OMHSAS Guiding Documents
In the fall of 2005 the PA Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) unveiled a landmark document entitled A Call for Change: Toward a Recovery-Oriented Mental Health Service System for Adults. This document establishes a firm foundation for the Pennsylvania transformation to a mental health system for adults that is “integrated, uses best practices and most importantly, is recovery-oriented”.
During that same time, the county mental health offices submitted their 2005-06 Plans to OMHSAS. A review of the Plans revealed that for the second year in a row, the county offices identified housing as one of the greatest needs they face in serving persons with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders. In response to this need, the OMHSAS Adult Advisory Committee formed a Housing Work Group to develop a set of principles, strategies and action plans for expanding housing with recovery-oriented services for consumers. The group was charged with developing a document that is consistent with the guiding principles set forth in A Call for Change and that can be used by OMHSAS and other Commonwealth agencies to set priorities and target resources, and by the county mental health offices to address the housing needs of their consumers. The following documents include A Call for Change, the Housing Work Group Report, and additional housing guidance issued by OMHSAS.