Homes Filled with Hope
HopeLink’s Community Housing program provides housing services to homeless adults 18 years of age or older who meet diagnostic (DSM) criteria for major mental illnesses. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and all referrals come from service providers working with the homeless.
AT-A-GLANCE
Community Housing
Who
Homeless adults 18 years of age or older who meet diagnostic (DSM) criteria for a major mental illness
What
Housing services for individuals with major mental illness
Referrals
All referrals come from homeless service providers
Residents are individuals with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, recurrent depressive disorders, and/or individuals with co-occurring diagnoses of mental illness and either a mild intellectual disability or a substance use disorder.
Length of stay is determined on an individual basis with no time limitations. Individuals living in the housing:
- Sign and adhere to a lease agreement
- Pay rent, 30% of monthly income, on time
- Need skills teaching and support services to successfully integrate into the community, avoid returning to homelessness, and/or avoid hospitalization
Each resident helps to shape an Individual Recovery Plan that focuses on their unique needs, preferences, and abilities.
Staff provide 10 – 20 hours of onsite support to residents each week. To assist residents in identifying, learning, and practicing skills needed to get and keep housing, we provide skills teaching for independent living such as:
- Completing household tasks
- Menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and preparing healthy meals
- Budgeting
- Scheduling and keeping appointments with healthcare providers
- Managing medications and symptoms of illnesses
- Social and communication skills to better get along with others, resolve conflicts, and improve or build a social support system
Residents also receive mental health treatment, case management, and medication management through the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board’s Mental Health Services.
