Leaving rehab: enhancing transitions into stable housing

Abstract

FINAL REPORT NO. 359
This report outlines policy and practice recommendations for enhancing the coordination of housing, health and social care supports for individuals leaving residential treatment for mental health or substance use problems.
In contexts of growing service complexity and fragmentation, discharge and transition planning arrangements are becoming more complex and uncertain across the housing, mental health and substance use treatment sectors.
This project responds to the Inquiry question: ‘What are the most effective ways of tailoring and delivering housing supports for individuals exiting institutional settings?’. The project focuses on individuals leaving residential treatment for mental health and/or substance use problems within a sample of institutional settings in either Victoria or New South Wales. Our goals are to identify models of best practice in discharge and transition planning, and to propose strategies for enhancing coordination between residential treatment providers and key social and housing support services to mitigate the risk of homelessness for individuals leaving these settings. On the basis of our investigations, this report features innovative recommendations for improving service coordination and enhancing transition planning across residential treatment settings.