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Summary

The program provided adults without housing with traditional outpatient treatment from a state mental health clinic to improve their housing, income, and well-being. This evaluation compared Outpatient Treatment to a separate program, Continuous Treatment Team, to better understand which program might be more effective. Outpatient Treatment featured psychotherapy and psychiatric medication.

A mental health clinic in St. Louis, MO, provided the traditional outpatient treatment, which included psychotherapy, psychiatric medication, and assistance in obtaining social services. The service population included adults without housing who had a severe psychiatric disorder, no history of violent behavior, and an intention to stay in the St. Louis area for the duration of the study. The program lasted 12 months.

Comparing Outpatient Treatment to Continuous Treatment Team showed the effect of being referred to a set of services that were unique to Outpatient Treatment or how much better Outpatient Treatment met participants’ needs. The key difference between the programs was that Outpatient Treatment provided direct mental health services. In contrast, Continuous Treatment Team provided an unlimited amount of individualized case management, including the development of a plan to meet each client’s needs. Continuous Treatment Team also provided services such as housing, health care, transportation, and money management. This study also examined the effectiveness of the Drop-In Center.

Populations and employment barriers:

Effectiveness ratings

  • Well- supported
  • Supported
  • Mixed support
  • Not supported
  • Insufficient evidence
  • Cannot assess support

Studies of this program

Study quality rating Study counts per rating
Low Low 1

Implementation details

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