ADDICTIONS TREATMENT FOR HOMELESS: PROJECT GENESIS EVALUATION Addictions Treatment for Homeless: Project Genesis Evaluation AHP is evaluating Project Genesis: New Beginnings for Women, a five-year Addictions Treatment for Homeless program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA). The SAMHSA grantee is Friends of the Shattuck Shelter, a community-based nonprofit located in Boston, MA. Project partners are long-standing, well-respected Boston-area organizations serving the homeless, including the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, a federally funded primary health care agency; the Women’s Lunch Place and St. Francis House, two large shelters/drop-in centers, and the Institute for Health and Recovery (IHR), a non-profit trauma and substance SUD/COD (substance use disorders/co-occurring disorder) recovery provider for women. Project Genesis meets a critical need for the treatment of SUDs/CODs among women experiencing homelessness. Specifically, it expands access to gender-specific, integrated, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed substance abuse and mental health treatment. Direct services will assist 350 women through evidence-based practices including Assertive Outreach, Intensive Case Management, Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment, and Seeking Safety. Patients are also referred into a women-specific Structured Outpatient Addictions Program that is being supported through in-kind match donation. Expected outcomes include improved physical and mental health, reduced drug use, increased engagement and retention in treatment, and reduced homelessness. Project Genesis also includes significant infrastructure development and training for area shelters regarding gender-specific, trauma-informed practices. Expected outcomes include increased use of evidence-based, gender-specific, trauma-informed practices across the service delivery system. AHP’s evaluation of Project Genesis includes collecting, analyzing and reporting on data regarding the direct services and infrastructure development components of Project Genesis, measuring outcomes at the system, program, and individual levels. The evaluation includes GPRA, NOMS and local data, with attention to process and outcome measures, as well as qualitative and quantitative methods. The evaluation provides regular feedback to improve services on an ongoing basis.
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