The Impact of Race, Gender, Substance Use, and Trauma On VI-SPDAT Scores: A Replication Study Through the Lens of Intersectionality

The Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) is a widely used assessment tool that assists housing providers in making decisions about housing services for unhoused persons. To date, there is limited research examining the efficacy of the VI- SPDAT, though there is evidence that it may be racially biased. One study utilized a sample of African American and white people and examined the assessment tool through the lens of intersectionality. The aim of the current study is to replicate and expand upon this previous study by including a sample of Latine individuals and analyzing factors not previously examined. Based on previous findings, I hypothesize that: 1) gender and race will moderate the relationship between trauma and VI-SPDAT scores and white women will score highest on the VI-SPDAT compared to other females, and 2) gender and race will moderate the relationship between substance abuse and VI-SPDAT scores and that African American males will score higher than white females. Working in partnership with a local non-profit, LA Family Housing, an archival study was designed and implemented to test the moderation hypotheses posed in the present study. Two separate models were tested with multiple linear regression utilizing the blocking method in SPSS. Results revealed that moderation effects were present in both models, but the hypotheses were only partially supported. However, results do provide some evidence for gender and racial biases within the VI-SPDAT. Implications, limitations, future directions, and recommendations for alternatives to the VI-SPDAT are discussed.