Abstract
This study examined how individuals voluntarily leaving permanent supportive housing (PSH) through a Moving On initiative experienced the transition from PSH services to mainstream housing. Participants (N = 25) were purposively sampled from five supportive housing agencies in a Moving On initiative. A modified grounded theory approach was used to analyze semi-structured, post-move interviews. Participants described the transition from PSH as a process that involved gaining freedom from negative aspects of the PSH environment and a stagnation in services, adjusting to a new environment and the loss of familiar supports, taking on new responsibilities of self-advocacy and managing new financial burdens, and feeling empowered to move on to next steps, which ultimately, led to achievement of independence. Various contextual conditions, including PSH- and postmove housing type, influenced participants’ experience of this process. Findings can inform future Moving On initiatives, implementation of PSH programs, as well as the design of the larger homeless service system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Averyt, J. M. (2003). Determinants of adverse departures from supported housing. Doctoral Dissertation. Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 3095854).
Bernet, A., Warren, C., & Adams, S. (2015). Using a community-based participatory research approach to evaluate resident predictors of involuntary exit from permanent supportive housing. Evaluation and Program Planning, 49, 63–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2014.11.011.
Boland, L., Slade, A., Yarwood, R., & Bannigan, K. (2018). Determinants of tenancy sustainment following homelessness: A systematic review. American Journal of Public Health, 108(11), e1–e8. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304652.
Chen, P. M. (2019). Housing first and single-site housing. Social Sciences, 8(4), 129. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8040129.
Cheng, T., Wood, E., Feng, C., Mathias, S., Montaner, J., Kerr, T., et al. (2013). Transitions into and out of homelessness among street-involved youth in a Canadian setting. Health and Place, 23, 122–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2013.06.003.
Collins, S. E., Clifasefi, S. L., Dana, E. A., Andrasik, M. P., Stahl, N., Kirouac, M.,..., Malone, D. K. (2012). Where harm reduction meets Housing First: Exploring alcohol’s role in a project-based Housing First setting. International Journal of Drug Policy, 23(2), 111–119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2011.07.010.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2015). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Corinth, K. (2017). The impact of permanent supportive housing on homeless populations. Journal of Housing Economics, 35, 69–84.
Corporation for Supportive Housing. (2019). Moving on.https://www.csh.org/moving-on.
Crane, M., & Warnes, A. M. (2000). Evictions and prolonged homelessness. Housing Studies, 15(5), 757–773.
Draine, J., & Herman, D. (2007). Critical time intervention for reentry from prison for persons with mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 58(12), 1577–1581. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2007.58.12.1577.
Drew, D., Drebing, C., Van Ormer, A., Losardo, M., Krebs, C., Penk, W., et al. (2001). Effects of disability compensation on participation in and outcomes of vocational rehabilitation. Psychiatric Services, 52, 1479–1484.
Feiss, A., Bamberger, J., & Leopold, J. (2019, May). Moving On Initiative: Findings from participant interviews. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/100260/moving_on_brief_0.pdf.
Gabrielian, S., Burns, A. V., Nanda, N., Hellemann, G., Kane, V., & Young, A. S. (2016). Factors associated with premature exits from supported housing. Psychiatric Services, 67(1), 86–93. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201400311.
Gabrielian, S., Young, A. S., Greenberg, J. M., & Bromley, E. (2018). Social support and housing transitions among homeless adults with serious mental illness and substance use disorders. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 41(3), 208–215. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000213.
Garrett, S. B., Higa, D. H., Phares, M. M., Peterson, P. L., Wells, E. A., & Baer, J. S. (2008). Homeless youths’ perceptions of services and transitions to stable housing. Evaluation and Program Planning, 31, 436–444. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2008.04.012.
Harder and Company. (2016, June 21). Moving on from supportive housing evaluation report. San Francisco: Author. https://www.csh.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CSH-LA-Moving-On-Final-Report_06.30.16_EW_AE.pdf.
Haywood, T. W., Kravitz, H. M., Grossman, L. S., Cavanaugh, J. L., Davis, J. M., & Lewis, D. A. (1995). Predicting the “revolving door” phenomenon among patients with schizophrenic, schizoaffective, and affective disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(6), 856–861. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.152.6.856.
Herman, D. B., Susser, E. S., Jandorf, L., Lavelle, J., & Bromet, E. J. (1998). Homelessness among individuals with psychotic disorders hospitalized for the first time: Findings from the Suffolk County mental health project. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155, 109–113. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.155.1.109.
Kertesz, S. G., Horton, N. J., Friedmann, P. D., Saitz, R., & Samet, J. H. (2003). Slowing the revolving door: Stabilization programs reduce homeless persons’ substance use after detoxification. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 24(3), 197–207.
Larimer, M. E., Malone, D. K., Garner, M. D., Atkins, D. C., Burlingham, B., Lonczak, H. S.,..., Marlatt, G. A. (2009). Health care and public service use and costs before and after provision of housing for chronically homeless persons with severe alcohol problems. JAMA, 301(13), 1349–1357. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.414.
Lee, S., Wong, Y. L. I., & Rothbard, A. B. (2009). Factors associated with departure from supported independent living programs for persons with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 60(3), 367–373. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.60.3.367.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE.
Livingstone, K. R., & Herman, D. B. (2017). Moving on from permanent supportive housing: Facilitating factors and barriers among people with histories of homelessness. Families in Society, 98(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.2017.98.15.
Messenger, P. H. (1992). Public-housing perversity: A view from the trenches. Public Interest, 108, 132–143.
Mojtabai, R. (2005). Perceived reasons for loss of housing and continued homelessness among homeless persons with mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 56(2), 172–178.
Montgomery, A. E., Cusack, M., Szymkowiak, D., Fargo, J., & O’Toole, T. (2017). Factors contributing to eviction from permanent supportive housing: Lessons from HUD-VASH. Evaluation and Program Planning, 61, 55–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2016.11.014.
Morrow, S. L. (2005). Quality and trustworthiness in qualitative research in counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 250.
Padgett, D. K. (2017). Qualitative methods in social work research (3rd ed.). Los Angeles: SAGE.
Parsell, C. (2016). Surveillance in supportive housing: Intrusion or autonomy? Urban Studies, 53(15), 3189–3205. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098015613205.
Patterson, M. L., Rezansoff, S., Currie, L., & Somers, J. M. (2013). Trajectories of recovery among homeless adults with mental illness who participated in a randomised controlled trial of Housing First: A longitudinal, narrative analysis. British Medical Journal Open, 3(9), e003442. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003442.
Piliavin, I., Entner Wright, B. R., Mare, R. D., & Westerfelt, A. H. (1996). Exits from and returns to homelessness. Social Service Review, 70(1), 33–57.
Pleace, N. (2011). The ambiguities, limits and risks of Housing First from a European perspective. European Journal of Homelessness, 5(2), 113–127.
Resnick, S. G., Neale, M. S., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2003). Impact of public support payments, intensive psychiatric community care, and program fidelity on employment outcomes for people with severe mental illness. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191, 139–144.
Schlossberg, N. K. (1981). A model for analyzing human adaptation to transition. Counseling Psychologist, 9(2), 2–18.
Schlossberg, N. K., Goodman, J., & Anderson, M. L. (2006). Counseling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory (3rd ed.). New York: Springer.
Scott, A. L., Kristel, O. V., & Szymanski, A. M. (2012, March 22). Report to Community Shelter Board: Evaluation of the Move Up pilot program. Columbus, OH: The Strategy Team. https://docs.csb.org/file-USHS-Move-Up-Pilot-Program-Report-Final.pdf.
Somers, J. M., Moniruzzaman, A., Patterson, M., Currie, L., Rezansoff, S. N., Palepu, A., et al. (2017). A randomized trial examining Housing First in congregate and scattered site formats. PLoS ONE, 12(1), e0168745. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168745.
Thompson, S. J., Pollio, D. E., Eyrich, K., Bradbury, E., & North, C. (2004). Successfully exiting homelessness: Experiences of formerly homeless mentally ill individuals. Evaluation and Program Planning, 27(4), 423–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2004.07.005.
Tiderington, E. (2017). “We always think you’re here permanently”: The paradox of “permanent” housing and other barriers to recovery-oriented practice in supportive housing services. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 44(1), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0707-0.
Tiderington, E. (2018). “The apartment is for you, it’s not for anyone else”: Managing social recovery and risk on the frontlines of single-adult supportive housing. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 45(1), 152–162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-016-0780-z.
Tiderington, E., Zippay, A., & Goodwin, J. (2019, January). Moving On from Supportive Housing (MOSH) training final report and evaluation. Research Report. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
Tsai, J., Kasprow, W. J., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2011). Exiting homelessness without a housing voucher: A comparison of independently housed and other homeless veterans. Psychological Services, 8(2), 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023189.
Tsai, J., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2012). Considering alternatives to the Housing First model. European Journal of Homelessness, 6(2), 201–208.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2018a). The 2012 annual homeless assessment report to Congress. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2018b). Notice of funding availability (NOFA) for the fiscal year 2019 Continuum of Care (CoC) program competition (FR-6300-N-25).https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/FY-2019-CoC-Program-Competition-NOFA.pdf.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (n.d.). Continuum of Care (CoC) program eligibility requirements.https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/coc/coc-program-eligibility-requirements/.
U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2019, March 29). Housing and shelter.https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources/hpr-resources/housing-shelter.
Wong, Y. L. I., Culhane, D. P., & Kuhn, R. (1997). Predictors of exit and reentry among family shelter users in New York City. Social Service Review, 71(3), 441–462.
Wong, Y. L. I., Hadley, T. R., Culhane, D. P., Poulin, S. R., Davis, M. R., Cirksey, B. A., & Brown, J. L. (2006, January). Predicting staying in or leaving permanent supportive housing that serves homeless people with serious mental illness. https://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1113&context=spp_papers.
Wong, Y. L. I., Poulin, S. R., Lee, S., Davis, M. R., & Hadley, T. R. (2008). Tracking residential outcomes of supported independent living programs for persons with serious mental illness. Evaluation and Program Planning, 31, 416–426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2008.07.001.
Funding
This research was supported by a grant from Oak Foundation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declares that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Institutional and/or National Research Committee (Rutgers University Institutional Review Board) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tiderington, E. “I achieved being an adult”: A Qualitative Exploration of Voluntary Transitions from Permanent Supportive Housing. Adm Policy Ment Health 48, 9–22 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-020-01036-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-020-01036-z