New Research: Higher Wages and Longer Jobs for Fountain House Members

Those associated with the Fountain House model are well aware of its effectiveness in helping members reclaim their lives and independence in the community. Despite extensive observational studies, until now there had not been any studies comparing the Fountain House model to other psychiatric rehabilitation models under controlled conditions. These types of research studies are important in a world where funding is often awarded to models the can show they are evidence-based.

The first study of this type on the Fountain House model was the Worcester Employment Demonstration Project in which a Fountain House model program (Genesis Club) was compared to a PACT (Program of Assertive Community Treatment) model program. In the study, 170 individuals with severe mental illness were randomly assigned to one of the two programs and tracked for thirty months. The primary outcome analyzed was competitive employment, which is the hallmark and major innovation of the Fountain House program.

Researchers at Fountain House found that participants from both the PACT and Fountain House models achieved high job placement rates over the course of the study. Additionally, during this time, Fountain House participants earned significantly higher wages ($7.38 per hour to $6.30 per hour) and remained competitively employed for significantly more weeks per job than PACT participants (21.8 weeks to 13.1 weeks).

Articles outlining these results can be found in the October 2006 issue of Psychiatric Services.