Involvement in an outreach and residential treatment program for homeless mentally ill veterans

Descriptive data derived from initial assessment interviews and from standardized 3-month progress reports are presented on 1684 homeless, chronically mentally ill veterans who were contacted at nine sites in a national Department of Veterans Affairs outreach program. Levels of involvement in the program were modest, with only 16% of those screened having over 10 clinical contacts and 24% still involved after 3 months. Demographic and clinical characteristics were weakly associated with continued involvement, but those admitted to residential treatment were 5.4 times more likely to be involved in the program than those not admitted. Admission to residential treatment appears to be the strongest determinant of clinical engagement of the homeless mentally ill.