Supported Housing for People with Serious Mental Illness: Resident Perspectives on Housing

Abstract

Supported housing involves integrated housing that is adequate and affordable, paired with flexible, individualized mental health support services. In this qualitative study, interviews were conducted with supported housing residents in cities and towns in southwestern Ontario to examine their housing experience. Questions were organized around 4 dimensions of housing: (a) physical environment, (b) social environment, (c) affordability and choice, and (d) residential history. The inquiry, which occurred at neighbourhood and dwelling-unit levels, revealed 4 themes: (a) loneliness, (b) making do with socially and structurally inferior housing, (c) a desire for more understanding, and (d) a concern with an individual's sense of integration into a community.