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Subgroups
Once potential participants completed drug and alcohol detoxification, they received a baseline assessment by research staff to determine their eligibility for the study. Participants (known to be experiencing homelessness and have substance use disorders at intake) were deemed eligible if they had lived in or near Albuquerque, NM, for three months or more, did not have serious disabilities, and had no dependent children. Once they were determined eligible, participants were randomly assigned to one of three study groups. The intervention condition reviewed here was provided throughout the study duration. Due to implementation challenges, however, the comparison group condition that provided housing assistance without peer support was discontinued about eight months after the first participant was randomly assigned, and research staff replaced it with referrals to substance use treatment and transportation assistance without residential housing (replacement not reviewed here). At this point, research staff made the decision to only assign females (approximately 12 percent of the study sample) to one of the first two intervention conditions (the first of the conditions not reviewed here) to ensure they received housing. The analyses do not further adjust for differing probabilities of random assignment to the study conditions over time and by gender.
April 1991 to December 1993
The Lovelace Medical Foundation in collaboration with Albuquerque's Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Clinic in partnership with St. Martin's Hospitality Center (SMC)
The intervention condition of housing with peer support provided medium-intensity services to adults experiencing homelessness who also had problems with alcohol. Participants had to have lived in or near Albuquerque, NM, for three months or more. (Participants could not have serious disabilities or dependent children.) All participants successfully completed a detoxification from alcohol at a residential treatment facility between 2 and 10 days before beginning services. Comparison group participants received cost-free housing from Project H&ART in a substance-free living environment accompanied by support from residence managers who were also recently in recovery from alcohol dependence. Residence managers encouraged comparison group participants to set personal goals and build peer support networks, but these outcomes were not enforced. Comparison group participants were required to (1) remain alcohol and drug free (as determined by random drug tests), (2) attend weekly community meetings, and (3) inform residence managers twice weekly about any other community services received.
The comparison condition of housing assistance without peer support provided low-intensity services to adults who were experiencing homelessness and had problems with alcohol. They had to have lived in or near Albuquerque, NM, for three months or more. (Participants could not have serious disabilities or dependent children.) Comparison participants received community-based housing (apartment or motel based) and random alcohol and drug testing. Participants were also required to monitor their use of substance abuse and rehabilitation services and other services received in the community twice per week. All comparison condition services were generally unsupervised. The comparison condition was terminated in December 1991, after 92 participants were randomly assigned to this condition, due to implementation issues and limitations in unsupervised design of services.
None
Project H&ART took place in Albuquerque, NM. Participants lived in program-provided apartments, and most program activities took place in a nearby office building.
Alcohol use; Housing stability