4.1.3 Changes in service use from pre-support to Housing First All Housing First customers were also recorded as VOICES customers; some received VOICES support for at least 12 months prior to a Housing First referral (n=10) and others were referred directly to Housing First. As above, some were housed (n=13) and others were not (n=5). The following descriptive statistics are presented for the overall sample, and with some subgroup comparisons. •
Whole sample
Analysis for all 18 Housing First participants revealed large reductions in service use from pre-support to the first 12 months of VOICES, followed by increases in service use during the first 12 months in Housing First (Figure 1). This pattern was similar for most outcomes, but most marked for A&E attendances, which rose during the period of Housing First support to higher levels than those recorded prior to support.
Figure 1. Changes in service use from 12 months before any support (pre-support), to the first 12 months of VOICES, to the first 12 months of Housing First (n=18)
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Housed vs. not housed
However, patterns were different when the sample was split to compare these changes over time for Housing First customers that had been accommodated through Housing First with those who did not start a tenancy. Figure 2a illustrates that for criminal justice system outcomes, the reduction from pre-support to VOICES was continued during Housing First for those who were housed, i.e., Housing First appeared
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