An MHSA Success Story

Program gives hope to Alameda County's mentally ill homeless

From The Oakland Tribune by Chris Metinko, December 27, 2009

For years, Deaundre Rice waged war with himself — battling alcohol and drug problems as well as mental illness — until bottoming out four years ago.

"I lost my job. My wife divorced me," the Berkeley resident said. "I was in a tailspin."

In late 2007, homeless and abusing drugs again, he found a new program to help those in Alameda County who were homeless and living with psychiatric disorders. Rice, tired of bouncing from shelter to psychiatric hospital to shelter, applied for help.

Less than two years later, he is clean, sober, employed, receiving the mental health services he needs and living in a stable home.

"If it weren't for this place, I'd be in an institution, or maybe prison," said Rice, who celebrated his 41st birthday earlier this month. "That is, if I wouldn't have been killed."

The "place" Rice refers to is the Homeless Outreach and Stabilization Team program operated by Oakland-based Bonita House Inc. in connection with Alameda County's Behavioral Health Services Agency. Rice was one of 90 homeless adults in the county with psychiatric disorders accepted into the new program — which was started through the voter-approved 2004 Mental Health Services Act to address the need for more community mental health services.

"When the voters approved this act, the county wanted a program like this," said Rick Crispino, executive director of Bonita House. "However, they wanted to make sure whoever was awarded the contract for the program actively engaged those homeless individuals in the area.

"That was the hardest part," Crispino said. "Some of the individuals we met out there — living in the woods, or by a creek, or on the streets — it took them several weeks to actually want services. They had been living out there with a mental illness so long, they were coming from a different mind-set."

Eventually, the Homeless Outreach and Stabilization Team program filled up all 90 of its available slots. Two years later, nearly all those individuals are stably housed, almost half are taking education classes, and 60 percent are working with the HOST employment program on getting jobs.

"I think HOST is a wonderful program," said Gary Spicer, director of management services for the county Behavioral Health Services Agency. "What they've been able to do is extremely impressive."

So impressive, in fact, that Bonita House and the county are in discussions to "graduate" some of the 90 formerly homeless residents who are now in stable housing and employed and refilling those slots.

"We see the need as only having been scratched so far," Spicer said.

Because of the state's budget mess, however, Sacramento went after the Mental Health Services Act funds earlier this year during the May election. Although voters decided not to let the state touch the money to balance the budget, everyone knows it's possible — if not likely — lawmakers will make another run at the money.

"That's a very real possibility," Crispino said. "They've tried to take the money once, and they could try again. They seem to never back away from cutting mental health."

Such a move would devastate the HOST program and its $2 million annual budget.

"It would be a shame," Crispino added. "Five years after voters approved the act, you're seeing the results right here."

Results like Rice, who didn't have to go far to find employment through the program. He helps move residents of the program into stable housing, as well as applying his instinctual handyman knowledge to help set up the place.

"I've messed up a lot of things in my life," Rice said. "But this place has such a positive atmosphere. You finally feel like somebody cares about you."

Source: The Oakland Tribune

Link: http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14073573