Follow-up of chronically homeless mentally ill men.

Abstract

To supply information on the efficacy of on-site day treatment for homeless mentally ill men in shelters, the authors followed up homeless mentally ill men 18 months after placement in community housing. The 42 subjects had been evaluated before and 6 months after entering an on-site day treatment program. The authors reinterviewed 34 of these patients again 1 year after the first follow-up to determine housing status, hospitalization, aftercare, criminal justice contacts, income, and employment. By the 18-month follow-up the positive effects of the program at 6 months had deteriorated; 44% of the men had returned to shelters at some point during the follow-up period, and the number of men with criminal justice contacts had increased to a proportion exceeding that before the program. A concurrent diagnosis of substance abuse increased the risk of homelessness during follow-up. These findings underscore the need for innovative treatment and support services for the homeless mentally ill who have concurrent substance abuse.