Over the past several decades, supported housing services for people with serious mental illnesses have been successfully implemented throughout the United States as discussed in the Bazelon Center’s prior report, A Place of My Own. Supported housing offers people with serious mental illnesses the opportunity to have similar lives to people who do not have disabilities, with dignity and independence rather than in special “facilities.” It is a key tool that states can employ to promote compliance with federal civil rights requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and its integration mandate. In addition, supported housing has demonstrated far better outcomes than congregate housing programs, and has proven to be cost effective. Despite these substantial benefits, the availability of supported housing across the nation is limited.
When Opportunity Knocksis designed to provide guidance and thought leadership to nationwide stakeholders about the new tools available through the Affordable Care Act that help states to expand supported housing for individuals with disabilities, in addition to helping states comply with the ADA. These tools can be used to fund supportive services for individuals in supported housing and to help states save money by reducing reliance on costly late-stage services. This is an important opportunity that states should pursue to the full advantage of people who have mental illnesses or other disabilities.
The report is available to download on the Bazelon Center’s website here.
The Bazelon Center gratefully acknowledges the essential support for this report provided by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
