Reductions in Hard Drug Use Among Homeless Youth Receiving a Strength-Based Outreach Intervention: Comparing the Long-Term Effects of Shelter Linkage Versus Drop-in Center Linkage

ABSTRACTObjectives: The current study sought to test hard drug use outcomes for youth receiving a strengths-based outreach and advocacy intervention that linked youth to either a shelter or a drop-in center. Methods: Homeless youth (14–24 years old) were engaged by research assistants (RAs) at soup kitchens, parks, libraries, and other locations that homeless youth were known to frequent. Youth were randomly assigned to receive six months of advocacy that focused on linking youth to a drop-in center (n = 40) or to a crisis shelter (n = 39). Follow-up assessments were conducted at 3, 6, and 9 months post-baseline. Hard drug use over time was the main outcome. Intervention condition and service connection were used as predictors for the baseline level and the slope of change in hard drug use over time. Data analysis was conducted with Bernoulli Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling in HLM7. Results: The current study found that those who were in the drop-in linkage condition exhibited a greater reduction...