Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems, and Changing Lives

by Deborah Padgett, Benjamin Henwood, Sam Tsemberis

Overview

This book is the first to chronicle the story of Housing First (HF), a paradigm-shifting evidence-based approach to ending homelessness that began in New York City in 1992 and rapidly spread to other cities nationally and internationally. The authors report on the rise of a 'homeless industry' of shelters and transitional housing programs that the HF approach directly challenged by rejecting the usual demands of treatment, sobriety and housing readiness. Based upon principles of consumer choice, harm reduction and immediate access to permanent independent housing in the community, HF was initially greeted with skepticism and resistance from the 'industry'. However, rigorous experiments testing HF against 'usual care' produced consistent findings that the approach produced greater housing stability, lower use of drugs, and alcohol and cost savings. This evidence base, in conjunction with media accounts of HF's success, led to widespread adoption in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, and Australia.

The book traces the history of homelessness and the rapid growth of the publically funded homeless industry, an amalgam of religious and philanthropic organizations, advocacy groups, and non-profits that were insufficient to stem the tide of homelessness resulting from dramatic reductions in affordable housing in the 1980s and continuing to the present day. The authors summarize research findings on HF and include a chapter of personal stories of individuals who have experienced HF.

Unique to this book is the participation of the founder of HF (Tsemberis) and well-known research on HF by the co-authors (Padgett and Henwood). Also unique is the deployment of theories-organizational, institutional and implementation-to conceptually frame the rise of HF and its wide adoption as well as the resistance that arose in some places. Highly readable yet informative and scholarly, this book addresses wider issues of innovation and systems change in social and human services.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199989805
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	11/03/2015
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	1,098,488
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Deborah Padgett is internationally recognized as a qualitative methodologist known for her research on homelessness, including two federally-funded studies of Housing First. The author/co-author of five books and numerous journal articles, Dr. Padgett has received awards for her teaching and mentoring and led the Society for Social Work and Research as President.

Benjamin Henwood, PhD, MSW, is a recognized expert in mental health and housing services research whose work connects clinical interventions with social policy. His proposal to end homelessness has been adopted by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare as a grand challenge to orient the profession. Dr. Henwood is currently an assistant professor of social work at the University of Southern California.

Sam Tsemberis, PhD, is the originator of Housing First. The breakthrough that led to the creation of this consumer-directed program came after making the shift to listening rather than directing consumers, believing in their capabilities, and enlisting their assistance in designing the program. Dr. Tsemberis is on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and conducts research, lectures, and writes about these topics.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations
Preface
Chapter 1. Paradigm Shifts and Systems Change: Understanding Housing First and its Impact
Chapter 2. Homelessness in America: Truths and Consequences
Chapter 3. Three Lineages of Homeless Services
Chapter 4. Testing Housing First: An Innovation Gets its Evidence Base
Chapter 5. Housing First From the Inside: Qualitative Research with Clients
Chapter 6. In Their Own Words: Consumers Share Their Stories
Chapter 7. Growth of HF in the United States: Challenges of Expansion and Fidelity
Chapter 8. Housing First Internationally: Canada, Europe and Australia
Chapter 9. New Beginnings
CODA: Where Are They Now?
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

"There is an important story to be told about the Pathways Housing First program in New York City. This extremely influential program provides lessons about systems change related to services for homeless people with serious mental illness. Particularly interesting is the uptake of Housing First across North America, Europe, and Australia. This engaging book is a 'must read' for those interested in how Housing First can transform housing and treatment services for people with mental illness."
—Geoffrey Nelson, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University

"Theory, evidence, and experience ground this compelling story of how Housing First has transformed services for persons who are homeless across many countries and contexts."
—Paula Goering, PhD, RN, University of Toronto

"This book is an excellent account of the historic breakthrough of the Housing First approach all over the [developed] world. It explains not only how, but also why Housing First has proven to be the adequate and most effective approach to end homelessness for people with complex support needs. The homes created by Housing First programs offer "ontological security" to the formerly homeless tenants, a term which has been fruitfully used by Deborah Padgett to mark the essential advantages of the Housing First approach. From the beginning the basis for constancy, daily routines, privacy and identity construction is provided, a stable platform for a less stigmatized and more normalized life." —Prof. Dr. Volker Busch-Geertsema, senior research fellow of GISS-institute, Bremen, Germany and coordinator of the European Observatory on Homelessness

"This book provides a broad history and framing of homelessness in the United States in which the housing first idea was developed. This was especially helpful for me as I was late into the homeless arena with very little understanding of homelessness, homeless research, Federal funding for homeless programs, and various organizational approaches. Even though I had gained some understanding of homelessness the last ten years, this book pulled together a clearer picture of homelessness and the expansion of the housing first approach nationally and internationally." —Lloyd S. Pendleton, Former Director, Homeless Task Force, State of Utah

"It is not often that social policy begets a compelling success story. But in this book, Padgett and her coauthors tell how the Housing First movement to end homelessness arose from the striking confluence in the voices of disadvantaged people seeking dignified housing choice, a human rights perspective among service providers, and research-based evidence. That combination of forces has driven an international effort to reshape the social response to homelessness, with resounding successes. The story told here sets out the challenge for homelessness efforts world-wide, and indeed the way social welfare policy should be shaped more broadly."
—Dennis P. Culhane, PhD, Dana and Andrew Stone Chair of Social Policy, University of Pennsylvania

From the Publisher