11/06/2023
By Taylor Sheldon

The College of Fine Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Taylor Sheldon on “Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to Identify Barriers and Facilitators to Interorganizational Collaboration Between the Housing/Homelessness and Substance Use Fields.”

Candidate Name: Taylor Sheldon
Degree: Ph.D.
Defense Date: Friday, Nov. 17, 2023
Time: 2 to 4 p.m.
Location: Zoom 

Committee

  • Larissa Gaias, Ph.D., (committee chair), Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Urmi Dutta, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Robin Toof, Ed.D., Center for Community Research & Engagement, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract:
One of the most daunting issues facing communities across the United States today is the opioid epidemic. This epidemic has resulted in significant preventable overdoses and deaths in communities, particularly affecting people who are unhoused. Overdose disproportionately occurs in people who are unhoused, compared to their housed counterparts and is a leading cause of death among people who are unhoused. Reducing the detrimental impacts of opioid use and homelessness requires participation and coordination between many sectors and organizations within a community. There is little research available on interorganizational collaboration between the substance use and housing fields, what those partnerships look like, and strategies for implementing successful collaborations. To help fill this gap, this dissertation used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation research (CFIR) to gain insight into the scope of collaboration currently being utilized between the housing and substance use sectors in a city and identify barriers and facilitators to integrated services for people who are unhoused with substance use disorder (SUD). City leaders, service providers, and people who were unhoused perceived barriers to collaboration that included structural separation of the fields, housing and treatment capacity, and the structure of decision-making. Facilitators included action-oriented goal setting, holding values that center the perspectives of people who are unhoused with SUD, and recognizing the common goals between stakeholder groups.