This section of the website provides the Publications that have been developed by DMA over the last several years. These reports are organized below based on following population groups:
- Developmental Disabilities
- Mental Health
- Mental Health/Criminal Justice
- Homelessness
- Aging and Persons with Disabilities
- Affordable Housing
- Fair Housing
Note: This list represents only a partial listing of the many publications that we have authored, please contact us for a complete listing.
- Housing Survey of People with Disabilities in Pennsylvania – Executive Summary
- Housing Survey of People with Disabilities in Pennsylvania – Full Report – 2015
Description: “The Housing Survey of People with Disabilities in Pennsylvania” summarizes the survey responses of over 450 individuals with disabilities in Pennsylvania about their housing needs and preferences. The survey findings clearly demonstrate that while many of the housing needs and preferences of people with disabilities are the same as everyone else, other needs and preferences are special. The findings reported in these documents have definite implications for members of the housing industry, including housing and community planners, developers, architects, builders and realtors as well as service providers.
Description: In September 2008, the PA Department of Public Welfare’s Bureau of Autism Services appointed the Housing Options Committee and charged them with the task of identifying and assessing housing options that will meet the varying needs, preferences and abilities of adults living with autism spectrum disorder at different points in their life cycle. The long-term goal of the group was to expand the number of viable housing options and models in order to maximize the choice and independence of adults with autism. The Report includes a discussion of barriers to housing, as well as short and long-term recommendations designed to remove barriers and increase housing options for individuals with autism. This includes a description of 22 housing models, and a typology of seven housing settings: remaining at home; family living; renting an apartment or home; purchasing a home; shared housing; intentional communities; and licensed facilities. The work of the Committee was facilitated by DMA and staff from the Bureau of Autism Services.
Description: County mental health offices commonly cite housing as the greatest unmet need within their communities. In response to this need, in 2005/2006 the OMHSAS Adult Advisory Committee formed a Housing Work Group to develop a set of principles, strategies and action plans for expanding housing with recovery-oriented services for consumers. The group was charged with developing a document that is consistent with the guiding principles set forth in A Call for Change and that could be used by OMHSAS and other Commonwealth agencies to set priorities and target resources, and by the county mental health offices to address the housing needs of their consumers. DMA, along with the Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) served as consultants to the project and authored this strategic plan.
Description: The Digest describes the innovative and creative ways in which different agencies collaborate and pool resources in order to reach out to homeless individuals with mental illness, engage their trust, and expand their housing options. This includes outreach and engagement, and provides information on model programs in rural communities from around the country. Additionally, the Digest provides an overview of the Housing First philosophy and describes noteworthy programs. This publication was developed as a resource for mental health housing specialists through DMA’s work with the OMHSAS.
Description: The Housing Choices Newsletter was published quarterly from 1996 until Summer 2009 as part of DMA’s work with Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). Newsletters featured educational articles dealing with housing needs and issues for people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders. Topics include: exemplary programs; funding; fair housing; government programs; homeownership; healthcare; homelessness; and more. The Housing Choices Newsletters are archived on the PA Housing Choices website, and can be accessed at http://www.pahousingchoices.org/publications/newsletters/.
Description: DMA developed the Compendium of Housing Programs in PA as part of our work with the PA Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS). The document was designed to be a resource for county mental health housing specialists as well as other disability and human service agencies and professionals interested in either developing housing for people with disabilities or assisting individuals with disabilities in locating accessible, affordable housing in their communities. The Compendium provides uniform information on a wide variety of programs used to build, rehabilitate, buy or rent housing for people with disabilities. It includes both programs that are designed solely for people with disabilities and programs that can be used for other populations.
Description: The purpose of the Housing Solutions Digest is to spread information about the many creative and exciting state and local efforts being undertaken to address the housing needs of people with disabilities throughout the Commonwealth. It is a user-friendly digest that documents current issues and trends in Pennsylvania. Descriptions of problems and solutions are supplemented with examples and contact information so that the digest can serve as an excellent resource for organizations and other groups interested in initiating or expanding housing opportunities in their communities.
Description: Stable housing is an essential component of mental health recovery. The FACES publication addresses the priorities and objectives set forth in the OMHSAS Housing Work Group Report, which established the goal of ensuring that all Pennsylvanians with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders have access to a range of decent, safe, affordable housing options and recovery-oriented services. Specifically, this publication contains definitions and examples of recovery-oriented services; case studies of two counties that have recovery-oriented mental health systems; and testimonies of individuals who have participated in recovery-oriented services.
Mental Health and Criminal Justice
Description: Under contract with Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), DMA authored Housing and the Sequential Intercept Model in 2010. This Guide provides direction to mental health, criminal justice, housing and other county agencies interested in engaging in a planning process to increase housing opportunities and decrease justice involvement and recidivism among individuals with mental illness. Specifically, the Guide: explains why housing is a critical element; describes the obstacles in locating housing; introduces a number of successful housing strategies and models; and provides a step by step guide to successfully incorporating housing players and resources into a planning process. These planning steps include: defining the problem; setting goals using the Sequential Intercept Model; convening a planning committee; collecting and analyzing data; identifying housing resources and gaps; identifying housing support services; reviewing potential housing models; formulating strategies to fill the gaps; and developing action plans.
Description: DMA was engaged by the Philadelphia Mental Health Care Corporation (PHMCC) on behalf of the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) to develop strategies for providing a range of safe, affordable housing for non-violent offenders with severe mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorders. Goals of this study included: evaluating barriers to accessing housing; the development of a strategic plan to address these barriers; identifying housing financing resources; among others. Prototypes were developed in order to characterize the target population. Barriers and strategies were presented for in four categories: supportive individuals in housing; accessing existing housing; expanding housing options and opportunities; and preventing the loss of housing.
Description: DMA was engaged by Center County’s Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) to conduct a housing needs study of people with mental illness involved with the criminal justice system in Centre County. The goals of the study were to: collect and analyze data on the target population; determine the resources and gaps in the existing criminal justice, mental health and housing systems; and to recommend strategies for filling those gaps. Among other findings, the report concluded that individuals who self-identified as having a mental illness spent an average of 79 additional days in jail, as compared to those who did not identify as having a mental illness; and individuals who self-identified as having a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder spent an average of 146 additional days in jail, as compared to those who did not identify as having a mental illness or co-occurring substance use disorder. Additionally, the Assessment identified 51 individuals labeled as Mental Health Frequent Users. These individuals, who met specific criteria, spent nearly seven times as many days incarcerated as compared to the overall inmate population. Using the framework of the Sequential Intercept Model, the Assessment provides nearly 40 recommendations designed to provide a blueprint to create a system of housing and services to meet the needs of this population through improved coordination, providing additional services, and increasing housing resources.
Description: The York County Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) engaged DMA to conduct a housing needs study of people with mental illness involved with the criminal justice system. The goals of the study were to: gather data on individuals with serious mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorders who are involved with the criminal justice system; assess the current housing and services available to this population; identify barriers and recommend a plan to address barriers; and to recommend reallocation and expansion of resources in order to create a comprehensive continuum of housing and services. Among other findings, the Study found that 11% of York County’s Mental Health Case Load of Adult Probation were discharged from prison to homelessness; 25% were homeless at some point during supervision; and 29% were denied parole due to lack of housing. Individuals on this caseload who had experienced homelessness had twice the number of incarcerations and three times the average number of jail days as their non-homeless cohorts. The report provides 25 recommendations designed to address the specialized needs of the target population, including: specific housing and support service recommendations; data recommendations; and organizational recommendations.
Description: The Pennsylvania Homeless Steering Committee, which is composed of key state agencies and representatives of all 18 of PA’s Continuums of Care, recognized the need for additional information about homeless youth and to develop a strategy for ending youth homelessness. In 2011 it established a Youth Subcommittee to take the lead. The Subcommittee planned key activities to inform the Steering Committee, including conducting a series of youth focus groups to gather anecdotal information on the causes and experience of youth homelessness in PA, the adequacy of existing homeless services for youth, and the types of housing and service options desired by homeless youth. This report describes and summarizes the youth focus groups.
Description: Barbara Hodas and Diana Myers co-authored a Chapter for this three volume publication that: introduces the general principles for ending homelessness; describes the unique challenges of ending homelessness in rural areas; presents the strengths of rural communities in ending homelessness; and offers alternative strategies for ending rural homelessness through coordination and collaboration; prevention; outreach and engagement; and housing first.
Aging and Persons with Disabilities
- Housing Survey of People with Disabilities in Pennsylvania – Executive Summary
- Housing Survey of People with Disabilities in Pennsylvania – Full Report – 2015
Description: “The Housing Survey of People with Disabilities in Pennsylvania” summarizes the survey responses of over 450 individuals with disabilities in Pennsylvania about their housing needs and preferences. The survey findings clearly demonstrate that while many of the housing needs and preferences of people with disabilities are the same as everyone else, other needs and preferences are special. The findings reported in these documents have definite implications for members of the housing industry, including housing and community planners, developers, architects, builders and realtors as well as service providers.
Description: In 2007, the Long Term Living Housing Advisory Committee was created in order to develop a strategic plan for increasing affordable accessible housing options for individuals needing long term living services. The Committee was guided by the principles of choice, access, affordability and sustainability, coordination and collaboration. The plan includes strategies to provide adequate housing and services to prevent institutionalization and allow individuals to age in place, as well as strategies to enable those currently living in nursing homes and other institutions to return to the community without delay due to a lack of appropriate housing. Recommendations were made in the following areas: Increase Housing Options and Opportunities; Support Aging in Place; Nursing Home Transition; Knowledge; and Coordination. Finally, the Report provides recommendations for implementing and financing the goals and objectives set forth.
Description: The Commonwealth’s Intra-Governmental Council on Long Term Care established the Housing Alternatives Work Group (HAWG) to identify and research non-traditional housing options for elderly and adults with disabilities, including those who wish to relocate from nursing homes to the community. The goal was to expand affordable, accessible housing choices for the target populations using models that were not currently viable or available in Pennsylvania. The Group established criteria for consideration of housing models and conducted an exhaustive search of national and international models. Eight different housing models emerged from the work of the Group, including: Tenant Based Rental Assistance; Shared Housing Match-up Program; Clustered Housing/Clustered Services; Housing Facility Design Modification Strategy; Limited Equity Housing Cooperative; Enhanced Adult Foster Care; Building Technology; and Abbeyfield Homes. The report provides a description of each model, as well as recommendations for next steps/implementation.
Description: Working with private housing providers is a good way to increase access to affordable accessible housing. The purpose of this monograph is to help readers to understand the need for homes within reach low and moderate income elderly and people with disabilities, and to promote the use of proven strategies for working with private housing providers to help meet that need. The recommended strategies are based on findings from recent landlord focus groups, as well as years of professional experience in the field. The monograph is directed to both: agencies assisting members of the target populations to find homes within reach, as well as private property owners, landlords and property managers interested in learning more about the benefits of and how to participate in public programs serving these households.
Description: DMA created People First through the Housing and Disability Technical Assistance Program (TAP), sponsored by the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development. People First is intended to increase awareness of appropriate ways to address and refer to individuals with disabilities. It is designed for builders, developers, architects, as well as staff for housing and community development corporations, housing counseling agencies, financial institutions, public agencies, and other housing or human service organizations who are concerned about common courtesies when interacting with people with disabilities.
- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, Part 1
- Centre County Affordable Housing Needs Assessment, Part 2
Description: In order to prepare a comprehensive, countywide affordable housing needs assessment, the Centre County Board of Commissioners contracted with DMA to identify the county’s critical housing needs and provide information that can be used to address those needs within the county’s 36 municipalities for a ten-year period. The Assessment provides the basis for future planning and economic and community development efforts in order to: develop new public policies and programs related to housing; facilitate the private sector’s development of affordable community housing by the provision of market data; develop ways to generate and allocate public and private resources for housing development; plan for future housing impacts connected with anticipated growth; monitor the effectiveness of housing programs and projects that might be initiated; and identify options for integrating affordable housing units within new and existing neighborhoods.
Description: Developed for the Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development’s Housing and Disability Technical Assistance Program (TAP), this easy to read pamphlet provides an overview of reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications. It informs the reader how to request reasonable accommodations and/or modifications, explains what is “reasonable”, the legal rights of the tenant and the landlord, and how to file a complaint.
