Housing for people with mental illnesses: a comparison of models and an examination of the growth of alternative housing in Canada.

The decrease over the past three decades in institutional care for people with mental illness has not been matched by the adequate development of specialized housing in the community. Broadly speaking, two major models of housing have emerged in the past 30 years: custodial and alternative. Large custodial settings, including boarding houses, nursing homes and special care homes, are typically not associated with residents' satisfaction or a positive outcome. Alternative housing refers to a range of models, including halfway houses, group homes, co-ops and supported housing. It is associated with better residents' outcomes. This paper briefly compares the two models and examines key issues in alternative housing and its development in Canada.

Improving the income support of the chronically mentally ill: a model program to address the needs of the ex-psychiatric patient.

Interest in developing support services for the long-term mentally ill has increased in recent years. One of the most important aspects of support essential to the basic community survival of the chronic patient is income maintenance. Unfortunately, support in this area has been declining for this population. The purpose of this paper is to briefly outline the decline in the overall well-being of patients who rely on social assistance, describe a model income maintenance program established in a provincial psychiatric hospital, and, to evaluate the program's success in alleviating the financial problems of the long-term mentally ill. The income maintenance program described has proven to be a successful method of improving the economic situation of the long-term mentally ill. In its first 30 months of operation, the income status of over 3,000 patients has been systematically reviewed and 77% of those eligible have been converted to higher social assistance rates. The conversion has resulted in a 30 to 40% increase in income for the patients involved. The program has also contributed to improved relations with hospital staff and social assistance offices.