Arctic blasts of wind, freezing rain, bone-chilling cold, nowhere to go. On any given night in the City, more than 8,000 single adults sleep in city shelters. How many more are rough sleepers, sleeping outside the shelter system, on steam grates, on cement, in cardboard boxes, on park benches? Since 2000, City homelessness has increased by 105%. The population of homeless single adults in city shelters is at its highest point since 1990. Approximately 30% of the single adult homeless population suffers from some form of severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) according to Paul Koegel in The Causes of Homelessness: Homelessness in America (Oryx Press 1996). Somehow, even with severe and persistent mental health diagnoses, some people persevere with the help of a social worker, or staff of a program, or efforts of their own and enter the city social services system to find housing.
The mental health supportive housing system in New York City has some 10,000 units citywide, with only 200 to 300 units available at any one time according to the CUCS Housing Resource Center. At Bronx HomeWORKS, a program of the Baltic Street Mental Health Board, where I manage a caseload of 15 clients as a Housing Specialist, I've seen hundreds upon hundreds of HRA 2000 housing applications come into our office within the past three months. I've fielded scores and scores of phone calls from social service professionals seeking housing for their clients. I've handled dozens of calls from consumers themselves, hoping beyond hope, that there may be a unit available, something, anywhere, for which they can apply. In a system where there is so much more need and demand than there is supply, I face the situation as it is and find myself staggered, astonished, appalled. Yet, at the same time, I act as part of a continuing solution, one where organizations are working to fulfill the need, to satisfy the demand. And in this, I am privileged.
Once supported housing applications are compiled, the interview process commences, which results in an applicant's acceptance into our housing program. I have recently been assigned two new clients. During an intake process which I have conducted with both clients, I have witnessed a remarkable shift in the clients, from their being (1) highly stressed-out, worried, apprehensive, doubtful, insecure, and somewhat afraid (this after having been accepted into our program), to their being (2) calmer, less wary, more open, less afraid, yet still uncertain, apprehensive and insecure, and finally to their being (3) relieved, un-worried, un-harried, calm, satisfied, pleased, happy, grateful, and smiling. Clients are very grateful to a wonderful and talented staff from the Bronx and Brooklyn HomeWORKS teams who work tirelessly to be able to provide all the necessary services to the consumers of these programs.
After all that they have been through, the anguish of which we can never know, my clients now have a home, their own home, where they can live independently, and begin anew. By providing housing to consumers of mental health services, to those with serious and persistent mental health diagnoses, supportive housing social service providers support consumer recovery in a most profound way. For in these uncertain and troubled times, where there seems to be no safe harbor for so many millions of people, there are some whose lives are touched, whose lives are uplifted from hopelessness and despair, who do, indeed, obtain shelter from the storm.