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Twelve-Month Client Outcomes and Service Use in a Multisite Project for Chronically Homelessness Adults

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Abstract

Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness clients (N = 734) were enrolled into an evaluation wherein assessments at program entry and quarterly thereafter addressed sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and a wide range of service use and outcomes data. Mixed linear regression analysis was used to test for significant changes over time. The average number of days housed during the previous 3 months increased dramatically from 18 at baseline to 83 by year’s end. Significant improvements of more modest magnitude were also observed in overall quality of life, mental health functioning, and reduced psychological distress. Alcohol and drug problems remained largely unchanged over time, among clients overall. However, among baseline drug users crack, cocaine, and marijuana use decreased by 28–50% over the follow-up period. Total quarterly health cost estimates declined by 50%, as well, from $6,832 to $3,376. These findings suggest that adults who have experienced chronic homelessness may be successfully housed and can maintain their housing, when provided with comprehensive services.

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Acknowledgments

Peggy Halpern, Paul Dornan, Pete Dougherty, Anne Fletcher, Cynthia High, Mark Johnston, Robyn Raysor, Gay Koerber, and other members of the Federal Funders Review Group representing HUD, DHHS, and VA provided essential support and helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper. We wish to specifically acknowledge the CICH evaluation site coordinators: Joyce Jones and Daniel White (Chattanooga), Eugene Herskovic (Chicago), Juanita Wilson (Columbus), Richard DiBlasio (Denver), Daniel Robbin and Elaine Stein (Ft. Lauderdale), John Nakashima (Los Angeles), Phyllis Larimore (Martinez), Julie Irwin (New York), Vincent Kane and Kimberly Lewis (Philadelphia), Lawrence Brennan (Portland), and Charlene Nason (San Francisco). We would also like to acknowledge Joe Morrissey and Martha Burt for providing assistance with survey construction and study design issues. Brandi Williams coordinated data management at the VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC); computer programming support was provided by Dennis Thompson.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Social Work, The Ohio State University, 325Q Stillman Hall/1947 College Rd., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Alvin S. Mares PhD, MSW

  2. Northeast Program Evaluation Center, VAMC, West Haven, CT, USA

    Robert A. Rosenheck MD

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Robert A. Rosenheck MD

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

    Robert A. Rosenheck MD

  5. School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Robert A. Rosenheck MD

Authors
  1. Alvin S. Mares PhD, MSW
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  2. Robert A. Rosenheck MD
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Correspondence to Alvin S. Mares PhD, MSW.

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Mares, A.S., Rosenheck, R.A. Twelve-Month Client Outcomes and Service Use in a Multisite Project for Chronically Homelessness Adults. J Behav Health Serv Res 37, 167–183 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-009-9171-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-009-9171-5

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