Table 2 Means and standard deviations for specific items inquired about in phase 2 “user” interviews

Assertive community outreach directly to:

1.

  • Potential consumers

3.50

0.65

2.

  • Hospitals

2.57

0.94

3.

  • Shelters

3.64

0.63

4.

  • Interim housing programs

2.07

1.07

5.

  • Government agencies

2.43

0.76

6.

Specific staff dedicated to outreach

3.43

1.16

Programs mainly target services towards:

7.

  • Adults

3.23

1.24

8.

  • Single individuals not attached to a family unit

2.86

1.23

9.

  • Those who are chronically homeless

3.79

0.60

10.

  • Those who have serious and persistent mental illness

3.79

0.43

11.

  • Those who have a substance abuse disorder

3.29

0.91

12.

  • Those who are actively using substances

3.14

0.86

13.

  • Those who demonstrate a desire to move towards abstinence

3.29

1.14

14.

  • Those who do not have a prior felony conviction

1.79

1.25

15.

  • Those who have good credit and/or no convictions

1.21

1.25

New consumers are assessed for:

16.

  • Housing readiness

1.86

1.29

17.

  • Substance use

2.71

1.07

18.

  • Mental health status

2.93

0.92

19.

  • Physical health

2.71

0.83

20.

  • Financial stability

1.14

1.29

21.

  • Benefits and entitlements

2.43

1.58

22.

  • New consumers submit to urinalysis

0.36

0.84

Consumers admitted on:

23.

1. First come, first serve basis

1.92

1.19

24.

2. Assessed need/vulnerability

3.31

0.75

25.

Consumers to have benefits upon admission

0.93

1.21

26.

Consumers to have insurance upon admission (i.e., Medicaid, Medicare)

0.64

1.08

27.

Consumers to agree to money management as a precondition for admission

1.36

1.60

28.

Consumers agree to representative payee ship

1.14

1.29

29.

Educate incoming consumers on the principles of Housing First

3.14

0.66

30.

Housing available in multiple neighborhoods or community areas

3.14

1.10

31.

Allow consumers to change housing location once housed

2.00

1.18

32.

Temporary housing available to consumers while waiting for permanent placement

3.07

1.07

33.

Private landlords for housing sites

2.79

0.89

34.

Staff dedicated to locating housing stock

3.38

0.87

35.

Staff dedicated to building relationships with property managers

3.62

0.65

36.

Consumers do not share living spaces such as bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, or kitchens

2.71

1.44

Housing property management to:

37.

  • Allow consumers to use alcohol in unit

2.85

1.52

38.

  • Allow consumers to use alcohol away from property

3.57

0.76

39.

  • Allow consumers to use illegal drugs in unit

1.85

1.77

40.

  • Allow consumers to use illegal drugs away from property

2.92

1.55

41.

  • Allow consumers to be intoxicated on housing property

3.00

1.04

42.

  • Prohibit consumer use of any substances in unit

0.71

1.20

43.

  • Prohibit consumer use of any substances at any time, in or away from unit

0.43

0.76

44.

Housing does not have time limits other than those defined by the standard lease/occupancy agreement

3.71

0.50

45.

Housing lease is not tied to any type of service agreements

2.86

1.23

46.

All consumers have representative payees

0.93

0.10

47.

Consumer has a representative payee when has trouble managing money

2.71

0.99

48.

Emergency funds available to assist consumers in need

3.14

0.86

49.

Consumer as the lease holder

2.79

1.22

50.

Agency as the lease holder

1.36

1.34

Require regular housing inspection for:

51.

  • Cleanliness

2.93

0.92

52.

  • Contraband

0.86

1.17

53.

Consumers participate in regular urinalysis to detect substance use

0.21

0.58

54.

Directly place consumers into permanent housing situation (rather than interim or safe haven)

3.07

1.14

55.

Allow consumer choice in housing location

2.93

0.92

56.

Keep active drug and alcohol users separately housing from non-users

1.21

1.12

57.

Consumers to be assigned case managers

4.00

0.00

58.

Consumers to have regular contact with a case manager as a condition of housing

1.93

1.54

59.

Case manager contact occurs in-person

3.50

0.67

60.

Reduce the number of face-to-face meeting with a case manager as a consumer demonstrates a growing level of stability

2.33

1.51

Consumers to be able to define:

61.

  • Case manager meeting agenda

2.79

0.80

62.

  • Case manager meeting time, within reason

2.71

0.61

  • Case manager meeting location, within reason

2.43

1.16

Have an ACT Team

2.79

1.25

Intensive case management services

3.00

0.96

Consumer chooses level of engagement in services

3.21

0.70

Supportive services located on housing site

2.23

1.36

Consumers allowed to refuse supportive services

2.79

1.05

Staff utilize assertive engagement with consumers to make services attractive

3.64

0.50

Important that consumers with mental health issues:

  • See a mental health practitioner

2.79

1.12

  • Are compliant with psychiatric medication

2.36

0.84

Consumers with physical health issues:

  • See a health care practitioner

3.07

0.62

  • Are compliant with their medication prescribed for physical health problems

2.57

0.94

Consumer choose their own goals

3.79

0.43

Low-demand approach to serving consumers

3.67

0.65

Stage-based/stage-wise substance abuse treatment

2.38

0.96

Harm Reduction approach to serving consumers

3.57

0.65

Educate consumers about harm reduction

3.15

0.99

Assess consumers for discharge readiness

3.08

0.95

Terminate housing services based on:

  • Excessive pedestrian traffic in and out of unit

1.21

0.80

  • Having people stay in unit who are not on the lease

2.00

1.41

  • Keeping the unit in an unclean, hazardous state

2.43

1.28

  • Excessive noise

1.79

1.18

  • Threats of violence

3.14

0.95

  • Physical violence

3.79

0.43

  • Relapse

0.14

0.36

  • Alcohol use in room

0.36

0.93

  • Illegal substances in room

1.50

1.65

  • Any illegal activity in the room besides use of illegal substances

2.31

1.44

  • Nonpayment of rent

2.29

1.33

Have formal eviction prevention protocol

3.64

0.84

Continue providing services if housing is lost

3.08

1.32

Work with consumers to prevent homelessness in preparation for eviction from housing

3.86

0.36

Work with consumers to locate new housing if evicted

3.57

0.65

Have a staff member dedicated to eviction and/or homelessness prevention

2.07

1.90

Eviction and/or homeless prevention specialist is full-time

2.30

1.70

Follow-up with consumers after voluntary discharge from housing/services

2.71

1.14

Hold housing for consumers if they leave for short periods

3.64

0.63

Continue case management services while housing is being held

3.31

0.63

Minimum education qualifications for case managers

3.00

0.88

Have an ethnically and culturally diverse staff

3.86

0.36

Have formal protocol for hiring ethnically and culturally diverse staff

3.07

1.07

Have the following types of professionals at agency:

  • Psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner

3.29

0.73

  • Licensed mental health professional (e.g., social worker, psychologists, therapist, or counselor)

3.00

1.04

  • Certified substance abuse counselor

2.36

1.22

  • Vocational rehabilitation specialist

2.36

0.84

  • Medical doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant

2.57

1.16

  • Nurse

2.57

1.02

  • Peer counselors

2.86

1.23

24/7 availability of at least one staff member

3.36

1.01

Case managers are accessible (via phone) outside of normal working hours

2.07

1.27

Case manager offices located in separate location from housing

1.54

1.61

Separate program staff who work with property management to enforce rules and regulations of housing if case manager offices are onsite

3.00

1.00

Allow staff to have flexible working schedules

2.93

0.83

Staff meet regularly with a supervisor

3.64

0.50

Important for staff to be trained in:

  • Motivational interviewing

3.57

0.65

  • Crisis intervention

3.86

0.36

  • Harm reduction

3.64

0.63

  • 12-step model

1.93

0.10

  • Stages-of-change treatment

2.93

0.83

  • Cultural sensitivity

3.71

0.50

  • Other_____________

n/a

n/a

  • Interdisciplinary team meetings

3.57

0.51

Program to engage in program evaluation or outcome measure activities

3.71

0.50

Involve consumers in program decision making

3.21

0.80

Agency to be involved in Housing First policy discussions at:

  • Local level

3.77

0.44

  • State level

3.46

0.66

  • National level

3.15

1.14

Utilize housing retention score as an indicator of successful Housing First programming

2.67

1.23