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Transitional Housing and HIV Health

Sponsored by University of Pennsylvania

About this study

The goal of this pilot study is to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of the Arms Around You (AAY) program, a supportive housing initiative launched by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) in 2024. The program aims to address housing instability among people with HIV (PWH) using a Housing First model. The main questions it seeks to answer are: 1. How does AAY affect HIV-related outcomes, particularly viral suppression and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence? 2. What are the program's effects on economic, psychological, and secondary health outcomes? 3. How feasible, acceptable, and scalable is the program for broader implementation? Participants will be assigned to immediate program access or a waitlist using a random lottery system, creating treatment and control groups, respectively. Surveys and health data will be collected at baseline and over 36 months to assess changes in outcomes such as viral suppression, housing security, mental health, and financial well-being. Qualitative interviews with participants and stakeholders will complement quantitative findings to explore mechanisms of change and guide program optimization.

Housing instability significantly impedes HIV-related outcomes, such as engagement in care, ART adherence, and viral suppression. Structural racism and poverty exacerbate these disparities, particularly for racial and sexual minorities. To address this, the PDPH developed the AAY program, which combines rent support (up to 48 months), housing medical case management (MCM), and intensive housing counseling, following client-centered, harm-reduction principles. This hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation study will evaluate the effects of the AAY intervention on health, economic, and psychological outcomes. PWH experiencing homelessness or severe housing instability will be prioritized for the program. The lottery-based design will allow researchers to observe differences between those …

Where this study is enrolling

Who can participate

Inclusion criteria

  • ✓Inclusion criteria for the Lottery Population will be all PWH in priority groups 1 or 2 included in the initial lottery for access to the AAY program.
  • ✓Inclusion criteria for the Survey population is (1) eligible for the HIV transitional housing program (2) priority group 1 or 2 with anticipated inclusion in the initial lottery (3) no plans to leave Philadelphia in the next year (4) regular access to a telephone to be able to complete phone surveys (5) able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

  • ✕Does not meet the above inclusion criteria.

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Trial data sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov.