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An independent living house will be established for “transitional age” clients of Luzerne-Wyoming Counties Mental Health and Developmental Services, county officials have announced. The clients being targeted generally range from ages 18 to 26.
Tara Vallet, the agency’s deputy administrator, said the housing program will be owned and managed by Catholic Social Services in Hazleton and serve up to eight residents from both counties.
Initiation of the program is among Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri’s new 90-day goals. The home will be somewhere in the Hazleton area, but an exact location has yet to be announced.
The counties have a housing need for young adults who received agency services as children and have no permanent housing available, which may include those leaving the foster care system, Vallet said.
“The goal of the program is to help them establish independent living skills and become successful adults,” she said.
Participants will receive training and practice skills they need to live on their own for the first time, including budgeting, resume writing and job interviews.
For example, residents must take turns cooking dinner and grocery shopping.
The agency expects participants to remain in the program for 18 to 24 months, and they will receive assistance locating permanent housing along with a renter reference if they have successfully completed all requirements.
A grant is also available to provide bedroom furniture and bedding that residents can take with them when they leave.
“When they transition out of this setting, at least they will have their own bed, nightstand and chair,” Vallet said. “This is for people lacking a family support system or the ability to reside with family.”
The residents also will be required to perform community service, such as volunteering at a homeless shelter. That mandate is intended to help establish resources and support, she said.
“They will become a member of the community and not just someone who has been through our system,” said Vallet. “We don’t want their past to define their future.”
While the area has other transitional housing programs, Vallet said this is the first solely for people with mental health backgrounds who have received services through her agency.
The home will have private rooms and a shared kitchen and living area. Catholic Social Services support staff will be available around the clock but won’t reside there.
The agency has budgeted $250,000 to cover the housing, support services and food, Vallet said.
Similar programs have been established in other areas based on a model called “Housing First” that aims to prevent homelessness by simultaneously providing both housing and support services in the same location.
“Study after study has shown that Housing First yields higher housing retention rates, reduces the use of crisis services and institutions, and improves people’s health and social outcomes,” according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.