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Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County Permanent Supportive Housing Program: 2012 Update Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.

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Page 1: Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County Permanent ... PSH report FINALv2docx.pdfThis report provides an overview of the PSH program and examines how the program is meeting four

Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County Permanent Supportive Housing Program:

2012 Update

Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.

Page 2: Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County Permanent ... PSH report FINALv2docx.pdfThis report provides an overview of the PSH program and examines how the program is meeting four
Page 3: Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County Permanent ... PSH report FINALv2docx.pdfThis report provides an overview of the PSH program and examines how the program is meeting four

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.

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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.

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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.”

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

Page 16: Outcomes and Costs for the Allegheny County Permanent ... PSH report FINALv2docx.pdfThis report provides an overview of the PSH program and examines how the program is meeting four

Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc.

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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.