Housing Stability and College Persistence: Evidence from a College-Focused Rapid Rehousing Program

Housing instability is an increasingly recognized barrier to college persistence, yet limited research has examined the effectiveness of housing interventions in supporting student retention. This study evaluates a College-Focused Rapid Rehousing (CFRR) program designed to provide longer-term housing support and case management to students experiencing housing insecurity, compared to students receiving short-term emergency housing assistance.

Drawing on data from a mixed-methods evaluation, including administrative and institutional records from a sample of 925 students (CFRR: n = 321; short-term assistance: n = 604), we use multivariate event-history and longitudinal analyses to examine differences in college enrollment over time between groups. This approach allows for a dynamic assessment of persistence, capturing not only whether students remain enrolled, but how long they sustain enrollment following intervention.

Findings indicate that 56% of CFRR participants remained continuously enrolled or graduated, compared to 47% of students receiving short-term assistance, a statistically significant difference. In adjusted models, CFRR participation was associated with higher odds of persistence (OR = 1.56, p < .01). Event-history models further demonstrate that while both groups exhibit similar short-term retention, CFRR participants are significantly less likely to stop out over time, particularly in the year following assistance, suggesting a longer-term stabilizing effect. Qualitative findings suggest that these effects are driven by reduced housing-related stress and increased capacity to focus on academic work, with many students reporting they would not have remained enrolled without the program.

These findings suggest that sustained, housing-focused interventions may play a critical role in supporting educational continuity among housing-insecure students, beyond what short-term assistance alone can achieve. As higher education systems expand basic needs initiatives, investments in longer-term housing stability may represent a key strategy for improving student retention and advancing educational equity.