Integrating Long-Term Supports with Affordable Housing

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Grant Information


Name of Grantee

District of Columbia Department of Mental Health

Title of Grant

Building Capacity to Integrate Access to Housing Supporting Home Ownership in DC's Medicaid Programs Serving Individuals with Mental Illness, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities

Type of Grant

Integrating Long-Term Supports with Affordable Housing

Amount of Grant

$812,004

Year Original Funding Received

2004

Contact Information


Juanita Reaves, Director
Adult Services Division
64 New York Avenue NE, 4th floor
Washington, DC 20002
202-673-7597
juanita.reaves@dc.gov

Subcontractor(s)

HCBS Strategies and Marialice Williams

Target Population(s)


Persons dually diagnosed with mental illness and mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) and youth with severe mental illness that are transitioning from foster care.

Goals


  • Integrate access to Medicaid-funded supports with access to housing.
  • Revise Medicaid regulations that prevent the sharing of staff in supportive living arrangements.
  • Identify individuals with dual diagnoses of mental illness and developmental disabilities, and match them with potential homes.
  • Identify individuals with severe mental illness who are transitioning from foster care, and match them with potential homes.

Activities


  • Develop and implement a system of procedures to integrate access to Medicaid-funded supports with access to housing.
  • Develop and secure approval for modifications to the MR/DD waiver to pay for the transition costs of individuals moving out of an Intermediate Care Facility for Mental Retardation to community housing.
  • Design and implement a system of mechanisms for matching individuals who can jointly live together in community-based housing.
  • Develop and secure approval for revised regulations for Medicaid-funded services to allow the pooling of supportive living services.
  • Develop and implement a program to assist individuals in purchasing a home, including credit counseling, assistance in locating property, securing supportive services, moving, and training in the responsibilities of home ownership.

Abstract


The Department of Mental Health (DMH) will establish a mechanism to link an application for mental health services funded under the District's Mental Health Rehabilitation Services with an application for housing from the DC Housing Authority. DMH will also work to remove the barriers in current regulations regarding shared housing.

The grant will involve two parallel pilot demonstration programs. DMH has entered into an agreement with the DC Housing Finance Agency that has resulted in the identification of a substantial number of housing units that can be used for this effort. The addition of identified housing units greatly increases the likelihood that the proposed demonstrations will be successful. The two pilot demonstrations will function as follows:

  • The Grantee will identify 90 consumers who are enrolled in both the Department of Human Services/Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration and DMH. The demonstration will move at least 5 of these individuals into independent housing options.
  • The grant will also be linked with the DMH's Real Choice Systems Change EPSDT Portals Grant that has the goal of improving supports to youth with mental health issues who are transitioning out of foster care. The EPSDT Portals Grant has succeeded in establishing collaboration between DMH and the Child and Family Services Agency to identify barriers to adequately support these vulnerable individuals. By combining the efforts of these two grants, a pilot program will be established to support independent living arrangements for approximately 10 to 15 transition-age people ready to leave the foster care system.

For both these demonstrations, the grant will fund the following activities: (1) the recruitment of pilot participants, (2) the identification of the housing needs of the program participants, (3) the identification of housing, (4) the payment of costs associated with transitioning to an independent housing option, and (5) the establishment of mechanisms that will allow the pilot program participants to own their homes.