The Focused Achievements in Housing and Recovery Project (FAIHR) proposes to provide treatment, housing, and support services for homeless persons with SMI or co-occurring substance use disorders. - Steppingstone Incorporated’s (SS) Focused Achievements in Housing and Recovery Project (FAIHR) proposes to provide treatment for homeless persons with SMI or co-occurring disorders (MHD & SUD) in greater Fall River and New Bedford, MA. FAIHR will provide supportive housing combined with mental health and integrated co-occurring disorder treatment and wrap-around services. FAIHR will serve 500 individuals and families over the five-year grant term. Specialized groups targeted will include veterans, young adult/transitional age youth, and persons with histories of opioid dependency.
FAIHR will perform outreach in SS’s FR First Step Inn shelter and NB homeless shelters, as well as street outreach including known encampments of the hard-to-reach homeless and young adult/transitional age youth population. Other outreach venues will include soup kitchens, emergency care settings and other places frequented by the homeless. Only individuals with a serious mental illness or co-occurring disorder (SUD and MHD) who are homeless (including doubled-up) or chronically homeless in Greater FR or NB will be eligible for FAIHR services.
Once enrolled, FAIHR’s 2 FTE Mental Health Clinicians (MHC) will provide on-site treatment. Other project staff include .3 FTE Project Director, 1 FTE Project Coordinator, .12 FTE Clinical Nurse Specialist, .1 FTE Psychiatrist, 2 FTE Community Support Program for Persons Experiencing Chronic Homelessness Workers and 2 FTE Integrated Care Facilitators (Case Managers) and 2 Outreach Workers. FAIHR’s Case Managers will develop recovery plans with clients to address treatment, housing and other domains. Clients will have access to SS’s FR and NB Residential Substance Abuse Treatment programs as well as Recovery Housing programs. Steppingstone will integrate services with HealthFirst Family Care Center, providing on-site health care services at the First Step Inn to ensure all clients have access to effective, integrated primary care. FAIHR will utilize linkage agreements with vocational and educational development providers to promote client engagement in programs that will lead to employment and self-sufficiency. Wrap-around services such as child care and transportation will also be facilitated for clients.
Supportive housing programs available to FAIHR clients include STP’s HUD-funded Next Step Home, Stone Residence, Welcome Home, and Home First programs which offer a combined approx. 100 units of housing. Clients will also be connected to housing through SS’s long-established relationships with local landlords. FAIHR will promote recovery and housing through implementation of evidence-based practices including Housing First, Motivational Interviewing, Seeking Safety and Critical Time Intervention. Other services will include crisis care, recovery planning, independent living skills training, discharge planning, and assistance obtaining entitlements and employment. FAIHR’s Steering Committee, which meets monthly as part of the FR Mayor’s Homeless Task Force, is composed of representatives from state substance abuse and mental health authorities (DPH BSAS and DMH), as well as from housing authorities, the Veteran’s Office, the local police and health department, the state Medicaid Agency, and other stakeholders including homeless individuals and persons in recovery from SUD/CODs.
