The purpose of our thesis was to detail the experiences of our partners’ employees whose tasks focused on harm reducing work at intoxicant allowed supported accommodation housing units. The goal was to successfully produce experiential data relating to harm-reducing substance abuse work by answering questions about what benefits or risks harm-reducing substance abuse work has, what goals it includes, and who benefits from it. The goal is also to increase information about harm-reducing substance abuse work as part of substance abuse work as a whole and to give additional perspective on harm-reducing work to students and employees in the social and health care sectors. Our thesis premise is: how do professionals perceive the harm-reducing substance abuse work implemented in their work in a substance-allowing supported housing unit expresses itself? Our thesis has been implemented as a qualitative study, where a semi-structured thematic interview was used as the data collection method. In the implementation of the thesis, employees of the partner's two supported housing units were interviewed, as well as employees who have already left the respective supported housing units, but who have solid and long-term experience of working in the job in question. The database of our thesis consists of various studies, source literature and statistics.

Among the professionals interviewed reducing homelessness came up as one of the primary goals, both for the individual and for society. The housing first principle was considered a human right preceding from the premise and particularly the point of view that an active substance abuse problem and the resulting problems it creates are not an obstacle to receive housing and acquiring an apartment. It was felt that the goals and objectives of the work include, from an individual's point of view, having one’s own apartment, successfully living there with guided help, experiencing a sense of basic security, meeting basic needs, meeting the prerequisites for rehabilitation, and getting additional necessary services. The social effects were seen as the reduction of homelessness and its disadvantages, a reduction and stabilization of resources in health care, prison care and the police, as well as a decrease of disorderly behavior in public spaces. The interviewees felt that supported housing improves safety and reduces the experience and use of violence. Professionals recognize work-related risks, such as somatic illnesses resulting from clients' substance abuse or mutual acts of violence, but in the interviews the fear of violence was not brought up as something that significantly raised concern. Client's appreciation was placed in a central position in the client work, which includes a trauma-informed and rehabilitative work approach, recovery orientation, service guidance and health counseling all as working methods.