Experimental Trial of an Employment-Based Housing Program for Adults at Risk of Homelessness

Enrolling by invitation · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Emergency Department Visits, Housing Stability, Employment, Sleep Quality, Health-Related Quality-of-Life

In brief

Employment-Based Housing (EBH) is a novel model that helps unstably housed individuals obtain housing and on-site employment where they are housed. The long-term goal of this project is to examine how housing and vocational services can be integrated into hospital emergency departments (EDs) as a multi-sectoral intervention. The investigators central hypothesis is that EBH provides housing, employment, and health insurance which will reduce acute care use and ameliorate non-medical determinants of health more than standard care models. The rationale is that EBH addresses multiple upstream factors that can prevent recurring use of acute care, and the combination of housing with employment services will have positive synergistic effects. This project has three specific aims: 1) Conduct a three-arm randomized clinical trial comparing EBH to passive (resource list) and active control interventions (basic vocational services) on acute care use as the primary outcome and secondary outcomes related to housing, employment, and health-related quality of life; 2) Understand the experiences of subgroups of participants receiving EBH; and 3) Identify barriers and facilitators to adoption of EBH in public healthcare systems in other cities nationally. To achieve these aims, an EBH program will be integrated into the ED of the largest safety net hospital system in Houston, Texas- the 4th largest city in the United States. The project will include a three-arm randomized trial enrolling 750 participants (250 participants per arm). The three-arm trial allows for the investigation of the unique contribution of housing over other non-medical determinants of health (employment and insurance). Participants will be randomized to one of the three arms and followed for 12 months.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07470372

Run by

The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

People needed

750

Starts

2026-05-09

Expected to finish

2030-06-30

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-18

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• English and Spanish-speaking individuals
• Aged 18+
• Recently discharged from a Harris Health System emergency departments
• Screen positive for risk of homelessness and employment need per the Centers Accountable Health Communities Health-Related Social Needs Screening Tool.

You may not qualify if…

• Participants with a conservator
• Unwillingness to participate a background and drug test

Where it is running

• UTHealth Houston — Houston, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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