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Adults experiencing homelessness with cocaine dependence and nonpsychotic mental disorders who were clients at Birmingham Health Care (BHC) between 1994 and 2001 were randomly divided into three groups when they entered the clinic: abstinence-contingent housing (ACH), non-abstinence-contingent housing (NACH), and no housing (NH). In total, 63 participants were assigned to ACH, 66 participants were assigned to NACH, and 66 participants were assigned to NH. The current review compares outcomes of NACH and NH participants. Other reviews include contrasts of ACH with NH and ACH with NACH.
Random assignment occurred from September 1994 to November 2001, and evaluators measured outcomes one year after assignment.
Birmingham Health Care - Birmingham, AL
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. 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 were provided with three to five months of work therapy and after-care at BHC. For work therapy, participants spent 6.5 hours per day in food service, landscaping, or construction jobs, earning $5.25 an hour. In the first phase, furnished housing was provided rent-free after participants took two urine drug tests (provision was not contingent upon test results). In the second phase of the intervention, participants were charged $161 per month to remain in program housing but were not evicted if unable to provide payment.
Participants in the comparison group did not receive program-provided housing during the six-month intervention but did receive the same outpatient and work therapy services as participants in the intervention group.
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The study took place in Birmingham, AL. Study participants were recruited at BHC, a homeless health care agency.
Housing