Success in the Big Apple: New York City finds path for mentally ill / Housing homeless before treatment bucks conventional wisdom

The Dallas County deflection program diverts low-level, non-violent offenders (many experiencing homelessness and mental illness) away from jail and toward voluntary mental health, substance abuse, and stabilization services. The program served 918 people last fiscal year and started a newer eight-bed pilot that connected 11 clients with services in its first month of operation.

An upscale rehabilitation center is coming to Eagle County in Colorado, after similar models have seen success throughout California. Although many residents have opposed the development, developers hope that this addiction-treatment facility will help decrease the stigma for those in the community who need to seek help.

Philadelphia reduced chronic homelessness by coordinating outreach through a centralized office and providing immediate access to housing and services such as counseling and drug rehabilitation. San Francisco is studying the model.

In an effort to promote health and wellness and reduce instances of officer misconduct, the Baltimore Police Departmenr launched a program in 2018 that connects officers with counseling, substance use treatment and other mental and physical health supports. Over the course of the program, more than 250 officers have signed themselves into a voluntary, confidential alcohol addiction program and been able to keep working.

The newly-elected district attorney in Maine, Natasha Irving, has started implementing restorative justice practices into the area’s criminal justice system. The use of restorative justice in this case includes offering mental health and substance abuse treatment, amongst other supportive services, and using prison as a last resort. There has been some pushback from law enforcement, but a willingness to try the new approach aimed at reducing recidivism in the region.

Manchester, New Hampshire is seeing early success with a new program that helps keep mothers battling addiction in contact with their children. Based on the premise that keeping parents connected with their child during their addiction recovery will result in more successful recoveries, the program provides the supports for overnight visits and consistent contact.

The hub-and-spoke model allows local partners to provide individuals with access to resources earmarked specifically for opioid addiction treatment. The system of care, which uses regional clinics and non-profits as access points to treatment, has already proven effective in Vermont. Currently, a similar program is assisting individuals suffering from opioid addiction receive the help they need through entry points at nonprofits like The Doorway office at Harbor Homes.

Two organizations, called Hope United and Restore Addiction Recovery are obtaining land on an old hospital grounds to build long-term treatment facilities for opiate addicts. The idea is that, currently, the longest in-patient treatment programs are only 90 days and addicts need more time than this to recover from their addiction and really get on their feet. These new facilities will be year-long treatment programs and will include support services that continue after discharge, as well.

Lawmakers in Seattle decided to help homeless people by approving “wet housing,” or housing for homeless people that allows them to drink on the premises. The move helps keep homeless people out of the streets, jails, and emergency room, and saves the city a lot of money. Studies show that it wet housing lead to a decrease in drinking amongst residents, and also saved the city money. Annual emergency costs decreased from $86,000 to just over $13,000.

Almost 4 years ago, Opportunity Village was established in Eugene. It’s a community of tiny houses for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.