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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Aug 7.
Published in final edited form as: Psychol Serv. 2010;7(4):219–232. doi: 10.1037/a0020460

Table 1. Characteristics of Participants at Baseline.

Residential Treatment First
(n= 121)a
Independent Housing First
(n= 570)b
Test of Difference
(df)
p-value

Demographics

Age 44.8 (10.1) 46.0 (9.2) t(689)= 1.3 .18

Gender- male (%) 89 (73.6%) 434 (76.1%) X(2)2 = 1.1 .57

Race- White 50 (42.0%) 206 (36.5%)
 Black 53 (44.5%) 288 (51.0%) X(3)2 = 1.8 .62
 Asian/Indiana/Pacific Islander 7 (20.0%) 28 (5.0%)
 Hispanic 9 (17.3%) 43 (7.6%)

Education (years) 12.0 (2.7) 11.8 (2.6) t(689)= -0.8 .45

Marital status- not married (%) 120 (99.2%) 565 (99.1%) X(1)2 < 0.0 .96

Veteran (%) 29 (24.0%) 175 (30.7%) X(1)2 = 2.2 .14

Housingc

Days in own place 3.5 (10.2) 6.6 (17.8) t(256.5)= 2.1* .04

Days in transitional/residential treatment 47.4 (33.6) 0.0 (0.0) t(220.7)= -13.4*** <.00

Days housed elsewhered 8.2 (18.0) 13.3 (26.2) t(207.4)= 2.1* .04

Lifetime homelessness (years) 7.5 (5.4) 8.2 (6.6) t(203.2)= 1.3 .21

Past year homeless (%) 97 (80.2%) 496 (87.0%) X(1)2 = 3.9 .05

Homeless ≥ 4 times in past 3 years (%) 100 (82.6%) 380 (66.7%) X(1)2 = 12.0** <.00

Days homeless 28.2 (33.8) 65.5 (33.2) t(402)= 9.3*** <.00

Days hospitalized 1.2 (4.4) 2.2 (10.3) t(402)= 0.9 .36

Lifetime incarceration (years) 3.1 (5.4) 2.8 (5.4) t(661)= -0.4 .66

Days incarcerated 1.2 (5.4) 1.8 (10.3) t(402)= 0.6 .58

Community Adjustment

Integrated community activities 6.9 (2.6) 6.8 (2.9) t(188.0)= -0.4 .72

Social support 1.5 (1.2) 1.4 (1.2) t(689)= -1.3 .18

Subjective quality of life 4.4 (1.7) 4.3 (1.6) t(689)= 0.6 .54

Consumer choice 3.9 (1.0) 4.1 (0.7) t(45.4)= 1.1 .26

Housing satisfaction 4.1 (0.5) 4.1 (0.5) t(198)= 0.5 .65

Therapeutic alliance 4.6 (1.1) 4.7 (1.1) t(371)= 0.5 .63

Employment and Income

Longest full-time job (years) 5.0 (6.4) 5.0 (5.3) t(674)= -0.1 .95

Employed in past month (%) 24 (19.8%) 90 (15.8%) X(1)2 = 1.2 .28

Hours worked per week in past month 3.0 (7.9) 2.8 (8.3) t(689)= -0.2 .82

Employment income in past month 46.4 (166.9) 43.0 (161.3) t(689)= -0.2 .84

Public support income in past month 307.3 (324.7) 326.1 (319.1) t(689)= 0.6 .56

Disability

Mental health
 Schizophrenia (%) 22 (18.2%) 106 (18.6%)
 Depression (%) 34 (28.1%) 164 (28.8%)
 Bipolar Disorder (%) 28 (23.1%) 102 (17.9%) X(6)2 = 5.1 .53
 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (%) 10 (8.3%) 39 (6.8%)
 Personality Disorder (%) 0 (0.0%) 4 (0.7%)
 Other (%) 4 (3.3%) 11 (1.9%)
 None/Missing (%) 23 (19.0%) 144 (25.3%)

Substance abuse
 Alcohol abuse/dependence (%) 76 (62.8%) 287 (50.4%) X(1)2 = 6.2* .01
 Drug abuse/dependence (%) 74 (61.2%) 289 (50.7%) X(1)2 = 4.4* .04

Physical health (%) 84 (70.0%) 365 (64.0%) X(1)2 = 1.6 .21

Developmental disability (%) 11 (9.1%) 58 (10.2%) X(1)2 = 0.2 .70

Health Status

SF12- Physical health subscale 44.0 (10.1) 45.3 (10.2) t(689)= 1.2 .22

SF12- Mental health subscale 38.1 (8.0) 39.1 (8.2) t(689)= 1.3 .20

Brief Symptom Inventory 1.7 (0.9) 1.5 (0.9) t(689)= -2.8** .01

Observed psychotic behavior rating 0.2 (0.3) 0.2 (0.3) t(689)= -0.4 .69

Days intoxicated in past month 2.9 (6.8) 1.9 (5.3) t(152.4)= -1.5 .15

Any drug use in past month (%) 44 (36.4%) 229 (40.2%) X(1)2 = 0.6 .44

Mean ASI Alcohol score 0.1 (0.2) 0.1 (0.2) t(158.2)= -0.9 .36

Mean ASI Drug score 0.1 (0.1) 0.1 (0.1) t(158.6)= -1.0 .32

Alcohol expenditures in past month ($) 14.3 (45.2) 24.9 (57.4) t(179.2)= 1.8 .07

Drug expenditures in past month ($) 31.6 (125.6) 17.3 (55.5) t(99.1)= 1.0 .30

Health Service Costs

Medical service costs ($) 2877.3 (7877.6) 3409.3 (15502.5) t(689)= 1.4 .16

Mental health service costs ($) 3318.0 (8204.7) 2171.1 (7879.5) t(689)= -2.1* .04

Substance abuse service costs ($) 2174.9 (4007.9) 1004.4 (4029.4) t(161.9)= -4.8*** <.00

Total health service costs ($) 8370.2 (13101.9) 6584.8 (18103.4) t(689)= -3.1** <.00
a

Total sample size for the Group Housing First group was 131, but 10 participants were not assessed at baseline

b

Total sample size for the Independent Housing First group was 578, but 8 participants were not assessed at baseline

c

All outcomes are based on past 3 months, unless otherwise stated.

d

Days housed at somebody else's place, or hotel/single room occupancy/board and care home

*

p<.05,

**

p<.01,

***

p<.001