Which Comes First: the Housing or the Services?

A research team in Canada has been awarded a three-year grant to study whether "Housing First" is a model that works for mentally ill homeless youth. Housing First is the idea that it is cheaper, and more effective, to place homeless persons directly into supportive housing rather than trying to provide them with services while they're living in shelters or on the street. The research is being backed with $350,000 from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and $150,000 from the Mental Health Commission of Canada. The three-year study aims to involve a minimum of 150 and as many as 200 youth between 16 and 25 in London, Ontario.

While it may seem obvious that Housing First is a model that should work for all people experiencing homelessness, regardless of specific needs or demographic factors, the researchers hypothesize that housing might not always be the thing homeless teens need most. Sometimes, for instance, youth may be on the streets because of a falling-out at home. Providing that young person with alternate housing could prevent reconciliation with family.

The study will attempt to determine if the best approach to ending homelessness among mentally ill youth is to get a roof over their heads right away, to get them treatment right away, or some combination of the two.

I'll admit, when I first heard about this research project I thought it was a waste of time. It seems intuitive to me that Housing First, regardless of age, is the most effective and humane way to address homelessness. However, as I have written before, data does not always conform to our beliefs, and while I believe this research will conclude that Housing First does work for mentally ill youth, I am interested in what the researchers find. If we are to end homelessness, we have to be willing to follow what the data suggests, so long as that data is gathered in meaningful, bias-free ways. If the scientific research is sound, and concludes that Housing First does not work for mentally ill homeless youth, that will have important implications for meeting the needs of this vulnerable demographic.

Photo credit: runran