COSIG CONFERENCE BROCHURE.pdf - Drexel University College ...

• Community Treatment Teams
• Resource Coordination
What will OMHSAS do to promote the change from a protective, custodial model of care to
one of recovery, in regard to un-bundling housing and services?
- OMHSAS will continue to support the creation of Local Housing Option Teams
(LHOT's), which address the creation of housing options for disabled individuals at the
county/local level, through collaboration among county MH Offices; local Housing Authorities;
provider agencies and other interested parties. The intent of LHOTS is to actualize the concepts
of separation of housing venues from service options, and create a true housing continuum for
persons with SMI and COD, and for other populations with limiting disabilities. More than 600
new housing opportunities have been created in the last three years of operation and development
of LHOTs in 27 Counties.
OMHSAS will continue to support development of Fairweather Lodges, through a contract
with Stairways Behavioral Health, Inc., of Erie Pa. The Lodges, while not appropriate for
everyone with a SMI or COD, are a long standing housing option that fully supports recovery
for the Lodge members. Fairweather Lodge is considered to be an Evidence Based Practice.
Lodges are consumer run and staffed; all lodge rules and decisions are made through
democratically run daily meetings.
Lodges are eventually economically self-sufficient, and most persons applying to become lodge
members cite the opportunity to be successfully employed as the main reason they wish to join
the lodge. Stairways has several employment venues in the lodges, but the primary source of
income is through a commercially viable and competitive janitorial service, with sufficient
contracts to require the services of several Lodge crews.
Stairways, Inc. has demonstrated that lodges and other supportive housing models will work
effectively for consumers in a "service rich" continuum of recovery oriented services and
supports.
OMHSAS will continue to craft a philosophy of housing for persons with a Serious Mental
Illness that is consistent with and congruent with the concept and practices involved in the
promotion of recovery for our consumers. So far, the workgroup has made the determination
that housing is more related to each person having an informed CHOICE of housing options,
which are separate from support services; that allow a consumer to create a HOME.
OMHSAS will promote supportive/supported housing, as a preference for all future
OMHSAS supported housing development, according to the following description and
definition:
DRAFT definition of supportive/supported housing to be used in all data collection and for all
other purposes by DPW-OMHSAS.
Definition:
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