Abstract:

Describes a paradigm shift, beginning in the 1950s and reaching its zenith in the 1970s, toward supported housing models and deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. The linear residential continuum model formed the basis for residential treatment and the provision of specialized environments that prepared patients/clients for life in the community. A supported housing paradigm shifts the primary role of the service recipient from patient to community and shifts the locus of control from staff to client. Other elements of the shift include an emphasis on (1) social integration rather than homogeneous grouping by disability and (2) the most facilitative environment and best functioning rather than the least restrictive environment and independence.