# Improving Community Integration in Homeless Veterans with Serious Mental Illness: A Pilot Study of MI-CBT Enhanced with Mobile Technology

> **NIH VA I21** · VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2024 · —

## Abstract

For Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) experiencing homelessness, obtaining permanent
housing is only the first step in achieving stability and improved quality of life. Many recently housed
Veterans continue to struggle with many aspects of functioning and day to day living. Difficulties with
community integration, which includes engagement in vocational, recreational, social, and
independent living activities, are common. For providers, maintaining connection with these
individuals and engaging them in sustained treatment to improve functional outcomes once they
obtain permanent housing pose significant challenges. During this critical transition, as Veterans
move from temporary to permanent housing, they are particularly susceptible to falling out of mental
healthcare and other VA services. However, few, if any, evidence-based psychosocial treatments
designed to increase functional recovery, including community integration, have been systematically
applied during this transitional period. Whether such treatments could prove effective in improving
engagement and increasing continuity of care for these Veterans is not known. The current pilot study
aims to test the feasibility and acceptability of an 8-week individualized intervention that combines
motivational interviewing (MI) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in a hybrid in-person/remote
format (MI-CBTech) to improve community integration in Veterans with SMI experiencing
homelessness. This study has the potential to fill key gaps in treatment options for this high priority
population. The long-term goal of the intervention is to return these individuals to functional
independence so they may participate more fully in their lives and communities.
For the proposed study, 50 Veterans with SMI experiencing homelessness will be recruited from the
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (GLA) Domiciliary, a residential treatment program.
Participants will be randomly assigned to either the MI-CBTech experimental arm or control arm
(mindfulness). All participants will be administered interviews (symptom ratings and community
functioning), and assessments of cognitive ability during an in-person baseline visit. Both treatment
arms will consist of 8 weeks of active intervention, including three in-person visits (3 MI sessions for
MI-CBTech and 3 supportive therapy sessions for the control arm) followed by 6 weeks of mobile
phone application use. During the period of remote application use, both arms will have phone check-
ins during weeks 2, 4, and 6 to obtain information on application use and troubleshoot any potential
problems with compliance or completion. Participants will complete two repeat assessments of
community functioning, one at end of treatment and one at 16-week follow-up.
For feasibility, the primary outcome measures will be participant recruitment (successful target
enrollment rate and completion of baseline in-person assessment and sessions) and retention
(completion o...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10804874
- **Project number:** 1I21RX004633-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** VA GREATER LOS ANGELES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Amy M Jimenez
- **Activity code:** I21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-01-01 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10804874

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10804874, Improving Community Integration in Homeless Veterans with Serious Mental Illness: A Pilot Study of MI-CBT Enhanced with Mobile Technology (1I21RX004633-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10804874. Licensed CC0.

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