The Housing and Homeless Programs of BHDD Office of Mental Health provide technical assistance and funding through vendor contracts to organizations, primarily non-profit organizations, that provide housing and services to persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses.

Our mission is to provide people with mental illness the opportunity to live independently in the community of their choice with dignity and respect.

The Housing program works in partnership with local mental health centers and interested organizations to fund and develop safe, decent, affordable housing with supportive services for our constituents. Patients typically have incomes of less than $550 per month, and therefore must receive subsidies to be able to afford standard housing.

The program contracts with nonprofit organizations to fund a portion of the total project cost. Other sources of funding for housing include federal dollars (HUD Section 811 program, 14UD Continuum of Care Supportive Housing programs for the Homeless) and State dollars (SC State Housing Trust Fund, State HOME Program). We currently have a strong network of over 40 nonprofit groups State-wide interested in housing development. We limit our funding participation to no more than 50% of the total development cost of a housing project, but in recent years, we have leveraged approximately $5 in other (non-BHDD Office of Mental Health) funds for every $1 in BHDD Office of Mental Health funds. The Housing program also contracts with two technical assistance consultants, MHA in SC/Turnkey Housing and Nehemiah Corporation, to provide the additional field work needed to develop the units.

Shelter Plus Care

In December 1998, BHDD Office of Mental Health Housing and Homeless Programs was awarded four HUD Shelter Plus Care Grants for five years, representing five areas of the State, for a total of $1,715,880. These areas and the respective sponsoring agencies include Columbia/Friendship Center, Rock Hill/Pilgrims’ Inn, Myrtle Beach/Waccamaw Housing, Inc., Spartanburg/SHARE, Inc., Greenville/MHA of Greenville County Housing Corporation.

This federal grant provides rental assistance funds for housing units owned or leased by the sponsoring agencies to be occupied by homeless persons with mental illness. These units may be occupied by individuals or families with children with mental illness.

BHDD Office of Mental Health committed matching funds for the five year grant period for all five areas, for a total of $400,000.

PATH Program

The Housing and Homeless Programs staff administer the PATH (Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness) program. This annual allocation of $300,000 currently provides funding for four providers: Greenville Mental Health Center, Waccamaw Center for Mental Health, Spartanburg Area Mental Health Center, Mental Health Association in Aiken County Nurture Home, and Crisis Ministries in Charleston. Funds are provided for personnel and case management services for persons with mental illness who are homeless.