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Enrolling by invitationNCT07141394CARE-VASHUpdated Sep 30, 2026

Coordinated Access for Addiction Recovery and Equity in VA Supportive Housing

An interventional study of Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD) in Homelessness and Substance Use Disorder (SUD), sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United States. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-30.

Sponsored by VA Office of Research and Development · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
7,908
Allocation
Randomized
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program provides subsidized permanent housing with case management to homeless-experienced Veterans (HEVs). Up to 40% of Veterans exit HUD-VASH within two years of attaining housing; substance use disorders (SUDs) are one of the largest causes of returns to homelessness for HEVs. CARE-VASH QUERI proposes to implement and evaluate two evidence-based SUD services - Medications for addiction treatment (MAT) and cognitive behavioral therapy for SUDs (CBT-SUD) - among Veterans in HUD-VASH.

Read the detailed description

The Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program provides subsidized, permanent housing and supports to Veterans experiencing homelessness. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a common primary or contributing factor to negative exits from HUD-VASH. The Coordinated Access for Addiction Recovery and Equity in VA Supportive Housing (CARE-VASH) QUERI will implement two evidence-based practices (EBPs) for SUDs-Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) and cognitive behavioral therapy for SUDs (CBT-SUD)-in 12 HUD-VASH sites. The investigators will use the Replicating Effective Programs (REP) implementation bundle to support EBP implementation at all 12 sites. Half the sites (n=6) will also receive 9 months of consumer engagement (REP+CE). In a type 3 hybrid trial, the investigators will use mixed methods to examine the impacts of REP vs. REP+CE. Using our trial data, the investigators will develop a budget impact analysis and implementation playbook for our program partners to spread and sustain MAT and CBT-SUD in HUD-VASH.

02

Conditions studied

  • Homelessness
  • Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Keywords

  • Homeless
  • Substance Use Disorder
  • Permanent Supportive Housing
  • Implementation Science
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • Homeless-experienced Veterans (HEVs) enrolled in the Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • None
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
7,908 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Replicating Effective Programs (REP)

    A stakeholder-informed training and technical assistance implementation strategy

    Drug: Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) · Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD)

  • Active comparator
    REP + Consumer Engagement (CE)

    REP plus CE package (educational materials, peer coaching, toolkit) to support MAT and CBT-SUD implementation.

    Drug: Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT) · Behavioral: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD)

  • No intervention
    Control Group

    No MAT or CBT-SUD implementation

Interventions

  • DrugMedication for Addiction Treatment (MAT)

    MAT includes medications for alcohol use disorder (MAUD) and medications for opioid use disorder (MAUD). It reduces substance use, increases SUD treatment engagement, enhances quality of life, and reduces overdoses.

    Also known as: MAT

  • BehavioralCognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD)

    An evidence-based psychotherapy that uses cognitive behavioral therapy to further recovery goals across SUD diagnoses.

    Also known as: CBT-SUD

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Reach of MAT (Medications for Addiction Treatment)

    * (percent of) Veterans who used Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) for OUD, ≥1 prescription * (percent of) Veterans who used MOUD for OUD for 180 days since initial prescription (without a break ≥14 days in supply) * (percent of) Veterans who used Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder (MAUD) for AUD, ≥1 prescription * (percent of) Veterans who used MAUD for AUD for 180 days since initial prescription (without a break ≥14 days in supply)

    Time frame: 18 months post-implementation

  2. Reach of CBT-SUD (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders)

    * (percent of) Veterans with stimulant use disorder who had ≥1 visit for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD) or contingency management * (percent of) Veterans with substance use disorder with ≥1 CBT-SUD visit * (percent of) Veterans with substance use disorder with ≥9 CBT-SUD visits

    Time frame: 18 months post-implementation

  3. Adoption of MAT (Medications for Addiction Treatment)

    % (percent of) Department of Housing and Urban Development - VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) and mental health prescribers engaged with Veterans who ordered Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) / Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder (MAUD) at least once

    Time frame: 18 months post-implementation

  4. Adoption of CBT-SUD (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders)

    % (percent of) Department of Housing and Urban Development - VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) case managers who delivered ≥1 CBT-SUD (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders) session

    Time frame: 18 months post-implementation

  5. Sustainment of MAT (Medications for Addiction Treatment)

    * (percent of) Veterans who used Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) for OUD, ≥1 prescription * (percent of) Veterans who used MOUD for OUD for 180 days since initial prescription (without a break ≥14 days in supply) * (percent of) Veterans who used Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder (MAUD) for AUD, ≥1 prescription * (percent of) Veterans who used MAUD for AUD for 180 days since initial prescription (without a break ≥14 days in supply) * (percent of) Department of Housing and Urban Development - VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) and mental health prescribers engaged with Veterans who ordered Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) / Medications for Alcohol Use Disorder (MAUD) at least once

    Time frame: 18-27 months post-implementation

  6. Sustainment of CBT-SUD (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders)

    * (percent of) Veterans with stimulant use disorder who had ≥1 visit for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD) or contingency management * (percent of) Veterans with substance use disorder with ≥1 CBT-SUD visit * (percent of) Veterans with substance use disorder with ≥9 CBT-SUD visits * (percent of) Department of Housing and Urban Development - VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) case managers who delivered ≥1 CBT-SUD (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders) session

    Time frame: 18-27 months post-implementation

Secondary outcomes

  1. Housing retention

    Difference in the mean days homeless over 1 year of follow-up for Veterans enrolled in trial sites that received the base versus enhanced implementation strategy, versus the expected number of days homeless had they enrolled in a comparison group of all sites not engaged in the trial

    Time frame: 1 year after implementation by cohort

  2. Provider experience

    Experiences of and satisfaction with providing HUD-VASH services to HEVs with SUDs pre- and post- implementation, which will be assessed using semi-structured qualitative interviews (data will be coded from key findings in the narratives provided during the interviews).

    Time frame: Baseline and 18 months post-implementation

  3. Cost impact of Medications for Addiction Treatment (MAT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Substance Use Disorders (CBT-SUD)

    The predominant cost of delivering MAT in the Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) programs is prescriber time; for CBT-SUD, the predominant cost is case manager time. The investigators will use VA administrative data to identify visits in which MAT was prescribed or CBT-SUD was delivered. Interviews with HUD-VASH prescribers will be used to estimate minutes/visit spent on MAT, including visits in which MAT was discussed but not prescribed; at implementation sites, the investigators will add a mandated field to templated CBT-SUD notes that indicates time spent outside the encounter (e.g., preparing for the visit).

    Time frame: 18 months (during the course of implementation)

  4. Acute care utilization

    Emergency department visits and hospitalizations associated with primary SUD diagnoses

    Time frame: 1 year after implementation by cohort

06

Study locations

1 site
  • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA
    West Los Angeles, California 90073-1003, United States
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Gabrielian S, Chang ET, Treichler EBH, Barnard J, Nelson RE, Wong MS, Jackson NJ, Finley EP. Comparing two strategies to support the implementation of evidence-based practices for substance use disorders in VA's permanent supportive housing program: a protocol for a type 3 hybrid cluster-randomized controlled trial. Implement Sci. 2026 Mar 24;21(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s13012-026-01498-z. PubMed 41877142 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes

Supporting information: Study protocol

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07141394
Lead sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development
Collaborators
University of California, Los Angeles
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 26, 2025
Start date
Sep 15, 2026
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2030 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 30, 2030 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 30, 2026

Study contacts

Sonya Emi Gabrielian, MD MPH
principal investigator · VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA
Evelyn T Chang, MD MSHS
principal investigator · VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, CA
Erin P Finley, PhD MPH
principal investigator · VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA
Emily Treichler, PhD
principal investigator · VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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