A discarded sign used by a homeless veteran in Phoenix , Arizona in May 2015 .
The People of Color Network (PCN) in cooperation with its community partners in mental health have announced a new program called the “Whole Health and Housing Project” aimed to help chronically homeless Veterans (and non veterans) who struggle with co-occurring substance abuse disorders get housing and treatment they need and deserve.
This begins with housing first!
Housing First is an approach to ending homelessness that centers on providing people experiencing homelessness with housing as quickly as possible – and then providing services as needed.
This approach has the benefit of being consistent with what most people experiencing homelessness want and seek help to achieve. More importantly it is a model that works.
See video: Housing First: Veteran Centered Care https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGNE7m_BFvE
So far PCN has housed 28 individuals into the treatment program, among these are over a dozen or so veterans.
The purpose of the People of Color Network-Whole Health+Housing Project is to develop, implement, and build the infrastructure of local community-based substance abuse/mental health providers to enhance and expand treatment, recovery and supportive services for 112 adults (aged 18+) creating a path to stability, recovery, and sustainable housing for chronically homeless individuals and homeless veterans challenged with substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders in Maricopa County, AZ.
This project will seek to serve 32 participants in Year 1, 40 in Year 2, and 40 in Year 3, and include outreach, permanent housing coordination, substance abuse treatment, 12-weeks of Intensive Out Patient (IOP) treatment with trauma informed mental health services, holistic care coordination, peer specialists to assist with community resources for health insurance, Medicaid, and SSI/SSDI, TANF, SNAP, etc. Using Motivational Interviewing and Seeking Safety, the phases of the 12-month treatment program are as follows: Phase 1: (5 months) Housing Assessment and Placement, Substance Abuse Treatment, Relapse Prevention, 12-Step Recovery Group, Motivational Interviewing; Phase 2: (3 months) Seeking Safety trauma recovery services; Phase 3: (2 months) Case Management, and Phase 4: (2 months) Health Care Assessment assistance.
Funding for this project was part of a grant awarded to PCN from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) in 2014.
Project Period: 09/30/2014 – 09/29/2017.
Partners in the PCN Whole Health + Housing Project include, ABC, Ebony House, Friendship Community Mental Health Center, Native American Connections and Chicanos Por La Casa.
To see if you qualify for this unique and innovative housing program please call Rachelle Simmons Housing Support Manager for the People of Color Network 602-744-4092 rsimons@pcnhealth.com.
See relate video: 50,000 Homeless Veterans Nationwide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6g3LxofaZ0
