Who puts the "support" in supportive housing? The relationship between housing staff support and resident experiences, and the potential moderating role of self-determination.

Abstract

The provision of residential and community-based services for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) has become increasingly important following the deinstitutionalization movement. Much of the existing research on supportive housing focuses on housing outcomes rather than exploring how the program helps its residents thrive in the broader community. This study draws upon data collected from 176 people with SMI residing in 16 supportive housing locations in Portland, Oregon. Analyses explore how housing staff support relates to residents' loneliness (interpersonal level), residential satisfaction (housing and neighborhood level), and sense of community (community level). Staff support was found to be related to lower levels of loneliness, higher residential satisfaction, and a higher sense of community. Self-determination was considered as a moderator to understand the role of residents' agency in the relationships between staff support and resident experiences. Self-determination moderated the relationship between staff support and residential satisfaction for those with moderate to low self-determination, but not for individuals with high self-determination. In contrast, staff support was associated with decreased loneliness and increased sense of community regardless of self-determination. This study has implications for policymakers, researchers, and interventionists, expanding upon the limited body of research on staff support and the experiences of residents in a supportive housing environment.