27 May 2023, 2:46 am
Sweetleaf
Veteran
Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 34,470
Location: Somewhere in Colorado
27 May 2023, 2:58 am
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Kansas City Star
Kansas City homeless program could be model for mental illness treatment, advocates say
Anna Spoerre
Fri, May 26, 2023 at 6:30 AM CDT·10 min read
https://news.yahoo.com/kansas-city-home ... 00377.html
Quote:
After leaving prison, where he’d been incarcerated for nearly three decades, a man in his 60s took up residence in the woods of Kansas City, where he stayed for five years.
He eventually found his way to City Union Mission’s emergency homeless shelter, where staff learned he’d been panhandling to pay for his eyesight medication.
At the shelter, they pegged him as a good fit for the L. Minor Care Center next door, a program that helps connect men with high needs to long-term supportive housing, however long it takes.
Once at the center, staff connected the man with a healthcare provider who covered his medications and delivered them to him. He doesn’t have a move-out deadline, and all the services are free.
The man, upon learning this, started crying.
“This is the first time I feel like anybody’s ever cared for me,” Amanda Greene, the center’s administrator, recalled him saying.
In the five years since opening, nearly 700 men have come through the center, with most staying for about 150 days, though some have stayed for years before transitioning into permanent supportive housing, City Union Mission leadership said.
Of those, 75% were still in permanent housing a year later.
“We’re finding that’s really the sweet spot that’s missing in Kansas City, is this non-clinical, but high-touch, high-investment opportunity for them to just relax and feel at home and for us to start working toward, where is the best place we can place them,” said Terry Megli, CEO of City Union Mission, which runs the center.
All the men at the center have been chronically homeless, and about 80% were previously institutionalized. About 60% have a traumatic brain injury, and almost everyone has experienced some sort of addiction.
Almost every resident suffers from multiple mental health disorders and/or physical disabilities, Megli said, with about half using a wheelchair, cane or walker. Many also suffer from addiction. Some of the men’s needs are too high even for emergency or cold-weather shelters, Greene added.
This means each guest needs a personalized experience. And that starts with helping the men overcome their stigma about being homeless and learn to recognize their own worth, she said.
They focus on building trust, creating a routine, getting on a medical management program and learning to relax, now that they’re in a safe space. Once that foundation is built, they look for permanent housing.
About 10 men are currently on the center’s waiting list, though Greene estimated there are thousands of people in the metro who could benefit from their program. It’s why Megli is in the process of creating a similar program for women and families.
Kansas City’s homeless population has grown in visibility, and likely size in the past few years, as the pandemic forced more people into fraught financial situations. Right now, an estimated 1,800 people are living unhoused in Kansas City, Missouri, alone, according to a recent estimate by the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness
These numbers are part of the reason Megli is hoping to draw more attention to the success of the L. Minor Care Center, which he hopes to expand into a similar program for women and children. With the right resources, staff said, they hope to help hundreds more people.
Growing mental health needs
At the turn of the century, a former City Union Mission staffer named Loraine Minor recognized a growing need to address mental illness in Kansas City’s homeless population.
The center, her namesake, finally opened in 2018 on East 10th Street next to their men’s shelter. They now have a team of about 20 people, including case managers, administrators and overnight staff who help cater to the individual adaptive living needs of each man. The program has cost just under $4 million in five years through donations.
Staff at the men’s emergency shelter are trained to help identify individuals with mental health and physical health needs. From there, L. Minor Care Center staff run a vulnerability assessment to determine if they are high risk and could benefit from the program.
Once they’ve joined the center, the men can stay as long as they need to until they find permanent supportive housing, staff say. And if they leave and then later face homelessness again, they’re welcomed back to try again. Unlike most emergency shelters, they don’t have to leave during the day; and unlike many transitional housing opportunities, there’s no move-out deadline.
Many of the men have to re-learn how to take care of themselves after years spent living on the street, Greene said. Others need around-the-clock nursing and support. Most of the men, including those with diabetes, are given resources to learn how to take care of their health. The center helps connect each person with a primary care doctor, and clinicians make stops by the center at least once a month.
“There’s so many resources in Kansas City, it’s just connecting all the dots,” Greene said.
He eventually found his way to City Union Mission’s emergency homeless shelter, where staff learned he’d been panhandling to pay for his eyesight medication.
At the shelter, they pegged him as a good fit for the L. Minor Care Center next door, a program that helps connect men with high needs to long-term supportive housing, however long it takes.
Once at the center, staff connected the man with a healthcare provider who covered his medications and delivered them to him. He doesn’t have a move-out deadline, and all the services are free.
The man, upon learning this, started crying.
“This is the first time I feel like anybody’s ever cared for me,” Amanda Greene, the center’s administrator, recalled him saying.
In the five years since opening, nearly 700 men have come through the center, with most staying for about 150 days, though some have stayed for years before transitioning into permanent supportive housing, City Union Mission leadership said.
Of those, 75% were still in permanent housing a year later.
“We’re finding that’s really the sweet spot that’s missing in Kansas City, is this non-clinical, but high-touch, high-investment opportunity for them to just relax and feel at home and for us to start working toward, where is the best place we can place them,” said Terry Megli, CEO of City Union Mission, which runs the center.
All the men at the center have been chronically homeless, and about 80% were previously institutionalized. About 60% have a traumatic brain injury, and almost everyone has experienced some sort of addiction.
Almost every resident suffers from multiple mental health disorders and/or physical disabilities, Megli said, with about half using a wheelchair, cane or walker. Many also suffer from addiction. Some of the men’s needs are too high even for emergency or cold-weather shelters, Greene added.
This means each guest needs a personalized experience. And that starts with helping the men overcome their stigma about being homeless and learn to recognize their own worth, she said.
They focus on building trust, creating a routine, getting on a medical management program and learning to relax, now that they’re in a safe space. Once that foundation is built, they look for permanent housing.
About 10 men are currently on the center’s waiting list, though Greene estimated there are thousands of people in the metro who could benefit from their program. It’s why Megli is in the process of creating a similar program for women and families.
Kansas City’s homeless population has grown in visibility, and likely size in the past few years, as the pandemic forced more people into fraught financial situations. Right now, an estimated 1,800 people are living unhoused in Kansas City, Missouri, alone, according to a recent estimate by the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness
These numbers are part of the reason Megli is hoping to draw more attention to the success of the L. Minor Care Center, which he hopes to expand into a similar program for women and children. With the right resources, staff said, they hope to help hundreds more people.
Growing mental health needs
At the turn of the century, a former City Union Mission staffer named Loraine Minor recognized a growing need to address mental illness in Kansas City’s homeless population.
The center, her namesake, finally opened in 2018 on East 10th Street next to their men’s shelter. They now have a team of about 20 people, including case managers, administrators and overnight staff who help cater to the individual adaptive living needs of each man. The program has cost just under $4 million in five years through donations.
Staff at the men’s emergency shelter are trained to help identify individuals with mental health and physical health needs. From there, L. Minor Care Center staff run a vulnerability assessment to determine if they are high risk and could benefit from the program.
Once they’ve joined the center, the men can stay as long as they need to until they find permanent supportive housing, staff say. And if they leave and then later face homelessness again, they’re welcomed back to try again. Unlike most emergency shelters, they don’t have to leave during the day; and unlike many transitional housing opportunities, there’s no move-out deadline.
Many of the men have to re-learn how to take care of themselves after years spent living on the street, Greene said. Others need around-the-clock nursing and support. Most of the men, including those with diabetes, are given resources to learn how to take care of their health. The center helps connect each person with a primary care doctor, and clinicians make stops by the center at least once a month.
“There’s so many resources in Kansas City, it’s just connecting all the dots,” Greene said.
Much more text on web page.
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RetroGamer87
Veteran
Joined: 30 Jul 2013
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,970
Location: Adelaide, Australia
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