Housing for People with Mental Illness and Substance Use Issues

This housing is for adults who are Mentally Ill and Chemically addicted (MICA) or Chemically Addicted with Mental Illness (CAMI). An applicant is considered to be MICA if they have a primary mental health diagnosis and a secondary substance abuse diagnosis.  An applicant is considered to be CAMI if they have severe alcohol and/or drug addiction with associated symptoms of mental illness, but are not seriously mentally ill.

This housing requires that applicants exhibit a pattern of substance (drug) use leading to:

• significant problems or distress such as failure to attend work/school
• substance use in dangerous situations (driving a car)
• substance-related legal problems or
• continued substance use that interferes with friendships and / or family relationships

Eligibility | Models | How to Apply

Eligibility/Criteria

1)  Housing for adults who are actively using requires the applicant to:

1. Be chronically homeless
2. Be a single adult
3. Have a documented substance abuse disorder that is a primary barrier to independent living  
4. Have a disabling clinical condition (i.e., a medical, physical, developmental or mental health condition that further impairs their ability to live independently)
5. Be currently using substance(s)
6. May be mentally ill but cannot be Seriously and Persistently Mentally Ill (SPMI)

2)  Housing for adults who are in recovery requires the applicant to:

1. Be a single adult
2. Be homeless or at risk of street homelessness or sheltered homelessness and who need transitional supportive housing (that may include half-way houses) to sustain sobriety and achieve independent living
3. Have successfully completed or successfully participating in treatment for a substance abuse disorder (documentation from the substance use treatment program on agency letterhead)
4. Not be currently using substance(s)

3)  Mental Health Housing for adults with current or historical substance abuse issues:

Reference the Eligibility/Criteria in General Mental Health Housing section

Models

The models for adults who are actively using or who are in recovery are::

• Congregate - All program residents live in one building, with staff located on-site

• Scattered Site - Program residents live in single or shared apartments, ‘scattered’ throughout the community.  Typically, staff is located off-site and visits the resident in their apartment

The models for adults with current or historical substance abuse issues, please refer to mental health housing model options.

How to Apply

• When applying for supportive housing, including New York/New York III housing, the HRA 2010e housing application must be submitted electronically by a service provider.
• In order to submit an application electronically, service providers must be trained by Human Resources Administration’s (HRA) Customized Assistance Services and receive a Username and Password.
• Call Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS) at (212) 801-3333 and ask for a housing consultant for information about the HRA 2010e housing application and referral process.