Conducting Rapid Street Assessment of Drug Users in New York City Using Oral Fluid and Brief Interviews: A Feasibility Study

Feasibility and Satisfaction of an Apartment Living Program for Homeless Adults With Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder

OBJECTIVE

We assessed the feasibility and satisfaction of an apartment living program for formerly homeless adults with mental health and substance use disorders.

METHOD

A one-group pretest-posttest design was used with 22 participants who attended a six-week apartment living program.

RESULTS

Sixteen participants completed the study and demonstrated improvement in the performance of and satisfaction with needed daily life skills (performance: Z = -3.56, p ≤ 0.000, d = -1.86; satisfaction: Z = -2.84, p ≤ 0.004, d = -1.85), interpersonal skills (Z = -3.52, p ≤ 0.000, d = -2.98) and quality-of-life scores (Z = -3.52, p ≤ 0.000, d = -1.34). Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the program.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the feasibility and satisfaction of an apartment living program and warrants further research.

Effectiveness of a supportive housing program for homeless adults with mental illness and substance use: A two-group controlled trial

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a housing transition program for homeless shelter residents with chronic mental illness and substance use.

Method

A two-group controlled study design was used to assess the program, with 10 participants in an intervention group and 10 in a control group. Goal attainment scaling and quality of life ratings were used pre- and post-intervention to determine if a statistically significant difference existed between groups at post-intervention.

Results

A statistically significant difference existed between intervention and control group goal attainment scaling scores ( U = 9.50, p < .03, d = 1.34), and on quality of life scores ( U = 10.50, p < .04, d = 1.30) at post-intervention. At a 6-month follow-up, 57.14% of intervention group participants had transitioned into supportive housing, while only 25% of control group participants had transitioned.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that intervention participants made greater progress toward desired housing goals and reported higher quality of life ratings than controls at post-intervention. This study provides support for the effectiveness of a housing program for homeless adults with chronic mental illness and substance use histories to achieve housing goals and higher quality of life ratings.