The PA Housing Choices website provides information on housing options for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders. It is part of the technical assistance available through the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and Diana T. Myers and Associates, Inc.

About OMHSAS

OMHSAS offers mental health services to people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders ranging from community to hospital programs. The OMHSAS vision for Pennsylvania is: "Every person with serious mental illness and/or addictive disease, and every child and adolescent who abuses substances and/or has a serious emotional disturbance will have the opportunity for growth, recovery and inclusion in their community, have access to services and supports of their choice, and enjoy a quality of life that includes families and friends."

The current emphasis of OMHSAS is on helping people to return to or to remain in their communities. The long-term goal is to develop more community services to help people who have serious mental illness break the cycle of repeated hospital admissions. This includes providing housing supports so that people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders can be fully integrated into community living.

About Diana T. Myers and Associates, Inc.

Diana T. Myers and Associates, Inc. (DMA), a housing and community development consulting firm, is responsible for the administration of PA Housing Choices. DMA serves as the housing technical assistance provider for OMHSAS in addressing state-wide issues for housing persons with mental illness through the development and conduct of conferences, workshops, and meetings; the writing and distribution of newsletters; the development of housing policy and position papers and; the provision of direct technical assistance.

DMA consults with nonprofit housing and community development corporations; local, state and federal government agencies; social service providers; professional associations; religious organizations; and real estate developers engaged in housing, community and economic development activities. DMA specializes in planning affordable, accessible housing for people with disabilities, and works with clients to design and coordinate programs and develop housing for the homeless, elderly, single parents, and people with physical and mental disabilities including AIDS and substance addictions. Services Provided

• Housing Specialist Meetings are held quarterly. In Pennsylvania, all of the county Mental Health Offices have identified a county housing specialist/designee who serves as a housing specialist. The meetings provide an opportunity for these individuals to receive training and education on a variety of topics as well as to share information about housing issues for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

• Technical Assistance is offered to individual counties to help develop Local Housing Option Teams (LHOTs).

  Local Housing Option Teams (LHOTs) bring agencies and individuals together on the county or multi-county level to expand permanent housing opportunities and to seek long term solutions to the housing needs of people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders. To learn more about LHOTs, please visit our Technical Assistance page.

  Additional technical assistance is available to counties as approved by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Examples of the technical assistance provided are:

  • Assistance to counties in identifying resources and planning for housing for individuals moving from state hospitals back into the community.

  • Working with the Housing Committee of Pennsylvania NAMI to develop a housing agenda and strategies for increasing housing options for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

  • Assistance to professional organizations representing housing providers to educate their members about housing models and funding sources so that they may expand housing options for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.

• Housing Choices Newsletters are published three times a year. They include educational articles dealing with housing needs and issues for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders such as exemplary programs, funding sources, fair housing, government programs, homeownership, healthcare and homelessness. View the most recent newsletters and an index of articles.

• The Clearinghouse is a venue that disseminates time sensitive information via e-mail to all mental health housing specialists, Homeless Assistance Program County Contacts, PATH Program coordinators and others who have requested to be included in the list-serve. The Clearinghouse provides information on: funding opportunities, changes in legislation, national and state policy updates, and other information of relevance to housing for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders. If you want to be added to the Clearinghouse email distribution list please visit our Contact page.

• PATH - Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), is a formula grant program that provides funds to states to support services for individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and have serious mental illness. To learn more about PATH in Pennsylvania, please go to our PATH page.

  For more information about OMHSAS, contact:

  OMHSAS
  Beechmont Building, 2nd Floor P0 Box 2675
  Harrisburg, PA 17105-2675
  717-772-7900

  For more information about DMA, contact:

  Diana T. Myers, President
  Diana T. Myers and Associates, Inc.
  6 South Easton Rd
  Glenside, PA 19038
  215-576-1150, ext. 2 (hotline)
  215-576-8650 (Fax)