- Log in to post comments
Subgroups
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 or comparison groups. Researchers used a computer program to randomly assign 1,198 moderate-need participants to receive immediate housing placement with ICM or treatment as usual (the comparison group). In total, evaluators collected data for 656 participants in the intervention group and 447 participants in the comparison group. Both the unit of assignment and unit of analysis were at the individual level.
24 months
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Intervention group members were placed immediately into housing and received rent subsidies up to $600 per month so participants contributed no more than 30 percent of their income toward housing. Participants also received support through ICM, which connected them with health and other services. ICM services were available 12 hours a day, 7 days per week. All intervention group members were experiencing homelessness, had a mental illness, and had been assessed as having moderate needs.
The comparison group received treatment as usual, defined as access to existing housing or intervention programs in their communities. All comparison group members were experiencing homelessness, had a mental illness, and had been assessed as having moderate needs.
None
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.
Housing stability