The Oregon Supportive Housing Evaluation Project is one of ten studies funded to work together with a coordinating center to address the following research question: What are the major differences and similarities between and across housing approaches for individuals with serious mental illness in their organizational structure, implementation, staffing, consumer characteristics, array and intensity of services and supports provided, quality of services and housing, cost, and relationships to the larger housing and service systems? The studies are funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).

This project is possible through a partnership between the Oregon Mental Health and Developmental Disability Services Division (OMHDDSD), the Regional Research Institute (RRI) for Human Services of Portland State University, and ten service providers in four Oregon counties (Clackamas, Lane, Multnomah, and Washington) that have highly developed housing and support approaches.

The OMHDDSD is responsible for overall coordination of the project. RRI is responsible for the evaluation and research activities. The service providers are responsible for providing descriptive information about their programs, data on consumers, and access to consumers for the outcome evaluation portion of the study. Consumers are used as advisors throughout the project to insure a study with integrity from the consumer perspective.

Service providers are participating. The approaches being compared include "Supported Housing", "Supervised Apartments" and "Supportive Community," which vary along a number of dimensions including integration into the community, rights of tenancy, functional separation of housing from service provision, housing choice, and service individualization, service choice, and service availability. It is estimated that over 1600 persons throughout Oregon receive services through these approaches.

The service providers participating in the study serve 468 persons with serious mental illness in Supported Housing programs, 222 in Supervised Apartments, and 404 in Supportive Communities. Additionally, the providers estimate that, due to natural turnover and the expansion of services and housing facilities, a total of 541 new individuals are enrolled each year.

At the midpoint of the first year of funding, a number of tasks were accomplished. A Local Research Advisory Committee (LRAC) was assembled and provided advice in the implementation of the project. A number of consumers were enlisted as members of the LRAC and two consumers were hired as research assistants to participate in the site visits. Program cost and consumer demographic data were gathered from providers and searches of state databases that include additional consumer information were completed.

Analyses of the data were performed, a proposal for an outcome study was developed, and results from the process evaluation were compiled and disseminated. Additionally, meetings of the LRAC were convened to assist the research team in completing the process evaluation and developing the outcome study proposal.

Since the early 1980s, the OMHDDSD has been committed to using existing and newly developed community housing coupled with flexible, individualized support services; however, it has never been possible to accomplish an in-depth evaluation of the programs.

Findings from this research will begin to satisfy that need by clearly describing the various housing and service approaches being provided to adults with serious and persistent mental illness. Additionally, as the mental health service system enters an era of managed care and integration with physical health care, this need for information is heightened.

Contact

Debi Elliott, Project Manager, email

Concluded Project - end date February 2002 Oregon Supported Housing Evaluation

Concluded Project - end date February 2002

Oregon Supported Housing Evaluation