The use of shelters as substance abuse stabilization sites.
The feasibility of providing postdetoxification residential substance abuse programming (stabilization) in large emergency shelters was examined as part of a demonstration project funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism under Section 613 of the Stewart B. McKinney Act (Public Law 100-71). The program completion rates of 773 homeless/near-homeless substance-abusing individuals assigned to two large shelters (71% and 62%) and two traditional substance abuse treatment agencies (68% and 54%) were comparable. These data support the expansion of shelter services to include substance abuse programming and intervention. Shelters represent windows of opportunity into the lives of homeless substance-abusing men and women, and full advantage of this opportunity should be taken to impact this subgroup of the homeless.
Argeriou
M
M
Stabilization Services Project, Boston, MA 02111.
McCarty
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011638:Public Housing / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016312:Treatment Refusal