Study of Rent-Free Non-Abstinence-Contingent Housing

Cocaine-dependent adults with nonpsychotic mental disorders who either met federal criteria for homelessness or were deemed at serious risk for homelessness were randomly assigned to a six-month treatment program and placed in program-provided housing. In the first phase of the program, participants received one to two months of outpatient treatment at BHC to reduce cocaine dependency. For about six hours per day, participants received counseling, psychological evaluation, group-based educational therapy, and routine drug testing. Participants were also required to set therapeutic goals and were incentivized to meet these goals (receiving $5 or $10 debit cards for doing so). Transportation was provided to and from BHC. In the second phase of the program, participants were provided with three to five months of work therapy and after-care at BHC. For work therapy, participants spent 6.5 hours per day in food service, landscaping, or construction jobs, earning $5.25 an hour. In the first phase, furnished housing was provided rent-free after participants took two urine drug tests (provision was not contingent upon test results). In the second phase of the program, participants were charged $161 per month to remain in program housing but were not evicted if unable to provide payment.