Article

Housing placement and subsequent days homeless among formerly homeless adults with mental illness.

Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.
Psychiatric Services (impact factor: 2.38). 06/1999; 50(5):674-9. pp.674-9
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT The study examined the influence of group or individual housing placement and consumer characteristics on the number of days subsequently homeless among formerly homeless mentally ill persons.
A total of 303 homeless shelter residents with severe mental illness were screened for dangerousness, 118 were randomly assigned to either independent apartment or staffed group living sites, and 110 were followed for 18 months. Study participants' sociodemographic characteristics, diagnosis, and residential preferences and the residential recommendations made by clinicians were measured at baseline.
Overall, 76 percent of the study participants were housed at the end of the 18-month follow-up period, although 27 percent had experienced at least one episode of homelessness during the period. The number of days homeless was greater for individuals assigned to independent apartments than for those placed in staffed group homes, but only for members of minority groups. Substance abuse was the strongest individual-level predictor of days homeless. Individuals whom clinicians identified as needing group living experienced more days homeless, irrespective of the type of housing they received. Consumers who stated a strong preference for independent living had more days homeless than those who were amenable to staffed group homes.
Although consumers more frequently prefer independent living, placement in staffed group housing resulted in somewhat fewer days homeless for some groups of consumers. Further experience of homelessness by formerly homeless mentally ill individuals may be reduced by providing effective substance abuse treatment and by paying special attention to consumers identified by clinicians to be at particular risk for housing loss.

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Keywords

18-month follow-up period
 
303 homeless shelter residents
 
Consumers
 
effective substance abuse treatment
 
housing loss
 
independent
 
independent apartment
 
independent apartments
 
individual housing placement
 
minority groups
 
needing group
 
one episode
 
staffed group
 
staffed group homes
 
staffed group housing
 
strong preference
 
strongest individual-level predictor
 
study participants
 
Study participants' sociodemographic characteristics
 
Substance abuse