Deciding what housing services to provide

Although the importance of housing for achievement and sustainment of treatment outcomes is widely accepted, there is little empirical evidence of the relative value of different types of housing and support services in supporting treatment outcomes.

Most stakeholders interviewed during the Clean Break study thought that a range of different types of housing were required for drug users, as shown in the Needs Assessment section of this toolkit. What this range should consist of locally will be influenced by several factors as set out below:

• The numbers of drug users in need of different types of housing and support locally
• Views on the role that access to and retention of housing should play in encouraging adherence to treatment goals
• Views on the importance of creating a community of peers (people with the same level of drug use and motivation) in supported housing projects
• The ability to create a critical mass of local service users for specialist services
• The housing and resources available locally, and willingness to focus these on the housing needs of current/former drug users

This section of the Toolkit provides you with some factors to consider when determining what network of housing services to establish and fund for drug users in your local area. It also provides examples of successful services to illustrate the range of service models that can be considered. To navigate through it click on the links in the box on the right hand side of this page.