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Adults who have substantial histories of homelessness and complex support needs may feel ambivalent about integrating into their communities and find it difficult to do so. Being familiar to and recognized by others as a resident in a neighborhood or community are sources of "distal support" that provide individuals with feelings of belonging to their community and are important to recovery from homelessness. We hypothesized that individuals engaged with Housing First (HF) programs would report more distal support than individuals engaged with traditional homeless services (treatment as usual, TAU), and that distal support would predict more community integration, growth‐related recovery, and achieved capabilities. We analyzed data collected from homeless services users (n = 445) engaged with either HF or TAU in eight European countries. Measures included achieved capabilities, growth‐focused recovery, distal supports, and community integration. Serial mediation analyses confirmed our hypothesis that the effects of HF on growth‐related recovery and achieved capabilities are indirect, mediated by distal supports and community integration. Findings are discussed in relation to the importance of modeling the effects of HF on social and psychological outcomes as indirect and identifying important mediators that translate the effects of HF components on social and psychological outcomes. We also note the importance of case management activities that encourage clients to develop and sustain distal supports with others who live and work in their neighborhoods. Highlights: Participants in Housing First (HF) reported more distal supports (DS) than those in staircase services.More distal supports predicted stronger sense of community integration (CI).The link from Housiing First to well‐being indicators is indirect, through DS and CI.More research on the indirect effects of HF on important well‐being outcomes is needed.Future research should identify the specific mechanisms through whch HF programs promote DS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nussbaum's Central Capabilities refer to the elements of a well-lived life, and many adults who experience homelessness are deprived of these capabilities. The study aim was to investigate whether service users experience different homeless services as affording or constraining capabilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with homeless service users (n = 77) in Housing First (HF) and staircase services (SS) in eight European countries. We used thematic analysis to identify three themes: autonomy and dependency, the relational impact of living arrangements, and community interaction and stigma. While SS participants were able to address their bodily integrity and health, their higher-order capabilities were constrained by their homeless situations. HF participants described home as a base from which they could enact a wide range of capabilities indicative of a well-lived life. We conclude that housing-led service models with appropriate supports are key to affording service users' capabilities. Practical and policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service innovation for adults experiencing mental illness and homelessness typically involves shifting from treatment-led, staircase models toward recovery-oriented, Housing-First models. Aligning frontline service providers' values to those embedded within newer models is an important, but under-investigated, influence on the innovation process. To assess values alignment in this context, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with frontline providers in staircase services in Ireland (n = 50). Data showed that, while their values mostly aligned to the treatment-led model, there was meaningful evidence of more recovery-oriented values, too. Strategies to enhance innovation through values-alignment are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]