18-MONTH FOLLOW-UP DATA ON A TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR HOMELESS SUBSTANCE-ABUSING MOTHERS

In response to the dearth of data on substance abuse treatment among h omeless mothers, this study breaks new ground in presenting 18-month f ollow-up data on 149 homeless mothers with young children enlisted in a substance abuse treatment program, The effects of residential compar ed to nonresidential services were evaluated over the follow-up period , Although dropout rates were high, predictors of dropout were identif ied, and the residential had a lower dropout rate compared to the nonr esidential comparison group, Members of both residential and nonreside ntial groups evidenced improvement in alcohol and drug problems and in housing stability, regardless of the amount of time they spent in the program, This project demonstrated that homeless mothers can be more successfully engaged in substance abuse programs with provisions of re sidential placement in addition to participation in a therapeutic comm unity. Future interventions can take advantage of this knowledge in de signing more effective programs.