Evaluation of a modernized supported housing intervention for individuals who experience severe and persistent mental illness in Ontario, Canada

Introduction — Supported housing for people who are living with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) has been found to help reduce hospitalizations and use of the emergency department. What is not fully clear is if these types of supported housing arrangements also influence the use of primary healthcare and other specialist services.

Aim/Question — The aim of this study was to compare the use of health services use of individuals with SPMI, before and after transition to the new supported housing program.

Method Using healthcare administrative databases, a pre-post cohort study was conducted examining the health system use of residents who transitioned from custodial to supported housing arrangements between 2017 and 2019.

Results — Individuals with SPMI used more primary healthcare and specialist physician services after transition to the supported housing model.

Discussion — The results suggest that a supported housing model may be associated with increased usage of outpatient person-centred health services in people experiencing SPMI.

Implications — for Practice The findings of this study suggest that supported housing arrangements for people experiencing SPMI may help in improving the personalization of health services for individual. This is important for nursing practice, as the findings of the study show that supported housing arrangements may assist in better supporting complex healthcare needs of individuals.