Housing and the Justice Involved
•
Robert K. Merwine – Director
PCCD’s Office of Criminal Justice System Improvements
•
Honorable John Zottola – Judge of
Court of Common Pleas, Allegheny County
•
Patty Griffin, PhD. – Senior Consultant
PA Mental Health and Justice Center of Excellence
•
Terry Moloney
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
June 14, 2013
Pennsylvania Commission on Crime
and Delinquency (PCCD)
Who Are We and What Do We Do?
• State Administering Agency (SAA) for the
Commonwealth.
• Serves as the justice planning agency for
Pennsylvania and administers federal and
state justice funds.
• PCCD administers approximately $100
million annually to support initiatives in the
areas of Victim Services, Juvenile Justice,
and Criminal Justice.
PCCD Mission
The mission of the Pennsylvania
Commission on Crime and Delinquency
is to enhance the quality of criminal and
juvenile justice systems, facilitate the
delivery of services to victims of crime
and assist communities to develop and
implement strategies
to reduce crime and victimization.
PCCD – Advisory Committees
PCCD
Mark R Zimmer
Chairman
Research,
Evaluation,
Data
Collection,
and Analysis
Advisory
Committee
(REDCAAC)
Criminal
Justice
Population
Projections
Committee
(CJPPC)
Juvenile
Justice and
Delinquency
Prevention
Committee
(JJDPC)
Criminal
Justice
Advisory
Committee
(CJAC)
Mental
Health and
Justice
Advisory
Committee
(MHJAC)
Victims
Services
Advisory
Committee
(VSAC)
06/2013
Senior
Citizens
Advisory
Committee
(SCAC)
PCCD - OCJSI
Bureau of
Training
Services
• Constables
•Deputy
Sheriffs
Technology
Office of
Criminal
Justice
System
Improvements
County
Planning Unit
Grants
Administration
Re-entry Unit
Law
Enforcement
Unit
Criminal Justice Advisory Boards (CJABs) and
Housing
• CJABs are groups of top-level county officials which
address criminal justice issues from a systemic and
policy level perspective. CJABs study best practices in
the administration and delivery of criminal justice and
recommend ways in which public agencies can improve
the effectiveness and efficiency of the criminal justice
system within a county.
• In 2008, PCCD through its work with CJABs, identified
the issue of individuals with mental illness languishing
in county prisons.
PCCD and the Office of Mental Health
and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS)
• In an effort to address the issue of justice-involved
individuals with mental illness, PCCD partnered with
Department of Public Welfare (DPW) / OMHSAS.
• Through this new found partnership, the following
initiatives were funded:
–
–
–
–
Ten Mental Health Courts;
Mental Health Procedures Act (MHPA) Training;
Statewide Forensic Peer Support Training;
Forensic Peer Support Training at Department of Corrections;
and
– Five County Housing projects.
PCCD and the Office of Mental Health
and Substance Abuse Services
In 2011, PCCD awarded in excess of $700,000 to
support housing initiatives in the following five counties:
• Fayette County – Housing and Support Services;
• Greene County – Master Leasing project;
• Montgomery County – Master Leasing project;
• Philadelphia – Master Leasing; and
• Union County – Justice Bridge Housing program.
PCCD and the
Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
Since 2011, PCCD and OMHSAS have worked
in conjunction with the Housing Alliance to cosponsor the Homes Within Reach Conference
to raise awareness among the housing
community.
PCCD and the
Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania
Conference topics included:
•Coming Home – A Veteran’s Perspective
•Times Up – Planning for Successful Re-entry
•The Unspoken Reality - Housing and Supervision of
Sex Offenders
•Housing and Justice for All
In addition, successful county housing initiatives were
highlighted.
Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee
(MHJAC)
Honorable John Zottola,
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas,
Allegheny County
Mental Health and Justice Advisory
Committee (MHJAC)
• MHJAC, Chaired by Judge Zottola, Allegheny
County Court of Common Pleas, was created in
July 2009, to provide guidance and structure and
ensure that Pennsylvania's criminal
justice/mental health activities are coordinated
across the state and that counties receive the
guidance and support necessary to implement
effective responses.
Mental Health and Justice Advisory
Committee (MHJAC)
• MHJAC membership includes representatives
from state agencies, county leadership, the
courts, district attorneys, public defenders,
consumers and families, and other criminal
justice and mental health advocates and
practitioners from across the Commonwealth.
MHJAC Housing Subcommittee
• To address the issue of lack of housing for
the target population, a Housing
Subcommittee was formed under MHJAC to
help guide the Committee’s efforts in
identifying and promoting best practices.
Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee
(MHJAC)
Senate Bill 128
Mental Health and Justice Advisory Committee
(MHJAC)
European / American Prison Project
Mental Health and Justice Advisory
Committee (MHJAC)
• One major initiative established through MHJAC, was
the creation of the Mental Health and Justice Center of
Excellence (CoE).
• The CoE was established in November 2009, through
a competitive grant application process and awarded
to Drexel University, to reduce justice involvement for
people with mental illness and co-occurring substance
use disorders by working with Pennsylvania’s
communities to identify points at which an interception
can be made to prevent this group from entering
deeper into the justice system.
Mental Health and Justice Advisory
Committee (MHJAC)
The CoE is a collaboration between Drexel
University’s Department of Psychology and
University of Pittsburgh’s Western
Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.
Housing Needs for Criminal Justice/
Behavioral Health Populations In Pennsylvania
Patty Griffin, PhD
Pennsylvania MH & Justice Center of Excellence
National Picture
•
High rates of people with serious mental illness being admitted to our jails
– Most recent research (Steadman, Osher, et al, 2009):
• Estimates 16.9% of all jail admissions have a serious mental illness
– 14.5% of males
– 31.0% of females
– Three to six times the prevalence of serious mental illness in
the general population
– High rates of co-occurring substance use disorders and other challenges
including trauma, medical problems, and homelessness
– Long lengths of stay in jail and significant criminal recidivism
•
Many challenges for behavioral health, criminal justice, social services, and
housing systems
– Especially in finding ways to collaborate effectively to address this issue
Cross-Systems Mapping
Workshops
21
Workshop Tasks
1.
Nurture cross-system collaboration
2.
Map the local system
3.
Inventory current resources, gaps, and
opportunities
4.
Agree on priorities
5.
Build an Action Plan
Day 1: Creating a Local Cross-Systems Map
• Brings together key stakeholders to tap into local expertise
– Partnership with local Criminal Justice Advisory Board
• Creates a local map using the Sequential Intercept Model
– Visually depicts local system
– Identifies:
• Existing local services and processes
– Gaps in services
– Strengths to build upon --- opportunities and resources
– Data
• Issues considered important to local stakeholders
• Helps everyone see the “big picture” and how they fit
– Helps diverse groups from various systems understand
where/how everything fits
– Intercepts provide manageable venues and opportunities for
systems interventions
Sequential Intercept Model
Five Key Points of Interception
1.
Law enforcement / Emergency services
2.
Booking / Initial court hearings
3.
Jails / Courts
4.
Re-entry
5.
Community corrections / Community
support
Munetz & Griffin, 2006
Blair County Cross Systems Map
Blair County - Top 8 Priorities
•
•
•
•
•
•
Development of a Mental •
Health Court (20 Votes)
Housing (18)
•
Mental Health First Aid (16)
Access to medication and •
psychiatric appointments
upon re-entry (15)
•
Sobering Stations (12)
Level of Care Behavioral
Health Assessments as
early as possible in the
criminal justice system (10)
Determine when
assessments are needed
Disperse assessments to
the correct individuals
Crisis Intervention Team
(CIT) Development (9)
Expediting access to
Medical Assistance Benefits
(8)
What We’ve Learned About Pennsylvania
CROSS SYSTEMS MAPPING
WORKSHOPS
Common Gaps in Services
•
•
•
•
Intercept 1
Law enforcement agencies are interested in mental health training but have limited time for training
Law enforcement officers spend hours waiting with individuals at local hospital
Lack of detoxification and sobering services
• Intercept 2
• Lack of pretrial services
• Problems with video arraignment equipment
•
•
•
•
Intercept 3
Many jail admissions requiring detoxification
Limited treatment staff
Medical Assistance benefits terminated after admission
•
•
•
•
•
Intercept 4
Significant gaps in aftercare medication
Limited continuity of care
Limited re-entry efforts
Few systematic efforts to reinstate or start Medial Assistance
and/or Social Security benefits
• Intercept 5
•Not enough housing
Most Common County Priorities
 Develop and/or expand training at Intercept One
Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)
Mental Health First Aid
 Formalize detoxification procedure

Reduce strain on hospitals, jails, and law enforcement
 Improve continuity of care from local jails to community

Aftercare Meds

Re-activation of benefits

Psychiatric Appointments
 Expand housing options
 Improve information sharing across systems
Common Gaps in Housing
•
Some individuals stay longer in jail because they do not have
housing available (“Our County Jail becomes our housing unit for
the mentally ill”)
•
Very limited accessible housing options for the forensic SMI
population
•
Housing Authority do not except applications from felonies and long
waiting period for applicants with misdemeanors
– Rely heavily on private landlords that are often unwilling to take this
population
– Many state inmates max out because they can’t develop a home
plan (no housing)
– County MH/MR funding cuts have decreased local behavioral health
services, especially in the Forensic Housing Program
Counties Next Steps/Action Plans for Housing
• York County:
• Develop a clearer picture of the housing needs for currently
incarcerated population (York)
– Identify how many currently incarcerated individuals were
homeless prior to arrest
– Look at the 10-12 folks currently seeking housing each
month (from the jail) and examine the breakdown of
mental health and substance use needs
– Begin to identify housing needs during intake (develop
specific code for ‘homeless’)
– Look at how many parole plans are denied because of
lack of housing
– Examine specific housing needs of MH Court participants
Counties Next Steps/Action Plans for Housing
9 counties --- Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest,
Jefferson, McKean, Potter, Warren
• Master Leasing/Bridge Subsidy Program
– Designed to house individuals ineligible for other federal housing
(including those ineligible due to previous criminal activity)
– Bridge subsidies to keep individuals housed while working with
case managers to develop plan for permanent housing
– Contact: Penny Campbell
(pennycampbell@clarionhousing.com)
Counties’ Next Steps/Action Plans for Housing
• Westmoreland County:
– A Local Housing Options Team (LHOT) meets on a
regular basis to coordinate housing services.
– The LHOT brings together stakeholders in the community
to identify gaps and barriers to housing for targeted and
complex populations and works towards using existing
resources in the community and developing new ones to
meet the housing needs of the county.
Ways CoE Can help – Technical Assistance
• Specialized searches of resources
• Educational sessions for multiple locales
• Hands-on assistance to individual locales
– Data collection, data management and
program evaluation
– Data analysis assistance
– Consultation regarding reporting
• Fostering peer-to-peer networks, state-wide, and
nationally
Ways CoE Can Help – Resource Website
http://www.pacenterofexcellence.pitt.edu
• Links to relevant and important information
– Practical tools
– Funding announcements
– Data collection/management tools
• County-specific information
– Links to census and crime data
– Program information
– Reports from the mapping workshops
• Forum for cross-county communication
Final Report
• Cross-systems picture
• Available for wide distribution
– Provided in PDF and Word formats
• County-Specific Narrative for each intercept
• Gaps and Opportunities
• Action Plan
• Resource for local Criminal Justice Advisory
Board’s planning
• Support for future funding applications
• Reference/resource materials included
For more information:
Pennsylvania Mental Health and Justice
Center of Excellence
www.pacenterofexcellence.pitt.edu
Patty Griffin, PhD, Senior Consultant
pgriffin@navpoint.com
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Services (OMHSAS)
Terry Moloney
Office of Mental Health and
Substance Abuse Services
Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Services (OMHSAS)
OMHSAS provides community alternatives to
Pennsylvanians with SMI, including those at
risk of homelessness and involvement with
the Criminal Justice System.
Housing and the Office of Mental Health and Substance
Abuse Services (OMHSAS)
• PA continues to make strides in addressing the
unnecessary institionalization of individuals with
serious mental illness (SMI) in state psychiatric
hospitals.
• The census in PA’s state psychiatric hospitals has
declined dramatically from 35,100 in 1966 to about
1,600 in 2012.
• We recognize that many individuals with SMI can live
successfully in the community if they have appropriate
supports and services.
Housing and OMHSAS
• OMHSAS provides community alternatives to
Pennsylvanians with mental illness, including those at
risk of homelessness and those involved in the
criminal justice system.
• During the past 5 years, OMHSAS has implemented a
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Initiative that
utilizes local, state, and federal resources to expand
affordable, supportive housing and residential
programs for adults.
• 53 counties have made reinvestment resources
available as part of the OMHSAS Permanent
Supportive Housing initiative.
OMHSAS
Housing Reinvestment Strategies
• Between 2006-2012—Counties have reinvested
approximately $102 million in OMHSAS approved housing
strategies – including $33 million in capital funds, and $32
million in Bridge and Master Leasing Subsidies.
• Counties vary significantly in the percentages of those
serviced who come from the targeted populations, i.e.
people in institutions or community residential programs,
homeless youth aging out of child serving systems, and
the forensic population.
• Since April 2012, fully or partial reinvestment-funded
housing programs have served approximately 3,000
households.
OMHSAS
Reinvestment Strategy - Bridge Subsidy
• Bridge—Short term tenant based
rental subsidy intended from the
start to be a “bridge” to more
permanent housing.
• Counties have committed funds
for 686 bridge rental subsidies.
Of that number 223 have been
funded and are being placed in
service in 2012.
OMHSAS
Reinvestment Strategy - Master Leasing
• Master Leasing—Leasing units from
private owners and subleasing—
and subsidizing these units to
consumers.
• Master leasing is often used for
consumers with criminal histories or
poor tenancy histories.
• 11 counties have arranged for 331
people to get rental units through
master leasing programs.
OMHSAS
Reinvestment Strategy - Capital
• The use of Reinvestment funds
as capital financing to create
targeted permanent supportive
housing units.
• Ten county programs and the 23
Behavioral Health county
contract option program have
committed funds to capital
projects.
OMHSAS
Other Housing Reinvestment Strategies
• Housing Support Services – Temporary funding for
support services until permanent funds can be
identified.
• Contingency Funds – For one-time and emergency
costs such as security deposits for apartments or
utilities, or to pay back rent or utility costs.
• Clearinghouse – To manage outreach and referral
to one of the reinvestment housing options.
Questions?
Staff Contact Info
PCCD
•Robert Merwine
rmerwine@pa.gov or 717-265-8542
•Jackie Weaknecht
jweaknecht@pa.gov or 717-265-8498
OMHSAS
•Terry Moloney
tmoloney@pa.gov or 717-772-7625