Professor Deborah Padgett's Book, "Housing First," Honored by Society for Social Work and Research

Housing First: Ending Homelessness, Transforming Systems and Changing Lives (Oxford University Press 2015), by NYU Silver Professor Dr. Deborah Padgett with co-authors Dr. Benjamin Henwood (MSW '04, PhD '11) of the University of Southern California School of Social Work, and Sam Tsemberis, Founder and CEO of Pathways to Housing, has received honorable mention for the 2017 Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Outstanding Social Work Book Award. The award recognizes outstanding scholarly contributions that advance social work knowledge.

Beginning with a history of homelessness in the U.S. and the rise of a ‘homeless services industry,’ the book draws on institutional and organizational theories and integrates the growing body of empirical evidence favoring the Housing First approach. This model rejects the usual prerequisites of treatment, sobriety, and housing readiness, and moves mentally ill and chemically dependent individuals from homelessness straight into permanent housing with ongoing, flexible support, and an emphasis on harm reduction and consumer choice. The book summarizes multiple, rigorous studies that establish the Housing First model for people with mental illness and addiction is not only humane but also effective.

Dr. Padgett and her co-authors will be recognized at the Outstanding Social Work Book Awards presentation on January 14, 2017 at the SSWR Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA