Some Of Most Vulnerable Slip Through N.Y. Program That Helps Those With Mental Illness Live Independently
ProPublica, PBS' Frontline and The New York Times investigate the project and find that for some residents, the sudden shift from an institution to independence has "proved perilous, and even deadly."
ProPublica/Frontline/The New York Times:
Living Apart, Coming Undone
Adult home residents are given a subsidized apartment, called scattered site supported housing, and assigned a team of social workers and others to help navigate bureaucracies, housing problems and everyday tasks. But more than 200 interviews and thousands of pages of medical, social work and housing records reviewed by ProPublica and the PBS series Frontline, in collaboration with The New York Times, show that for some residents, the sudden shift from an institution to independence has proved perilous, and even deadly. (Sapien and Jennings, 12/6)
In other news on health care officials who are focusing on social factors: combatting homelessness in Minnesota and food insecurity in Wisconsin —
The Star Tribune:
Minneapolis Homeless Camp Inspires Interfaith Developer To Plan 70-Unit Affordable Complex
A St. Paul developer of affordable housing is making plans for a 70-unit apartment building for people who are homeless, after its leaders became increasingly troubled by the sight of a large homeless encampment in south Minneapolis. Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative, a group of 90 congregations working to end homelessness, said Wednesday that it has launched a campaign to raise up to $1.5 million in private funds to develop a building in Minneapolis with intensive support services. (Serres, 12/5)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Free Meals Help Combat Student Food Insecurity Throughout Wisconsin
Although Milwaukee Public Schools indicate nearly 90 percent of the students qualify for such meals, state statistics from the 2016-17 school year show more than half of the students in West Allis, Cudahy and South Milwaukee school districts alone are signed up for government-subsidized school meals because their household incomes fall below poverty-level guidelines. In comparison, wealthier suburban districts further west and north of the Milwaukee area have fewer students enrolled in meal programs, according to state Department of Public Instructions statistics. (Enriquez and Johnson, 12/5)
