INTEGRATING MENTAL HEALTH AND HOUSING SERVICES IN FLORIDA Training and TA on supportive housing for the Florida Mental Health Services System AHP helped the State of Florida redesign its community mental health services system to promote nationally recognized standards of care and outcomes, with a focus on creating housing with services as the primary means of providing appropriate community treatment. In 1999-2000, the Mental Health Program Office of Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) began several supportive housing initiatives. The initiatives coincided with the closing of a state hospital, an increased in supportive housing, and expansion of Florida Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) across the State. With administrative funds from the Federal Projects of Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), AHP worked as a subcontractor with Louis de la Parte Mental Health Institute and University of South Florida to provide statewide training and TA services on supportive housing to DCF. A primary goal was production of a manual, “State of Florida Guidelines for Supportive Housing for Persons with Mental Illness,” and a DCF strategic plan for persons with mental illnesses. AHP also conducted program site visits and assessments, statewide training workshops, and local and regional training sessions for government officials and agency staff around the State. Together, the plan, the manual, and the TA and training aimed to establish common principles and statewide values for supportive housing, to promote practical guidelines for providers, and to provide a TA tool for providers, individuals, and families.
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