Placement of chronically homeless into different types of permanent supportive housing before and after a coordinated entry system: The influence of severe mental illness, substance use disorder, and dual diagnosis on housing configuration and intensity of services

Aims Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is designed to house people who experience chronic homelessness with one or more of the following: serious mental illness (SMI), substance use disorders (SUD) or human immunodeficiency virus. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has required major metropolitan areas to develop a coordinated entry system (CES) to prioritize access to PSH to those who need it the most. The aim of this paper is to determine whether PSH residents with SMI, SUD, or dual diagnosis were more likely to be housed after implementation of CES and were more likely to be housed in housing models with more intensive services provided. Methods A cross-sectional survey with 855 residents of different PSH models. Results Those with SMI, SUD, or dual diagnosis were not more likely to be housed using the CES but were more likely to be housed in higher intensity service programs. Conclusions Those with SMI are more likely to be housed in PSH with high-intensity services.