Addressing Risks and Reducing Homelessness of Vulnerable Parenting Youths: An Implementation and Impact Evaluation of HELP USA’s New Beginnings Program

This quasi-experimental study evaluated New Beginnings -- a homelessness prevention program developmentally tailored for parenting youth -- implemented within the Homebase housing program in New York City. Although Homebase demonstrates significant reductions in homelessness, few programs address the unique needs of “at-risk” households with young heads of household. New Beginnings followed the critical time intervention (CTI) three-phase method of clinical and comprehensive service delivery, in which social workers focus on intensive engagement for securely linking youth with community-based support, including employment, educational, and health services. Participants included 314 parenting youth receiving New Beginnings and Homebase between May 2017 and June 2021. Implementation evaluation found adherence to CTI (e.g., smaller caseloads per case manager and frequent client engagement) that facilitated improvements in access to childcare, healthcare, employment opportunities, and household income levels. Propensity score matching with similar parenting youth receiving Homebase only showed New Beginnings significantly slowed shelter entries in the nine months following Homebase completion. Study findings demonstrate promise for preventing homelessness among at-risk parenting youth through time-sensitive and flexible responses.