Highlights
SSRS surveyed adults aged 18 or older living in Washington D.C. with the primary goal of establishing an incidence of housing instability in the District of Columbia, including an exploration of why residents may be in temporary housing. At a broad level, the findings from this survey helped The Community Partnership (TCP) and city and nonprofit leaders better understand the levels and patterns of housing stability and instability in the District of Columbia.
Challenge
In addition to establishing an incidence of housing instability for D.C. residents overall, the survey goals included being able to speak to the housing experiences of residents by DC Ward, race and ethnicity, age groups (including those 17 and under), and families as compared with individuals.
Approach
SSRS was able to achieve the goals for this study by leveraging a multi-frame approach that combined the scale and flexibility of an address-based sample (ABS) with a prepaid cell sample. ABS designs offer effective strategies for reaching a probability sample of U.S. adults, while the inclusion of a prepaid sample allowed SSRS to target underrepresented populations – such as lower-income, less literate, and less educated individuals – that were critical to the project’s mission. Additionally, given the goals of being able to analyze levels of stability among more than just the survey respondent, and given interest in those under 18 who may be experiencing housing instability in D.C., SSRS determined that it was necessary to include a household roster.
Results
SSRS interviewed 1,807 Washington D.C. residents. The study successfully captured housing instability across D.C. by using a combined address-based and prepaid cell phone sampling method. This approach ensured representation across wards, races, age groups – including respondents under 18 – and household types, with a household roster enabling deeper insights into family-level housing challenges.
