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Permanent Supportive Housing: A Foundation for Wellness and Recovery from Chronic Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions
Three years ago, Jeannette Lewis and her 16-year-old son spent Christmas in a homeless shelter in the Bronx. With a history of chronic substance use and a disability due to a traumatic brain injury, Ms. Lewis struggled to maintain stable housing and care for her family. Her two older sons no longer...
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Housing Heals: How MHA of Westchester is Making a Difference
The philosophy of The Mental Health Association of Westchester’s (MHA) housing services and supports is rooted in the principles of person-centered practice and the belief that individuals with behavioral health conditions—even those with histories of instability or little experience of living...
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Addressing the Psychological Fallout of The Coronavirus Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic in the United States has led to great efforts to prevent the spread of the virus and to prevent fatalities. But the problems that people will face due to the pandemic will go beyond medical issues. In addition, it will be important to address a variety of psychosocial...
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Deinstitutionalization Did Not Cause Homelessness: Loss of Low-income Housing and Disability Benefits Did
I recently read yet another article that blames homelessness on deinstitutionalization. Yes, a disproportionate number of homeless people have long-term mental disorders, and yes some—perhaps a third—of these people would have been in state hospitals 65 or 70 years ago when that was pretty much...
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Using the Fair Housing Act to Obtain Housing for People with Disabilities
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law amendments to the Federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) that extended the provisions of that law to persons with disabilities. The FHA prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of disability. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the...
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Supported Housing Saved My Life
This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors of this column facilitated a focus group of their peers to inform this writing. The authors are served by Services for...
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Aging in Supportive Housing: One Fall Away from Institutionalization
Lucy is a 62-year-old woman who has lived in supportive housing for over a decade. She has been treated for bipolar I disorder and has a history of suicidality. Like many older adults with mental health challenges, Lucy has several chronic health problems which are monitored by her primary care...
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CEO Barbara Faron Celebrates 40th Anniversary with Federation of Organizations
Barbara Faron, CEO, recently celebrated her 40th anniversary at Federation! When Ms. Faron joined Federation in the late 1970s, it had one office and a handful of employees. The organization was founded in 1972 by an alliance of family advocacy groups and originally focused on supporting the needs...
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New York State Office of Mental Health Using Medication-Assisted Treatment and Other Resources to Fight the Opioid Epidemic
Every day, more than 130 people die in the United States as a result of opioid overdose. The opioid abuse epidemic has become a national public health crisis with devastating economic, societal and human costs. People with mental illnesses served in the public mental health system have...
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Lessons Learned: Tools to Treat Opioid Misuse
In the 20 years it took opioids to become the deadliest substance misuse epidemic in American history, the response from the public is overwhelmingly in favor of controlling access to opiates by limiting their use, supporting prevention education and prevention campaigns, and equipping first...
