Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9243-5858

Date of Graduation

8-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Ham, Lindsay

Committee Member

Ana Bridges

Second Committee Member

Kevin Fitzpatrick

Keywords

Chronically homeless; Community based participatory research; Homeless; Housing first; Mental health; Needs assessment

Abstract

Higher rates of psychopathology and substance use are reported in individuals experiencing homelessness compared to the general population, especially in those who are chronically unhoused. Chronically homeless individuals are also less likely to access treatment for these problems because of barriers to care. Addressing housing needs is an important first step in engaging people who are homeless with the care they need. This project focused on assessing the mental health needs of a Housing First community in Northwest Arkansas, which has few barriers for entry but does not provide direct support for mental health. This project adopted a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, meaning the community this project is intended to serve was directly involved in the planning and completion of this research. Residents (n = 11) and staff (n = 5) from the community were interviewed with the goals of identifying mental health needs of its residents, articulating gaps between needs and current availability and utilization of services, and developing a list of recommendations for improving resident mental health. Recorded interviews were transcribed, and content analysis was used to identify common themes related to resident and staff perceptions of mental health goals of the program, mental health needs of residents, utilized services and their helpfulness, barriers to accessing care, and ideas for improving resident mental health. Based on these findings, seven recommendations for improving mental health were formulated and included: more on-site services, psychoeducation, out-of-the-box activities, rule enforcement, continuing to refer residents to off-site services, and providing additional support for staff through training and mental health support. Results were presented to interested residents (n = 7) and staff (n = 6) in feedback sessions. Participants expressed overall agreement with findings and recommendations and provided additional feedback. The possible application of these findings, strengths and limitations of this study, and future directions are discussed.

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