This section includes Training materials for the 2007-2008 OMHSAS Housing Training as well as information about Technical Assistance and LHOTs.
OMHSAS Housing Training ·
Local Housing Option Teams (LHOTs)
OMHSAS Housing Training
Resource Materials for OMHSAS Housing Training ·
Handouts for Session 1
Handouts for Session 2 ·
Handouts for Session 3 ·
Handouts for OMHSAS Supportive Housing Conference
Resource Materials for OMHSAS Housing Training
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader®)
- OMHSAS Housing Work Group Report
- OMHSAS, A Call For Change
- OMHSAS Housing Policy, August 2007
- OMHSAS Housing Brief, January 2008
- Definition of Permanent Supportive Housing
- Community Residential Rehabilitation Services Guidance
- CRRS Conversion Protocol (revised April 2008)
- Article - Supportive Housing for People with Mental Illness: Regaining a Life in the Community
- Article - From Opening Doors, The Section 8 Project-Based Voucher Program: Creating New Housing Opportunities for People with Disabilities
- Article - Guiding Principles for the Redesign of the Office of Mental Health Housing and Community Support Policies
- Article - Housing First for Long-Term Shelter Dwellers with Psychiatric Disabilities in a Suburban County: A Four-Year Study of Housing Access and Retention
- Relevant Housing Choices Newsletter Articles:
- Article - The Applicability of Housing First Models to Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness
- Article - Cost of Homelessness, Cost Analysis of Permanent Supportive Housing, State of Maine — Greater Portland, September 2007
- Point in Time Summary of Homeless Individuals for counties in the four regional Continuums of Care (CoC), 2007
- PA Housing Authorities with a set-aside of Mainstream Vouchers
- Section 8 Made Simple: Using the Housing Choice Voucher Program to Assist People with Disabilities, 2nd edition by Technical Assistance Collaborative
- New Homes, Brighter Futures: Profiles of Housing Programs for Young Adults, Prepared by Corporation for Supportive Housing's New York Program and National Resource Center teams following the New Homes, Brighter Futures: Supportive Housing for Young Adults Conference held in April 2007
- Contact information to locate potential development partner:
- List of USDA Section 515 funded properties in PA
- Continuum of Care Contacts, updated 2/20/08
- HUD's Fair Market Rents
- Sample Housing Assessment Tools
- Prepared Renters Education Program (PREP) Brochure
- Sample Landlord Community Protocols
Handouts for Session 1
(Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader®)
| In order to prepare for Session 2:
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Handouts for Session 2
Handouts for Session 3
Handouts for Conference
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Local Housing Option Teams (LHOTs)
Technical assistance is offered to individual counties to help develop Local Housing Option Teams (LHOTs).
LHOTs (pronounced L-HOT) bring agencies and individuals together throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on the county or multi-county level to expand housing opportunities and to seek long term solutions to the housing needs of people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders.
Purpose of an LHOT
Although the specific mission, goal and priorities of the LHOT vary with the county or counties involved, the major purpose of an LHOT is to bring together the key stakeholders in the community to identify the housing needs of people with disabilities and to take action to meet those needs.
Any local agency that is willing to dedicate time and administrative support to the LHOT may serve as facilitator. In many of the LHOT's these roles are assumed by the county mental health housing specialist from the county department of mental health/mental retardation. Although this is up to each LHOT, most meet monthly as a full group. A number of the LHOTs also have committees that meet periodically to accomplish specific tasks or projects.
Participants in an LHOT
All agencies and individuals who are key stakeholders in the disability, housing and human service industries participate in the LHOT. Examples include:
- County mental health/mental retardation departments and other county offices including housing/community/economic/business development; human services; children and youth services; aging and adult services; drug and alcohol programs; adult probation and parole; prison
- Service providers
- Local housing authorities - participation is CRITICAL
- Housing providers
- Disability organizations
- Community action agencies
- Housing developers; lenders; builders; realtors
- PATH program
- U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development; Veterans Administration
- Individuals with mental illness and Consumer Satisfaction Teams
- Health center/behavioral health services
- Employment and training agencies
- Fair housing councils and legal services
LHOT Activities
LHOTs engage in a wide range of activities including the following:
- Networking among local agencies
- Educating other members and sharing information
- Troubleshooting/problem solving (often using individual case studies)
- Conducting needs assessments
- Developing housing strategies
- Creating partnerships to address problems
- Planning and financing specific housing programs or projects
Examples of specific accomplishments of LHOTs
LHOTs have:
- Completed Quantitative Housing Needs Assessments of People with Disabilities (Dauphin, Franklin, Northwest)
- Conducted Focus Groups on Needs Identification (Dauphin, Monroe)
- Successfully applied for and/or operate Shelter Plus Care Programs for homeless persons with disabilities (Dauphin, Delaware, Monroe, and Northwest Consortium)
- Successfully applied for Supportive Housing Program funds for transitional and permanent housing and case management services for homeless people with disabilities (Dauphin, Monroe Montgomery, Lebanon, Northwest)
- Instituted local housing authority set-asides (Bucks, Dauphin, Delaware, Monroe)
- Designated preferences for homeless and people with disabilities in the housing authority housing voucher programs (Montgomery, Lebanon)
- Collaborated with local housing authorities to apply for the HUD Section 8 Mainstream Program (Monroe, Delaware)
- Successfully applied for HUD Section 811 Program (Northwest)
- Conducted educational forums on fair housing, home modification and Section 8 Programs (Delaware)
- Obtained funding for LHOT staff/coordination (Dauphin, Montgomery, Delaware)
- Initiated landlord outreach programs (Dauphin, Delaware, Montgomery)
- Developed a pilot project to identify specific housing options for individuals with disabilities and to test and inform the county service system (Montgomery)
- Assisted in the development of a housing cooperative for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders (Montgomery)
View more information about LHOT initiatives.
View a list of current LHOTs. |
