Housing First ─ The Pathways Model to End Homelessness for People With Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Housing First is simple: provide housing first, and then combine that housing with supportive treatment services in mental and physical health, substance abuse, education, and employment.

Housing First details:

• solid, actionable information about the program's philosophy, operations, and administration
• the composition, staffing structures, and day-to-day operations of the clinical and support services
• practices in client assessment and engagement
• property management operations
• the best protocols for assisting clients with the search for housing, relationships with landlords, and the overall "settling in" process
• the research evidence for the effectiveness of the Pathways model

The Pathways model has been remarkably successful in ending chronic homelessness. Since its founding, housing retention rates have remained at 85 90 percent even among individuals who have not succeeded in other programs. Not only is Housing First effective at keeping people housed and working toward recovery, it has also proven to be incredibly cost-effective.

Sam Tsemberis, PhD, founded Pathways to Housing in New York City in 1992 based on the belief that housing is a human right. At Pathways, Tsemberis developed the consumer-driven evidence-based Housing First model that provides immediate access to permanent supportive housing to individuals who are homeless and who have mental health and addiction problems.