Emmy Tiderington1, Benjamin F Henwood2, Deborah K Padgett3, Bikki Tran Smith4. 1. School of Social Work, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. 2. Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California. 3. Silver School of Social Work, New York University. 4. School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This paper examines how formerly homeless adults with serious mental illness living in Housing First (HF) and "treatment first" (TF) supportive housing programs experience employment. Research questions include: How do these individuals experience employment in the context of their mental health recovery? What do they perceive as the benefits of and obstacles to attaining employment? Are there programmatic differences in their employment experiences? METHOD: Case study analyses of data from a federally funded qualitative study were conducted of 40 individuals purposively sampled from HF and TF programs. Data were independently analyzed and consensually discussed to develop cross-case themes. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: (a) the meaning of work, (b) working within the system, and (c) balancing treatment requirements and work. While none of the study participants had full-time jobs, more HF program clients had part-time employment than their TF counterparts. Of the 12 employed participants, all but 2 worked within their respective programs. Participants in both groups described similar benefits of obtaining employment, but TF program requirements inhibited job-seeking. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: These findings provide insight into the challenges of obtaining employment for formerly homeless individuals with serious mental illness residing in supportive housing. Despite the motivation to work, individual, structural, and organizational factors impeded employment. To address this problem, factors at each of these levels will need to be considered. Interventions such as supported employment offer promise to supportive housing programs committed to employment as a contributor to recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
OBJECTIVE: This paper examines how formerly homeless adults with serious mental illness living in Housing First (HF) and "treatment first" (TF) supportive housing programs experience employment. Research questions include: How do these individuals experience employment in the context of their mental health recovery? What do they perceive as the benefits of and obstacles to attaining employment? Are there programmatic differences in their employment experiences? METHOD: Case study analyses of data from a federally funded qualitative study were conducted of 40 individuals purposively sampled from HF and TF programs. Data were independently analyzed and consensually discussed to develop cross-case themes. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: (a) the meaning of work, (b) working within the system, and (c) balancing treatment requirements and work. While none of the study participants had full-time jobs, more HF program clients had part-time employment than their TF counterparts. Of the 12 employed participants, all but 2 worked within their respective programs. Participants in both groups described similar benefits of obtaining employment, but TF program requirements inhibited job-seeking. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: These findings provide insight into the challenges of obtaining employment for formerly homeless individuals with serious mental illness residing in supportive housing. Despite the motivation to work, individual, structural, and organizational factors impeded employment. To address this problem, factors at each of these levels will need to be considered. Interventions such as supported employment offer promise to supportive housing programs committed to employment as a contributor to recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Authors: Geoffrey Waghorn; Sukanta Saha; Carol Harvey; Vera A Morgan; Anna Waterreus; Robert Bush; David Castle; Cherrie Galletly; Helen J Stain; Amanda L Neil; Patrick McGorry; John J McGrath Journal: Aust N Z J Psychiatry Date: 2012-06-20 Impact factor: 5.744
Authors: Robert Rosenheck; Douglas Leslie; Richard Keefe; Joseph McEvoy; Marvin Swartz; Diana Perkins; Scott Stroup; John K Hsiao; Jeffrey Lieberman Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2006-03 Impact factor: 18.112