The Housing Status of Individuals Discharged from Behavioral Health Treatment Facilities

This report examines the housing status of individuals following their last discharge from a behavioral health treatment facility in State Fiscal Year 2010. Over a 12-month follow-up period, we find that nearly half of the 9,909 clients discharged from residential chemical dependency treatment facilities had an indication of housing need, yet only 18 percent of those in need received housing assistance recorded in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Similarly, while approximately 30 percent of the 1,792 clients discharged from state mental health hospitals had an indication of housing need, only 17 percent of those in need received housing assistance recorded in HMIS.