This intervention based on housing first led to significantly greater reductions in drinking problems after 14 months, but not in problems with other substances.

Key points from summary and commentary
• Housing first interventions are associated with improvements in housing stability and quality of life among homeless people with mental illness and substance use problems.
• This study sought to investigate the impact of housing first on substance use outcomes over 24 months in Toronto, Canada.
• The researchers found that housing first contributed to reductions in drinking problems over time, but did not have an impact on drug use problems