Dataset Information

Ending homelessness among people with mental illness: the At Home/Chez Soi randomized trial of a Housing First intervention in Toronto.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The At Home/Chez Soi (AH/CS) Project is a randomized controlled trial of a Housing First intervention to meet the needs of homeless individuals with mental illness in five cities across Canada. The objectives of this paper are to examine the approach to participant recruitment and community engagement at the Toronto site of the AH/CS Project, and to describe the baseline demographics of participants in Toronto.

Methods

Homeless individuals (n?=?575) with either high needs (n?=?197) or moderate needs (n?=?378) for mental health support were recruited through service providers in the city of Toronto. Participants were randomized to Housing First interventions or Treatment as Usual (control) groups. Housing First interventions were offered at two different mental health service delivery levels: Assertive Community Treatment for high needs participants and Intensive Case Management for moderate needs participants. Demographic data were collected via quantitative questionnaires at baseline interviews.

Results

The effectiveness of the recruitment strategy was influenced by a carefully designed referral system, targeted recruitment of specific groups, and an extensive network of pre-existing services. Community members, potential participants, service providers, and other stakeholders were engaged through active outreach and information sessions. Challenges related to the need for different sectors to work together were resolved through team building strategies. Randomization produced similar demographic, mental health, cognitive and functional impairment characteristics in the intervention and control groups for both the high needs and moderate needs groups. The majority of participants were male (69%), aged >40 years (53%), single/never married (69%), without dependent children (71%), born in Canada (54%), and non-white (64%). Many participants had substance dependence (38%), psychotic disorder (37%), major depressive episode (36%), alcohol dependence (29%), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (23%), and mood disorder with psychotic features (21%). More than two-thirds of the participants (65%) indicated some level of suicidality.

Conclusions

Recruitment at the Toronto site of AH/CS project produced a sample of participants that reflects the diverse demographics of the target population. This study will provide much needed data on how to best address the issue of homelessness and mental illness in Canada.

SUBMITTER: Hwang SW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3538556 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Ending homelessness among people with mental illness: the At Home/Chez Soi randomized trial of a Housing First intervention in Toronto.

Hwang Stephen W SW Stergiopoulos Vicky V O'Campo Patricia P Gozdzik Agnes A

BMC public health 20120914

<h4>Background</h4>The At Home/Chez Soi (AH/CS) Project is a randomized controlled trial of a Housing First intervention to meet the needs of homeless individuals with mental illness in five cities across Canada. The objectives of this paper are to examine the approach to participant recruitment and community engagement at the Toronto site of the AH/CS Project, and to describe the baseline demographics of participants in Toronto.<h4>Methods</h4>Homeless individuals (n = 575) with either high nee ...[more]

PMID: 22978561

Similar Datasets

Project description:AimsHousing First (HF), a recovery-oriented approach, was proven effective in stabilising housing situations of homeless individuals with severe mental disorders, yet had limited effectiveness on recovery outcomes on a short-term basis compared to standard treatment. The objective was to assess the effects of the HF model among homeless people with high support needs for mental and physical health services on recovery, housing stability, quality of life, health care use, mental symptoms and addiction issues on 4 years of data from the Un Chez Soi d'Abord trial.MethodsA multicentre randomised controlled trial was conducted from August 2011 to April 2018 with intent-to-treat analysis in four French cities: Lille, Marseille, Paris and Toulouse. Participants were homeless or precariously-housed patients with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Two groups were compared: the HF group (n = 353) had immediate access to independent housing and support from the assertive community treatment team; the Treatment-As-Usual (TAU) group (n = 350) had access to existing support and services. Main outcomes were personal recovery (Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) scale), housing stability, quality of life (S-QoL), global physical and mental status (Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)), inpatient days, mental symptoms (Modified Colorado Symptom Index (MCSI)) and addictions (Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)). Mixed models using longitudinal and cluster designs were performed and adjusted to first age on the street, gender and mental disorder diagnosis. Models were tested for time × group and site × time interactions.ResultsThe 703 participants [123 (18%) female] had a mean age of 39 years (95% CI 38.0-39.5 years). Both groups improved RAS index from baseline to 48 months, with no statistically significant changes found between the HF and TAU groups over time. HF patients exhibited better autonomy (adjusted β = 2.6, 95% CI 1.2-4.1) and sentimental life (2.3, 95% CI 0.5-4.1), higher housing stability (28.6, 95% CI 25.1-32.1), lower inpatient days (-3.14, 95% CI -5.2 to -1.1) and improved SF-36 mental composite score (-0.8, 95% CI -1.6 to -0.1) over the 4-year follow-up. HF participants experienced higher alcohol consumption between baseline and 48 months. No significant differences were observed for self-reported mental symptoms or substance dependence.ConclusionData at 4 years were consistent with 2-year follow-up data: similar improvement in personal recovery outcomes but higher housing stability, autonomy and lower use of hospital services in the HF group compared to the TAU group, with the exception of an ongoing alcohol issue. These sustained benefits support HF as a valuable intervention for the homeless patients with severe mental illness.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01570712.

Dataset Information

Ending homelessness among people with mental illness: the At Home/Chez Soi randomized trial of a Housing First intervention in Toronto.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Ending homelessness among people with mental illness: the At Home/Chez Soi randomized trial of a Housing First intervention in Toronto.

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