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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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Housing as an Innovative Solution in Medicaid Redesign
As state leaders and stakeholders look to contain spending growth in New York’s Medicaid program, one proven way to a more cost-effective care system with better outcomes, is through supportive housing services for high-cost Medicaid recipients. Housing and health are deeply interconnected....
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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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Housing Is Healthcare: But Only If Our Housing Infrastructure Remains Healthy
An abundance of evidence now confirms what most behavioral health professionals have suspected for many years – safe and stable housing, coupled with appropriate health and social support services, reduces recipients’ reliance on costly emergency and institutional care services (Martinez &...
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The Importance of Housing for People on the Road to Recovery
Housing is a critical factor in anyone’s overall health. Good-quality, affordable and safe housing is a vital component for individuals living with mental illness. Housing that enables individuals to live in fully integrated settings in their home communities is the cornerstone for successful...
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Stability, Wisdom, and Strength: Older Adults in Supported Housing
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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Addressing the Urgent Treatment and Housing Needs of Older Adults
In the midst of a devastating opioid epidemic, much of the attention has focused on the impact on younger populations, but there is another group struggling with substance use disorders: senior citizens. As baby boomers head towards their senior years, the number of older Americans with substance...
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Permanent Supportive Housing: The State of the Research
Researchers have a host of methods at their disposal with which to assess the efficacy of service interventions and to establish the foundations on which evidenced-based practices emerge. Some of these methods, such as the Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) (arguably the most potent of instruments...
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Unique People Services Opens Lynn’s Place: Agency’s First Mixed Income Affordable Housing Development
The grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of Lynn’s Place, the much anticipated first affordable mixed-income development created by Unique People Services (UPS) took place on May 11, 2018. Ann Sullivan, Commissioner of NYS Office of Mental Health, Emily Lehman, Assistant Commissioner of...
