Brochures, Fact Sheets, Guides and Toolkits

Homelessness and substance use disorder treatment: Recovery-oriented housing and achieving healthy lifestyles
This 2010 SAMHSA Webcast recognizes the complex relationship between homelessness and mental and substance use disorders and explores the connection between homelessness and the treatment of substance use disorders from a program and policy view. Also, it examines some of the issues of permanent supportive housing and methods of recovery support that help people achieve healthy lives and long-term recovery.

Hospital diversion services: A manual on assisting in the development of a respite/diversion service in your area
Hospital diversion services have been shown to help address the issue of often overwhelmed and overcrowded hospitals while also providing consumers with unique peer-to-peer relationships to support them during an emotional crisis. This manual provides guidance to anyone looking to develop a local respite/diversion service. It describes vital components of a hospital diversion service including a basic design; how to go about staffing, budget, and funding; and a sample menu of services.

Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) directory of centers & statewide independent living councils (SILCs) 2012 (Vol. 34)
This online directory provides a comprehensive listing of centers for independent living throughout the U.S., its Territories, Canada, and internationally. Centers for independent living are nonprofit, consumer-run programs that offer a range of services designed to support individuals with disabilities in living successfully within their communities. This directory also lists contact information for state associations of independent living, SILCs, and other organizations related to assisting individuals with disabilities in living successfully within their communities.

Developing a Local Time Dollars Program
This section of the Community Tool Box toolkit provides information and guidance on developing a Time Dollars program. With this approach volunteers earn "time dollars" through time spent providing service and use those dollars to "buy" service needed or, by donating "dollars", volunteers help ensure that others in need will get the support they need. This section also describes reasons for creating a Time Dollars program and gives real world examples of instances where this type of program has been successful. This section also explores who would develop a Time Dollars program.

Homelessness and Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Recovery-Oriented Housing Achieving Healthy Lifestyles (Audio DVD)
This DVD explores the connection between homelessness and substance use treatment from both a program and policy point of view. Key factors associated with these two issues are also explored, including permanent supportive housing, treatment methods, and recovery support systems.

Mental Health and Housing
This program, which can be viewed online, explores housing issues for individuals with mental and substance use disorders. Episode 1 features a woman sharing her experience with homelessness and mental disorders. In Episode 2, a woman who is a housing provider and a man who is an advocate and policymaker discuss the housing issues of people with mental disorders.

Developing a State Interagency Council on Homelessness: A Step-by-Step Guide
This guide provides steps in how to develop a state council on homelessness. In addition to these steps, benefits, functions, activities, along with some features of a successful council are shared in this guide.

Are You in Recovery From Alcohol or Drug Problems?: Know your Rights
This brochure was developed to help individuals in recovery from substance use problems know their rights under federal laws, understand the legal consequences of substance use-related conduct, and to learn what to do to overcome barriers. Specific topics addressed include information on discrimination laws as they relates to housing, employment/job training, education, past convictions for substance offenses, and government services/programs. This document also provides contact information for Federal agencies that accept complaints of disability-based discrimination.

Stepping Stones To Recovery: A Case Manager's Manual for Assisting Adults Who Are Homeless, with Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income Applications
The purpose of this manual is to help individuals, specifically case managers, assist homeless people with behavioral health problems in applying for Social Security Administration's (SSA) disability programs. This manual highlights many of the eligibility and documentation requirements, with the goal of facilitating the application process and reducing the need for appeals. It is a useful tool for anyone applying for SSA disability programs.

Trauma-Informed Organizational Toolkit for homeless services
Taking into consideration the high rate of traumatic exposure among homeless families, this toolkit was developed to provide resources, knowledge, and guidance to homeless service providers and others working to provide appropriate support to families that have experienced traumatic stress. The toolkit outlines concrete steps that organizations can take to become trauma-informed, as well as a self-assessment to help organizations evaluate and adjust current methods to better serve and support clients.

Permanent Supportive Housing Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) KIT
This publication is part of the Knowledge Informing Transformation (KIT) series on evidence-based practices developed by the SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services. It identifies essential elements of permanent supportive housing services and programs for people with behavioral health problems. It also covers ways to develop new evidence-based programs. The KIT includes eight booklets available via Internet download or U.S. mail.

Work as a priority: A resource for employing people who have serious mental illnesses and are homeless
This guidebook is intended to provide both a conceptual and practical foundation to increase employment among people who are homeless and who also have serious mental illnesses.

Housing for persons with a serious and persistent mental illness
A fact sheet describing some of the challenges faced by communities and key factors to consider while developing safe housing for individuals with severe behavioral health problems.

What "fair housing" means for people with disabilities
This booklet explains in plain language how three Federal laws protect the housing rights of people with mental or physical disabilities.

Housing toolkit
A toolkit developed to provide information to help the public mental heath community meet the housing needs of people with behavioral health problems.

What is supportive housing?
A fact sheet describing supportive housing, and various types of housing options for individuals with disabilities.

Seizing the moment: Using HUD's Consolidated Plan to identify affordable housing opportunities for homeless people with severe mental illnesses
This guidebook details information and approaches designed to help mental health and homeless communities participate in the Consolidated Plan process, a long-term housing plan used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to determine access to funding for Federal housing. 

Section 8 made simple: Using the housing choice voucher program to assist people with disabilities (2nd edition)
The 2nd Edition of this guide offers comprehensive information on the Section 8 HCVP, including updated information on the Homeownership Program. It is a guide to help understand how the Section 8 program can be used to meet the specific housing needs of people with disabilities.

Building community support for housing: Ten tips on how to win support for your affordable housing projects
A brief fact sheet highlighting tips of what goes into a successful community outreach campaign for an affordable housing project.