Mayor Menino Announces Expansion in Groundbreaking Homeless Services Program
Boston, MA – March 2, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced new funding that will put the city one step closer to his goal of ending long-term homelessness. With an investment from the Citizens Bank Foundation, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) has pledged $50,000 to help expand the Boston Public Health Commission’s High Utilizers of Emergency Services (HUES) to Home program, which provides housing and support services for chronically homeless people who are frequent users of the city’s emergency departments.
“This new funding to help place the chronically homeless into permanent housing represents enormous progress toward our goal of reducing the number of individuals living on Boston’s streets,” Mayor Menino said. “This funding will enhance our ability to expand the HUES to Home Program that provides housing and the continuum of care and services that homeless residents need and deserve.”
Launched earlier this year, HUES to Home supports homeless individuals who are frequent users of the city’s emergency services. The program provides them with intensive case management services, links them to substance abuse, mental health, and other services, and connects them to permanent housing. Program partners include Boston Medical Center (BMC), Boston Health Care for the Homeless (BHCHP), Boston Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the Boston Police Department (BPD), and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA). Boston is the first city nationwide to house chronic homeless individuals directly from a hospital emergency department.
“In addition to providing a myriad of services to the homeless, including connecting them to housing, these funds will help to alleviate the financial strain on hospital emergency departments that often care for the chronically homeless,” said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “We are grateful to the Citizens Bank Foundation for joining forces to help us tackle this issue.”
Of the more than 750 chronically homeless individuals in Boston, the HUES to Home program has already identified 35 high users of hospital emergency services. Most suffer from chronic medical diseases, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety, and account for more than $3.6 million in Medicaid costs at BMC over an eight-month period.
“I am very excited about this program because it connects the most vulnerable and sick homeless adults with housing – an intervention that will directly impact their health and quality of life,” said Jessie Gaeta, MD, a physician advocate with MHSA, medical director of the Barbara McInnis House at BHCHP, and internist at BMC. “The contribution from the Citizens Bank Foundation will allow for intense support services in homes, which will be critical in helping stabilize these tenants’ lives and reducing their need for emergency services.”
This new funding for the HUES to Home program was made possible through the MHSA’s Housing First initiative, Home & Healthy for Good, with support from the Citizens Bank Foundation. Through this initiative, individuals in permanent housing have access to a broad range of comprehensive long-term services that are difficult to access without a home and they have an increased chance at self-sufficiency.
“We are very pleased to support the HUES to Home Initiative,” said Joe Finn, executive director of the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance. “Boston is truly at the forefront in its efforts to target those in need of housing that are frequent users of emergency departments, a model that has been shown to improve the quality of life for homeless individuals and dramatically reduce costs for care.”
Boston is one of two cities in the Commonwealth to receive funding; the Citizens Bank Foundation awarded the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance (MHSA) a $100,000 grant to target chronic homelessness in both Boston and Springfield. The foundation’s support is focused on housing, community development, and basic human needs. It is a subsidiary of the Citizens Charitable Foundation, which is a charitable contributions vehicle of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania.
“We are pleased to join Mayor Menino and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance in their coordinated efforts to reduce homelessness in Boston,” said Jerry Sargent, president of Citizens Bank in Massachusetts. “This is an innovative model, providing much-needed support to a very vulnerable population, while also relieving some of the costs associated with emergency care for these individuals. It’s a win-win.”
Last year, City Councilor Michael Ross joined the Mayor’s call to end homelessness. After learning from a physician friend of the repeated emergency room use by homeless individuals, Councilor Ross worked with the Mayor’s HUES interagency group to identify solutions and work to secure funding.
“By focusing on permanent housing solutions to chronic homelessness, we are not only saving money – we are saving lives,” Councilor Ross said. “Initiatives like this one show government at its best – when it connects our most vulnerable residents with resources that can help them improve their lives while saving money for taxpayers.”
The HUES to Home program is just the latest step in the city’s efforts to end long-term, high-cost homelessness. Since 2003, the City’s Emergency Shelter Commission has worked with Boston Health Care for the Homeless to track the highest emergency room users as part of the annual homeless census. Last year, Mayor Menino opened the Weintraub Day Center, the first city-operated day center that provides counseling services and employment referrals for chronically homeless residents who would otherwise spend most days on the street or in the shelter system.
Contact:
Mayor’s Press Office
Press.Office (at) cityofboston (dot) gov
