Attempting Randomized Housing First Research in a Community Context: Reflections on Failure

Area of Science:

• Community Psychology
• Public Health
• Social Work

Background:

• The Housing First (HF) model shows strong evidence for aiding chronic homelessness.
• Rigorous research on HF is resource-intensive, often limiting its scope.
• University-community partnerships offer a model for integrating research with services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a post-mortem analysis of a failed randomized trial of scattered-site versus single-site Housing First.
• To identify systemic barriers and challenges in university-community partnerships for homelessness research.
• To provide recommendations for overcoming these barriers in future research.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative, first-person account from multiple stakeholders involved in the trial.
• Exploration of an attempted randomized trial of Housing First approaches.
• Analysis of insurmountable and avoidable barriers encountered during the project.

Main Results:

• The randomized trial did not reach completion due to numerous systemic and avoidable barriers.
• Ever-changing homeless service policies significantly impacted research and organizational procedures.
• Despite project failure, the experience yielded valuable insights into partnership challenges.

Conclusions:

• University-community partnerships for HF research face significant systemic challenges.
• Flexibility and proactive planning are crucial for navigating policy changes and organizational hurdles.
• Lessons learned can inform strategies to prevent or overcome barriers in future collaborative research on homelessness.