Grants Will Improve Services for Homeless Mentally Ill

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced on September 26 that it is awarding nine grants totaling almost $17.5 million over five years to organizations working to address issues arising from homelessness in their communities.

In particular, the initiative is targeted to entities that serve chronically homeless individuals with serious psychiatric conditions and those with co-occurring disorders who live in supportive housing. The grant funds are meant to improve residential stability and reduce psychiatric symptoms.

Specifically, the grants will seek to provide community programs with resources for outreach, intensive case management, housing retention, independent-living skills, motivational interventions, and crisis care. Other aspects of the program include, but are not limited to, resources to improve mental health treatment, including treatment for posttraumatic stress, co-occurring disorders, and substance abuse, and medication management.

Each grant recipient will receive up to $450,000 a year for up to five years, with an award-continuation option subject to both the availability of funds and progress achieved by the awardees.

A list of the SAMHSA grant awardees is posted at<www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/0709262959.aspx>.▪