Building Affordable Homes with Supportive Services

We have learned four important things about housing for persons with SMI: 1) stability for persons with SMI begins with having a safe and decent place to live, 2) the key to success in any housing situation for persons with SMI is support, which may include medication oversight, meals, assistance with tasks of daily living, and coordination with medical providers, 3) the quality of that support will determine outcomes, and 4) good outcomes are achievable.

We have made numerous site visits to supportive housing venues, spoken to service providers, non-profit housing developers, program administrators, County and City employees, and political and community leaders. We have identified successful SMI housing models that prove the direct link between quality of housing/services and both 1) the reduction or absence of negative outcomes (e.g., eviction or 5150 hospitalizations, recurring episodes of decomposition, relapse from sobriety, isolation, etc.), and 2) increased positive outcomes (e.g., progress toward recovery, a sense of safety and wellness, successful engagement with others, etc.). Better to create compassionate, successful housing models than to deal with the pain, suffering, individual and community costs, and crises of repeated failure.

ARCH (Ashby Recreation & Community Housing)

The East Bay Supportive Housing Collaborative (EBSHC), the Bay Area Outreach & Recreation program (BORP), and the Ed Roberts Campus (ERC) have joined in collaboration to propose ARCH, Ashby Recreation & Community Housing). Located on the East Lot of the Ashby BART Station, ARCH would serve the critical housing and recreation needs for people in the disability community, the South Berkeley neighborhood, and the greater Bay Area.

Housing Component

There is a desperate need in Alameda County for housing at the extremely low-income (ELI) level. Most persons at this level can live successfully in various settings if they are provided with appropriate services.

We propose up to seven floors of integrated supportive housing at the deepest level of affordability possible. A significant percentage of units would be set aside at the extremely low income (ELI) level for persons living with mental illness and on-site services would be provided to support these residents. “Integrated” in this context means that persons living with mental illness would be integrated into housing with persons who are not living with mental illness. This model is consistent with best practices aimed against segregating those in recovery and supporting their successful independent living.

Ideally, the housing development would also include a small, separate, licensed Board and Care facility with 24/7 staffing for up to 16 persons with mental illness who need a higher level support. Board and Care facilities are closing in record numbers in Alameda County. They are the necessary next step in the continuum of care, after acute and sub-acute care, for the stabilization and recovery for persons with SMI. Their absence creates a glaring gap in the continuum of care, causing untold instances of homelessness and a widespread, inhumane, and seemingly intractable pattern for some persons with mental illness who cycle repeatedly through the acute care system.

The housing development at ARCH would be built on universal design principles, incorporate green building elements to the extent possible, and offer a “right of return” housing priority for former African American residents of South Berkeley who have been displaced, to the extent allowed by law.

Recreation Component

For individuals without disabilities, there are numerous opportunities to engage in physical fitness and recreational activities every day. For people with disabilities, however, access to sports, fitness, and recreation is severely limited or non-existent, making it almost impossible for them to enjoy the well-documented health and quality-of-life benefits that come from these activities.

BORP is seeking to develop a universally designed recreation center, an important expansion to the Ed Roberts Campus, that would enable BORP to substantially expand its menu of adaptive sports, recreation, and wellness programs for children, youth, and adults with disabilities. Situated next to BART, the facility would leverage public transit and existing services to provide broad access to the disability community throughout the Bay Area. In addition, the Center would be open to the entire community during certain hours, providing an important and much needed recreation and aquatics resource.