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Centralized Housing Placement System:

HUD Housing:

Licensed Housing Oversight Committee:

System-wide Announcements

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Housing System Information

Welcome to the Erie County Department of Mental Health (ECDMH) webpage for housing information. The Erie County Housing Improvement Team (HIT) is pleased to present this resource for providers, consumers and other members of the community seeking information on housing services for individuals affected by mental health/chemical dependency difficulties. This webpage is a testament to the hard work of many dedicated professionals who have collaborated in this workgroup over the last 3 years to develop many of the resources and research links available through this site.

The ECDMH extends a sincere appreciation for the participation of each provider and their Executive Directors for their support of the time and effort given by these representatives. Particular thanks go to those representatives who put in many hours of additional research assisting in the development of these resources, policies and procedures as well as consultation to new providers in our system. We hope you find this to be a valuable tool in your information search.

System Background

In 2002 an exciting form of collaborative planning emerged when a group of housing providers met with the Department to plan the implementation of a Centralized Housing Placement System (CHPS) to process and monitor referrals to all scattered site supported housing programs under contract with the ECDMH. Since that time the group has continued to meet regularly for the purposes of on-going collaboration and system-wide planning. The group now consists of several members of the ECDMH and representatives from 12 different housing provider organizations funded through the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYSOMH), the Erie County Department of Mental Health (ECDMH) and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The group represents organizations operating over a dozen HUD grant programs serving over 500 individuals and families with 300 scattered sites ECDMH/OMH supported housing participants and a variety of licensed housing programs.

Since its' inception, this work group has been focused primarily on improvements to the supported housing system of care and as such has implemented the Centralized Housing Placement System (CHPS), worked collaboratively on HUD funding applications, new grant start-ups, designed system-wide operating policies and procedures, developed a set of standard housing practice values and performance outcomes, and completed three successful HUD Continuum of Care applications for new and renewal HUD funding. This workgroup has evolved into a true learning community of policy leaders and providers working jointly toward the common goal of operating an efficient, cost-effective, person-centered housing system for individuals affected by mental health/chemical dependency difficulties. The HIT workgroup will continue to evolve in an effort to reach these goals through a system of extensive collaboration and high quality performance management.

Webpage Resources

This webpage contains information for consumers and referral agents in the form of informative housing resource announcements, supported housing and licensed housing referral packets, general program/service descriptions, and individual agency contact information.

Provider resources include important announcements regarding system-wide initiatives, HUD resource links and Supernofa announcements, standardized policies, procedures and forms, housing meeting schedules and minutes, and performance outcome results. It is hoped that this web page will become a valuable tool for communication and information sharing across the entire system of housing.

Accessing Services

General inquiries regarding referral and eligibility for Supported Housing Programs (SHP) should be directed to the Erie County Housing Coordinator at 856-9835. All OMH, ECDMH and HUD programs require documented verification of a mental disability and HUD funded programs also require verification of homelessness.

Inquiries regarding referral and eligibility for specific Licensed forms of supervised housing such as community residences (group homes), supervised apartment programs, emergency housing and single room occupancy programs should contact individual provider organizations. Contact information and program availability by provider can be found using the weblinks on this page for "Housing Provider Contacts" and "Description of Program Types."