The DBHIDS Housing and Homeless Residential Services Unit manages DBHIDS resources focused on preventing and ending homelessness and increasing housing opportunities for community inclusion for persons with significant behavioral health challenges. The unit has planning and operational responsibility for DBHIDS Housing and Homeless Services and grant funded living situations.
Go to the Housing and Homeless Services site at DBHIDS
Homeless Services – The unit provides leadership and support to ensure safe, decent, accessible and affordable housing and treatment opportunities, with the goal of preventing and ending the cycle of homelessness. The unit oversees the 8 street homeless outreach teams, as well as the Outreach Coordination Center via Project Home, with the aim of engaging individuals who are living on the street around resources and opportunities, and connected them to shelter, treatment, medical care, basic needs, etc. The safe haven system includes 12 safe havens, with a total of 238 beds, which utilize a harm reduction approach in a residential setting for individuals struggling with significant behavioral health challenges, the Journey of Hope Project, includes7 long-term licensed treatment programs, with a total of 132 beds, for chronically homeless individuals who are also struggling with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health challenges. The unit also acts as a liaison with the City’s Office of Homeless Services (OHS) and other City and community partners focused on the HUD federal goals of ending chronic homelessness in Philadelphia.
Housing Services – The other major responsibility of the unit is to match priority individuals to an appropriate living situation for persons with significant behavioral health challenges. While housing and mental health residential services are not an entitlement service, the unit assists such priority persons to be effectively and strategically matched to the living situation that will optimize recovery and ensure maximize community inclusion opportunities. The unit assures that participants live in the most clinically appropriate settings possible and makes the most efficient use of the residential resources available to the County Office of Mental Health (OMH). The goal of the unit is to seek the highest level of independence for participants in our care.
The TIP Housing and Residential component accomplishes its mission via centralized gatekeeping of admissions to and discharges from OMH-subsidized residences and a coordinated system to routinely review the status of clients residing at each site. The network of residential resources comprises approximately 1,388 beds operated by 24 agencies at 131 sites. The Transitional Housing programs include Long Term Structured Residential; Rehabilitative Intensive Therapeutic Arrangement; Community Living Arrangement, Behavior Shaping, Intensive/Moderate/Maximum Community Residential Rehabilitation. A database enables TIP to keep track of all of the clients currently residing in its network of residential programs (and their readiness/need to move to another, more appropriate level of care) as well as those clients who are awaiting placement. The unit also works with the Clearinghouse at the Office of Homeless Services with short term and permanent housing subsidies that include Shared Housing, Shallow Rent, Bridge to Independence/PHFA Housing and the 811/Mainstream program.
In addition, the housing unit works with the DBHIDS Recovery House Initiative, which includes 26 DBHIDS-Funded recovery houses with a total of 470 beds, which offers individuals connected to treatment programs a safe, supportive living environment that is conducive to their recovery.