Local human service agencies rate ‘treatment first’ initiative

Local directors: Moving off housing first maybe not bad

According to executive directors of two local human service agencies, the new "treatment first" model of care for individuals with mental health and substance abuse problems hasn't caused problems and hasn't led to major changes so far.

What it might look like in practice, however, is still unclear.

An executive order last year from President Donald Trump called for federal support for housing first, while his proposed budget for next year would eliminate an initiative that mostly supports that policy, according to the Associated Press.

The main thrust of the new approach has been to make individuals who've received housing "more accountable," according to Wendy Melius, executive director of the Center for Community Action.

The new policy also features the adoption of transitional rather than permanent housing.

Having received that housing, the onus is on those individuals to look for a job and go to their counseling and therapy session, so they can gravitate toward a self-sustaining way of life, according to Melius.

It's "housing first with some stipulations," she said.

While "finalized guidance" has yet to come from the Department of Housing and Urban Development on the new regime, clients who fail to follow the recommended guidance potentially "could be terminated from the program," Melius said.

That program is "continuum of care" -- "an integrated uninterrupted system of services that tracks and guides individuals through various stages of support over time," according to an online source.

Meanwhile, Melius' agency is "gearing up" to provide transitional housing, even as it is in "wait-and-see" mode for the remainder of HUD's guidance, Melius said.

Lisa Hann of Family Services Inc. is actually looking forward to the proposed changes -- although she's not sure exactly what they'll be.

With housing first, individuals who are incapable of taking care of themselves due to mental health or addiction struggles too often lose their housing, "because they were not ready, and the supports that were needed were not in place," Hann said.

Those supports include case managers that can help clients stay on track, she said.

"Throwing money (toward) people who are not ready to be in their own homes or to be independent does not solve the problem," Hann said.

If the money involved is to be redirected, she'd like to see it going for "wraparound services" that would help ensure that people who get housing can stay housed, she said.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.