title: Effects of sustained abstinence among treated substance-abusing homeless persons on housing and employment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether cocaine-dependent homeless persons had stable housing and were employed 6, 12, and 18 months after they entered a randomized controlled trial comparing 2 treatments.
  
  
  METHODS
  One group (n = 103) received abstinence-contingent housing, vocational training, and work; another group (n = 103) received the same intervention plus cognitive behavioral day treatment. We examined baseline and early treatment variables for association with long-term housing and employment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the enhanced-treatment group achieved better abstinence rates, the groups did not differ in long-term housing and employment stability. However, consecutive weeks of abstinence during treatment (and to a lesser extent, older age and male gender) predicted long-term housing and employment stability after adjustment for baseline differences in employment, housing, and treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data showed a relationship of abstinence with housing stability. Contrasting these results with the increasingly popular Housing First interventions reveals important gaps in our knowledge to be addressed in future research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CH 201, 1530 3rd Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35294-1170, USA. jmilby@uab.edu
authors.forename: Jesse B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Milby
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: Rudy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vuchinich
authors.forename: Stephen T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Mennemeyer
authors.forename: Stefan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kertesz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000407:Alabama; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome