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Subgroups
Once potential participants completed drug and alcohol detoxification, they received a baseline assessment by research staff to determine 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 comparison condition reviewed here was provided throughout the study duration. Due to implementation challenges with the initial intervention condition that provided housing assistance without peer support, however, the intervention group condition as reviewed here was not introduced until eight months after the first participant was randomly assigned. At this point, the decision was made to only assign females (approximately 13 percent of the study sample) to one of the other two study conditions (the second of which is reviewed here as the comparison condition, and the first of which is 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 referrals to substance use treatment and transportation assistance provided low-intensity services to adults who were experiencing homelessness and had alcohol use disorders. Participants must have lived in or near Albuquerque, NM, for three months or more. They could not have serious disabilities or dependent children. Comparison participants were referred to local and statewide alcohol treatment, were paid bus fare to these facilities, and were paid to provide data on their use of health services at biweekly check-ins with program staff. The comparison condition began operating in December 1991, about eight months after the first study participant was randomized. This replaced a housed comparison condition that was terminated due to implementation issues and limitations in the unsupervised service delivery model.
The comparison condition of housing with peer support provided medium-intensity services to adults who were experiencing homelessness and had alcohol use disorders. Participants must have lived in or near Albuquerque, NM, for three months or more. They 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 free housing from Project H&ART in a substance-free living environment alongside support from residence managers who were also recently recovering 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 only required to (1) remain alcohol and drug free (as determined by random drug tests), (2) attend community meetings once per week, and (3) engage residence managers twice per week on any community services received.
None
Project H&ART took place in Albuquerque, NM. Study participants were housed in study-provided apartments, and most program activities took place in a nearby office building.
Alcohol use; Housing stability