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Housing Services
Compass Behavioral Health Care (CBHC) learned very early in the rehabilitation process that to meet the needs of the homeless in any level of care, housing needed to be a primary consideration. Permanent housing for this population is very limited; therefore members of the Behavioral Health Network coordinate with each other to provide housing for individuals in treatment or recovery from mental illness and substance abuse.
Housing supplemented with supportive services has been shown to be effective in increasing the ability of homeless people to live independently. In a 2000 study conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, researchers found that 74 to 93% of persons living in supportive housing arrangements remained self-sufficient after 12 to 18 months. On the other hand, people with alcohol and drug problems, including those dually-diagnosed with mental illness, often find it impossible to maintain sobriety without adequate housing. People making low wages, especially if they have children, cannot afford deposits and rents for market rate housing. If their housing is not affordable, they are at great risk of recidivism to substance abuse and homelessness, especially if they face a financial crisis such as job loss or medical needs.
CBHC’s experience is that homeless and low-income individuals who are newly sober are economically forced to live in or re-enter environments that do not support continued recovery and do not provide safe places for them or their children. The affordable housing that is available in the Tucson area through new construction and rehabilitation is generally not suitable for CBHC’s target population because it is not “clean and sober” and because it does not provide the supportive services required by people in recovery.
Individuals and households on the bottom rung of the economic ladder have incomes so low that it is difficult for them to sustain an adequate standard of living. The working poor have substantial job market disadvantages including lack of basic skills, lack of experience, less education, more children and/or work-limiting health conditions. The jobs they hold tend to be less stable and provide fewer, if any, benefits. Consistent, identifiable contributing factors of a lack of stability and progress include homelessness, poverty, violence, substance abuse, and general/mental health issues, any one of which can exacerbate a downward spiral.
In addition to being low-income, the population served by Compass Behavioral Health Care has "disabilities" - social, physical, and mental - that make it exceedingly difficult for them to obtain safe, sanitary housing they can afford. To be without safe and stable housing is hazardous to mental, physical, and emotional health. Compass believes that housing is healthcare because the lack of safe housing leads to homelessness where people are exposed to the elements, to violence, to the diseases rampant in overcrowded shelters, and to the effects of poor diet and lack of rest. Homelessness causes medical problems and exacerbates existing illness. Stable, safe and sanitary housing is central to being effective in caring for homeless and abandoned youth.
In 1994, Compass opened its first transitional housing program called Vida Nueva, to provide 28 apartments for women in recovery, and their children. Safe Harbor, another program operated by Compass, provides 28 transitional housing units for men and women who have completed treatment and require a stable, supportive environment while they solidify their recovery and plan for their future. Libertad is another transitional apartment complex owned by Compass. It was established in 2005 to provide 24 apartments for transitional/permanent housing and four apartments for homeless families with children.
Compass Behavioral Health Care | 2475 N. Jackrabbit Ave. Tucson, AZ 85745 | (520) 882-5608 | infochc@compasshc.org
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