# Homelessness and Severe Mental Illness: Challenges and Solutions

## TL;DR

This paper addresses the challenges faced by people with severe mental illness who fall through the cracks of community programs and proposes supportive housing as a solution.

## Contribution

The paper proposes establishing supportive housing attached to long-term inpatient units for those who fail community programs.

## Key findings

- A significant minority of people with severe mental illness fail community housing and services.
- They often end up in jails, streets, or inpatient units, creating a revolving door phenomenon.
- Supportive housing attached to inpatient units is suggested as an alternative care option.

## Abstract

Optimal care of people with severe mental illness has always been a challenge. Deinstitutionalization in the second half of the twentieth century paved the way for community programs to help improve the lives of people with mental illness. However, a significant minority of people with severe mental illness continue to fail community housing and rehabilitative services and are falling through the cracks. They often end up in jails, prisons, streets, long-term inpatient psychiatric units, or are frequently admitted to acute inpatient units, leading to the revolving door phenomenon. This paper discusses the current challenges and shortcomings of the available programs for people with severe mental illness and proposes alternative care options for those who fall through the cracks. We propose to establish supportive housing attached to the long-term inpatient units for people with severe mental illness who fail other community programs.