Housing provides a fundamental level of stability for young people to achieve their goals of wellness, recovery, and eventual self-sufficiency. The lack of safe and affordable housing options is often a profound barrier for SED/SPMI TAY who needs access to these basic supports for recovery. The Project-Based Operational Subsidy funds provide subsidies for Unit-based Permanent Supportive Housing programs and “Youth-Oriented” board and care-type (non-licensed) programs to address the long-term housing needs of SED/SPMI TAY who are eligible for Full Service Partnerships (FSP) and others coming directly from transitional housing programs or directly from foster care or group homes.
The Project-Based Operating Subsidy targets youth who, with sufficient support, could live independently in community settings. Supportive mental health and other services will be made available for youth who are:
- High-risk (transitioning out of long-term institutional settings)
- Moderate-risk (often homeless but are actively engaged on the streets)
- Low-risk (generally high-functioning in their recovery and may be working or going to school)
The advantage of these long-term investments is that when a unit is vacated by a youth, the unit remains available for occupancy by other TAY with similar mental health needs. The operational subsidy stays with the unit, not with the individual, and thereby insures a permanent supply of housing for this hard-to-place population. Moreover, the rents remain stable (affordable) over decades since the apartments are not in the competitive private real estate market.
For more information, please contact the Contract Management & Monitoring Division