Matrix: Homelessness Services

Homeless Families: Women with Mental and/or Addictive Disorders and their Children (CSAT and CMHS)

Goals and Objectives

The instrumental goals of the program are to facilitate –

• Movement from homelessness to temporary or permanent housing;
• Decrease in psychological distress and in substance use/abuse;
• Participation in treatment, support, and training programs; and
• Family preservation.

Program Activity

This multi-year knowledge development initiative – a CMHS/ CSAT collaboration -- is documenting and evaluating the effectiveness of time-limited, intensive intervention strategies for providing treatment, housing, support, and family preservation services to homeless mothers with psychiatric and/or substance use disorders who are caring for their dependent children. In Phase One, a 2-year process that began in Fall 1999, 14 study sites developed population descriptions, enhanced services, documented their intervention models, collaborated in the development of a cross-site interview instrument, and formulated cross- and individual-site evaluation plan designs. A coordinating center facilitated site visits, the development of the cross-site study design and evaluation instrument, and provided technical assistance to sites. Sites completed their Phase One activities in 2001 and submitted competitive applications for continuation into Phase Two. Eight sites continue into the second phase, which began in October 2001.

In Phase Two the sites will conduct cross- and individual-site evaluations of their homeless families interventions, participate in developing the plan for analyzing the cross-site data, and begin collaboration on knowledge application and dissemination activities. As in the first phase, cross-site activities will be facilitated by a coordinating center.