The major purpose of this continuation grant is to provide this researcher the opportunity to conduct a long-term (five year) follow-up study of participants in the homeless male life stabilization project. The proposed research would involve the continued collection of data from the three transitional shelters currently involved in the research project, and allow us to begin examining what happens to these men over an extended period of time. More specifically, this research will examine the impact of three homelessness reduction models (transitional shelter programs developed during the initial grant period) on long-term substance abuse relapse prevention, job stability and housing stability. Initial data on homeless males who complete a twenty-eight day treatment program and are in need of housing will continue to be collected at the rate of approximately one hundred subject per year. Those subjects who we are not able to place due to limited bed space (forty-bed capacity for all three transitional shelters) will be given assistance (if desired) with finding other housing options. This group will also be examined and compared to the transitional shelter program group to determine what differences (if any) in job stability, housing stability and relapse rate occur between transitioned and non-transitioned recovering male homeless crack/cocaine addicts. Each subject will be followed for a period of three years. It is hypothesized that transitional shelter residents will have better outcomes on the three variables stated above as compared to non-sheltered subjects. The data collected will also allow us to detect any changes in the demographic characteristics, housing patterns, employment patterns, and substance abuse patterns in this population over the next five years.
