The engagement of new residents: a missing dimension in the evaluation of halfway houses for problem drinkers.

Residents (N = 29) and staff of a halfway house for problem drinkers in England were studied over 6 months to determine the cause of premature departure. Each new resident was interviewed in depth every week during his first 8 weeks in the house (or until he left if that occurred sooner), and the staff members were also interviewed weekly over the complete 6 months. The significant findings centered on two areas: staff's attitudes toward residents and residents' satisfaction with the house. The staff judged residents who subsequently left prematurely less positively overall, liked them less and spent less time with them. Residents who subsequently left prematurely were more dissatisfied with the lack of privacy, saw life as being better outside, judged the staff more negatively and felt generally that their expectations about the house had not been matched. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the notions of "sudden disappearances" from halfway houses, and of engagement of new residents. Conclusions about levels of staff training and support, and the "matching hypothesis are made.