ABSTRACT
Behavioural health disorders such as substance abuse, mental illness and trauma play significant roles in urban homelessness causing personal and societal costs. As a population, these individuals often come into contact with the criminal justice system. Traditional addiction treatment programmes have failed to attract, engage, retain and effectively treat this population, leaving homeless persons excluded from addiction treatment or constituting a chronically recycling segment of the treatment population. This chapter describes the design and outcomes of a specialised homelessness initiative that is part of a broader recovery-focused systems transformation in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. This approach emphasises sustained recovery through partnership, collaboration and building of recovery capital. Emerging and evidenced-based practices for responding to the needs of individuals with addiction disabilities are outlined, as well as the legal and ethical challenges and implication for systemic changes. The service designs described and the service outcomes reported underscore the need to radically alter traditional service models to achieve enhanced long-term recovery outcomes with this population.
