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Welcome to the SHIPS Study

About SHIPS

Homelessness and unemployment are closely connected. While supportive housing programs are highly effective at improving housing stability, they have not consistently improved employment outcomes. At the same time, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) — an evidence-based supported employment model — has been shown to improve employment among people with serious mental illness but has not been formally tested within supportive housing settings.

 

The SHIPS study is the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to test whether combining supportive housing with IPS improves:

  • Competitive employment

  • Earnings and income

  • Long-term self-sufficiency

  • Housing stability

  • Health outcomes

 

The study is funded by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and conducted in partnership with:

  • Westat (primary grantee and IRB of record)

  • Research Foundation for Mental Health (RFMH)/Columbia (IPS Employment Center)

  • PATH

  • University of Southern California (USC)

 

Only PATH supportive housing residents in the Greater Los Angeles region are eligible to participate.

 

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What is the study? 

SHIPS is a three-year randomized controlled trial enrolling approximately 200 PATH residents.

Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups:

  1. IPS Group – Receives embedded IPS employment services within PATH

  2. Usual Services Group – Continues receiving case management and referrals to WorkSource Centers

All participants continue receiving their regular supportive housing services.

Participants complete:

  • A baseline interview

  • Quarterly follow-up interviews

  • A final interview at 2 years

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Who Is Eligible?

To enroll, a PATH client must:

  • Be 18 years or older

  • Be currently living in PATH supportive housing (PB-PSH, SS-PSH, or TLS)

  • Be unemployed

  • Express a desire to work

  • Be capable of working

  • Be able to provide informed consent

The target sample size is 200 participants

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Eligible participants will receive:

  • $50 at the time of enrollment for completing the baseline survey
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  • ​​$20 gift card for each quarterly survey completed 

Have a Referral Call Steve

Call: (323) 891-6747

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For Information Call the USC Research Team 
 

Call: (323) 891-6747

Email: steveque@usc.edu

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