Service outcomes of peer consumer advocacy for soup kitchen guests

This study determined client outcomes for two "linkage and coordination" mo dels of case management-an individual case manager model and a team model c onsisting of a case manager and a peer helper-in an inner-city meal program . Soup kitchen guests seeking social services were voluntarily randomly ass igned to one of two conditions-linkage and Coordination (WC) plus Peer Cons umer Advocacy (PCA) [N = 57] or Linkage and Coordination (L/C) only [N = 53 ]. The PCAs provided guests with social and instrumental support to help th em implement their case plans. Almost all study participants were unemploye d and reported drug or alcohol misuse. Participants who received WC plus PC A, compared with those receiving WC only, met more often with the case mana ger, kept more service referral appointments, and received more entitlement s and community services. Other significant predictors of appointments kept were older age and limitations in activities of daily living. The WC plus PCA participants also showed better outcomes for cocaine/crack use, hut not for heavy alcohol or other drug use.