Housing first: a bold experiment to stop opioid addiction before it starts
NCT ID NCT04135703
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tested whether giving homeless young people (ages 18-24) a place to live plus support services could help them avoid developing opioid use disorder. 240 participants who were homeless but did not yet have opioid addiction were randomly assigned to receive either housing with prevention services or prevention services alone. Researchers tracked their opioid use over a year to see if housing made a difference.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Housing (rental assistance) plus opioid risk prevention services
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that providing stable housing alongside prevention services helps homeless youth avoid developing opioid use disorder.
- What could go wrong
- This is a single completed trial with 240 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Housing alone may not be enough to prevent substance use in all youth.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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240 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jun 2020
- Finished
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May 2024
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 24 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * ages of 18 to 24 years * meets McKinney-Vento definition of homeless * fails to meet DSM 5 criteria for Opioid Use Disorder as assessed by the SCID Exclusion Criteria: \-
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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