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Successful program maintenance when federal demonstration dollars stop: the ACCESS program for homeless mentally ill
Henry J Steadman1, Joseph J Cocozza, Deborah L Dennis
1Policy Research Associates, Inc., Delmar, NY 12054, USA. hsteadman@prainc.com
Administration and Policy in Mental Health
|December 10, 2002
Summary
Federal funding often ends demonstration programs. The Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports (ACCESS) project explored strategies to sustain services for homeless individuals with serious mental illness and substance abuse disorders after funding ceased.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Public Health Policy
- Mental Health Services
Background:
- Federal demonstration programs for human services often cease upon termination of funding, irrespective of success.
- Sustaining integrated services for vulnerable populations presents significant challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the sustainability of the Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports (ACCESS) project after federal funding ended.
- To identify effective, replicable systems integration strategies that facilitate program continuation.
Main Methods:
- Post-funding site visits to former ACCESS project locations.
- Qualitative assessment of retained program elements and implemented continuation strategies.
- Analysis of new funding streams and successful funding acquisition tactics.
Main Results:
- Specific ACCESS services and systems integration activities were retained by project sites.
- Sites successfully identified and secured new funding streams to continue operations.
- Various strategies were employed to ensure the long-term viability of integrated care models.
Conclusions:
- Programmatic and strategic planning can facilitate the continuation of successful human services demonstration projects beyond initial federal funding.
- Systems integration strategies developed within ACCESS proved adaptable and valuable for sustained service delivery.
- The sustainability of integrated care models is achievable through proactive funding acquisition and strategic partnerships.