Session: The Grand Challenge of Ending Homelessness; Social Work Research on Permanent Supportive Housing (Society for Social Work and Research 20th Annual Conference - Grand Challenges for Social Work: Setting a Research Agenda for the Future)

Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) based upon a housing first model has been proposed as the best solution for ending chronic homelessness for adults. Solving a complex social problem, however, is rarely straightforward and often multifaceted. Papers discussed in this symposium address different considerations when it comes to using PSH as the solution to homelessness. These include investigating housing relocation as part of housing stability, how social relationships and support change during the transition from homelessness to PSH, differing trajectories of mental health recovery, and whether PSH is an appropriate intervention for homeless youth rather than adults. These papers are based on NIH-funded large-scale studies of PSH as well as community- and practice-based research with PSH providers and homeless youth. These papers also reflect a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method designs.