Why housing alone is not enough for some homeless moms: Study finds women struggling with substance use need more help

Giving some homeless mothers with young children a place to live may do little to help them if it is not combined with support services, a first-of-its-kind study showed.

Researchers found that young moms with a substance use disorder showed less improvement if they were given only housing when compared with similar moms who were given housing and supportive services, or even mothers who were only given a list of community services available to them.

That’s an important finding for organizations and policymakers who have advocated a “housing first” policy that aims to get the homeless into permanent housing as quickly as possible, said Natasha Slesnick, lead author of the study and professor of human sciences at The Ohio State University.

“Housing is still very important, but it is not enough,” Slesnick said.

“These young homeless moms need help accessing services and meeting their daily life needs or they may not be able to overcome their substance use.”

Findings were published online recently in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

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