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  Anthony Griffin works with the Mobile Crisis Team, and has also served as a volunteer counselor for the Camp Bridges project for traumatized children.

PATH Outreach
for homeless adults who have severe mental disorders.

Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) is a program created by the U.S. Congress in 1991 to help States provide community-based services for homeless people who have serious mental illnesses. It was authorized by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-645), and requires states to provide funding that is at least equal to one-third of the federal grant amount (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 1996).

Suellen Saunders
Suellen Saunders
is Program Manager
of the MHS PATH program.

A true story of PATH services.

PATH workers first identify, assess, and ensure the safety of those who are homeless and mentally ill. Later, PATH staff members help clients identify needs and resources, and link clients with services that can help them achieve permanent housing, recovery, and independence.

The MHS PATH program was one of the first in Ohio and the nation. There are now about 400 PATH programs in the U.S.

In the 2006 fiscal year that ended 30 June 2006, the MHS PATH program provided outreach services for 439 homeless men and women throughout Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Of those, PATH provided ongoing services to 160 (36%) who were homeless and severely mentally ill.

Twenty nine clients obtained housing, and maintained it for at least six months. Eighty nine clients became active participants in mental health and/or drug addiction treatment services.



Anthony Phinessee and Anthony Constantino of the MHS PATH program.

Timothy Genyk-Raymond

PATH workers Anthony Phinessee, (left), and Anthony Constantino listen attentively as Steven M. Friedman, Ph.D., Executive Director, presents them with an award for their outstanding outreach services. The award was given at a meeting of the Board of Trustees in September 2005. Messrs. Phinessee and Constantino travel to the Lorain Correctional Institution to help individuals who have mental disorders and who had been homeless to achieve a successful reintegration into the community upon their release.

Timothy Genyk-Raymond has been a PATH outreach worker for more than a year. He has become well known for his formidable capacity to reach and work with clients who reject others, and for his careful and detailed service documentation.

Duration of homelessness
Most PATH clients have had long periods or repeated episodes of homelessness. More than half the homeless persons of Cuyahoga County enrolled in the MHS PATH program had been homeless for more than 90 days; 23% for 30-90 days; and 17% for less than a month. (Duration of homelessness could not be reliably determined for about 5%.) The proportion of those homeless for more than 90 days is much higher in Cuyahoga County than in the State. Of the 2,731 homeless individuals served by the 12 PATH programs in Ohio in 1996 (HHS, 1996, p. 40), about 38% had been homeless for more than 90 days; 25%, for 30-90 days; and 36% for less than a month. In Cuyahoga County, 25% of the PATH clients served by MHS were on the streets or in abandoned buildings or vehicles at the time of first contact Seventy percent were in homeless shelters, and many of the remaining five percent had just been released from prison or a hospital.

Sex and race
In Cuyahoga County, 58% of eligible PATH clients were male, and 71% were African-American. (In Ohio, 66% were male, and 46% were African American.) In Cuyahoga County and Ohio, about two-thirds were between 35 and 64 years of age, and 4% or fewer were Hispanic.

Psychiatric disorders
About two-thirds of PATH clients in Cuyahoga County had schizophrenic disorders characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and severe disturbances in thought, planning, and social functioning. Another two-thirds had severe mood disorders such as major depression or bipolar disorder. The remaining PATH clients had other severe mental disorders. Some of the most frequently occurring disorders are characterized by social withdrawal, irrational suspiciousness, and severe cognitive distortions that lead those affected to reject traditional services. As a result, many remain homeless for years. About two-thirds of PATH clients had co-occurring alcohol or drug addictions.

PATH workers David Bound and Lloyd Link speak with a homeless man referred by a downtown Cleveland business owner.

A PATH worker investigating a makeshift shelter under the Main Avenue Bridge on Cleveland's near west side.  PATH staff visited this site repeatedly, and finally met the man who had been staying there.  They were able to link him with services, and he was enrolled in an MHS residential program.

PATH services
PATH staff members go where homeless individuals stay, establish trusting relationships with them, and then support their participation in psychiatric and supportive services. At left, PATH staff members talk with a homeless man in response to a call from a downtown business. Below, a staff member looks for a client under a bridge.

Outreach is the first step toward the achievement of recovery, housing, and self-determination. Once a working relationship with the homeless person has been established, PATH staff members help their clients to find appropriate housing, and submit housing applications. PATH staff also help their clients to obtain identification, and apply for the income and healthcare benefits for which they are eligible. PATH clients are connected with doctors, dentists, and with providers of alcohol and drug treatment services.

Reference
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, Center for Mental Health Services. (1996). Projects for assistance in transition from homelessness. A summary of fiscal years 1995 and 1996 state implementation reports. Rockville, MD: Author.


To learn about other MHS programs providing coordinated care
for homeless persons with disabilities, click on the links below.

Outreach Shelter

Housing with Supportive Services

Three programs provide assertive street outreach from early morning to evening. Supportive services are also offered seven days per week.

A 135-bed shelter for homeless women and children. A 50-bed shelter for men with severe mental disorders or other disabling conditions.

Two Safe Havens, two transitional housing programs, and two permanent housing programs, all with on-site or easily accessible services. Community support services for all, including those living independently.

PATH Outreach

Women's shelter

Safe Havens & Young Adult Pgm.

Outreach & Payee

Men's shelter

Permanent housing programs

SPOT Support


Community support



The mission of MHS is to help people gain control of their lives by forging solutions that resolve mental health crises and end homelessness.

Learn about client characteristics, or their employment and income.

Or, review summary statistics about the types and duration of services.


MHS has well-established procedures for the collection, analysis, and utilization of outcome data.  These data demonstrate that MHS programs have been effective in helping clients achieve meaningful goals.

Outcomes of Care
To examine the remarkable outcomes achieved by clients who have participated in MHS Homeless Assistance programs, click here.


Let's look it up!

MHS uses the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's definition of homelessness, and the definition of severe mental disability published by the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH).


Let's find out!

How many are homeless
in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA?
Click here for recent counts and estimates.




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Copyright ©
Mental Health Services for Homeless Persons, Inc. (MHS)
1744 Payne Avenue; Cleveland, Ohio 44114 U.S.A.
216-623-6555 - TTY/TDD: 216-623-6540


The URL of this page is
http://www.mhs-inc.org/Outreach.asp
It was most recently updated on 24 September 2007.
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