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Stable Employment, Safe Housing & Supportive Peers: A Recipe for Recovery

Stable Employment, Safe Housing & Supportive Peers: A Recipe for Recovery . Karen Johnston Executive Director Tasks Unlimited Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1 in 17 Americans suffer from a serious and persistent mental illness.

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Stable Employment, Safe Housing & Supportive Peers: A Recipe for Recovery

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  1. Stable Employment, Safe Housing & Supportive Peers: A Recipe for Recovery Karen Johnston Executive Director Tasks Unlimited Minneapolis, Minnesota Providing supported employment and housing to people in recovery from mental illness since 1970.

  2. 1 in 17 Americans suffer from a serious and persistent mental illness. • 32.4% or 75 million Americans suffer from a mental disorder every year. (National Coalition for Homeless 2009) • 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. are affected by mental illness at some point in their lives.

  3. RELATIONSHIP TO HOMELESSNESS • Serious mental illnesses disrupt people’s ability to carry out essential aspects of daily life, such as self care and household management. • Mental illnesses may also prevent people from forming and maintaining stable relationships or cause people to misinterpret others’ guidance and react irrationally. • This often results in pushing away caregivers, family, and friends who may be the force keeping that person from becoming homeless.

  4. Relationship to Homelessness Cont. • As a result of these factors and the stresses of living with a mental disorder, people with mentally illnesses are much more likely to become homeless than the general population (Library Index, 2009).

  5. A Spiral of Events • Poor mental health may also affect physical health, especially for people who are homeless. • When combined with inadequate hygiene due to homelessness, this may lead to physical problems such as respiratory infections, skin diseases, or exposure to tuberculosis or HIV. • In addition, half of the mentally ill homeless population in the United States also suffers from substance abuse and dependence (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration).

  6. Spiral of Events cont. • This combination of mental illness, substance abuse, and poor physical health makes it very difficult for people to obtain employment and residential stability. .

  7. Other Barriers • Lack of adequate housing • Low income • Societal stigma against individuals with SPMI • Difficulties with daily functioning

  8. Tasks’ Solution:The Fairweather Lodge Model

  9. A Robust Lodge Structure A robust lodge program typically has the following characteristics: • Lodge Autonomy: lodge members (not outside professionals) make most if not all the decisions. There is minimal on-site staffing. • Pride: members are proud of their individual achievement and committed to the group. Groups are heterogeneous. Ages and genders may be mixed.

  10. Lodge Model Cont. • Group Stability: evidenced by low turnover and minimal re-institutionalization. • Organizational Stability: the immediate future of the lodge is not dependent on single, fragile funding streams; there are multiple persons, outside the lodge, who are passionate about defending the lodge program from emerging threats.

  11. Life in the Lodge Oakwood Lodge Lodge Model We recreate together. We take our medications as a group. We work together. We process our difficulties together. We are a family.

  12. Benefits of Life in the Lodge :Peer Support

  13. Peer Support: What is it?Why do we implement it? • Some of us are better workers. • Some of us are more ill(at different times). • We all depend on each other. • All of us care for one another, and, because of that we can care for our customers.

  14. Employment • Prior to joining Tasks, half of all clients NEVER held the same competitive job for a full year. • 85% were unemployed at intake. • Tasks Unlimited participants average over 7 years on the job. • Graduates working part time on average earn wages 13 times higher than their pre-Tasks Unlimited wages. • Client-employees earned over $3.7 million last year and paid taxes on those wages. • Many Tasks clients give up their social security disability payments saving taxpayers $$$$

  15. Why I Work? • Work is important- something to do. It provides spending money plus money to save. Work makes you responsible and provides self esteem. – Jeff • Work keeps me busy and I like earning money. It helps my self esteem plus money earned pays bills and the rent. – Tom • Work helps my mental attitude. When I’m working my paranoia is under control. – Barbara • I go places with the money I earn. I’ve been to Europe with Tasks twice (clients pay their own way).- Paul

  16. Reduced Hospitalization • Tasks Unlimited clients not hospitalized for mental health issues in 2011: 94%. • Clients average 31 days in the hospital in the year prior to joining Tasks Unlimited • Average mental health hospital cost of $2,500 per day • Savings of over $77,500 per person. • Saves taxpayers over $15.5 million annually—more than the annual operating expenses for the entire organization.

  17. Linda’s Story

  18. Questions? Tasks Unlimited 612-871-3320 www.tasksunlimited.org

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