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Services for mentally ill homeless persons: street-level integration
1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., USA.
The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
|August 1, 1998
Summary
Systems integration enhances human services for homeless individuals with mental illness. A "bottom-up" approach improves service coordination and accessibility for clients.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Public Health
- Mental Health Services
Background:
- Homelessness and mental illness present complex challenges in human service delivery.
- Effective service provision requires integrated approaches to address multifaceted needs.
- Coordination among services is crucial for vulnerable populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review systems integration elements for human services.
- To examine the application of these elements to mentally ill homeless persons.
- To illustrate the impact of clinical case management and street-level outreach.
Main Methods:
- Review of systems integration principles in human services.
- Case study analysis of a mental health outreach project.
- Discussion of a "bottom-up" service delivery model.
Main Results:
- Clinical case management demonstrates significant service- and systems-integrating influences.
- A "bottom-up" street-level approach can enhance service coordination.
- Improved accessibility of services for clients is achievable.
Conclusions:
- Systems integration is vital for effective human services, particularly for the mentally ill homeless.
- Clinical case management and outreach are key components of successful integration.
- Bottom-up strategies improve service accessibility and coordination.