Abstinent-contingent housing and treatment retention among crack-cocaine-dependent homeless persons

This study investigated Behavioral Day Treatment attendance in relation to treatment outcome among homeless persons dependent on crack-cocaine. Partic ipants (N = 141) were 72.3% male and 82.7% African American. Days attended, activities attended, and follow-up rates over a 12-month period were posit ively affected by the more attractive treatment of providing immediate, ren t-foe, abstinent-contingent housing during a 2-month Behavioral Day Treatme nt program. Results replicated previous findings that abstinence is a funct ion of treatment attendance and more treatment is associated with greater a bstinence. The loss of predictive power at long-term follow-up, limitations of a retrospective design, need to identify most predictive therapeutic ac tivity types, and potential influence of mental disorders were discussed. A nalytical techniques used in this study allows for the planning, predictabi lity, and measurement of drug abuse treatment success as a function of serv ice utilization. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.