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Safe at Last: Safe Options Support (SOS) Offers Options to Support the Homeless
Supporting the homeless population in NYC is a complex issue rooted in factors like the lack of affordable housing, mental illness, substance use, unemployment, and poor health conditions. Following the deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, New York City (NYC) has grappled with a significant...
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Stand Up for Mental Health: Comedy that Gets Respect!
While performing comedy at hotels in the Catskill Mountains of New York, Rodney Dangerfield first complained in the 1960s, “I don’t get no respect.” Born “Jacob Rodney Cohen,” he was one of many Jewish comedians, such as Jackie Mason, George Burns, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, and Sid Caesar,...
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Supporting Recovery Together: The Impact of Family Involvement on Housing and Employment Outcome
The journey of recovery from substance abuse or mental health challenges requires a multifaceted approach. While professional interventions are crucial, the significance of family involvement cannot be overstated. This article explores how family support enhances housing and employment outcomes for...
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What OCD is and What it Isn’t: Demystifying Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD is a mental health diagnosis that is sometimes casually referenced in everyday conversation and, unfortunately, may be commonly misunderstood as a result. For example, you might’ve heard someone say, “I’m so OCD,” and identify themselves in this way...
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Expanding Affordable Housing and Jobs Programs as Strategies for Addressing the Mental Health and Overdose Crises
Our society is grappling with mental health and overdose crises. In the United States in 2021, 22.8% of adults experienced mental illness,1 and more than 106,000 Americans died from drug-involved overdose.2 As the leader of a New York City nonprofit provider of shelter, housing, health, and...
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Supportive Housing Workers are Burnt-Out, Overworked, and in Dire Need of Support
Essential to the health and recovery of our formerly unhoused neighbors with the most complex needs are critical workforce investments for those who serve and support them. The future of supportive housing, the most effective tool available to combat chronic homelessness, is threatened by a severe...
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Critical Questions for the Development of Housing that Supports Recovery
There is no doubt that housing supports recovery – i.e., having a satisfying life as a person with a serious mental illness depends first and foremost on having a decent place to live – but many people need help to have decent housing. Amazingly, that was not recognized in the initial phase...
