Housing First Models to Homeless Persons with Serious ...

The Applicability of

Housing First Models to Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research

The Applicability of

Housing First Models to Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness

final report

Prepared for: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Policy Development and Research

Prepared by: Carol L. Pearson, Ph.D., Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. Gretchen Locke, Abt Associates Inc. Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. Larry Buron, Ph.D., Abt Associates Inc. Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc., Rockville, MD Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA

july 2007

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many individuals have assisted us on this project. We would especially like to thank the following:

? The formerly-homeless men and women who agreed to participate in the study;

? The staff from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and program administrators who nominated potential sites;

? The staff of the Housing First programs, whose time, energy, and knowledge, as well as their diligence in providing monthly data, made this study possible;

? We would particularly like to thank our primary contacts at each of the programs:

Greg Jensen and Daniel Malone Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC), Seattle, Washington

Pat Precin and Sam Tsemberis Pathways to Housing, New York City, New York

Pat Bathurst, Gary Hubbard, and Roxanne Rosemire Reaching Out and Engaging to Achieve Consumer Health (REACH), San Diego, California; and

? Paul Dornan, our Government Technical Representative from HUD, whose commitment to this study and the report added immeasurable value. Other HUD staff members who provided helpful comments throughout the study include Marge Martin, Marina Myhre, and Kevin Neary from the Office of Policy Development and Research, and Mark Johnston from the Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs.

In addition, we would like to acknowledge Anja Maguire of Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc., who provided editorial assistance, and Jessica Bonjorni, Naomi Michlin, and Jody Schmidt Muehlegger of Abt Associates Inc., who assisted in data collection, analysis, and reporting.

We appreciate the significant contributions that the above individuals made to carrying out the research and writing of this report. They are not responsible for any remaining errors or omissions.

The findings and views herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Foreword

Understanding homelessness is a necessary step toward ending it, especially for those persons living with a chronic condition such as mental illness, an addiction, or physical disability. Ending chronic homelessness remains a national goal for President Bush, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and many within the homeless advocacy community.

In recent years, an approach known as Housing First has emerged as one model for serving chronically homeless people. HUD began this study as a first step in describing how Housing First programs actually work and what sorts of short term outcomes are realized by the people they serve.

This report, The Applicability of Housing First Models to Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness, provides a basic description of several programs that represent a Housing First model. The report should help clarify the issues and inform the policy discussion about how best to address the most vulnerable in American society.

Darlene F. Williams Assistant Secretary for

Policy Development and Research

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