Understanding the impact of an integrated Housing First, mental health, and addiction service model for youth experiencing homelessness and concurrent disorders: Early findings at 12 months

This paper reports early outcome findings from the Restart Project, a community-based, longitudinal research demonstration study examining the integration of Housing First for Youth (HF4Y), mental health, and addiction services to better support youth experiencing homelessness and co-occurring mental health and substance use problems in Kelowna, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A cohort of 72 youth aged 16–23 was recruited between 2020 and 2023 and followed for 24 months. Quantitative outcomes were assessed at baseline and 12 months, and qualitative interviews were conducted with a subsample at 18 months. At 12 months, participants in the Restart HF4Y group had significantly greater housing stability than the Waitlist/Usual Care group (71.8% vs. 35.6% of days stably housed). Qualitative findings highlighted the critical role of housing as a foundation for recovery and personal growth, while also identifying challenges of isolation and housing quality. These early results suggest that HF4Y programs with integrated mental health and addiction services can effectively support youth experiencing homelessness with complex needs to rapidly exit homelessness within a relatively short period of time (12 months), creating a foundation for changes in other life areas.