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Examining Non-Congregate Shelter Effects on Mental Health Crises through Community Health Partnerships in Connecticut

Award Number: R01NR021461
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NURSING RESEARCH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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Examining Non-Congregate Shelter Effects on Mental Health Crises through Community Health Partnerships in Connecticut - PROJECT SUMMARY People experiencing homelessness have a disproportionate burden of mental illness and mortality than those who are not homeless. The environment in congregate shelter accommodation may significantly contribute to this health burden, particularly regarding mental health. Housing insecurity significantly increases risk of presenting to the emergency department in behavioral crises, especially for individuals who are Black and Latinx as well as sexual and gender minorities. In response to public health concerns regarding the specific vulnerabilities of this population to COVID, many cities implemented programs diverting congregate shelter residents, most commonly to hotel accommodation. There is some evidence that the shift to non-congregate living may have had a positive impact on people's mental health. Connecticut localities are planning new policies designed to build on lessons learned from that period, providing non-congregate options through healthcare- community partnership organizations to people who are unhoused. Understanding the mental health effects of non-congregate shelter options is essential to inform these developing policy reforms and innovations. This project will use a Community Based Participatory Research transformative approach, with a multistage convergent parallel mixed methods design, to measure the impact of healthcare-housing community partnerships that support non-congregate living interventions on mental health. We will conduct the study in Connecticut, which received the most expansive eligibility standards in the nation and included diversion of the state's entire homeless population to hotel rooms. This context presents an unprecedented opportunity to study the relationship between shelter interventions and mental health outcomes. We will aim to study the impact of both the above-mentioned shelter policies and developing and ongoing post-pandemic housing initiatives on mental health crises by: 1) Qualitatively exploring mechanisms between non-congregate housing policies and mental illness including a landscape analysis to characterize processes through which shelter and healthcare providers partner to address housing needs, building on strong existing relationships with stakeholders and people experiencing homelessness; 2) Characterizing the effect of Connecticut's hotel-based temporary shelter program on mental health crises among patients experiencing homelessness who were diverted from congregate shelters to hotel rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to a control site in Alabama using data from electronic medical records to perform a difference-in-differences identification strategy; and 3) Prospectively evaluating, using mixed methods, the impact of post-pandemic housing policies that offer non-congregate living options on mental health, including non-congregate spaces in existing shelters, and newer potential policies such as tiny house villages. Findings from this study have the potential to inform policies and procedures of healthcare- housing community partnerships and improve mental health among those experiencing homelessness.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2024	YALE UNIV	150 MUNSON ST	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Nursing Research	000	1	3/21/2025	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $2,432,517 )
2024	2024	YALE UNIV	150 MUNSON ST	NEW HAVEN	CT	06511	SOUTH CENTRAL CT	USA	Nursing Research	000	1	9/11/2024	NEW	$2,432,517
														Subtotal = $2,432,517

Grand Total All Awards = $2,432,517

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Examining Non-Congregate Shelter Effects on Mental Health Crises through Community Health Partnerships in Connecticut

Award Number: R01NR021461

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NURSING RESEARCH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

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