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1992.03.20 :  Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness

Contact:  John Czwartacki (HUD) (202) 708-0685
Marsha Corbett (NIMH) (301) 443-4536
March 20, 1992
                                 
               FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RELEASES PLAN TO 
     HELP END HOMELESSNESS FOR SEVERELY MENTALLY ILL PERSONS

       HUD Secretary Jack Kemp, chairman of the Interagency
Council on the Homeless, and HHS Secretary Louis W. Sullivan,
M.D., vice chairman, today released a report outlining a national
strategy to eradicate homelessness among people with severe
mental illness.
       Declaring that "the fate of all homeless Americans can and
must change for the better," the report, Outcasts on Main Street, 
presents more than 50 steps federal agencies will take to improve
substantially the system of care and housing options for the
nation's homeless mentally ill individuals.
       The report was compiled by the federal Task Force on
Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness.
       "The despair and hopelessness suffered by mentally ill
homeless men and women is a national tragedy," Secretary Kemp
said.  "This report provides a compassionate and effective
national blueprint to help this highly vulnerable segment of our
society."
       Approximately one-third of homeless single adults in the
United States suffer from disabling mental illnesses, such as
schizophrenia, mood disorders and severe personality disorders.  
These illnesses disrupt a person's ability to perform the tasks
of everyday life and can easily overwhelm those already burdened
by poverty and homelessness.
       "This plan offers a vision of an integrated care system
for people who are homeless and severely mentally ill, including
specific steps toward making this vision a reality," Secretary
Sullivan said.
       The report was released at the Green Door, a Washington,
D.C., rehabilitation center for persons who suffer from severe
mental illnesses, many of them previously homeless.
       The task force proposes two major federal initiatives:
"Safe Havens" and "Access to Community Care and Effective
Services and Supports (ACCESS)."

       The "Safe Havens" initiative is designed to provide low-
cost, stable housing for mentally ill homeless persons who are
unable to participate in transitional housing programs or
unwilling to go to traditional emergency shelters.  A "safe
haven" would serve between 12 and 25 persons and provide secure,
semiprivate lodging for severely mentally ill homeless persons. 
The President's 1993 budget request for HUD calls for $50 million
in funding for "Safe Havens."

       The ACCESS initiative will be implemented by HHS, in
collaboration with HUD and the Departments of Labor, Education,
Justice, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture.  ACCESS encourages
states and localities to develop comprehensive and integrated
systems of treatment, housing and support for homeless people
with severe mental illnesses and substance abuse problems. 
Spending on the ACCESS initiative in FY 1993 would total about
$27 million.

       The Administration's FY 1993 budget request for HUD also
includes $266 million for "Shelter Plus Care" to provide
supportive services and flexible rental assistance to homeless
individuals, including those with severe mental illnesses and
substance abuse problems.  In addition, under the McKinney Act,
HHS would provide $125 million for health care, mental health and
substance abuse treatment.
     The task force recommends creating a network of
interconnected services to address the comprehensive needs of the
homeless, so that a homeless person can gain access to the system
from any point and benefit from all its services.  Key components
of this comprehensive system would include treatment for mental
disorders and substance abuse problems; housing; health care;
legal protection; outreach; and financial support and access to
benefit programs such as Supplemental Security Income, Social
Security Disability Insurance, food stamps, and Aid to Families
with Dependent Children.

       "The action steps and recommendations outlined in the task
force report represent, collectively, the most important mental
health service initiative in the past decade," said Alan I.
Leshner, Ph.D., deputy director, National Institute of Mental
Health.  Dr. Leshner is chairman of the task force that developed
the new plan.
                               ###