TTC's Comprehensive Outpatient Program for Empowerment (Project COPE) - Tarzana Treatment Centers, Inc. (TTC) will collaborate with local homeless services provider Hope of the Valley (HV) to develop and implement an integrated behavioral health and housing navigation program in northwest Los Angeles County (LAC). TTC’s Comprehensive Outpatient Program for Empowerment (Project COPE) will utilize a positive, strengths-based approach with a broad array of services and supports to address behavioral health and other barriers to stable housing. The population of focus will be homeless adults (ages 18 and older) who have been diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD) or co-occurring mental and substance use disorders (COD). The majority of participants are expected to be white (57%) and/or Hispanic/Latino (38%), males (73%) who are ages 18 to 40 (64%) with a diagnosed mental illness (59%) at admission and either heroin (36%) or alcohol (30%) indicated as primary drug of choice. The overall aim of Project COPE is to improve behavioral health and housing outcomes for homeless adults with SUD or COD through field-based integrated services. The project will address several service gaps that hinder persons experience homelessness from accessing the full continuum of SUD care, including medication-assisted treatment and recovery bridge housing, and being retained in treatment. Annually, TTC serves nearly 1,300 homeless SUD/COD patients in its Central treatment facility located in the geographic catchment area. However, the agency recognizes that some homeless individuals with SUD/COD may respond better to targeted screening, assessment, and treatment services in a familiar community-based setting. Project COPE will serve as a model for targeted, field-based behavioral healthcare integrated with housing navigation services that could be duplicated at other homeless drop-in sites in LAC. Specific project activities will include: 1) identifying and engaging homeless individuals with SUD/COD who access basic services at Hope of the Valley’s HELP Center; 2) providing on-site comprehensive assessment and individualized treatment planning; 3) providing on-site evidence-based outpatient SUD treatment and mental health services integrated with housing navigation and other support services; and 4) providing linked referrals to individuals needing a higher level of SUD/COD care per medical necessity. Program participants will also be encouraged to develop recovery support systems during their enrollment in the program by participating in a wide range of on-site self-help and peer advocacy services. Specialized groups include Mindfulness, Self-Esteem, Healthy Relationships, Sustaining Recovery, Coping with Trauma, Living in Balance, Recovery Education, Relapse Prevention and Peer Support. A total of 475 unduplicated individuals with SUD or COD will be enrolled in the program over the 5-year project period, 75 in Year 1 and 100 annually thereafter (Years 2-5). Measurable objectives include increased abstinence from use, retention in care, stable housing, and social connectedness and reduced mental health symptoms at follow-up.
