| Title | A Multiple-City RCT of Housing First With Assertive Community Treatment for Homeless Canadians With Serious Mental Illness. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2016 |
| Authors | Aubry T [1], Goering P [2], Veldhuizen S [3], Adair CE [4], Bourque J [5], Distasio J [6], Latimer E [7], Stergiopoulos V [8], Somers J [9], Streiner DL [10], Tsemberis S [11] |
| Journal | Psychiatr Serv |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pagination | 275-81 |
| Date Published | 2016 Mar |
| ISSN | 1557-9700 |
| Keywords | Adult [12], Canada [13], Case Management [14], Community Mental Health Services [15], Female [16], Homeless Persons [17], Housing [18], Humans [19], Linear Models [20], Male [21], Mental Disorders [22], Middle Aged [23], Quality of Life [24] |
| Abstract | OBJECTIVE: Housing First with assertive community treatment (ACT) is a promising approach to assist people with serious mental illness to exit homelessness. The article presents two-year findings from a multisite trial on the effectiveness of Housing First with ACT.METHODS: The study design was a randomized controlled trial conducted in five Canadian cities. A sample of 950 participants with serious mental illness who were absolutely homeless or precariously housed were randomly assigned to receive either Housing First with ACT (N=469) or treatment as usual (N=481).RESULTS: Housing First participants spent more time in stable housing than participants in treatment as usual (71% versus 29%, adjusted absolute difference [AAD]=42%, p<.01). Compared with treatment-as-usual participants, Housing First participants who entered housing did so more quickly (73 versus 220 days, AAD=146.4, p<.001), had longer housing tenures at the study end-point (281 versus 115 days, AAD=161.8, p<.01), and rated the quality of their housing more positively (adjusted standardized mean difference [ASMD]=.17, p<.01). Housing First participants reported higher quality of life (ASMD=.15, p<.01) and were assessed as having better community functioning (ASMD=.18, p<.01) over the two-year period. Housing First participants showed significantly greater gains in community functioning and quality of life in the first year; however, differences between the two groups were attenuated by the end of the second year.CONCLUSIONS: Housing First with ACT is an effective approach in various contexts for assisting individuals with serious mental illness to rapidly exit homelessness. |
| DOI | 10.1176/appi.ps.201400587 [25] |
| Alternate Journal | Psychiatr Serv |
| PubMed ID | 26620289 [26] |
