Education Burst: Perspectives of Older Formerly Homeless Veterans on Living in Project-Based Versus Tenant-Based HUD-VASH Housing:  Findings from a Qualitative Study and Implications for Practice

VA National Center on Homelessness among Veterans sent this bulletin at 10/22/2020 08:50 AM EDT

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Education Burst

Perspectives of Older Formerly Homeless Veterans on Living in Project-Based Versus Tenant-Based HUD-VASH Housing:  Findings from a Qualitative Study and Implications for Practice

Thank you to those who attended the Connecting Research to Practice webinar session on September 8, 2020. If you were unable to attend, we are sorry we missed you. This webinar was part of the Fiscal Year 2020 Homeless Programs Office National Education Series in collaboration with VHA Employee Education System. 

The session presenters were:

  • Cathy St. Pierre, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP,ACNS, Research/ Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner, VASH Nurse Practitioner, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA

  • Shawn Dunlap, MA, Health System Specialist at the Center for Health Outcomes and Implementation Research (CHOIR), Bedford, MA

  • Max Winer, MSW, MPH, Social Worker and Research Scientist, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA

VA homeless programs are exploring the best ways to achieve housing and wraparound supports to address the substantial geriatric physical health conditions, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders found among Veterans experiencing homelessness. Within the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program there are currently two types of housing available: Project-based Housing (PBH) and Tenant-based Housing (TBH). Cathy St. Pierre, PhD, a VASH nurse practitioner at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts conducted a qualitative research study of Veterans to examine differences between group and independent apartment living and consider whether PBH might be a better option for formerly homeless older Veterans to “age in place.”  The study looked at Veterans’ choice of housing type, satisfaction with housing arrangement, use of medical and behavioral health care, social engagement, and support from the HUD-VASH social worker. Findings indicated that many Veterans in both types of housing struggled with sobriety, shied away from social engagement activities due to anxiety, and were not actively engaged in utilizing behavioral health services either in the VA or in the community. These and other study results raise implications for enhancing services in both PBH and TBH programs and suggest areas for further research.

To view the recorded webinar click on this link:

http://va-eerc-ees.adobeconnect.com/phgqa41rpc31/

You can also access archived and available training on our website:

https://www.va.gov/homeless/nchav/education/education.asp

Again, thank you for attending the webinar and stay tuned for our next webinar announcement.

For more information on education opportunities, please call Dr. Roger Casey, Director, Education and Dissemination, (813) 558-7626 or email roger.casey@va.gov