Contextual factors and implementing the Housing First intervention: a literature review

Housing First (HF) has spread on the international scene as an evidence-based intervention to overcome homelessness among people with mental health problems. In Brazil, the HF has been adopted as a reference in the development of initiatives geared to people living in the streets who make harmful use of drugs. Studies point to the need for greater understanding of the dynamics of implementation in different settings. Thus, using the literature review method, we analyzed the factors that facilitate and hinder the implementation of HF. Sixty-eight papers published from 2003 to 2020 were selected from the PubMed, Scopus, PsychoINFO, Embase, Lilacs, and Scielo databases. We identified factors in four dimensions: intervention characteristics, implementation context, institutional aspects, and implementation process. The unavailability of housing, the lack of coordination of the services needed by residents, and the resistance of implementing agents to the HF principles are factors that hinder the implementation. In turn, agents with values, attitudes, and skills converging with the model and continuing education appear as facilitators. We point out the need to understand and favor the HF integration process in the existing social protection systems.