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Mental Health Care For The Homeless, John D. Rogers

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

This paper includes a thorough survey of peer-reviewed journal articles regarding the delivery of mental health care services to homeless people, a gap analysis based on the literature, experiential observations from a mid-Atlantic agency for the homeless, and interviews with people experiencing homelessness. From this research, I propose a model of service delivery. I conclude that while deinstitutionalization in the 1980s led to community-based models of service delivery, the patchwork of approaches available now does not serve the needs of homeless persons with mental health problems. A best practice approach combines the concept of housing first with peer navigated, integrated …