The project examines the coordination between residential treatment and housing and social support services using international comparisons and linked administrative data followed by testing in the field. It aims to enhance transition planning and reduce the risk of housing instability for individuals leaving treatment for mental health and/or substance use problems.

Key points:

• In contexts of growing service complexity and fragmentation, discharge and transition planning arrangements are becoming more complex and uncertain across the housing, mental health and substance use treatment sectors.
• Admission to psychiatric inpatient care and/or enrolment in residential treatment for substance use problems, typically involves significant risks of housing insecurity, particularly for individuals with unstable housing histories.
• There is considerable variation in the ways housing issues are managed within mental health and substance use treatment services in New South Wales and Victoria, and significant discrepancies in the quality of support offered to those in care.
• There is scope for enhanced discharge planning arrangements in psychiatric inpatient settings that focus on the provision of tailored housing supports for vulnerable individuals, particularly those with histories of multiple admissions.
• There is scope for enhanced focus on housing transitions in ‘after-care’ and ‘exit’ planning in residential substance use treatment settings. This planning ought to commence at admission for individuals identified at risk of housing insecurity.