A new federally funded program to provide housing and counseling to the toughest-to-reach members of the city's homeless community is set to begin Dec. 1.
Officials with the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority said Tuesday they had secured leases for two Lawrence homes to begin operating as permanent housing for people who are homeless and suffer from mental illness and substance abuse problems.
"This is the population that we have not been able to serve very well with our current programs," said Charlotte Knoche, the authority's director of housing assistance.
The city-county agency has secured three-year leases for houses at 1334 N.J. and 843 Ky. Both will be converted into group-living homes that will allow each resident to have his or her own bedroom and the use of shared bathrooms, kitchens and other amenities.
The New Jersey Street home -- which was a transitional housing facility run by Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center -- will house four people and is expected to open by Dec. 1. The Kentucky Street home will house six people and is expected to open by Jan. 1.
Housing authority officials announced in February they had received a $328,928 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to start the program, which is called the Hope Building Program.
Paula Gilchrist, social service director for the Salvation Army, 946 N.H., which operates a homeless shelter, said she was excited to hear the program would soon begin.
Gilchrist said the city's homeless shelters tried to provide services to help people with mental illness or substance abuse issues but that it was difficult to do so in a shelter setting.
"This is going to be so much more intense than anything we can do," Gilchrist said. "Shelters are not always very disciplined. A lot of times you are around other users and exposed to that lifestyle, so that makes it tough on the substance abuse side. On the mental health side, it is just very stressful having to live on the streets or in a shelter. This will help relieve some of that stress."
| More information about the Hope Building Program will be available at a meeting 9 a.m. Thursday at the Salvation Army, 946 N.H. |
The new program will enlist staff members from Bert Nash to provide mental health treatment at the two homes. A staff member from DCCCA will provide treatment for substance abuse issues.
Knoche said the treatment services were a critical part of the program.
"I think more people are looking at the fact that the homeless problem is about more than just finding a place for them to live," Knoche said. "One of our main goals is to identify whatever resources they might be eligible for, and then help them take advantage of those resources."
Homeless agencies' hours to expand (09-12-04)The housing authority will choose the 10 residents of the homes based on referrals from the Salvation Army, Community Drop In Center, 214 W. 10th St.; Lawrence Open Shelter, 944 Ky.; and Women's Transitional Care Services, 2518 Ridge Court. Residents will pay 30 percent of their adjusted monthly incomes to live in the homes.
No comments
Commenting is turned off for this story.