For someone with a mental health condition, the basic necessity of a stable home can be hard to come by. The lack of safe and affordable housing is one of the most powerful barriers to recovery. When this basic need isn't met, people cycle in and out of homelessness, jails, shelters and hospitals. Having a safe, appropriate place to live can provide stability to allow you to achieve your goals. 

You may run into housing issues after being discharged from an inpatient care unit or jail and find that you have no home to return to. Even if you haven't been hospitalized, finding an affordable home can be difficult. Many people with serious mental health illness live on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which averages just 18% of the median income and can make finding an affordable home near impossible when ideally you would have to pay no more than 30% of your income for housing costs. 

Finding stable, safe and affordable housing can help you on your journey to recovery and prevent hospitalizations, homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system.  

A good housing match is one that meets four key needs.

• Housing should be affordable.

• Housing should offer the adequate amount of independence.

• Housing should meet your physical needs. 

• Housing should be discrimination-free. 

Willow Arbors, a transitional home, would provide supervised housing, which provides the most support for its residents. Trained staff members are present 24/7 to provide care and assistance with things like medication, daily living skills, meals, paying bills, transportation and treatment management. The group home will provide their residents with their own bed, dresser and closet space, and shared bathrooms and common areas.  

Residency would provide the skills to graduate into Partially Supervised Group Housing. Continued support is provided for the residents, but staff isn't there 24 hours a day. The residents can be left alone for several hours and are able to call for help if needed. People who choose to stay in these group homes can perform their daily living tasks independently or semi-independently, help with cooking and cleaning, and may even hold a part-time job or participate in a day program.