High housing sustainment

Housing First programs have demonstrated high housing sustainment rates of 80-90 per cent can be achieved and maintained over long periods. Sustained tenancies mean less repeat homelessness which can profoundly improve an individual’s wellbeing, self-esteem, quality of life, and sense of belonging.

For example, a large-scale US study showed that 88 per cent of Housing First clients retained their tenancy for at least two years compared to only 47 per cent of clients enrolled in the staircase model[1] following a treatment first and housing readiness approach. Similar findings were observed through the Canadian At Home/Chez Soi project, which constitutes the world’s most extensive examination of Housing First outcomes. The study involved a randomised control trial where 1,000 people participated in Housing First, and 1,000 received “treatment as usual” under the staircase model. The results revealed that more than 73 per cent of Housing First participants remained housed after two years, compared to 33 per cent of those receiving treatment as usual. The use of health services and involvement with the law among Housing First participants also declined significantly.