CCG – This month, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services and the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) announced a $20 million deal to expand the availability of supportive, reasonably priced rental housing choices for people with serious mental illness.
It is anticipated that the additional money will lessen the number of patients at state psychiatric facilities and assist avoid homelessness in this community.
Over three years, the deal will add 300 additional supportive rental assistance vouchers for residents of Fairfax County. To run the initiative, the FCRHA is going to create three new staff posts.
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Fifty participants will get essential supportive services like psychosocial rehabilitation, case management, and psychiatry through a different relationship with Pathways Homes. They may also be eligible to receive money for additional fees associated with leasing an apartment, such as security deposits and moving charges.
Under a different contract, the remaining 250 participants will be paired with two teams of supportive housing providers.
Referrals from a range of stakeholders, including state hospitals and the homeless Continuum of Care, will be coordinated by the Fairfax County Community Service Board.
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The program gives priority to people who have been homeless for an extended period or repeatedly, as well as people whose unstable housing frequently results in crises, hospital visits, or interactions with the criminal justice system. It will benefit residents of congregate care settings, which house a high proportion of patients with acute mental illness, as well as those departing state psychiatric hospitals.
“Homelessness is decreased when more people have access to cheap housing. Tom Fleetwood, director of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development, stated, “To be successful, we need to consider the individual’s entire life and what is needed to get them back on their feet.”
“This is the reason this funding is so crucial—it offers the essential support services and rental assistance people need to succeed in their new homes.”
