Ethnographic Observation of a Housing First Approach to Case Management at Four VA Medical Centers

Abstract

This letter briefs the ethnographic observation of a housing first approach to case management at four Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. The ethnographic observation identified challenges in transitioning to the Housing First approach from a more traditional model.The extremely limited discussion of substance use suggests that case managers accustomed to abstinence contingent interventions may lack the training or confidence to address substance use from a harm reduction perspective. Although Housing First emphasizes team-based care, the approach observed at these sites involved individual, largely independent case managers brokering supportive services for their clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)