Community Engagement Program

Some homeless individuals have problems which seem intractable - debilitating physical, mental and addiction issues. Traditional services have not been able to reach them and on average, they have been living on the streets for nearly a decade.

Without CEP, these individuals would remain isolated and addicted in a bleak landscape of limited choices and fractured care, often cycling through various medical and psychiatric wards, detoxification and treatment centers.

Created in 2002, CEP seeks out people living under bridges, on the streets, in jail, camps, shelters, hospitals and at Hooper. Using the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model, CEP provides them with evidenced-based treatment in the community and at Old Town Clinic, rather than at hospitals.

First, people are offered transitional housing. Once they have a safe place to live, those with addictions are often willing to take steps toward recovery. Physicians, mental health practitioners, social workers, case managers and vocational counselors team up to create a multi-disciplined plan for each patient. Because clients have been homeless so long, they have not had basic preventive medical care; stabilizing their health is a critical, initial goal.

The staff-patient ratio is 1-12; a far cry from the 100 clients most agency case managers see. The care team checks in regularly with each client. Teams have full responsibility for all treatment, so they can respond in a concerted, timely manner and provide a continuity of care which is best for the patient and saves taxpayer money.

In just a short time, CEP has seen amazing results, leading staff to believe that even the most chronically homeless people with multiple disabilities can transform their lives.

CEP Center
  
In the spirit of consumer-focused services, CEP established a storefront community center in the heart of the Burnside neighborhood. It is a gathering place to read, listen to music, eat, talk – a place for chronically homeless individuals to begin learning life skills, developing friendships and camaraderie, and forming a community.

The CEP Center receives support from local businesses and other community resources to provide beverages, food and other basic necessities.

Impact

• Approximately 300 clients are served annually; clients have an average of 8.6 years homelessness
• 80% of CEP clients continue to be housed one year after enrollment in the program
• One year’s cost savings from providing assertive case management and safe housing is over $16,000 per client, down 38.7% from the cost of incarceration, emergency and in-patient health care.