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Beyond Supported Housing: Correlates of Improvements in Quality of Life Among Homeless Adults with Mental Illness

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Abstract

Background: The goal of supported housing, aside from exiting homelessness, is to improve overall quality of life. The contribution of factors that enhance quality of life in supported housing programs, beyond housing itself, have not been empirically identified. Methods: Five-year follow-up data from two arms of a randomized trial comparing case management with and without housing vouchers (n = 278) were examined to identify correlates of improved quality of life, beyond housing resources. Results: Access to a housing contributed to 4% of the variance in improved quality of life. Improvement in psychiatric symptoms, alcohol and drug use, employment, total income, and social support were associated with an additional 34–43% of variance in improved quality of life above and beyond housing. Conclusion: Improvements in quality of life were more strongly associated with improvements in mental health and other aspects of social well-being than housing alone.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Veterans Affairs New England Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Maria O’Connell & Robert Rosenheck

  2. School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Jack Tsai

  3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Center on Homelessness among Veterans, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jack Tsai & Robert Rosenheck

  4. VA New England Mental Illness Research and Clinical Center, West Haven, CT, USA

    Robert Rosenheck

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  1. Maria O’Connell
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  2. Jack Tsai
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  3. Robert Rosenheck
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Correspondence to Maria O’Connell.

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O’Connell, M., Tsai, J. & Rosenheck, R. Beyond Supported Housing: Correlates of Improvements in Quality of Life Among Homeless Adults with Mental Illness. Psychiatr Q 94, 49–59 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-10010-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-022-10010-x

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