People with disabilities, particularly those with a serious mental illness, are disproportionately likely to experience homelessness. According to the World Population Review, Tennessee’s homeless population is 7,256, which is approximately .10% of the state’s population, ranking Tennessee 18th in the U.S. Of those, the National Association of County and City Health Officials – Homelessness Among Individuals with Disabilities: Influential Factors and Scalable Solutions – reports point-in-time counts (i.e., counts of the people in a community experiencing homelessness on a single night) that suggest nearly one-quarter of individuals experiencing homelessness are individuals with disabilities. Quite daunting statistics considering Tennessee ranks sixth place for the lowest cost of living in the United States. While there’s been much talk about the state of homelessness in the State and the implementation of plans to combat homelessness, there is limited availability of affordable and supportive housing, and the waitlists of programs continue to grow longer.
In response to one particular, doubly marginalized community, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has provided funding for PATH – Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness. PATH is a federal grant program to assist individuals experiencing homelessness who have mental illness or co-occurring disorders. The program provides funding to connect individuals to an array of essential services and supports, which include housing services.
Among the services eligible for funding under PATH are:
- Outreach services
- Screening and diagnostic treatment services
- Habilitation and rehabilitation services
- Community mental health services
- Substance use disorders treatment
- Supportive and supervisory services in residential settings
- Referrals for primary health services, job training, educational services, and housing
- Relevant housing services
Some PATH providers offer all these services, while others focus on providing only a few of them. According to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, PATH services are available in 36 of Tennessee’s most populated counties. Organizations like CMI Healthcare Services of Memphis, Carey Counseling Center, Inc., of West Tennessee, Helen Ross McNabb Center of Knoxville, and Mental Health Cooperative in Nashville, are some of the providers in Tennessee, just to name a few. Click here to find out more about the PATH program and the service providers in your areas to assist you on your path to home.
Sources:
Word Population Review 2022.
Homelessness Population by State 2022The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 2021.
The 2020 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR)
to CongressNational Association of County and City Health Officials 2019.
Homelessness Among Individuals with Disabilities: Influential Factors and Scalable Solutions