Using Markov Modeling to Understand the Dynamics of Unhoused Populations Experiencing Serious Mental Illness

Modest transition rates into and out of chronic unsheltered homelessness meant that, although provision of supportive housing helped vulnerable people, achieving a given absolute reduction in the chronic unsheltered census required substantially more housing units than the size of the steady-state reduction. The dynamics of homeless populations complicate policy making regarding unhoused people experiencing serious mental illness.