Session: Transitioning to Permanent Supportive Housing: Health, Well-Being, and Social Networks Among Formerly Homeless Adults (Society for Social Work and Research 22nd Annual Conference - Achieving Equal Opportunity, Equity, and Justice)

Permanent supportive housing (PSH) has been widely recognized as an effective solution to chronic homelessness, and as such it represents a significant path to achieving equity and justice for a population of vulnerable persons who have been consigned to society's margins. Multiple studies have shown that the vast majority of persons who received PSH have remained housed long-term. Studies have also examined physical health, mental health, and substance use outcomes among PSH residents, as well as residents' service utilization to address these challenges. Yet, health and well-being for persons who have achieved the human right to housing cannot be measured solely through indicators such as housing retention, mental health and substance use outcomes, and service use. To achieve equal opportunity, equity, and justice, formerly homeless persons who transition into PSH should have the opportunity to make gains across a diverse spectrum of health and well-being indicators. In this symposium, we will report the key quantitative results from a National Institutes of Health-sponsored longitudinal study that was designed to investigate health and well-being among over 400 homeless persons transitioning into PSH through 26 different agencies in Los Angeles County, California between 2014 and 2016. The study was specifically designed to address topics in health and well-being that have received limited attention thus far in the context of PSH, such as changes in social networks and the social-environmental context. The five abstracts included in this symposium reflect this innovation and use social network composition and support, and the social environment (e.g., community integration, assault victimization) as a factor in health-rated outcomes such as HIV risk and prevention behavior, substance use, and investigate how these changes may inform health-related interventions. The presentation by Hsu et al. examines turnover in social networks during the critical first months after moving into PSH and finds that volatility characterizes this transition, particularly for people who are African American or veterans, suggesting implications for the health of formerly homeless persons. Harris et al.'s presentation addresses social/community integration within PSH and finds evidence that it varies by the housing model in which an individual is placed. Wenzel et al.'s findings examine whether changes in social networks over time might explain changes in HIV risk and prevention behaviors, and finds evidence supporting the need for HIV prevention programming within PSH. Petering et al.'s presentation focuses on over-time changes in victimization among residents with implications for safety in housing and neighborhoods. Finally, the presentation by Rhoades et al. investigates life goals and changes over time, and the factors perceived as hindering or facilitating achieving important goals, such as housing and social relationships. Their results suggest tailored service provision within PSH to further residents' goal attainment. Wholly, this symposium aims to describe the larger context of PSH residents' lives in order to better inform future health-related interventions. Though vital, PSH resident outcomes should move beyond housing retention and basic health outcomes, and delve further into improving the health and wellbeing of formerly homeless adults.