Behavioral Health: All Related Resources

Formerly chronically homeless adults who live in permanent supportive housing (PSH) have a high prevalence of smoking. Smoke-free policies and smoking cessation services are among the most effective tobacco control interventions, but these policies are uncommon in PSH. Researchers outline a protocol for a cluster-randomized wait-list controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of the same smoke-free home intervention on the primary outcome of voluntary adoption of a smoke-free home.

People with multiple, complex health and housing needs frequently receive fragmented care because the providing systems operate independently. The California Policy Lab at UC Berkeley and the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative worked with partners in San Francisco’s public health and criminal legal systems to link together ten years of data from the physical health, behavioral health, housing, and criminal legal sectors.

People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have an increased risk of experiencing homelessness. The underlying drivers of homelessness are structural, however individual factors such as mental health and substance use problems are also common drivers. People living with HIV/AIDS who experience homelessness are more likely to have uncontrolled viral load. Researchers from BHHI suggest integrating HIV treatment with mental health and substance use treatment.

Managed alcohol program (MAPs) manage alcohol consumption by providing eligible individuals with regular doses of alcohol as a part of a structured program and often offer housing and other social services. UCSF BHHI researchers found that benefits of MAPs included improved quality of life, reduced alcohol consumption, less hazardous consumption, and potential stabilizations in biological markers of alcohol use during MAP participation. Researchers found MAP participants reported substantial benefits, including increased feelings of safety and security, reconnection with community, sense of belonging, improved self-efficacy, and a positive reconciliation of internalized shame and stigma.