Housing First

The Pathways Housing First program is based on the belief that housing is a basic human right. People should not have to prove that they are "housing ready" by first participating in treatment or by being clean and sober. Instead, Pathways moves people who are homeless and suffer from psychiatric disabilities directly from the streets into apartments of their own, instantly making them part of a community. Once settled in a stable living situation, they successfully engage with the variety of services available to them.

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Spotlight

Reintegration is an essential part of recovery, and the Resource Center provides a place for clients to reach their goals regarding employment, education, and socialization. Located on West 123rd Street in New York City, the Center offers a studio for art and photography workshops, a kitchen for cooking classes, and an open suite that hosts classes in computers, communications, anger management, and harm reduction. GED and employment search classes are also offered.

At the Resource Center, clients are encouraged to help themselves by making decisions about classes, programs, and policies. The Center is not a refuge from the world; it is a place to gather the resources necessary to engage with the world. The Center emphasizes education and collaborative learning, and many clients use the Center as a way to find part-time work, to further their education, and to explore other career and life opportunities. more info

Chronically homeless people with psychiatric disabilities often have a history of fragmented healthcare, and research has shown that many drugs prescribed for this population contribute to high rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. As these people age, they become increasingly vulnerable to chronic medical conditions, and their need for careful, continuous healthcare becomes even more critical. The Integrated Healthcare Project (IHP) helps address this problem.

The IHP is the result of a partnership between Pathways to Housing, Philadelphia and the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. In the program, medical and behavioral healthcare is coordinated with onsite staff psychiatrists. The IHP team also provides individual and group health and wellness programs, including health education and screenings, chronic disease self-management support, and illness prevention and immunization programs. The IHP helps Pathways’ participants gain access to primary health care, and it also gives them the freedom to choose what kind of care is right for them—and all of it is under one roof, which ensures that their doctors can communicate with one another. This means better, more cost-effective care in the long run.

The Integrated Healthcare Project has received an Assertive Community Medicine Grant from The Center to Study Recovery in Social Contexts. It is actively seeking additional financial support to expand its much-needed services. more info

Since 1997, Washington DC's Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) has offered intensive street outreach in the urban core of the city. In 2006, the Downtown BID began collaborating with Pathways DC, creating a seamless continuum from street outreach to housing. First, the Downtown BID’s outreach program connects with chronically homeless individuals living on the streets. Downtown BID builds a relationship with these individuals, assessing their needs and connecting them with appropriate services, such as medical help and consultations about benefits, to things as simple and welcome as a hot shower, a place to do laundry, or a bus ride home. Homeless individuals who are seriously and persistently mentally ill are connected to Pathways for Housing First services.

Through this collaboration, the Downtown BID and Pathways DC have provided full street outreach and emergency assistance to hundreds of individuals.

Every January, the Downtown BID and Pathways DC conduct a point-in-time count of homeless individuals in the downtown area. Between January 2008 and January 2009 there was a 40% reduction in the number of people sleeping on the street—a direct result of the city’s Housing First program and the hard work of the Pathways DC and Downtown BID partnership.  
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Treatment + Support

Access to treatment and support services is the other key ingredient to client success. Pathways offers services as long as a participant needs them and develops individual Comprehensive Service Plans. Client-oriented services tend to focus on clinical, vocational, and health issues, and are usually provided through a multi-disciplinary team approach such as Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). These teams are available on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most services are provided in a participant’s natural environment— usually that persons’ apartment, neighborhood, or workplace. Regardless of the treatment or service, staff members work collaboratively with each client to articulate goals—as defined by the client—and to help move that individual toward recovery and a full, meaningful life.

In addition to traditional treatment services, wellness groups, and consultations about nutrition, family, therapy, and vocational planning, Pathways clients participate in a variety of socialization and recreation activities, including NA, AA, Double Trouble meetings, WRAP groups, cooking classes, and a variety of other client groups. And, in keeping with Pathways’ commitment to being a client-driving organization, a Tenant Advisory Council provides a forum for input into the program and solicits ideas for changes to meet new needs.

Throughout it all, Pathways' low participant-to-staff ratio allows personalized care and paves the way for client-driven recovery in order to meet the unique goals of every client.