Program to combine housing and mental health services for the city's most vulnerable

Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, works at her computer, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, works at her computer, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

FAYETTEVILLE -- A program combining mental health services with housing for the homeless could be a game-changer for some of Northwest Arkansas's most vulnerable people, service providers say.

Residence and Resilience is a federal grant-funded project providing permanent supportive housing and mental health services to clients chosen from the Northwest Arkansas Continuum of Care's list of area residents who need help.

Continuum of Care is a nonprofit coalition working to end homelessness in the region.

The clients chosen will be considered the most vulnerable on the list.

The program is a collaboration between the Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance, a private, nonprofit community mental health center with offices across Northwest Arkansas.

Angela Belford, housing authority executive director, said she wanted to find a way to better connect residents with mental health services. The city needs supportive housing more than anything, she said. Supportive housing is a combination of low-barrier affordable housing, health care and supportive services to help clients lead stable lives.

There are lots of ways to help people in the short term, but rental assistance and supportive services can be expensive, Belford said.

The program will receive around $75,000 and will be able to serve six to seven clients, Belford said. She was hoping for more, but it is still going to have a big impact on people who thought they might never find housing, Belford said.

The housing authority applied for the grant in September and was notified of approval in May, Belford said. The authority is waiting for the money to be released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The first step once the money is released will be case conferencing with Ozark Guidance to identify clients.

Clients will be responsible for following rules and meeting with their case managers, Belford said.

This is the first time in Belford's three years as a professional housing advocate she's been able to pair behavioral health with housing, she said.

Ozark Guidance will be able to provide the wrap-around services needed for clients to succeed, including mental health evaluations, substance abuse assessments, outpatient counseling and peer support services, said Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services for Ozark Guidance.

Clients will be assigned a therapist, peer support specialist and paraprofessional who all will work together to identify and provide the services, Bier said.

"Sometimes they might need more, sometimes they might need less and we will just adjust and provide whatever frequency of services they might need," Bier said. Telehealth services are possible during the pandemic, she said.

Services will be available for clients as long as they want or need them, Bier said.

Designing a program catered to a client's specific needs has the potential to dramatically improve how service providers do what they do, Belford said.

"We hope that this will be the beginning and that we will continue to grow this program," Belford said. "We'll start with six and we'll grow it even further."

Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, poses for a portrait, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, poses for a portrait, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, poses for a portrait, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, poses for a portrait, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Anne Sheetz, director of operations, (from left) meets with Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. 
(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)
Anne Sheetz, director of operations, (from left) meets with Libby Bier, director of substance abuse and recovery services, Friday, July 31, 2020 at the Ozark Guidance Center in Springdale. The Fayetteville Housing Authority and Ozark Guidance Center are working together on a program that will combine housing and mental health services for some of the city's most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Check out nwaonline.com/200801Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)

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About the program

Participants will be identified based on vulnerability from the by-name-list through case conferencing.

The program will use a housing-first approach, meaning individuals will be able to be placed in housing regardless of their preconditions and they will be able to remain in housing without any further requirements in relation to their condition.

The care team for clients from Ozark Guidance may include, but is not limited to psychiatrist, psychologist, advance practice nurse, licensed counselor and social worker, certified substance abuse counselors, and certified peer support specialists.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Abbi Ross can be reached by email at aross@nwadg.com or on Twitter @AbbiRoss10.

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