SOUTHERN ARIZONA ALCOHOL/DRUG PROGRAM FOR THE HOMELESS

Homelessness of special populations is increasing at an alarming rate.
Researchers have found that 30-40 percent of homeless persons alcohol
problems and that at least 10-20 percent have a problem with other drugs
such as crack/cocaine and heroin. The Southern Arizona Alcohol/Drug
Program for the Homeless addresses the issues of homelessness and
alcohol/drug abuse. The long-term objective of the program is to
contribute scientific knowledge regarding effective interventions for
homeless persons with alcohol/drug problems. The specific aims of the
program are to assist homeless individuals who exhibit alcohol/drug
problems in 1) reducing their consumption of alcohol/drugs, 2) increasing
their levels of shelter and residential stability, 3) enhancement of the
economic and/or employment status and 4) improvement in their health and
mental health status. The program also proposes to increase cooperation
and linkages among social service agencies in addressing the multiple
needs of homeless individuals with alcohol/drug problems. The methods for achieving the program's objectives and specific aims
involve random assignment of participants to one of two treatment groups:
1) outpatient, 2) a modified residential therapeutic community. A control
group will also be followed so that the interventions can be compared with
the control, i.e., services already provided by the community in
exclusions of the interventions provided by this project. Process and outcome evaluations will be conducted. The process evaluation
will describe the implementation and coordination of the program from its
onset and examine the process as it affects the persons enrolled, those
providing the intervention and the larger community of service providers.
Outcomes under study include residential, economic, substance use and
health status of homeless persons. A convenience sample of 432 adult male
and female homeless persons will complete the interventions during the 3
years of the study. A control group of 144 will also be involved in the
study over the 3 year period. The outcome evaluation will 1) examine the
effects of each intervention over time using a descriptive, repeated
measures design, 2) test for the similarities and differences between the
two interventions using a quasi-experimental design and 3) test for
similarities and differences between the two interventions and the control
group.