessness (CPPH) was designed to document and evaluate effective homelessness prevention strategies for adults who are formerly homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Several measures were developed for this cross-site evaluation; among them, a residential history form was developed.

* Adapted from the following instruments: (1) Barrow et al. (1984). Personal History Form. New York: New York State Psychiatric Institute, Community Support Systems Program, Epidemiology of Mental Disorders Research Department; and (2) New Hampshire Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center. Residential follow-back calendar. Lebanon, NH: Dartmouth Medical School, Version 1995.