Mental and nonmental health hospital admissions among chronically homeless adults before and after supportive housing placement.

Individuals experiencing chronic homelessness may utilize hospital services more frequently than the general population. Understanding the benefits of providing permanent supportive housing to these individuals can lead to improved services for this population. This study examined the effect of supportive housing placement on hospital admissions of adults who were homeless. Admissions were examined for a period of one-year pre- and postsupportive housing placement for 23 adults. Results showed a reduction in the number of emergency department admissions and an increase in outpatient admissions during the year following housing placement, indicating that supportive housing may encourage more appropriate use of health care services.