3119.01-Rent-Free, Abstinenc

Cocaine-dependent adults with nonpsychotic mental disorders who either met federal criteria for homelessness or were deemed at serious risk for homelessness were randomly assigned to a six-month treatment program and placed in program-provided housing contingent on abstinence from cocaine. In the first phase of the intervention, participants received one to two months of outpatient treatment at BHC to reduce cocaine dependency. For about six hours per day, participants received counseling, psychological evaluation, group-based educational therapy, and routine drug testing. Participants were also required to set therapeutic goals and were incentivized to meet these goals (receiving $5 or $10 debit cards for doing so). Transportation was provided to and from BHC. In the second phase of the intervention, participants received three to five months of work therapy and after-care at BHC. For work therapy, participants spent 6.5 hours each day in food service, landscaping, or construction jobs, earning $5.25 an hour. In the first phase, furnished housing was provided rent-free after two negative urine drug tests. Participants were tested twice per week during the intervention period and transferred to a homeless shelter if they failed a drug test (participants could return to rent-free housing after two consecutive negative tests). In the second phase of the intervention, participants were charged $161 a month to remain in program housing but were not evicted if unable to provide payment.