Housing assistance and case management: improving access to substance use disorder treatment for homeless veterans

The problem of waiting list attrition in addiction treatment programs is widespread, and homeless and marginally housed individuals are particularly susceptible. This naturalistic, retrospective study describes an intervention (Transitional Supportive Housing and Case Management) that effectively promoted treatment admission for this high-risk group above and beyond that which could be explained by certain pretreatment factors. The clinical records of 211 military veterans referred to intensive outpatient addiction treatment were reviewed for factors related to treatment program admission, including 3 interventions designed to prevent waiting list attrition. Chi-square tests evaluated univariate predictors of treatment entry, and a hierarchical binary logistic regression evaluated several variables simultaneously. Results showed that fewer than 50% of wait-listed patients achieved treatment admission. Univariate predictors of treatment entry were not having a current partner, having a legal problem, and having had past substance use disorder treatment. The logistic regression showed that patients who received the intervention were 4.5 times more likely to enter the treatment program, and individuals with a current legal problem were 2.5 times more likely to enter treatment. Participation in a weekly support group and/or contact with a psychiatric nurse practitioner did not increase the likelihood of program admission. It may be possible to enhance treatment entry for the homeless and marginally housed by providing case management and housing services. Future research is needed to determine how the individual-level factors predicting treatment entry in this study can be used to tailor other interventions to further address the problem of waiting list attrition.