Health impacts of housing programs for people who are homeless and use opioids
Official title: Evaluating the Health Impacts of Interventions to Address Homelessness and Opioid Use Disorder
Funded at Boston Medical Center · NIH-11459532 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project follows people who are homeless and use opioids to see how different housing and treatment policies affect overdose and health outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $796,649 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DA066715-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11459532 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults experiencing homelessness who use opioids and are impacted by housing policies and services in Massachusetts, especially Boston.
✕Less likely to help
People not experiencing homelessness or not using opioids may not experience direct benefits from the findings.
What this research studies
The study will link state health data with homelessness services and housing records in Massachusetts to examine how policy and housing changes relate to overdose, medical care use, and mortality over time. Researchers will track trends in overdose events, emergency care, treatment admissions, and housing engagement among this population. By partnering withBoston city officials and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the project aims to uncover which real-world strategies most improve health for people experiencing homelessness and opioid use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the project could identify policies and programs that most effectively reduce overdose and improve health for people experiencing homelessness and opioid use.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work with linked health data has shown value in understanding policy impact, but rigorous real-world evidence in this population remains limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kimmel, Simeon — Boston Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Kimmel, Simeon
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Systems analysis to improve opioid use disorder care after jail release (SAIA-MOUD)
A program to help people with opioid use disorder get better, faster, and safer care after they leave jail.
-
Precise epigenetic drugs for opioid addiction
A tiny, targeted drug approach is being developed to help people with opioid use disorder by rewriting the epigenetic signals in the brain to reduce cravings and relapse risk.
-
Increasing Access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder for Unhoused Montanans
This project helps unhoused people in Montana get life-saving medicines for opioid use disorder through clinics connected to syringe service programs, a nurse-led MOUD model, and peer support.
-
Optimizing long-acting PrEP and opioid treatment for people in jails and prisons
This project tests a real-world approach to using long-acting PrEP and buprenorphine for HIV prevention and opioid treatment among incarcerated individuals and after release.
-
Scaling up medications for opioid use disorder in residential treatment programs
This grant studies how to help residential treatment programs provide medications for opioid use disorder to reduce overdoses after discharge, focusing on real-world settings and policies.
-
Increasing Capacity at a Native Community Clinic to Improve Opioid Care for urban AI/AN
This grant helps a Native American health clinic build its research capacity to better serve urban American Indian and Alaska Native people dealing with opioid use disorder and related health issues.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.