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Q&A
Council Member Brannan questions DOHMH on justice involved supportive housing
0:15:26
·
3 min
Council Member Justin Brannan engages in a Q&A session with DOHMH officials, primarily focusing on justice involved supportive housing (JISH) and transitional supportive housing. The discussion covers funding allocation, unit availability, eligibility criteria, and outreach methods for these housing programs.
- DOHMH confirms that additional funding for current JISH providers has been allocated and providers can now invoice for it.
- Assistant Commissioner Jamie Neckles explains the difference between permanent supportive housing (12,600 units) and the 120 JISH units, which have a different application pathway.
- The eligibility criteria and proactive outreach process for JISH units are discussed, focusing on high utilizers of jails and shelters.
Justin Brannan
0:15:26
Thank you very much Commissioner.
0:15:27
I want to jump right in.
0:15:29
Some questions about JISH, the justice involved supportive housing and transitional supportive housing.
0:15:35
The Littmann report recommended the city add three eighty more JIS units to bring the total to 500.
0:15:44
The estimated cost for this increase is 26,600,000.0.
0:15:48
Earlier this year, DOHMH was allocated just under $6,500,000 through the council's citywide discharge planning initiative to increase JISH units and expand the operating budgets for the three JISH contracted providers.
0:16:03
Could you provide an update as to when the providers will see this funding in their contracts?
Michelle Morse
0:16:08
Thank you so much for raising the issue of JSH.
0:16:12
We do believe it's a really important program because we believe that housing, of course, is one of the most fundamental drivers of health.
0:16:20
For the specifics about the JISH funding and when providers are going to see it, I'm going to pass to Assistant Commissioner Jamie Nichols to share more details.
Jamie Neckles
0:16:29
Thank you Doctor.
0:16:30
Morse.
0:16:31
And we are grateful for the additional funding for the current GIST providers.
0:16:35
They have all received that additional funding and are able to invoice for it now.
Justin Brannan
0:16:41
Okay.
0:16:42
What is being done sort of, you know, large print, big picture, what is being done to create more transitional supportive housing?
0:16:51
And what reentry services are being provided?
Michelle Morse
0:16:54
I'll also ask Assistant Commissioner Nichols to respond.
Jamie Neckles
0:17:00
Thanks for that question.
0:17:01
So the health department has 12,600 units of what we refer to as permanent supportive housing.
0:17:08
We think of that as different than transitional.
0:17:10
So I just want to clarify that people come into those units, they sign leases and stay as long as they meet the terms of their lease.
0:17:18
Typically, lengths of stay are between seven and eight years.
0:17:21
So that's a tremendous success, I think, after coming out of a period of homelessness.
0:17:25
All of those units are open to people who meet the clinical criteria, substance use or mental health, and homelessness criteria.
0:17:33
So we have people with justice involved, histories of justice involvement across our full portfolio of supportive housing.
0:17:40
The 120 open JISH units that we have now are not operating.
0:17:45
They're occupied.
0:17:46
So I want to be careful when I say open.
0:17:48
So the 120 JISH units have a different application pathway or a different pathway that does not involve an application.
0:17:55
So there's a pre qualifying for people with high use of jails and shelters are sort of pre qualified to move into those units.
0:18:04
So that's a focused reentry housing program, but the full portfolio of housing is available for people coming out of jail, well as hospitals and shelters.
Justin Brannan
0:18:13
Can you talk a bit about the eligibility criteria for someone to obtain one of those units?
Jamie Neckles
0:18:20
Sure.
0:18:20
So for justice involved supportive housing you're talking about, it's work collaboratively with the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice and the Department of Homeless Services to identify high utilizers of jails and shelters.
0:18:32
So we take the top tier of utilizers there, and they are essentially a list of people that the GIST providers outreach.
0:18:40
Find them if they're in jail now or recently.
0:18:43
Engage them and say that they are pre qualified for a supportive housing unit, which is like a lottery ticket.
0:18:50
And they do
Justin Brannan
0:18:50
you actually do the outreach screening.
0:18:52
You'll identify these folks and then proactively reach out to them?
Michelle Morse
0:18:55
Yep.
0:18:55
Yeah.
Justin Brannan
0:18:56
That's great.
0:18:56
That's We don't hear a lot of that from this administration.