Collective permanent supportive housing for older adults with homelessness and substance use : enabling environments and risk environments
Jönson, Håkan LU
and Harnett, Tove
LU
(2025)
In European Journal of Social Work
- Abstract
This study introduces the concept of Collective Permanent Supportive Housing (CPSH), tailored for older adults with histories of homelessness and long-term substance use. CPSH offers residents individual apartments and secure tenures, using a harm reduction approach. The study, being designed to identify the benefits and risks of CPSH, was based on (i) a quantitative dataset with a national survey with responses from 148 of the 290 local authorities in Sweden, and (ii) a qualitative dataset with interviews with 43 residents, 10 case workers, and 25 staff members at five CPSH facilities and telephone interviews with managers at 17 facilities. The analysis identified four enabling environments: permanent housing, an accepting environment,... (More)
This study introduces the concept of Collective Permanent Supportive Housing (CPSH), tailored for older adults with histories of homelessness and long-term substance use. CPSH offers residents individual apartments and secure tenures, using a harm reduction approach. The study, being designed to identify the benefits and risks of CPSH, was based on (i) a quantitative dataset with a national survey with responses from 148 of the 290 local authorities in Sweden, and (ii) a qualitative dataset with interviews with 43 residents, 10 case workers, and 25 staff members at five CPSH facilities and telephone interviews with managers at 17 facilities. The analysis identified four enabling environments: permanent housing, an accepting environment, support with ordinary life, and social relations, that enhanced survival, well-being, dignity, and the opportunity for a relatively normal life. Three risk environments were also identified: accumulating problems, creation of total institutions, and the risk of being unable to move on due to lock-in effects. This study shows that CPSH provides much-needed stability and improved wellbeing, in relation to residents’ humiliating experiences in the past; however residents are treated as being at an ‘end station’, with very few possibilities to access other forms of housing.
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- author
- Jönson, Håkan
LU
and Harnett, Tove
LU
- organization
- alternative title
- Stöd och omsorgsboenden för personer som åldras med hemlöshet och beroendeproblem : möjliggörande miljöer och riskmiljöer
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Ageing, care homes, harm reduction, homelessness, housing
- in
- European Journal of Social Work
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105012476357
- ISSN
- 1369-1457
- DOI
- 10.1080/13691457.2025.2535332
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
- id
- 7e978d69-21fe-4c02-9674-1452fabd5263
- date added to LUP
- 2025-12-18 10:40:15
- date last changed
- 2025-12-18 10:40:51
@article{7e978d69-21fe-4c02-9674-1452fabd5263,
abstract = {{<p>This study introduces the concept of Collective Permanent Supportive Housing (CPSH), tailored for older adults with histories of homelessness and long-term substance use. CPSH offers residents individual apartments and secure tenures, using a harm reduction approach. The study, being designed to identify the benefits and risks of CPSH, was based on (i) a quantitative dataset with a national survey with responses from 148 of the 290 local authorities in Sweden, and (ii) a qualitative dataset with interviews with 43 residents, 10 case workers, and 25 staff members at five CPSH facilities and telephone interviews with managers at 17 facilities. The analysis identified four enabling environments: permanent housing, an accepting environment, support with ordinary life, and social relations, that enhanced survival, well-being, dignity, and the opportunity for a relatively normal life. Three risk environments were also identified: accumulating problems, creation of total institutions, and the risk of being unable to move on due to lock-in effects. This study shows that CPSH provides much-needed stability and improved wellbeing, in relation to residents’ humiliating experiences in the past; however residents are treated as being at an ‘end station’, with very few possibilities to access other forms of housing.</p>}},
author = {{Jönson, Håkan and Harnett, Tove}},
issn = {{1369-1457}},
keywords = {{Ageing; care homes; harm reduction; homelessness; housing}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{European Journal of Social Work}},
title = {{Collective permanent supportive housing for older adults with homelessness and substance use : enabling environments and risk environments}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2025.2535332}},
doi = {{10.1080/13691457.2025.2535332}},
year = {{2025}},
}