The TIEH Project: Connecting Underserved Individuals Experiencing Homelessness to Sustainable and Comprehensive Care - Bridgeway Center Inc.’s (BCI) TIEH Project will create a comprehensive, coordinated, and evidence-based service delivery system to provide behavioral health treatment, recovery support, and assistance seeking sustainable housing for individuals, youth, and families experiencing a serious mental illness (SMI), serious emotional disturbance (SED) or co-occurring disorder (COD) who are unhoused or at risk of homelessness in Okaloosa County, Florida. The TIEH Project will serve 50 individuals in the target population each year of the grant, a total of 250 individuals throughout the lifetime of the grant. The TIEH Project will focus on SAMHSA’s Four Dimensions of Recovery (Health, Home, Purpose, Community) and do so in a way that fosters behavioral health equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The TIEH Project’s goal is to reduce rates of homelessness, as well as provide treatment for those experiencing SMIs, SEDs, and CODs that generally accompany housing insecurity. The TIEH Project will achieve four goals: (1) Enhance stabilization for persons residing in Permanent Supportive Housing to reduce decompensation rates that contribute to exacerbation of SMIs and/or SEDs; (2) advocate for an increase in the capacity of beds, including emergency shelter beds, rapid re-housing beds, and permanent supportive housing beds, to reduce unsheltered homelessness; (3) collaborate with homeless organizations and service providers to increase the number of homeless individuals moving from shelter/rehousing programs to permanent housing to reduce decompensation rates; and (4) strengthen the outreach program to provide access to treatment services to target the intended population and encourage stabilization as individuals/families seek permanent housing. Many individuals who experience homelessness have high rates of chronic and co-occurring health conditions and mental and substance use disorders. These issues, coupled with increased rates of malnutrition, unsanitary living conditions, and limited access to healthcare, exacerbate the difficulties that persons experiencing homelessness face. Okaloosa County’s 2022 Point in Time Count (PIT) documented 403 persons experiencing homelessness. Behavioral health diagnoses, demographic data, everyday functionality, housing stability, education and employment status, criminal justice status, perception of care, and social connectedness will be measured to demonstrate the efficacy of the project’s goal of reducing rates of homelessness, SMI, SED, and CODs. The TIEH Project will employ a Project Director, Evaluator, Clinical Advisor, two Therapists, and two Case Managers to complete the following tasks: Engage and connect participants with behavioral health treatment, case management, and recovery support services; Assist with identifying sustainable permanent housing by collaborating with homeless service organizations and housing providers; Provide coordination of services that supports stability across services and housing transitions. BCI expects 50% of those served to have a reduction in reported impairing symptoms of their SMIs or SEDs, 10% of those served to move into permanent housing, and 20% of those served to complete Life Stabilization Skills classes or engage in behavioral health treatment. BCI will partner with the following organizations to assist homeless individuals’ experiencing SMI, SED, and/or COD: Crestview Area Shelter for the Homeless (CASH), Fort Walton Beach Police Department (FWBPD), Lakeview Center (LCI), Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO), Homeless & Housing Alliance (HHA), Fort Walton Beach Housing Authority (FWBHA), and One Hopeful Place (OHP). These organizations have decades of experience assisting the intended population in Okaloosa County, Florida, and BCI will leverage this experience to treat a high volume of participants in a highly effective and equitable manner.
