Housing Retention in Single-Site Housing First for Chronically Homeless Individuals With Severe Alcohol Problems

作者：Collins Susan E^*; Malone Daniel K; Clifasefi Seema L

来源：American Journal of Public Health, 2013, 103(S2): S269-S274.

DOI：10.2105/AJPH.2013.301312

Objectives. We studied housing retention and its predictors in the single-site Housing First model.
Methods. Participants (n = 111) were chronically homeless people with severe alcohol problems who lived in a single-site Housing First program and participated in a larger nonrandomized controlled trial (2005-2008) conducted in Seattle, Washington. At baseline, participants responded to self-report questionnaires assessing demographic, illness burden, alcohol and other drug use, and psychiatric variables. Housing status was recorded over 2 years.
Results. Participants were interested in housing, although a sizable minority did not believe they would be able to maintain abstinence-based housing. Only 23% of participants returned to homelessness during the 2-year follow-up. Commonly cited risk factors-alcohol and other drug use, illness burden, psychiatric symptoms, and homelessness history-did not predict resumed homelessness. Active drinkers were more likely to stay in this housing project than nondrinkers.
Conclusions. We found that single-site Housing First programming fills a gap in housing options for chronically homeless people with severe alcohol problems.

• 出版日期2013-12