Permanent Supportive Housing
The Western Virginia Continuum of Care (CoC) is committed to providing supportive housing opportunities for those experiencing homelessness and for unstably housed adults with disabilities.
The permanent supportive housing (PSH) program works with individuals who have a mental health diagnosis to obtain and maintain permanent housing opportunities that include supportive services. The PSH program is based on a successful model that uses existing partnerships to provide and integrate essential behavioral and primary health care services for individuals with disabilities in stable housing. This program’s goal is to provide participants with coordinated access to services that help ensure successful tenancy and reduce the severity of mental illness symptoms and medical problems so that they can live as independently as possible in their communities.
Collaboration with Community Partners
Funding from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development helps PSH participants secure and sustain affordable housing. An array of community based treatment and rehabilitative services ensure timely access to integrated health and behavioral health care, thereby promoting wellness, reducing the frequency of unnecessary emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and reducing overall health care costs.
Eligible Participants For Supportive Housing Include:
- Patients in state psychiatric facilities who are interested in and eligible for PSH;
- Residents of supervised residential settings who can live more independently;
- Those who are chronically homeless or are literally homeless and at risk of becoming chronically homeless; and
- Those who are unstably housed and are frequent users of hospitals or criminal justice system interventions.
Helping Those Struggling With Mental Illness
The PSH program operates using Housing First principles and offers a rental subsidy and tenancy support to individuals with serious mental illness and to those who have struggled to find or maintain stable housing in the past. The program works with participants to find long term housing and to address barriers to housing such as poor rental history, low credit scores, criminal records, or outstanding debt. The subsidy is income based, making rent affordable, and ongoing supportive services help tenants navigate challenges that arise.