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Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County Permanent Supportive Housing Program:
2012 Update
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
3
Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County
Permanent Supportive Housing Program: 2012 Update
Executive Summary
For people with serious mental illness, the lack of safe, affordable, and permanent housing can pose
a significant barrier to their recovery. To help address this need, Allegheny County began a
permanent supportive housing (PSH) program in 2006, following the Housing First evidence-based
practice. 1 The PSH program is administered by Transitional Services, Inc. (TSI) and works in
collaboration with Allegheny County’s Office of Behavioral Health, Community Care Behavioral
Health, a non-profit managed care organization, and Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc. (AHCI), an
independent non-profit oversight and monitoring agency. This report provides an overview of the
PSH program and examines how the program is meeting four key goals:
1. Helping people find and keep permanent housing.
The PSH program has helped many individuals who otherwise may have continued residing in County-
funded residential programs to find permanent housing in the community of their choice.
Since 2007, 244 people have moved to permanent supportive housing, with most people
coming from a community residential rehabilitation (CRR) program, psychiatric hospital, or
longer term treatment program.
Currently, 117 people are living in their own community apartment through the PSH
program, for an average of 2.8 years.
More than half of the people who have left PSH were living in their own community
apartment or with family when PSH services ended; nearly 20% moved to a variety of
residential facilities, often because of changing health and support needs.
10% of the 244 people in PSH left because of long term hospitalization needs or
incarcerations.
2. Supporting people in the community by minimizing the need for psychiatric
hospitalizations while assuring people have access to coordinated treatment and
rehabilitation services.
People in PSH have substantially fewer hospital or extended acute days when compared to the two
year period before moving into their housing, and people in PSH access a variety of other community-
based services.
In the two years before moving into PSH, 81% of people experienced at least one
hospitalization, extended acute or residential treatment facility for adults (RTF-A) stay, or
1 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides resources related to the Housing First
model at http://homeless.samhsa.gov/channel/housing-first-447.aspx. The Pathways to Housing “Housing First” model is listed in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices at http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=155.
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
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incarceration. After moving into PSH, 47% of people experienced one or more of these
events.
Days spent hospitalized, in intensive treatment (i.e., extended acute care programs or
residential treatment facilities for adults) or jail decreased from the two years prior to PSH
to after moving in to PSH. While people may need the intensive services of a hospital
setting, stays are shorter and people usually keep their housing in the community during
these stays.
Approximately 75% of people have accessed service coordination and/or outpatient mental
health services while in PSH; 35% have received community treatment team (CTT) services.
Many individuals also access social and psychiatric rehabilitation services.
3. Assisting people in accessing permanent rental subsidies (Section 8/Housing Choice
Vouchers) or federally funded public housing outside the behavioral health system to
diversify funding and improve the sustainability of the program.
Despite closed waiting lists for Section 8 for most of the last 6 years, the PSH program has made
progress in moving people to permanent subsidy programs.
Since the PSH program began in late 2006, the Section 8 waiting lists in Allegheny County
have accepted new applications for only short periods in 2011 and 2012; otherwise, the
waitlists have remained closed. This has limited the ability of the PSH program to assist
people in moving from PSH rental subsidies to Section 8. The PSH program has responded
to this barrier by assisting people in applying for HUD-funded or tax credit subsidized
housing while also closely monitoring the Section 8 waiting list and application process.
35% of people in PSH have moved to permanent subsidies (either Section 8 vouchers or
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funded housing) and the program has assisted an
additional 42% in applying for waitlists for these two permanent subsidy programs.
4. Provide a less costly alternative to County-funded residential programs for people with
serious mental illness.
When compared to CRRs – the most common referral source for PSH – the PSH program costs the
behavioral health system seven times less on average per person per month in housing costs.
A CRR costs on average $4,770 per person per month. Rental subsidies, housing support
team services, contingency funds for permanent supportive housing, as well as behavioral
health treatment services costs $2,572 per person per month.
The Allegheny County PSH program has demonstrated success in meeting its goals. Assuring the
long term stability of the program and increasing its availability should be system priorities.
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
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Welcome Home: Stories of Hope and Recovery
Listening to people talk about their recovery is the best way to really understand how
services help people. Below are two people’s stories of how Allegheny County’s
permanent supportive housing program has helped them on their recovery journey.
Mike
Mike has a history of living in a variety of places and environments. He has lived in county-
funded residential programs, with family, on his own, and at Mayview State Hospital. During
his stay at his last residential program, Mike heard about the permanent supportive housing
program. Although he was nervous to lose the round-the-clock staff at the residential program,
Mike was excited at the idea of having his very own apartment.
“I’m so thankful for living independently,” exclaims Mike. The program was able to help Mike
move into an apartment in Pittsburgh, which he has been able to maintain without any problems.
One of the housing support team staff that works with Mike reports that he is his landlord’s best
tenant. “I needed this [apartment] … [it has provided me with a] sense of ownership.”
Mike enjoys being able to decorate his apartment with his favorite sport team memorabilia. He
also likes watching various sporting events, especially Monday Night Football and Penguin
hockey games. Mike is also an avid gardener; planting flowers and growing his own vegetables.
When not outside gardening, Mike enjoys community activities. Recently, he has been attending
karate classes, swimming in the local community’s pool, and attending the peer mentor program.
In the future, Mike would like to return to work. “I am at the point where I want to do more with
myself,” reports Mike. He has expressed an interest in becoming a Certified Peer Specialist.
Mike also wants to let people know how important these services are to people in recovery. He
acknowledges that the permanent supportive housing program not only helps him financially,
through temporary rent subsidies, but has also helped him become integrated in his community
and build successful relationships with his landlord, neighbors, and family. “Other people need
to [enter the permanent supportive housing program] … it worked a miracle for me. I don’t
know where I would be today without it.”
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
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Donald
Donald did not realize that he might one day again be able to live more independently. After
being in a group home for about a year, Donald joined the permanent supportive housing
program. Without hesitation, Donald accepted what he called a “great opportunity.”
Moving for Donald into his own apartment was relatively easy. Donald contributes his ease of
transition due to learning different chores and having other responsibilities that he believes have
prepared him for managing his own apartment. Nonetheless, he recognizes that the housing
program helped make his apartment a reality: “[The staff] has been really helpful to me … they
even helped me move.”
Donald enjoys the high ceilings of his apartment and the quiet atmosphere that surrounds his
home. “It’s a great privilege to be in your own apartment,” reports Donald. In his spare time, he
enjoys reading, playing his guitar, journaling, and maintaining his various websites and blogs.
Donald also likes walking in the community and visiting his family on the weekends. He really
appreciates the location of his apartment and enjoys treating himself to the local eateries.
“[The housing program] has been wonderful!” exclaims Donald. Although he is thankful for the
permanent supportive housing program, he is already looking forward to the next chapter of his
life. Donald hopes to one day become employed and have an income so he can live without a
housing subsidy.
Overview of the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Program
Since 2006, the Allegheny County Office of Behavioral Health’s (OBH) Permanent Supportive
Housing (PSH) program has offered new housing opportunities to people with serious mental
illness. OBH developed the PSH program for people with serious mental illness living in OBH-
funded residential programs, including Community Residential Rehabilitation programs (CRRs) and
long-term structured residences (LTSRs). People in state hospitals and people in community
psychiatric hospitals, extended acute care programs, and residential treatment facilities for adults
(RTF-A) are also eligible for the program. The PSH program is one part of the OBH housing system.
Permanent Supportive Housing is scattered site housing that is:
Safe and secure.
Affordable to people with very low incomes.
Permanent, as long as the tenant pays the rent and follows the rules of their lease.
Linked to clinical and rehabilitation services that are optional and flexible.
People are not required to participate in services to keep their housing, although they are
encouraged to use services. Individualized services are available when the person needs them and
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
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where the person lives. This “Housing First” model is considered an evidence-based practice, and
has been adopted in locations across the United States.2
The Allegheny County PSH program, operated by the local non-profit, Transitional Services, Inc.
(TSI), helps people in two primary ways: by providing temporary rental subsidies and through the
supportive services of the Housing Support Team (HST). These rental subsidies assure that people
spend no more than 30% of their income on rent in apartments throughout the community. The
HST’s supportive services range from helping people find apartments, move in, and set up utilities,
to helping people become familiar with their community, and learning basic skill-building in
housekeeping, shopping, managing money, and landlord relations. The HST also provides extensive
assistance on the application process for federal rental subsidy programs through the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).3
Costs of the PSH program are paid by reinvestment funds4 from the HealthChoices program. A key
strategy of the program is that people become eligible for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, a
program providing permanent rent subsidies for low-income individuals and families, Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) funded units, or subsidized tax credit units. Assisting individuals in the
PSH program to apply for and receive Housing Choice Vouchers or public housing is critical for
accessing funding streams outside the behavioral health system and helping to assure the
sustainability of the program.
2 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides resources related to the Housing First
model at http://homeless.samhsa.gov/channel/housing-first-447.aspx. The Pathways to Housing “Housing First” model is listed in the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices at http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=155. 3 A separate component of the program managed by the Allegheny County Housing Authority is focused on
developing new housing units for the PSH program. 4 Reinvestment funds are funds remaining after medical claims and other obligations are paid. They are approved
by OMHSAS for use in for developing or expanding services and supports based on local needs.
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
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Housing Tenure: Who Participates in the PSH Program, and have They Kept Their
Housing?
Characteristics of People in PSH
The primary goal of the PSH program is to help
people find and maintain safe, affordable
housing in the community. This is housing that
is accessible to anyone – not set aside for
people with behavioral health issues. The
program initiated in late 2006 and people
began moving into apartments in early 2007.
Since 2007 244 people have moved into
permanent supportive housing. Of this number,
236 are included in this report’s analysis. This
represents the total number of people in
housing that matched HealthChoices and
Allegheny County service utilization data. The 3%
(8 people) who did not match likely have incorrect
identifying information. Table 1 shows the
demographic characteristics of these individuals.
More than half (52%) of the people who moved to
permanent supportive housing were referred to PSH
from a community residential rehabilitation program
(CRR). This opened up spaces in the County-funded
housing system for others who needed CRR services.
The great majority of the remaining referrals (38%) came from psychiatric inpatient units,
extended acute programs, and the residential treatment facility for adults (RTF-A).
Housing Tenure
Over the six years of the PSH program, TSI has simultaneously worked with people newly referred
to the program to find housing, supported people to keep their housing, and discharged people who
no longer needed the program or needed more structured or comprehensive assistance with their
housing needs.
As of May 2012, 117 people were currently living in apartments through the PSH program for an
average of 33.5 months (2.8 years); 119 have left PSH, after an average tenure of 23.5 months (2
years). Table 3 summarizes the housing tenure for people in PSH based on whether they are
currently in PSH or when they left PSH.5
5 This report defines people as being in permanent supportive housing if they receive a rental subsidy from the PSH
program and/or support services from the Housing Support Team. A number of people choose to keep the HST services after they begin receiving Section 8 vouchers or move to HUD housing; these individuals are still considered part of the PSH program. See page 7.
Table 1. Demographics of People in Permanent Supportive Housing
# of people
% of people
Age
at
mo
ve-i
n
dat
e
18 - 24 years 31 13%
25 - 34 years 70 30%
35 - 54 years 108 46%
55 years and older 27 11%
Sex Female 99 42%
Male 137 58%
Rac
e Black 99 42%
Other 14 6%
White 123 52%
Table 2. People's place at time of PSH referral
Place at Referral # People % People
CRR 123 52%
Inpatient psych 44 19%
RTFA 25 11%
State Hospital 14 6%
Other 30 12%
Total 236 100%
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Table 3. Length of time in housing for people currently in PSH and people who leave PSH
In PSH Left PSH Total
< 6 months 9% 4% 5%
6-12 months 11% 30% 8%
12-24 months 5% 24% 6%
2-3 years 31% 18% 5%
3-4 years 23% 5% 32%
4-5 years 15% 19% 38%
over 5 years 5% 0% 6%
Grand Total # of People Percentage
117
100%
119
100%
236
100%
Of those currently in PSH, 74% have been in an apartment for more than two years. Approximately
58% left their permanent supportive housing after two years or less, while 42% left PSH after more
than two years. People who leave the PSH program do so for a variety of reasons, as shown in Table
4.
Table 4. Where were people living when they left PSH?
Place Moved # of people % of people
Community
Family 14 12%
Independent Apartment 28 24%
Section 8 17 14%
Subtotal 59 50%
Residential program
Alternate residential provider or TSI program 11 9%
Personal care Home 11 9%
Subtotal 22 18%
Jail/Hospital
Jail 8 7%
Long Term Hospitalization 4 3%
Subtotal 12 10%
Deceased 5 4%
Other 15 13%
Missing data 6 5%
Total number of people who left PSH 119 100%
Slightly more than half of people who have left the PSH program were in independent or family
settings at the time of their discharge. Helping people live in the least restrictive environment is
another important goal of the PSH program. Eighteen percent of the people who left went to other
residential programs, including personal care homes that may provide more structured or intensive
assistance with activities of daily living. Ten percent left because they had an extensive
incarceration or on a long-term hospitalization.
While TSI works with clients, landlords, and other services and supports to prevent evictions,
evictions do occur. Evictions do not mean a person is discharged from the PSH program; TSI
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continues to identify new housing and support plans for people facing eviction. An average of six
people per year in the PSH program has experienced an eviction, totaling 30 individuals since 2007.
TSI found second apartments for at least one third of people after their evictions; other individuals
chose to move to more structured residential programs or in with friends or family. Four
individuals were evicted twice from PSH apartments, leading to discharge from the program when
they chose not to address issues jeopardizing their housing, and three were admitted to a
psychiatric hospital or the RTF-A.
Substance use disorders played a role in at least half of the evictions. Interpersonal skills, for
example, knowing when to ask for help, setting limits with friends and families, and relationships
with neighbors and landlords, have also been contributing factors in many evictions. Over the last
several years, the HST has developed better skills in working with people who have active
substance use disorders and in providing interpersonal skills training (using a psychiatric
rehabilitation approach) to better prevent evictions.
Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.
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Are People in PSH Using Fewer Psychiatric Hospital Days While Maintaining Access to
Community Based Treatment and Rehabilitation Services?
Inpatient, Extended Acute, and Jail Utilization
One key goal of the PSH program is to help people achieve stability
in their lives, minimizing the need for psychiatric hospitalizations
and other intensive treatment services. While people who need
these services still can access them, the PSH program, in
coordination with treatment services, works hard to support
people in the community whenever possible. Table 5 compares
the use of hospital and other intensive services and incarcerations
before and after people move into PSH.
Table 5. Use of psychiatric hospital, extended acute, RTF-A, and residential programs in 2 years prior to PSH move-in compared to after PSH move in (through PSH discharge or 3/31/12)
Two years prior to PSH move-in
After PSH move-in to leaving PSH or 3/31/12
% of days % of people % of days % of people Psychiatric inpatient 27% 76% 3% 42% State hospital 5% 15% 0% 0% RTF-A 3% 22% 1% 10% Allegheny County Jail 3% 14% 1% 10% Extended Acute Programs 2% 10% 1% 6%
% of days in hospital or jail 40% 81%* 6% 47%*
Total days 67,069 10,928
*This percentage is not a sum of the percentages in the column above as people may be included in more than
one category.
In the two years before PSH move-in, 81% of people were hospitalized, incarcerated, and/or had a
stay in another intensive treatment service. These individuals spent 40% of the days available in
the two year period before PSH in a hospital setting, extended acute or RTF-A, or jail. By
comparison, 47% of people have experienced a hospitalization, extended acute or RTF-A stay, or
been incarcerated since moving to PSH. People have spent only 6% of their days in a hospital,
intensive treatment services, or jail setting since moving into PSH, a clear reduction in the use
of these services.6
6 Because people have had different lengths of stay in PSH depending on when they moved in (and for some, when
they were discharged), the calculations in Table 4 standardize the data through summing all the days available then calculating the proportion of days spent in one of these restrictive settings. Days available include days in PSH through PSH discharge or 3/31/12 (for those currently in the program).
After moving in, people
spent 6% of their days in
the hospital, extended
acute, or jail, in
comparison to 39% of
days in the two years
before moving in to PSH.
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Use of Behavioral Health Services while in PSH
The Housing Support Team services focus on helping people find and keep their housing, and do
not provide clinical treatment. Therefore, one goal of the PSH program is to assure that people still
have access to the treatment and rehabilitation services they need, and that all services are well-
coordinated.
Table 6 shows the proportion of people who have used different types of services while living in
their PSH apartments. Many people accessed a combination of service coordination (75%) and
outpatient mental health services (72%). More than one third have used community treatment
team (CTT) services and 16% used mobile medication team services. In the first quarter of 2012,
about 35% of people in PSH received CTT services, 35% received service coordination services, and
an additional 8% received either enhanced clinical service coordination or mobile medication,
indicating that people are continuing to receive behavioral health services well into their tenure in
their housing.
Because people are not living in group settings where rehabilitation and support activities are part
of the daily schedule, connecting to services like social or psychiatric rehabilitation that offer
opportunities to gather with other people can help provide social support and skill building. A
large proportion of people have used other OBH-funded housing support services (45%), services
that teach skills necessary for independent living (for example, medication support, budgeting,
grocery shopping, and laundry skills), complimenting the housing-specific services provided by the
HST. People also have used social rehabilitation (33%) or psychiatric rehabilitation services (9%).
Table 6. Use of behavioral health services in conjunction with permanent supportive housing
# of people % of people
Clinic-based services
Partial hospitalization 34 14%
Mental health outpatient 170 72%
Community-based services
Community treatment teams 83 35%
Service coordination 178 75%
Enhanced clinical service coordination 20 8%
Mobile medication team 38 16%
Crisis services
Walk in, mobile, telephone, or residential crisis 92 39%
Respite programs 37 16%
Drug and alcohol services
Outpatient, intensive outpatient, or partial hospital drug and alcohol services
25 11%
Residential drug and alcohol 11 5%
Rehabilitation-focused services
Housing support (non-HST) 107 45%
Social rehabilitation 79 33%
Psych Rehab 21 9%
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Is the PSH Program Moving People to Permanent Rental Subsidies Outside the
Behavioral Health System to Diversify Funding and Improve the Program’s
Sustainability?
A key strategy to assure long term sustainability of the PSH program is to assist people receiving
PSH rent subsidies in applying for and receiving Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. Since the PSH
program began, the Section 8 waiting lists in Allegheny County have accepted new applications for
only for short periods in 2011 and 2012; otherwise, the waitlists
have remained closed. This has limited the ability of the PSH
program to assist people in moving from temporary PSH rental
subsidies to permanent Section 8 rental subsidies.
The PSH program has responded to this barrier by assisting
people in applying for HUD-funded housing while also closely
monitoring the Section 8 waiting list and application process.
Another option is to work with developers who receive tax
credits on their new developments and try and obtain some of
the units that have deeply subsidized rents. Many individuals
apply for these types of programs to keep their options open for
permanent rental subsidies/affordable housing. The HST spends
considerable time with people to assure they follow the often
complicated and time-sensitive application rules.
Despite the limited openings in the Section 8, through May 2012 the PSH program has assisted:
- 25 people in receiving Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers. These individuals continue to
receive services from the HST.
- 26 people in applying and moving into HUD-funded buildings. These individuals continue to
receive services from the HST.
- 31 people who began receiving a Section 8 voucher or moved to HUD housing graduated
from the program and discontinued the services of the HST.
Furthermore, the PSH program has assisted an additional 32 people in applying for HUD-funded
building waiting lists and 67 people in applying for the Section 8 waiting list. In sum, the PSH
program has been successful in helping people access permanent housing rental subsidies outside
the behavioral health PSH funds; 35% of people moved to permanent subsidies (either Section 8
vouchers or HUD-funded housing) and the program has assisted an additional 42% in applying for
waitlists for these two permanent subsidy programs.
35% of participants in the
PSH program began
receiving permanent
rental assistance through
Section 8 Housing Choice
Vouchers or HUD housing
as the result of the PSH
program. Another 42%
are on waiting lists for
these federal subsidies/
housing programs.
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Does the Permanent Supportive Housing Program Provided any Cost Savings to the
Behavioral Health System?
As of May 2012, the PSH program has spent 44% of the $11.2 million allocated to the initiative from
reinvestment funds. The $4.9 million spent has covered almost
6,000 months of rental subsidies since 2006 (an average
subsidy amount of $360 per month), and 6,700 months of HST
services to support people in keeping their housing and
applying for permanent subsidies (an average amount of $235
per person per month in HST costs).7 Contingency funds, used
to assist people with one-time costs, including furniture,
household items, and utility deposits, averaged $928 per
person; when divided across total months in housing,
contingency funds averaged $33 per month.
Approximately 52% of people in PSH were referred from CRR
programs, making CRRs the single largest referral source (an
additional 38% were referred from hospitals, extended acute
programs, or the RTF-A, see page 3).
Table 7 compares the best estimate at average monthly housing costs for people in PSH and CRRs.
Table 7. Comparison between PSH and CRR average monthly housing costs for the behavioral health system
8
People in PSH
Average monthly rental subsidy $360
Average monthly HST $235
Average monthly contingency funds $33
Average monthly behavioral health treatment costs $1944
Average PSH housing and treatment costs $2572
Average monthly cost for community residential rehabilitation (CRR) program
9
$4770
Even when behavioral health treatment costs (not part of the PSH program) are included with the
PSH program, the costs are still about half that of CRRs. Providing hospital level care is
7 The HST costs also include time spent finding housing and helping people with moving in. The $235 per month
reflects these costs, thus presenting the total costs of HST services related to the housing tenure outcome. Months spent by the HST in finding housing are not reflected in the 6,700 month total. 8 Average monthly PSH costs do not reflect additional housing support costs paid by County funds. These are
services that teach skills necessary for independent living (for example, medication support, budgeting, grocery shopping, and laundry skills), complimenting the housing-specific services provided by the HST. Per person cost data is not available for these services. On average, people in PSH who used additional housing support services used three hours of these services per month, which would not alter substantially the cost comparison in Table 6. 9 Per diem CRR costs are calculated by taking the total amount of County funds allocated and spent for the
residential cost center for the fiscal year and dividing by the days provided during the fiscal year. This does not include treatment costs.
On average, per person
per month, permanent
supportive housing —
providing rental subsidies
and housing support
team services — plus
behavioral health
treatment costs are
about half that of a CRR.
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substantially more expensive, with monthly costs for the RTF-A and extended acute programs
exceeding $15,000 per month.
Conclusion
Under the direction of Transitional Services, Inc., the Allegheny County PSH program has made
substantial progress in meeting its goals: helping people find and keep housing, reducing the
utilization of psychiatric hospitalizations and extended acute care, maintaining use of community-
based treatment services, moving people to permanent subsidy programs, and providing a less
costly alternative to County-funded residential programs for people with serious mental illness.
These successes have been achieved during a time of highly constrained availability of Section 8
vouchers, affecting the number of people who can be served and the long-term sustainability of the
program. Identifying funding streams for use after the reinvestment funding is exhausted, and
potentially identifying other priority populations within Allegheny County who could benefit from
this Housing First model, should be considered. Any future planning for the PSH program must be
done within the context of the current fiscal environment and recognizing the limitations in moving
people more quickly to permanent rental subsidies and affordable housing.
Additional areas of focus for the PSH program could include the following:
Developing a more in-depth cost benefit analysis of the PSH program in relation to other
behavioral health services. Additional study of costs to the system and potential cost
savings could help to continue to make the case for PSH.
Providing additional training and resources for the Housing Support Team staff on co-
occurring mental health and substance use issues would provide them with additional tools
in working with people in PSH, especially given the number of people with co-occurring
disorders (with some estimates at 50%),. This could include further training on
motivational interviewing and the stages of change.
Improving tracking of people once they graduate from the PSH program. While housing
tenure for people in the PSH program is solid, finding out what happens when people leave
the program (Do they maintain their housing? For how long? Why? Why not?) may provide
some valuable lessons for staff.
Continuing to educate the behavioral health and housing systems that people with serious
and persistent mental illness/behavioral health issues can and do live successfully in the
community in their own apartments.
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AHCI’s mission is to assure equitable access to quality, cost-effective behavioral health care that
promotes positive clinical outcomes, recovery, and resiliency.
AHCI is a contract agency of the Allegheny County Department of Human Services’ Office of Behavioral Health.
Visit us at www.ahci.org to read related reports on permanent supportive housing and to view the PSH video at http://www.ahci.org/html/expertise/housing-video.php.