Homeless Adults’ Recovery Experiences in Housing First and Traditional Services Programs in Seven European Countries

Ronni Michelle Greenwood, Rachel M. Manning, Branagh R. O'Shaughnessy, Maria J. Vargas-Moniz, Sandrine Loubière, Freek Spinnewijn, Michela Lenzi, Judith R. Wolf, Anna Bokszczanin, Roberto Bernad, Håkan Källmén, José Ornelas, Maria F. Jorge-Monteiro, Inês Almas, Teresa Duarte, Francesca Disperati, Marta Gaboardi, Massimo Santinello, Alessio Vieno, Rita P. MarquesMaria Carmona, Américo Nave, Borja Rivero, Martin Julián, Barbara Zmaczynska–Witek, Skałacka Katarzyna, Aleksandra Rogowska, Sandra Schel, Yvonne Peters, Tessa van Loenen, Liselotte Raben, Ulla Beijer, Mats Blid, Teresa Bispo, Tiago Cruz, Carla Pereira, Pascal Auquier, Junie M. Petit, Sandrine Loubière, Aurélie Tinland

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Across Europe, as governments turn to housing-led strategies in attempts to reverse rising rates of homelessness, increasing numbers of Housing First (HF) programs are being implemented. As HF programs become more widespread, it is important to understand how service users experience them compared to the more prevalent traditional treatment-first approach to addressing long-term homelessness. Although there is a large body of research on service users’ experiences of Housing First compared to treatment-first in North American contexts, comparatively less is known about how these two categories of homeless services are experienced in the European context. In a correlational and cross-sectional study, part of a larger examination of homelessness in Europe, participants (n = 520) engaged with either HF (n = 245) or traditional services (TS; n = 275) programs in seven countries completed measures of their experiences of services (consumer choice, housing quality, and service satisfaction) and recovery (time in independent housing, psychiatric symptoms, and community integration). Across the seven countries, participants engaged with HF programs reported experiencing more consumer choice, better perceived housing quality, and more satisfaction with services than participants engaged in TS programs. Participants in HF programs also reported a greater proportion of time in independent accommodation, fewer psychiatric symptoms, and more community integration. Varying patterns of association between experiences of services and recovery outcomes were observed. Findings indicate HF consistently predicts greater recovery than TS across diverse sociopolitical and economic contexts. Implications of findings for configurations of homeless services and homeless services policy are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)353-368
Number of pages16
JournalAmerican Journal of Community Psychology
Volume65
Issue number3-4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2020

Keywords

  • Choice
  • Homelessness
  • Housing First
  • Housing quality
  • Recovery
  • Satisfaction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Homeless Adults’ Recovery Experiences in Housing First and Traditional Services Programs in Seven European Countries'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this