Refocusing Upstream: Interim Status Report of the Center for Mental Health Services and Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Collaborative Program to Prevent Homelessness

The purpose of this report is to provide the field with background and preliminary descriptive data concerning the Center for Mental Health Services/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Collaborative Program to Prevent Homelessness. The interventions and preliminary descriptive data presented in this report indicate that identification of persons at risk of homelessness occurs at multiple points along the treatment continuum rather than at a singular portal of entry. Points of entry into the interventions appear to mirror the risk factors for homelessness and the target populations across the eight projects also reflect the spectrum of individuals who are at risk. All the interventions have five components in common that appear critical to the prevention of homelessness among at-risk populations. These components include: (1) connection or provision of a range of affordable, safe housing options; (2) flexible case management services with varying degrees of intensity; (3) linkages to mental health and/or substance abuse treatment; (4) money management; and (5) a range of community support services. (authors). [abstract]

Publication Date: 
1999