Communities continue to grapple with the challenges associated with housing homeless people who are mentally ill and some are successfully meeting those challenges.   We recently read about two such communities that have  succeeded in opening housing facilities for the mentally ill:  Heritage House in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which contains 45 apartment units, and a 38 bed facility that has just opened in Itahaca, NY. The links below provide the details.

 http://www.mlive.com/grpress/news/index.ssf/2008/09/heritage_homes_celebrates_45_u.html

http://www.theithacajournal.com:80/article/20081001/NEWS01/810010329коли под наем

But efforts to set aside housing units in  a proposed affordable rental complex  for chronically homeless, mentally ill people in Honolulu has met resistance.  While the local community seems to accept the need for housing for the area’s homeless, many are concerned by having a concentration of mentally ill people in the housing complex and what that means for the local community.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com:80/article/20081002/NEWS04/810020344/1001/LOCALNEWSFRONT 

 Project Director, OPCC Safe Haven    OPCC the largest homeless service provider in  Santa Monica seeks a creative, flexible and mission driven leader to direct operations of Safe Haven, an innovative residential and outreach program serving chronically homeless adults living with co-occurring mental illness and substance addiction.  Manages staff and program services, advocates and develops effective community relations, promotes the agency values of empowerment.  Requirements:  BA degree and minimum 5 years experience in program management, staff development, crisis management, quality assurance, database management, budgeting and program evaluation.  Ideal candidate is a dynamic leader who is comfortable working in partnership with women and men who have mental disabilities and co-occurring substance addiction utilizing a harm reduction approach.  Clinical background desirable. Salary DOE, excellent benefits. Please submit resume with cover letter to vzaat@opcc.net

We recently read about a non-profit in Alaska — Peer Properties, Inc. — that takes a unique approach to housing people who are diagnosed or diagnosable with serious mental illness and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Peer Properties does not provide services but operates instead on the peer support principle, i.e., the belief that relationships are based on shared experiences and values and characterized by reciprocity, mutuality, and mutual acceptance and respect. It is believed that working for the recovery of others facilitates personal recovery. Peer Properties neither encourages nor discourages the use of psychiatric medications but instead supports its tenants’ choices in the matter.

If you have had any experience housing the mentally ill in this fashion, please tell us about it.

A recent article in the New York Times brings to life the challenges faced by some people who try to leave homelessness.  The article describes a man who lived for years beneath an abandoned train station in the Bronx.  A nonprofit group that provides housing and services to mentally ill homeless people arranged for him to move into an apartment.  One-third of his Supplemental Security Income check would go to pay rent and a Catholic nun who had looked after him, along with two case managers, would help him make the transition.  But the man found the transition too difficult and he returned to his cave underground.   He recently signaled a willingness to try life in an apartment again.

If you have had any experiences with challenging clients such as this one, please share them.

The Berkeley City Council voted recently to pass a plan to clear streets of aggressive and disruptive behavior.  Among the banned behaviors is drinking in public, possessing a shopping cart and shouting in public.  Homeless advocates have fought unsuccessfully to stop the initiative which will cost about $2 million a year — money they say would be better spent on housing.  The initiative is meant to force homeless people who have refused to participate in services into counseling through the criminal justice and social service systems.   How is street homelessness addressed in your community?  If your community has passed a plan similar to the one just passed by the Berkeley City Council, please share with readers what the results have been?