MHS provided services for 13,601 adults, and 2,815 children during our 2009 fiscal year. The number of homeless adults served through our outreach programs increased 46% from the prior year, while the number of homeless children and adults coming to our emergency shelters increased 22%. The overall number of homeless persons served increased 14% from 2008, due to the substantial increase in the number of outreach and shelter clients, the launch of new permanent housing programs, and the strong growth of the North Point Transitional Housing Center.

There was a 25% increase from 2008 to 2009 in the number of children served by our trauma intervention programs - the Children Who Witness Violence program, and Transforming Care for Traumatized Youth in Child Welfare, a SAMHSA-funded program that began in late 2008.  Although there was a 3% decline in the number of clients served by our Mobile Crisis Team from 2008 to 2009, the total number of referrals to the Mobile Crisis Team increased 6% during this time span. (See http://www.mhs-inc.org/archive/MHS-Referrals-to-MCT-2008-2006.pdf. )

Presented in the table immediately below is information about the number of children and adults MHS served, by program, for the two most recently-completed fiscal years.

Further below, we present a table of the number of clients served during the last six fiscal years, by broader program area. You will also find links for outcomes, definitions of homelessness and severe mental disability, and local counts of homeless persons in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

< Opens a one-page, 48-kb PDF of this table, in a new browser window.

Homeless assistance programs serve homeless adults who have a severe mental disability. Outreach programs and the Community Women’s Shelter also serve those with other disabling conditions. The most frequent psychiatric disorders among those who participate in our homeless assistance programs are schizophrenic disorders, and substance-use disorders. Many homeless clients have a chronic physical illness, such as diabetes. Sixty three percent are male, 64% are African-American, and the average age is 33 years.  Homeless clients are further described in a section below.

Crisis programs, such as the MHS Mobile Crisis Team, serve children and adults who are experiencing a psychiatric crisis, or children who have been traumatized by violent events. Clients of crisis programs have demographic and diagnostic characteristics that are much more heterogeneous than those of homeless clients.

< Opens a one-page, 61-kb PDF of this table, in a new browser window.

Clients of MHS Homeless Assistance Programs.

Most homeless individuals who participate in MHS psychiatric and supportive services have a severe mental disorder -- most often, a schizophrenic, schizoaffective, or bipolar disorder -- that results in profound cognitive and functional impairments. Most of those affected do not seek healthcare and supportive services, and must be identified by outreach efforts.

Their untreated disorders can lead to hallucinatory experiences, illogical thinking, delusional beliefs, social misperceptions, and grossly disorganized conduct. More than half of the homeless clients who participate in services use alcohol or drugs, further compounding these disturbances. Unable to negotiate basic social transactions, attempts to work fail. Unable to organize thought and conduct, efforts to find help are ineffective. Lengthy or repeated homelessness is often the end result, especially among those with no family or social support.

Disorganized conduct sometimes accompanies severe mental disorders that are untreated. This conduct often leads to repeated involuntary psychiatric hospitalizations or incarcerations. After discharge to the community, many of those who lack supportive influences do not continue treatment, in part because it is difficult to obtain treatment while homeless. Being homeless requires spending a good part of each day walking from one meal site to another, and then securing a shelter bed or a safe place to sleep at night. These demands do not leave much time to make scheduled appointments during traditional Monday through Friday 9 to 5 working hours, especially since most offices where treatment can be obtained are not located near meal sites or shelters.

Intense social discomfort is a feature of some mental disorders. Those affected are often socially isolated even from other homeless persons. Many prefer to sleep alone on the streets rather than confront the social demands of negotiating a space in a shelter. Those with mental disorders also contend with the stigma of having a mental illness. Many also have a history of arrests or convictions for crimes ranging from trespassing and vagrancy, to major felonies. Their criminal history, even if quite remote, makes them ineligible for some forms of housing support.

MHS provides assertive outreach, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and comprehensive clinical and supportive services. These services help clients to achieve safe and permanent housing, and to learn the skills needed to recover from their mental disorder and live with independence and dignity. We respect the choices and perceived needs of our clients, and encourage participation of the person's natural support system. We strive to offer services that are responsive to clients' ethnic characteristics and cultural beliefs, and that support our clients' freedom to choose among alternative interventions, while acknowledging a responsibility to protect the safety of our clients and community.

Review summary statistics about the types and duration of MHS clinical and supportive services.

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

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).

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

News of 2009

Events of 2009

Staff Directory

News of 2008

Events of 2008

MHS Programs

News of 2007

Events of 2007

Key Documents

News of 2006

Events of 2006

Our Service Area

News of 2005

Events of 2005

Outcomes of our Services

News of 2004

Events of 2004

Service Statistics

News of 2003

Events of 2003

Client Characteristics

Understanding Suicide

Healthcare & Psychology

MHS Service Notes