Friday, November 22, 2024
11/22/2024
Project Title: Services, Treatment and Recovery (STAR) in Housing. Gateway Community Services, serving as the lead agency is partnering with Changing Homelessness, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System’s Homeless Program Office, WellCare, Department of Health, Lutheran Services of Florida, Ability Housing, and other local homeless housing providers to ensure that people in Duval, Clay, and Nassau County, Florida, with behavioral health disorders who suffer from homelessness or chronic homelessness, especially veterans, have a supportive, permanent place to live that promotes wellness and sustained recovery from addiction and mental disorders as well as access to all integrated health care services. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report put the number of people experiencing homelessness each night (564,708) significantly higher than the number of emergency and transitional beds afforded to them (426,267).The current focus on rapidly rehousing homeless individuals has led to a shift in funding priorities by HUD, which is prioritizing permanent supportive housing over emergency shelters and transitional housing. This turn of events has led to shelter closings, leaving more families and individuals waiting for assistance through housing programs with no recourse but the street. According to Changing Homelessness, on January 23, 2013, on a single morning in Jacksonville Florida, there were an estimated 2,768 sheltered and unsheltered people who are homeless: 45.3 % were unsheltered, 17.5% were veterans 19.7% were chronically homeless, and 31.3% reported a behavioral disorder (substance use/mental health disorders). For this project there are two major goals identified by this community: 1) Develop and expand a more effective and sustainable local implementation and community infrastructure for homeless veterans, chronically homeless persons, and other homeless individuals or families with substance use, mental health and/or co-occurring disorders; and 2) Reduce chronic homelessness among persons with these behavioral health issues. Planned strategies for achieving these goals are: 1) a steering committee of consumers, advocates and policy makers will work with the program to improve the functioning of the program including the local system of care and reduce barriers for housing and treatment. 2) Coordinated Intake and Outreach; 3) Coordinated treatment and housing services 4) Integrated, evidence-based behavioral health treatment provided in the home and community; 5) Limited short-term residential treatment; 6) Recovery Support Services including enrollment in entitlement or benefits programs and connection with VA services. The project will work together to enhance our system of care while serving 250 individuals over the 5 year cooperative agreement period (50 each year) as we take down barriers to care, expedite enrollment in entitlements and mainstream funding to build a sustainable, integrated system of service for the homeless veterans and chronically homeless persons in Northeast Florida.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
