Permanent supportive housing (specifically Housing First) to reduce harms

In a narrative systematic review (Kerman et al., 2021, studies = 35) harm reduction outcomes and practices in Housing First were examined in four domains: substance-related harms, viral health, sexual health, and harm reduction service use. Overall the review found that harm reduction outcomes in Housing First remain underexamined and any conclusions of the intervention's impacts in this domain would be premature. Effective harm reduction practices in Housing First require strong working relationships between staff and tenants.

Specific results of the analysis found that:

• harm reduction outcome studies focused mostly on nonspecific substance use problems, with Housing First being found to have minimal effects in this domain.
• More severe harms, such as delirium tremens and substance use-related deaths, have been minimally explored, though preliminary evidence is promising.
• Viral health, sexual health, and harm reduction service use outcomes were the focus of few studies.