title: A place to call home: study protocol for a longitudinal, mixed methods evaluation of two housing first adaptations in Sydney, Australia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This protocol describes a study evaluating two 'Housing First' programs, Platform 70 and Common Ground, presently being implemented in the inner-city region of Sydney, Australia. The Housing First approach prioritises housing individuals who are homeless in standard lease agreement tenancies as rapidly as possible to lock in the benefits from long-term accommodation, even where the person may not be seen as 'housing ready'.
  
  
  METHODS
  The longitudinal, mixed methods evaluation utilises both quantitative and qualitative data collected at baseline and 12-month follow-up time points. For the quantitative component, clients of each program were invited to complete client surveys that reported on several factors associated with chronic homelessness and were hypothesised to improve under stable housing, including physical and mental health status and treatment rates, quality of life, substance use patterns, and contact with the health and criminal justice systems. Semi-structured interviews with clients and stakeholders comprised the qualitative component and focused on individual experiences with, and perceptions of, the two programs. In addition, program data on housing stability, rental subsidies and support levels provided to clients by agencies was collected and will be used in conjunction with the client survey data to undertake an economic evaluation of the two programs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study will systematically evaluate the efficacy of a scatter site model (Platform 70) and a congregated model (Common Ground) of the Housing First approach; an examination that has not yet been made either in Australia or internationally. A clear strength of the study is its timing. It was designed and implemented as the programs in question themselves were introduced. Moreover, the programs were introduced when the Australian Government, with State and Territory support, began a more focused, coordinated response to homelessness and funded rapid expansion of innovative homelessness programs across the country, including Common Ground supportive housing developments.
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia. e.whittaker@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Whittaker
authors.affiliation: NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use, National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, Australia. w.swift@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Swift
authors.affiliation: Centre for Social Impact, Business School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia. p.flatau@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Flatau
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Pharmacology, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. timothy@dobbins.im.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dobbins
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia. o.schollar-root@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schollar-Root
authors.affiliation: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, 2052, Australia. l.burns@unsw.edu.au.
authors.forename: Lucinda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burns
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D003415:Crime; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006798:Housing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012107:Research Design; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012940:Social Problems; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy