Three years ago, the Western/Central region received a 3 year, 1.5. million grant (administered by UMass Medical School) to provide clinical support services to 120 chronically homeless individuals suffering from mental health and substance issue issues. UMass issued its final data presentation at our closing meeting yesterday, which you can find here. We are proud to report that 92% of program participants were housed over the course of the project, with an 88% retention rate. Thanks to the program partners Behavioral Health Network, Soldier On, and Community Health Link (Worcester) and the housing partners Mental Health Association, Springfield Housing Authority, Friends of the Homeless and SMOC and the agency partners Eliot CHS-Homeless Services and the MA Department of Mental Health among others for making this success possible.
This initiative also made possible the Housing Options Tool, created by Andrea Miller, which provides the virtual capacity to learn about housing opportunities for chronically homeless individuals and make the best match possible for success. We look forward to continuing to develop and adapt this tool for maximum use across the region.
Congratulations to everyone involved for a great partnership with great outcomes.
