Abstract: Life Goal Changes over Time Among Homeless Adults in Permanent Supportive Housing (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Schedule:

Friday, January 12, 2018: 10:57 AM

Marquis BR Salon 14 (ML 2) (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Harmony Rhoades, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Hailey Winetrobe, MPH, CHES, Project Manager, University of Southern California, los angeles, CA

Hadass Moore, MSW, PhD Candidate, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Benjamin Henwood, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Wichada Hantanachaikul, MPH, CHES, Doctoral student, University of Southern California, los angeles, CA

John Lahey, MSW, Project Coordinator, University of Southern California, los angeles, CA

Suzanne Wenzel, PhD, Professor, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Background and Purpose: Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is an effective solution to chronic homelessness. While metrics of success in PSH focus primarily on housing retention, and secondarily on health and behavioral health outcomes, less attention has been paid to how persons’ well-being and life fulfillment evolve over time in PSH. Changing life goals -- particularly as they relate to instrumental/subsistence versus thriving-related goals -- among persons in PSH may indicate changing needs for services, evolving ability to focus on non-subsistence related goals, and general thriving and well-being.

Methods: Findings come from longitudinal research with 421 homeless adults moving into PSH in the Los Angeles area. Baseline interviews were conducted prior to or within 5 days of moving in, with follow-up interviews at 3, 6, and 12 months after move-in; 91% of respondents were retained at 12 months. These analyses examined change over time in life goals using Generalized Estimating Equations (controlling for demographic characteristics), as well as qualitative analyses of open-ended, short-answer interview questions.

Results: Several life goals were consistently endorsed over time, including those related to employment, education, and social relationships. Goals related to physical and mental health became more common the longer people lived in PSH, while goals related to independence and rebuilding one’s life became less common. With regard to housing, after people move into PSH they become increasingly more likely to discuss goals related to housing retention and relocation. At the 12-month interview, respondents frequently mentioned that they perceived their life goals to have evolved over their first year in housing, and that housing had made it easier for them to pursue goals. When asked what they would need in order to attain their current life goals (assessed at the 12-month interview), most respondents described needing specific instrumental supports (e.g., money, help navigating services, specific medical treatments, transportation, etc.), followed by personal effort (e.g., better motivation, focus on diet/exercise, etc.), and social support.

Conclusions and Implications: The life goals of formerly homeless persons evolve considerably over their first year of living in PSH, though several goals – employment and education, for example – are consistently endorsed, suggesting there may be a persistent unmet need for services addressing these goals. When asked to reflect on how housing has affected their life goals, many respondents described housing as an important platform that allowed them to pursue goals beyond subsistence needs, though they identified several instrumental and personal supports that might help them to attain such goals. These findings have implications for the ways in which service providers can enable PSH residents to pursue life goals, including continued provision of instrumental/services support and/or interventions that focus on improving social support.