Research Literature Review
SOWK 562 – Summer 2014
Assignment #3: Intervention Literature Review
July 20, 2014
Dr. Hsin-Yi Hsiao
Intervention Description
There are two distinct service models for persons experiencing homelessness that also have issues with mental illness and/or addictions, the treatment first model or the Housing First model. Housing First models utilize a supported housing approach in which consumers start with permanent, independent apartments and providers work with consumers regardless of their symptoms, substance abuse, or whether they participate in formal treatment (Henwood, 2011). The housing is the treatment or intervention and the treatment is offered as long as the client needs the support.
Although the housing first program posits housing as the treatment, additional services and treatments will often be available within the housing setting. Across the country, teams of providers that include social workers are utilizing housing first programs. These teams provide intensive case management, using an Assertive Community Treatment model to treat participants (Housing, 2012). These services are designed to help participants maintain their housing while improving their health and mental health status and reducing substance abuse.
Theory of Change
Communities across the country have developed, implemented, and refined a wide range of program models and strategies to address chronic homelessness (Caton, 2007). Some models have been rigorously evaluated and others have been evaluated using less sophisticated methodologies. Some interventions have been implemented widely but little research exists to measure their effectiveness (Canton, 2007). New services for this population developed over the past decade include adaptations or modifications of established evidence-based interventions that were initially designed and tested for stably housed people with serious mental illness while other program innovations have shown promise based on
Assignment #3: Intervention Literature Review
July 20, 2014
Dr. Hsin-Yi Hsiao
Intervention Description
There are two distinct service models for persons experiencing homelessness that also have issues with mental illness and/or addictions, the treatment first model or the Housing First model. Housing First models utilize a supported housing approach in which consumers start with permanent, independent apartments and providers work with consumers regardless of their symptoms, substance abuse, or whether they participate in formal treatment (Henwood, 2011). The housing is the treatment or intervention and the treatment is offered as long as the client needs the support.
Although the housing first program posits housing as the treatment, additional services and treatments will often be available within the housing setting. Across the country, teams of providers that include social workers are utilizing housing first programs. These teams provide intensive case management, using an Assertive Community Treatment model to treat participants (Housing, 2012). These services are designed to help participants maintain their housing while improving their health and mental health status and reducing substance abuse.
Theory of Change
Communities across the country have developed, implemented, and refined a wide range of program models and strategies to address chronic homelessness (Caton, 2007). Some models have been rigorously evaluated and others have been evaluated using less sophisticated methodologies. Some interventions have been implemented widely but little research exists to measure their effectiveness (Canton, 2007). New services for this population developed over the past decade include adaptations or modifications of established evidence-based interventions that were initially designed and tested for stably housed people with serious mental illness while other program innovations have shown promise based on