This research examined two premises of supported housing: (a) that consumer choice/control over housing and support and the quality of housing are important contributors to the subjective quality of life and adaptation to community living of people with mental illness, and (b) that apartments provide mental health consumers with more choice/control over housing and support than group living arrangements. To test these two hypotheses, we collected data from participants with mental illness housed through a government initiative in Ontario, Canada. A total of 130 participants completed a baseline interview, and 91 of those participants also completed a follow-up interview 9-months later. Support was found for both hypotheses. The results were discussed in terms of the paradigm of supported housing, previous research, and implications for housing policy and program development in the community mental health sector.
The decrease over the past three decades in institutional care for people with mental illness has not been matched by the adequate development of specialized housing in the community. Broadly speaking, two major models of housing have emerged in the past 30 years: custodial and alternative. Large custodial settings, including boarding houses, nursing homes and special care homes, are typically not associated with residents' satisfaction or a positive outcome. Alternative housing refers to a range of models, including halfway houses, group homes, co-ops and supported housing. It is associated with better residents' outcomes. This paper briefly compares the two models and examines key issues in alternative housing and its development in Canada.
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