From training to practice: Implementation of critical time intervention

The Critical Time Intervention (CTI) model is an evidence-based housing intervention used to transition individuals who are homeless into housing. The model was developed for individuals who have serious mental illness and are transitioning into permanent housing, but it is increasingly applied in new ways, e.g., with families, with people living with HIV/AIDS, and within the criminal justice system. The Center for Social Innovation (C4) conducted a study to examine training and implementation of CTI in 20 homeless service agencies, half of which received a newly developed interactive online training and half of which received a face-to-face training. Reactions to training modalities and the resulting implementation of CTI were monitored for nine months. Data were captured from agency, provider, and client vantage points using surveys, interviews, and site visits. Fidelity was assessed using CTI forms that tracked adherence to the model. Administrative data on client housing outcomes was also analyzed. We examined modifications to the model, training preferences, and challenges to implementation. Training outcomes yielded comparable knowledge gains and retention, significant differences in training satisfaction, and variability in time to implementation between agencies in online and face-to-face groups. Findings provide insight into the facilitators, barriers, and trajectories of evidence-based practice implementation and fidelity. This session will focus on the methodology, specifically for measuring fidelity and collecting administrative data, as well as differences in implementation, client outcomes, and implications for best practices in disseminating evidence-based practices.