Culhane, Dennis
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Email Address
ORCID
Disciplines
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Urban Studies and Planning
Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Urban Studies and Planning
Urban, Community and Regional Planning
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Position
The Dana and Andrew Stone Chair in Social Policy
Introduction
Dr. Culhane’s primary area of research is homelessness and assisted housing policy. His most recent research has focused on the premature aging of the adult homeless population on service systems use and costs.
Dr. Culhane co-directs the Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy initiative, a MacArthur-initiated network to promote the development of integrated database systems (IDS) by states and localities for policy analysis and systems reform. Funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation is supporting a training and technical assistance effort for states and local governments working toward the implementation of an IDS.
Research Interests
Homelessness, Housing Policy
Integrated Administrative Data Systems for Policy Research
Policy Analysis Research Methods
Policy and Program Design
Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems
Integrated Administrative Data Systems for Policy Research
Policy Analysis Research Methods
Policy and Program Design
Spatial Analysis and Geographic Information Systems
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 105
Publication Homelessness and Child Welfare Services in New York City: Exploring Trends and Opportunites for Improving Outcomes for Children and Youth(2007-01-01) Culhane, Dennis P; Park, Jung MinFor over a decade, national research has shown that many disadvantaged youth and families experience both homelessness and involvement in child welfare services. However, prior to the research summarized here, no population-based research had examined systematically the extent and dynamics by which children and youth experience both of these service systems. This white paper for the New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) provides a summary of three studies that looked carefully at how these two important social welfare systems have shared a population, and how our improved understanding of these intersecting systems of care can promote better outcomes and improved quality of life for children and youth.Publication Estimating Cost Savings Associated with HUD-VASH Placement(U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2014-04) Culhane, DennisExisting research suggests that Veterans experiencing homelessness make disproportionate and costly use of acute health, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, but that placement in programs like the US Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing Program (HUD-VASH) can result in substantial reductions in the utilization of these services and associated costs. Several studies have demonstrated that, for certain high need individuals and Veterans, cost savings resulting from the reduction in these acute care services subsequent to placement in permanent supportive housing (PSH) can substantially or completely offset the cost of providing PSH and may even result in net cost savings. Building on this body of research, this brief summarizes the results of an evaluation that examined VA health, mental health and substance abuse services costs among HUD-VASH tenants who moved into HUD-VASH during Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. We assessed these costs prior and subsequent to their entry into HUD-VASH housing and estimated potential cost savings associated with HUD-VASH placement.Publication The Impact of Welfare Reform on Public Shelter Utilization in Philadelphia: A Time-Series Analysis(2003-01-01) Culhane, Dennis P.; Poulin, Stephen R; Hoyt, Lorlene M; Metraux, StephenThe use of public shelters in Philadelphia was examined both before and after the implementation of Act 35, Pennsylvania’s response to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Univariate interrupted time-series analyses were conducted to determine if trends in shelter utilization (the number of families admitted, by family size, by race, by age of household head, by income, by disability indicator, and by average length of stay) changed significantly after March 1997, the month in which Act 35 was implemented, or after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of implementation. Results indicate that family size and household head age increased after the implementation of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, although not at consistent lags. A small negative effect on self-reported substance abuse and a small positive effect on the proportion of household heads with a disability were found, but at inconsistent lags. As is the case with most evaluations of welfare reform, it is difficult to separate the effects of welfare reform and Philadelphia's economy during the study period. To test the effect of Act 35's implementation while controlling for economic factors, a multivariate regression analysis of family shelter admissions was conducted along with variables for the unemployment rate and for the consumer price index for the cost of rental housing. This analysis revealed a significant positive effect of unemployment and housing costs on public shelter admissions among families and no effect of the implementation of welfare reform.Publication The 2012 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress: Volume 2, Estimates of Homelessness in the United States(U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 2013-09) Culhane, DennisSince 2007, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released an annual report on the extent of homelessness in the United States—the Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR). The report documents how many people are using shelter programs for homeless people, and how many people are in unsheltered locations that are often called “the street.” The AHAR is delivered each year to the U.S. Congress, and its contents are used to inform Federal, State, and local policies to prevent and end homelessness. This report is the second part of a two-volume series. The first part is called The 2012 Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness: Volume I of the 2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report. Volume two of the 2012 AHAR presents both 1-night Point-in-Time (PIT) estimates and 1-year Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) estimates of sheltered homelessness. The estimates include people who experience homelessness as individuals, as family members, and as members of specific subpopulations. For each of these populations, the estimates describe how homelessness has changed over time and provide a demographic profile of homelessness in America.Publication The 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress(The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 2011-06-15) Culhane, DennisThe 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) represents the sixth in a series of reports on homelessness in the U.S. It responds to a congressional directive that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provide an annual report to Congress on the extent and nature of homelessness. As in past years, the AHAR provides the results of local counts of people homeless on a single night in January, as well as estimates of the number, characteristics, and service patterns of all people who used residential programs for homeless people during the 2010 federal Fiscal Year (October 2009-September 2010). Also, for the first time, this year’s AHAR includes information about the use of permanent supportive housing (PSH) programs and the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). Altogether, the 2010 AHAR is the first report to provide national estimates on the use of the full continuum of homeless assistance programs—from homelessness prevention to homeless residential services to permanent supportive housing.Publication The Age Structure of Contemporary Homelessness: Risk Period or Cohort Effect?(2010-06-01) Culhane, Dennis P; Metraux, Stephen; Bainbridge, JayThis paper assesses the age composition of the sheltered homeless population and how the age of this population – both single adults and adults in families – have changed over the past two decades. Data for this study came from administrative records on shelter use in New York City and from the nationwide shelter and general population enumerations in each of the last two decennial census enumerations. Results are presented in a series of figures to illustrate 1) the changes in the age distributions of the homeless population over time; and 2) the age distribution of homeless populations compared to other populations. In the late 1980s, homeless single adults and adults in families were relatively young, with the median age for both being in the late-twenties. Subsequently, however, these household types appear to have diverged, as the birth cohort from which the young single adults had come (born 1954-1965) has continued to be overrepresented in the shelter population, whereas homelessness among adults in families has remained linked to households in the early parenting years (ages 18-23). While the families and the single adults may have experienced some common precipitating factors that led to the emergence of homelessness in the 1980s, the young mothers appear to age out of their risk for homelessness while homelessness among this birth cohort of single adults sustains. Hypotheses are discussed regarding the social and economic factors that may be associated with disproportionate housing instability and homelessness among adults from the latter half of the baby boom cohort. Implications for public policy are considered, including the premature risk of disability, frailty and mortality associated with this cohort.Publication Applying Cluster Analysis to Test a Typology of Homelessness by Pattern of Shelter Utilization: Results from the Analysis of Administrative Data(1998-04-01) Kuhn, Randall; Culhane, Dennis PThis study tests a typology of homelessness using administrative data on public shelter use in New York City (1988-1995) and Philadelphia (1991-1995). Cluster analysis is used to produce three groups (transitionally, episodically, and chronically homeless) by number of shelter days and number of shelter episodes. Results show that the transitionally homeless, who constitute approximately 80% of shelter users in both cities, are younger, less likely to have mental health, substance abuse, or medical problems, and to over-represent Whites relative to the other clusters. The episodically homeless, who constitute 10% of shelter users, are also comparatively young, but are more likely to be non-White, and to have mental health, substance abuse, and medical problems. The chronically homeless, who account for 10% of shelter users, tend to be older, non-White, and to have higher levels of mental health, substance abuse, and medical problems. Differences in health status between the episodically and chronically homeless are smaller, and in some cases the chronically homeless have lower rates (substance abuse in New York; serious mental illness in Philadelphia). Despite their relatively small number, the chronically homeless consume half of the total shelter days. Results suggest that program planning would benefit from application of this typology, possibly targeting the transitionally homeless with preventive and resettlement assistance, the episodically homeless with transitional housing and residential treatment, and the chronically homeless with supported housing and long-term care programs.Publication The Aging of Contemporary Homelessness(Contexts, 2013) Culhane, DennisHomelessness is currently at a demographic crossroad. This presents a unique opportunity for hastening its demise. In the thirty years since homelessness first manifested itself in American cities in its contemporary form, it has ascended to one of the most prominent American social problems. Despite the current push by advocacy organizations to end homelessness, many expect it will always be with us. In its longevity, however, lies the potential for its decline, provided we do not repeat this cycle with a new generation of homeless.Publication Making Homelessness Programs Accountable to Consumers, Funders and the Public(1997) Culhane, Dennis P; Eldridge, David; Rosenheck, Robert; Wilkins, CarolThis paper discusses how different types of performance measurement can be used to improve the accountability of homeless programs to consumers, funders and to the public. A distinction is made between the kinds of data used in formal research projects and data that can be practically obtained in a practice setting. Consumer outcomes are discussed in terms of accountability to consumers, program outcomes in terms of accountability to funders, and systems outcomes in terms of accountability to the public. Cost-benefit analyses are also discussed as providing another critical dimension of accountability to funders and the public.Publication The 2015 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, Part 1: Point-in-Time Estimates of Homelessness(U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), 2015-11) Culhane, DennisThe Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) releases the Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress (AHAR) in two parts. Part 1 provides Point-in- Time (PIT) estimates, offering a snapshot of homelessness—both sheltered and unsheltered— on a single night. The one-night counts are conducted in late January of each year. The PIT counts also provide an estimate of the number of people experiencing homelessness within particular subpopulations, such as people with chronic patterns of homelessness and veterans experiencing homelessness. For the first time this year, HUD reports on the subpopulation of people under the age of 25 who are experiencing homelessness on their own, not in the company of their parent or guardian. Also for the first time this year, Part 1 of the AHAR includes demographic characteristics of people experiencing homelessness. To understand our nation’s capacity to serve people who are currently or formerly experiencing homelessness, this report also provides counts of beds in emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, safe havens, rapid rehousing programs, and permanent supportive housing programs.