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Pathways to Housing Pennsylvania

A community-based organization in Philadelphia that uses a Housing First model to treat co-occurring chronic homelessness and opioid use disorder

Pathways to Housing Pennsylvania is a community-based organization in Philadelphia using a Housing First model to address chronic homelessness in addition to providing wraparound services to address individuals holistically. They also provide training and technical assistance to other communities and organizations nationwide that are interested in implementing this model. 

Pathways to Housing has a specific program, HousingNow, that addresses those with co-occurring chronic homelessness and opioid use disorder (OUD). In addition to providing low threshold housing, a harm reduction approach to wraparound services is used which includes:

  • needle exchange
  • access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) that fits the needs of people who are homeless and using drugs
  • naloxone disbursement and training
  • routine medical screening
  • street outreach

Preliminary data is promising (see below). Pathways to Housing's HousingNow program has been highlighted in a report and a webinar. 

140 people with OUD have been housed, with 90% of those retaining housing and 72% in some form of treatment.

Continuum of Care
Treatment
Recovery
Harm Reduction
Type of Evidence
Implemented
Response Approach
Comprehensive services
Housing, Education, and Employment
Medications for Opioid Use Disorder
Outreach
Overdose prevention
Syringe service program / Needle exchange
Peer-reviewed Article
Effects of Housing First approaches on health and well-being of adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Related Resources
Choice Matters: Housing Models that May Promote Recovery for Individuals and Families Facing Opioid Use Disorder
Opioid Recovery Initiation: Pilot Test of a Peer Outreach and Modified Recovery Management Checkup Intervention for Out-of-Treatment Opioid Users
Interventions for Incarcerated Adults with Opioid Use Disorder in the United States: A Systematic Review with a Focus on Social Determinants of Health
Reentry Matters: Strategies and Successes of Second Chance Act Grantees
SAMHSA Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit
The Fentanyl Epidemic: State Initiatives to Reduce Overdose Deaths

Evidence of Program Effectiveness

This program has not been formally evaluated, but there is an evidence base for Housing First models. 

The program self-reports that, in a little over three years, 140 people with OUD have been housed, with 90% of those retaining housing and 72% in some form of treatment. Fifty-five percent of the participants used MOUD or were abstinent from illicit drugs in the first 6 months of housing but this number increased to 72% after the first 6 months of housing, suggesting that participants trended towards treatment over time. All participants have access to naloxone and have been trained on overdose response. (Latest data from webinar)