EVALUATION OF THE BREITENSTEIN HOUSE, A L OW-THRESHOLD ACCOMMODATION IN ZURICH

Early in 1991 an attended home with 13 rooms was established in the Br eitenstein House in Zurich as a low threshold survival aid for most se vere drug addicts. After only 17 months, before the end of the two-yea r pilot phase, the facility was closed for economic reasons. The objec tive of the project laid emphasis on the furtherance of each resident' s initiative and responsability. Using quantitative as well as qualita tive instruments the accompanying evaluation came to the conclusion th at the attended low threshold accomodation is a realistic completion a nd an alternative to already existing aids. The institution enabled th e drug addicts to reestablish their damaged autonomy and fake a constr uctive step towards the shaping of their lives. In individual cases a substantial structural change could be initiated. The authors conclude d that the Breitenstein House was a successful attempt to develop comp rehensive strategies in drug policy.