Assessing a Pilot Scheme of Intensive Support and Assertive Linkage in Levels of Engagement, Retention, and Recovery Capital for People in Recovery Housing

Plain-Language Summary

Some people arrive at recovery housing with almost nothing to build on: no health insurance, no driver's license, recent substance use, no job, or less than $75 to their name. This pilot study asked whether giving those highest-need residents extra help changes their trajectory. A group of 175 people entering certified Level II and III recovery residences who met at least three of those five criteria received intensive recovery support: enhanced recovery coaching plus assertive linkage, meaning staff actively connected them to community services rather than simply handing over a referral. Their outcomes were compared with 1,758 residents receiving standard recovery support, using quasi-experimental methods and the REC-CAP to build fair, balanced comparison groups.

The results favored the intensive approach. After statistical reweighting, residents receiving intensive support stayed longer, were less likely to disengage, and showed real growth in recovery capital at six to nine months, with the greatest benefit going to those who entered with the lowest recovery capital. The practical lesson for recovery housing operators is that for residents facing the steepest starting conditions, actively walking someone into services outperforms a referral list, and the investment shows up in both retention and measurable recovery gains.