28501.01-Study of At Home/Che

Study Name

At Home/Chez Soi Project with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

Study Sharepoint ID

28501.01

Evaluation name

Evaluation of At Home/Chez Soi Project with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

This study received a low study quality rating because it is a high-attrition randomized controlled trial that does not adjust estimated impacts for potentially important differences between the intervention and comparison groups.

This study received a low study quality rating because it is a high-attrition randomized controlled trial that does not adjust estimated impacts for potentially important differences between the intervention and comparison groups.

Design

Randomized controlled trial

Services

Health services

Substance use disorder treatment and mental health services

Housing

Populations targeted

Homelessness

Mental illness

Settings in which the intervention was studied

Tested in multiple settings

Demographics

Subgroups

Subgroup data - Female

Subgroup data - Male

Subgroup data - White

Subgroup data - Black

Count age

Count Young Adults

Count Hard-to-employ

Count Disability

Count chronically ill

Count mentally ill

Count substance dependent

Count formerly incarcerated

Count Justice involved

Count limited work history

Count homeless

Count immigrants

Count refugees

Count veterans

Count female

Count Male

Count Any postsecondary education

Count With a high school diploma or GED

Count No high school diploma or GED

Count Married

Count Parents

Count Single Parents

Count Non-Custodial Parents

Count Employed

Count Self employed

Count Unemployed

Count Disconnected/discouraged workers

Count general low-income population

Count Very low income (as classified by the authors)

Count welfare population

Count long-term welfare recipients

Count Asian

Count Black or African American

Count Hispanic or Latino of any race

Count American Indian or Alaska Native

Count Pacific islander

Count White

Count White not Hispanic

Count More than one race

Count Unknown race

Count another race

Percent mentally ill

100.00

Percent Justice involved

43.00

Percent homeless

100.00

Percent female

32.00

Percent Male

68.00

Percent Any postsecondary education

22.00

Percent No high school diploma or GED

59.00

Percent With a high school diploma or GED

19.00

Percent Married

4.00

Percent Parents

30.00

Percent Unemployed

94.00

Percent Asian

3.00

Percent Black or African American

11.00

Percent White not Hispanic

55.00

Percent another race

32.00

Mean age

39.40

Study Characteristics

Group formation formatted

This study used a randomized controlled trial design. Recruitment primarily took place at shelters or on the street. Inclusion criteria required participants to be age 18 or older (19 or older in British Columbia), hold legal status in Canada (as a citizen, immigrant, refugee, or claimant), have a serious mental disorder, and be experiencing absolute homelessness or precarious housing (with at least two instances of absolute homelessness) in the year before randomization. People were screened for eligibility and assessed as high or moderate need before being randomly assigned into intervention and comparison groups. Researchers used a computer program to assign 950 high-need participants to receive immediate housing placement with ACT or treatment as usual (the comparison group). In total, evaluators collected data for 439 participants in the intervention group and 417 participants in the comparison group. Both the unit of assignment and unit of analysis were at the individual level.

Study timing formatted

24 months

Implementing organization formatted

Mental Health Commission of Canada

Treatment condition formatted

Intervention group members were placed immediately into housing and received rent subsidies up to $600 per month, and participants contributed no more than 30 percent of their income toward housing. Participants also received support from multidisciplinary ACT teams, which included a psychiatrist, nurse, and peer specialist, among others. Participants met with a member of the ACT team at least once per week, and the team provided round-the-clock crisis coverage. All intervention group members were people experiencing homelessness who had a mental illness and had been assessed as having high needs.

Comparison condition formatted

The comparison group received treatment as usual, defined as access to existing housing or intervention programs in their communities. All comparison group members were people experiencing homelessness who had a mental illness and had been assessed as having high needs.

Mandatory services formatted

None

Setting details formatted

At Home/Chez Soi was implemented in five sites across Canada: Toronto, Moncton, Montreal, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. Each site operated in a unique local context, including varied housing and service availability contexts.

Delivered by public or private entity?

Public

Secondary domains examined

Quality of life measures; health outcomes; housing stability and quality

Citations/manuscripts

Earliest publication year

2014

Most recent publication year

2016

Manuscripts

28501

90036