…creating homes and hope

	News to Note...
	Our Housing Department director serves on two important groups working toward increasing housing opportunities for people who have disabilities or low-incomes. The groups – the Long Beach Housing Advocates Network and the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing – are working to promote housing trust funds in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Housing trusts would provide a source of income to help make subsidized housing possible through loans and grants.

Introduction

As one of MHA’s models, our Housing Program shows strategies for serving people with mental illness. We’ve demonstrated how to overcome housing barriers faced by individuals who are returning to stable living after a long time on the streets. We’ve developed a cost-effective way to extend the continuum of housing for people with special needs. We’ve designed a project to improve the standard of living for individuals by helping them achieve homeownership, the highest level of independent living.

Services

		My Front Door Offering lease-to-own and purchase options, My Front Door helps people with mental illness become homeowners and benefit from all the advantages that go with it: stability, an improved standard of living and a stake in their community. We match individuals who have steady incomes and an ability to live on their own with affordable condominiums and funding sources for low-income, disabled people.
		Rent Plus This project helps the homeless people with mental illness we serve find and keep apartments in the mainstream community. Piloted with a grant from the Robert Ellis Simon Foundation, Rent Plus is a model that breaks down barriers for individuals sometimes called the “hardest to house” by blending rental assistance and living skills training housing support for them with education and on-call response for their landlords.
		Crossroads Village This model demonstrates our approach to create efficiency apartments for people with mental illness. Opened in 1993, Crossroads Village is one of Los Angeles’ first “Shelter Plus Care” projects, which blend housing certificates and services. We renovated a motel donated to us and provide housing for 20 people.
		Shelter Plus Care In our other Shelter Plus Care projects, MHA partners with local government to provide housing certificates and services for homeless people with mental illness in Long Beach and the Antelope Valley.
		Rental Complexes MHA operates three apartment buildings in Long Beach, California. These complexes provide 62 units of housing for disabled and low-income people.

Funders

We developed our housing complexes with support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and City of Long Beach. The My Front Door homeowners program received a three-year grant from California’s Supportive Housing Initiative Act. Our community funders have included the Robert Ellis Simon Foundation, Symonds Foundation and Citigroup Foundation, along with gifts from donors.

MHA’s housing web site, www.myfrontdoor.org, provides information for housing advocates, service provides and individuals with mental illness who are looking for resources. To reach our Housing Department, please call 888-242-2522, ext. 227.