Local Housing Options Teams (LHOT)
Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) began providing technical assistance and training in housing for the county offices in the early 1990’s. In 2001 a unique type of collaboration known as Local Housing Options Teams or LHOTs (pronounced L-HOTs) emerged. These are coalitions that bring together the key stakeholders on the county or multi-county level in order to identify local housing needs for people with disabilities; to expand housing options; and to seek long-term solutions to the housing needs of people with disabilities.
By 2004, there were 23 active LHOTs that had provided housing to close to 1200 households with serious mental illness, 35% of whom were homeless. A majority of those households live in rural areas and were assisted through collaboration with their local public housing authorities. Today there are 44 LHOTs serving 54 counties.
While each LHOT is unique in mission and representation, many have conducted housing needs assessments, and most have increased affordable housing options in their community, accessing either McKinney dollars, HUD Section 811 funds for people with disabilities or housing choice vouchers. Future roles for the LHOTs include an integral part in implementing OMHSAS’s Housing Work Group Report calling for the expansion of affordable housing with recovery-oriented supports throughout the Commonwealth.