Several studies of the homeless. One longitudinal project explores relationships among mental illness, alcohol problems, and unstable housing. Another study examines the course of homelessness among adults with diagnoses of substance use and major mental disorder. These projects are funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ARG scientists, in collaboration with the Addiction Research Foundation, interviewed policy makers and the policy community at the national level to test theories of policy formation and to learn more about the role of research in the process of establishing policy.
Some projects use workshops, others focus on case management, and still more apply mentoring.
The ARG project is being done in conjunction with the East Bay Perinatal Council in Oakland and is a combination of case management and social support workshops. ARG scientists have participated in the International Study of the Development of Alcohol Treatment Systems and in international comparisons of Alcoholics Anonymous. ARG has also been involved in bilateral epidemiological studies with researchers in Japan, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Canada, and, more recently, Germany. This project has involved five qualitative and quantitative sub-studies on the meanings and interpretations of substance use and problems in nine cultures worldwide for the purposes of validating instruments related to the WHO International Classification of Diseases, Version 10, and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Version IV, of the American Psychiatric Association.