National Definitions of PATH Eligibility and PATH Enrollment

1. National Definitions of PATH Eligibility and PATH Enrollment Mattie Curry Cheek, Ph.D Director, PATH programHank Balderrama, SPC WashingtonMonica Bellamy, SPC MichiganLaura Gillis, PATH Technical Assistance CenterRachael Kenney, PATH Technical Assistance Center

2. Overview • PATH Overview • Rationale for National Definitions • PATH National Definitions • Eligibility • Enrollment • Accessing National Definitions

3. PATH Overview In 1990, PATH began funding services for individuals with: • Severe Mental Illness and/or • Severe Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders; who are • Homeless or at Imminent Risk of Homelessness.

4. Rationale for National Definitions Increase consistency in operational definitions Increase quality of data Better annual report Increase PATH funding Sustain PATH services in local communities

5. PATH Eligibility Literal Homelessness Imminent Risk of Homelessness Severe Mental Illness (SMI) SMI and Co-Occurring Disorders

6. PATH Eligibility Literal Homelessness “An individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing”.*

7. PATH Eligibility Imminent Risk “Definitions commonly include: doubled-up living arrangement where the individual's name is not on the lease, living in a condemned building without a place to move, arrears in rent/utility payments, having received aneviction notice without a place to move, living in temporary or transitional housing that carries time limits, being discharged from a health care or criminal justice institution without a place to live.”

8. PATH Eligibility Imminent Risk of Homelessness Administrative Workgroup Recommendation: Focus PATH resources on people who are already homeless or almost certain to become homeless without immediate intervention

9. PATH Eligibility Severe Mental Illness Symptoms of mental illness, and Difficulty in functioning, and History of using mental health services or Indication of a history of mental health concerns, and Appropriate age for SMI diagnosis

10. PATH Eligibility Severe Mental Illness Individuals are not expected to have documentation of mental illness. PATH programs are not expected to acquire a formal diagnostic assessment for individual to be eligible for PATH services.

11. PATH Eligibility Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders Designation occurs when individual is in active period of use affecting functioning OR recovery from substance use and continues to require support. Individuals experiencing substance use disorders only are not eligible for PATH services.

12. Age Criteria Youth Are homeless or at-risk of homelessness Have serious mental illness Are considered adults, e.g., emancipated youth

13. PATH Enrollment • Determined “PATH Eligible” • Established engagement with individual • Opened an individual file • Demographic information • PATH eligibility • Mutual agreement for the provision of services • Services provided

14. PATH Enrollment Services provided include: • Any service, assistance, or provision of resources that the individual is willing to accept • Mutual work that the individual identifies as important • Service plans required if case management services are provided.

18. Q & A Mattie Curry Cheek, PhD Director, PATH programHank Balderrama, SPC WashingtonMonica Bellamy, SPC MichiganLaura Gillis, PATH Technical Assistance CenterRachael Kenney, PATH Technical Assistance Center