Sam Tsemberis, PhD

Sam Tsemberis, PhD, is a clinical-community psychologist who originated the Housing First model, an evidence-based program for effectively ending homelessness for individuals diagnosed with mental illness and addiction. Housing First programs have been successfully implemented across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Professor Tsemberis has decades of experience in program operations, training, consultation, and research. He currently serves as CEO of the Pathways Housing First Institute, is on the faculty at UCLA Department of Psychiatry, and is executive director of the UCLA-VA Center of Excellence for Training and Research in Veteran Resilience and Recovery. He has published numerous papers, book chapters, and two books about Housing First, and has been recognized for his work by the American Psychological Association and the National Alliance to End homelessness. He has also been awarded the Meritorious Service Cross from the Government of Canada.