Housing is Healthcare: Supportive Housing Evaluation

The Medicaid Redesign Team created numerous supportive housing programs to provide vulnerable high-utilizer Medicaid members with tenancy support services, rental subsidies, new capital construction and pilot projects to test new models of care. These programs began operations in 2012 and have served approximately 15,000 high acuity Medicaid members. On average, individuals served in the program have a multitude of comorbidities, including mental health and substance use disorders, HIV/AIDS, and one or more chronic conditions. The Center for Human Services Research State University of New York at Albany conducted an evaluation of the MRT Supportive Housing Initiative programs. The reports demonstrate that investments in housing, can have a profound impact on health care costs and utilization, including:

  • 40% reduction in inpatient days
  • 26% reduction in emergency department visits
  • 44% reduction in patients with inpatient substance use rehab admissions
  • 27% reduction in patients with inpatient psychiatric admissions
  • 15% reduction in overall Medicaid health expenditures
  • Through strategic prioritization, the top decile of enrollees had average Medicaid savings of $45,600 per person per year.

Evaluation Reports 2017-2020

  1. Research Brief 1: Reductions in Medicaid Spending and Service Utilization After Enrollment in Supportive Housing (PDF)
  2. Research Brief 2: Enrollment in Supportive Housing Reduces Medicaid Spending and Service Utilization Significantly More than for a Matched Comparison Group (PDF)
  3. Research Brief 3: Enrollment in Supportive Housing Results in Significantly Greater Cross-Sector Cost Savings than "Treatment as Usual" (PDF)
  1. Comparison Group Report: Explains methodology of comparison group that was used for Cost Reports and Outcomes V2. - March 2020 (PDF)
  2. Cost Report Volume 1 - May 2017 (PDF)
  3. Cost Report Volume 2: Treatment versus Comparison Group Pre-Post Analyses - April 2020 (PDF)
  4. Cost Report Volume 3: Treatment versus Comparison Group, Investments versus Savings Analyses - May 2020 (PDF)
  5. Final Outcomes V1: Pre-Post Analysis - June 2020 (PDF)
  6. Final Outcomes V2: Treatment versus Comparison Group Pre-Post Analyses - June 2020 (PDF)
  7. Retention Report: Effects of 6- and 12-Month Program Retention on Client Outcomes - September 2019 (PDF)
  8. Utilization Report - May 2017 (PDF)
  9. MRT Evaluation Presentation - September 2017 (PDF)