Creating frameworks of
Housing Coalition for People With Mental Health Disabilities
Conference on Housing Issues & Options
November 13, 2003 River Forest Community Center
Purpose of the Conference
To provide a forum for the leadership of community agencies serving as a means of enhancing knowledge of issues of community based housing
To define issues of affordable housing and ways those issues affect persons with mental health disabilities
To provide an overview and description of Chicagoland community housing options currently available and operating for persons with mental health disabilities
To support and organize the community leadership AGENDA FOR THE DAY
MORNING
8:30 to 9:30…Registration & Continental Breakfast
9:30 to 10…Opening Remarks, Khen Nickele, Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Adult Clinical Operations, Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health
10 to Noon…Panel on Housing Options & Models, Followed by a Q & A
Leyden Family Services, Bruce Sewick Metro West Network of the Illinois Division of Mental Health, Gordon Reiher Resurrection Behavioral Health of ProCare Centers, Kathy Gubbins Thresholds, Inc., Michele Mueller
AFTERNOON
Noon to 1…Lunch
1 to 2:30…Plenary Speakers, Corporation for Supportive Housing Joyce Grangent & Michelle Hoereth Building Your Capacity To Develop Housing Options Followed by a Q & A
2:30…Closing on behalf of the coalition and sponsors: Where Do We Go From Here? Resources Unlimited Foundation, Jim Boushay
Deep gratitude to conference sponsors
Community Foundation of Oak Park & River Forest, First Bank of Oak Park, River Forest Mental Health Committee,
Members of Housing Coalition for Mental Health Disabilities: Family Service & Mental Health Center of OP/RF, NAMI Metro Suburban, Unified Services Plan, Volunteer Center, West Suburban PADS
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Bios of Presenters at November 13, 2003, Conference on Housing Issues and Options
Joyce Grangent, is the Illinois Program Officer for Services and Program Development of the Corporation for Supportive Housing. She also works with the national staff of CSH to design and implement programs, public policy reforms, and policies for supportive housing-based services for homeless individuals and families. Joyce previously worked at Lakefront SRO as Assistant Director of Employment and Training. She had a fundamental role in the opening of Lakefront’s South Loop Apartments. Prior to becoming a staff member at Lakefront SRO, Joyce was a tenant for three and a half years, when she served on the CSH Board of Directors. She has extensive experience presenting at both local and national conferences. In 1998 Joyce was invited to present at the President’s Task Force on Employing Persons with Disabilities. Joyce serves on the South Holland Community Advisory Board, Chicago Job Council’s Workforce Development Task Force, the Chicago Human Relation’s Special Committee on Homelessness, and the Safer Foundation Employer Driven Barriers Committee and Education/Skills Committee.
Kathy Gubbins is the head of mental health services for Resurrection Behavioral Health at ProCare Centers. She has a masters in Counseling and Psychology, and since 1990 has had major administrative and programmatic responsibilities in the area of resident services
Michelle D. Hoereth, is the Program Officer for Housing and Finance of the Corporation for Supportive Housing. Michelle works with providers and other non-profits throughout the state of Illinois, providing technical assistance in developing permanent supportive housing. She has over eight years experience in housing. Prior to joining CSH, Michelle was the Assistant Vice President at Bank of America in the Community Development Banking Group. She was responsible for marketing, structuring, and underwriting affordable housing projects throughout the Midwest area. She also worked for the National Equity Fund, a syndicator, as an Acquisitions Manager, underwriting projects utilizing low-income housing tax credits as well as providing training. Michelle has a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University and BA in Economics from Howard University.
Michele Mueller received both undergraduate and graduate degrees from DePaul University and obtained a CADC certification in 1999 from Harold Washington College. She has worked with Thresholds, Inc. since 1996. She has experience with several different models of housing—e.g., group homes, assisted supported living, supported apartments, shelter care, plus voucher programs.
Khen Nickele, LCSW, has been with the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health for 31 years. During that time he has held a wide range of roles and responsibilities, from crisis worker to inpatient therapist, from director of Madden Intake to Community Providers Contract Manager. He currently is the IDHS / DMH representative to the Task Force on Homelessness in Suburban Cook County as well as the City of Chicago’s Continuum of Care, and chairs or serves several of these groups committees. His current title is Special Assistant to the Deputy Director for Adult Clinical Operations.
Gordon Reiher is Contract Manager with the Metro West Network of the Illinois Division of Mental Health. Part of the Network’s jurisdiction includes the west Cook area, from Proviso Township on the north to Lyons on the south. Mr. Reiher came to the Department of Mental Health in 1990, assisting the regional coordinator of the Department of Mental Health’s Community Integrated Living Arrangements program. He helped set up that program, which was designed to provide community residential programmatic alternatives to persons with mental illness who had been living in nursing homes, some for as long as 20 years. In 1996, his responsibilities expanded to include the facilitation of the Illinois MRO program, the Local Area Networks, the facilitation of continuity of care between the Community Mental health providers and Madden Mental Health Center, and the facilitation of several RSPs, including those to expand residential programming, psychosocial rehabilitation, and integrated MISA Services. Prior to coming to the Department, Mr Reiher worked in different capacities for 15 years at city and suburban community- based service organizations. Currently, in addition to contract management duties, he serves as the hospital co-chair of the MetroWest MISA and Residential Committees. He also sits on the West Suburban Coalition on Homelessness, part of the CBSA for the HUD Housing Task force.
Bios of the Members of the Housing Coalition for People With Mental Health Disabilities
Jim Boushay is president of Resources Unlimited Foundation, a consultation and education institute dedicated to partnership building in social justice and community development. Since 1980 the institute has created and facilitated projects of civic engagement. His organization is serving as facilitator today at the conference. From 1984 to 1990 he was instrumental in developing a metro suburban model of affordable housing for persons with developmental and mental health disabilities. Before that, from 1979-1981, he served as a member of the mental health policy & advocacy staff of the Menninger Foundation in Kansas, with major responsibilities for developing community outreach programs addressing the stigma of mental illness.
Daniel Kill, LCSW, is the president and CEO of Family Service & Mental Health Center of Oak Park and River Forest. A charter member of the Housing Coalition for Persons with Disabilities, Dan has been working over the last year with the Coalition to identify the housing needs of persons of the community with mental health disabilities and in developing a plan to address these needs. Over the past few years persons having mental health disabilities have expressed worries to Family Service staff around their continued ability to afford to live in the Oak Park community.
Abby Schmelling, the Executive Director of the Volunteer Center since 1992, has worked in the nonprofit sector since the late 1970’s. She is former Executive Director of the Senior Citizens Center of Oak Park & Rover Forest.
Lynda Schueler is Executive Director of West Suburban Public Action to Deliver Shelter, or P.A.D.S. Lynda has over ten years of experience in the field of homelessness, working previously for DuPage P.A.D.S. for six years before being hired by West Suburban P.A.D.S., where she has been for the past five years. Lynda holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northern Illinois University.
Edward Solan has 25 years of experience in the field of affordable housing. He currently holds the joint position of executive director of the Oak Park Housing Authority and the Oak Park Residence Corporation, a community-based housing development corporation that owns approximately 20 affordable housing projects. Previously he has served as Chief Operating Officer of the Illinois Housing Development Authority and Senior Vice-President of Development with the New York City Housing Development Corporation.
Susan Stearns is since 1993 the case manager and volunteer coordinator of the Unified Services Plan Program at the Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township. She is also the volunteer coordinator at the Volunteer Center, where she manages the TEAM Program (Truly Exception Awesome Members), which matches adults with mental illness with volunteer projects in the Oak Park and River Forest communities. Since 1978 she has worked and volunteered at numerous agencies and organizations. Today in recognition of excellence in volunteerism, she will receive the annual Athena Award at a special luncheon being held at another location.
Lydia Tuck brings a combination of 16 years of human services experience as the Executive Director of the Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park and River Forest Mental Health Committee. Lydia's broad experience includes not-for-profit administration with a background in mental health, substance abuse, and housing, and alternatives to incarceration. She joined the CMHB in 2003.
Marie Wackrow, a board member of NAMI Metro Suburban, has served on the Madden Housing Committee as well on the Housing Coalition for People With Mental Health Disabilities. She is one of the founders of a NAMI-affiliated Drop-In Center. Ms. Wackrow, a retired school teacher, is the mother of a mentally ill son.
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Wednesday Journal Advocates search for solutions to mental health housing • A housing summit held at the River Forest Community Center last week seeks comprehensive, long-term solutions for the mentally ill and homeless. By BILL DWYER Three dozen mental health professionals and other concerned officials attended a summit conference on housing issues related to the mentally ill and homeless last Thursday at the River Forest Community Center. They are seeking to identify and enumerate the problems and possible new, creative solutions to the growing crisis in housing services for a population characterized as too often overlooked and underserved. Sponsored by Family Service & Mental Health Center of Oak Park and River Forest, the Community Foundation of Oak Park and River Forest, First Bank of Oak Park, the River Forest Mental Health Board, and the Village of Oak Park, the daylong “Conference on Housing Issues and Options,” involved a wide array of groups that work with people at risk, including government and notfor profit social service agencies, the Oak Park Housing Authority, and the State of Illinois. “We have a lot of work to do,” said conference facilitator Jim Boushay of Resources Unlimited Foundation. “Our intent is to work together, to get to know each other a bit better.” Among the tasks the group undertook was clearly defining the numerous tactical issues that face those working to provide housing and services for the mentally ill and homeless. Mental health From that understanding would come, they believe, ways to best work together in a more collaborative manner to serve that population. In addition, the group sought to organize and support community leadership in the west suburban Cook County area in developing strategies for more effectively addressing those issues. “Collaboration” seemed to be one key term of the day, “creativity” another. One participant after another acknowledged the necessity of various housing and healthcare providers working in concert to best serve their shared target populations. “You can’t do all of it on your own,” counseled Khen Nichele of Madden Mental Health Center. Nichele noted that the most recent federal grants to agencies working on housing and service provision for the mentally ill and homeless have been combined proposals. The model for providing services to that population, he said, is shifting to one of “creative alliances” between groups with separate expertise in housing and mental health services. Not that the answer is always more housing, said Nichele, who noted that more programs must be designed to support those already willing to help mentally ill individuals. “If we don’t provide help to those already providing help—if we don’t help mom and dad deal with their seriously mentally ill daughter—then we’re going to have to build another building.” Building business partnerships While encouraged by the focus and content of the conference, Bruce Sewick, supervisor of residential services for Leyden Township Family Services, said that people must do more than just talk about the problems. Sewick, part of a panel discussing housing options and models, became a social worker several years ago after 22 years in the business world, mostly with General Electric, and has a deep respect for the corporate culture’s instincts for taking focused, effective action. One key way to move any discussion along effectively, he said, was to get the local and national business communities involved. Calling it "their problem, too,” Sewick was adamant that any collaboration needed business’ input, stating, “It’s all theoretical if we don’t get the business community involved.” Such involvement would take a variety of forms, he said, from outright charitable funding, to expert advice, to the sharing of networks and human resources. The point resonated with most of those around the table. “From a business sense, you need to have a concrete proposal,” agreed Dan Kill, Family Service’s executive director. Nichele then suggested developing a sort of “bridal registry” for charitable involvement by interested businesses. Family Service staff member Nancy Fidler added that business needed to be shown such involvement was in their own best interest. “We need to show businesses that some of the people they’re being asked to help are their customers.” “It’s really not a sexy issue,” said the Oak Park Community Mental Health Board executive director Lydia Tuck. “People like to fund kids, like to fund families.” As for reliable housing, Tuck asked, “How do we show the everyday person that this is an issue that matters?” Speaking after the lunch break, Michelle Hoereth of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a national organization with offices in Chicago, presented a possible model for collaboration and partnership in securing effective housing resources for the mentally ill. Though the economy of her model isn’t initially apparent, from a long-term economic point of view, she said, developing permanent, supportive housing for the mentally ill population works best. “It makes sense to develop 10 units of housing for mentally ill individuals,” Hoereth contended, “rather than have {those same} people go through the mental health system again and again and again.” There was a good deal of questioning and follow-up comment from all involved on the various issues throughout the conference. The issues, all agreed, are complex and will take time and concerted effort to understand and organize in a way that allows for effective action. But attendees generally believed the conference was a good start, and needed strong follow-up. A follow up to that start will occur at a 9 a.m. breakfast meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at the offices of the Oak Park Community Mental Health Board at 105 S. Oak Park Ave. (Oak Park Township Hall). Many of the same groups represented at last Thursday’s summit will be there. The host of the planned breakfast, Lydia Tuck, shares both the optimism and caution expressed at last week’s River Forest conference. “It’s a great start,” she said, “as long as we can develop a clear plan of action. |