PfP has purchased the property at 5235 Page Avenue and is planning an extensive renovation to convert it to 23 units of supported housing, plus communal space and offices for on-site staff.

Tentatively titled “Places at Page,” this facility will help fill an important role in the housing gap for people living with severe and persistent mental illness.

“This will be the perfect combination of all the good things about independent living and of all the benefits of having on-site support—if and when you need it,” explains PfP Executive Director Francie Broderick.

Each apartment will include its own living space, kitchen, and bathroom. Prospective residents will be people who can and want to live independently, but who may need the attention and support provided by a secure facility with on-site, around-the-clock staff.

Places at Page will provide an excellent alternative for people who have previously either been homeless or unnecessarily housed in nursing homes.

“This is another piece of the housing array. It’s the most missing piece of the array of services in the state and certainly in this area,” says Broderick.

On-site staff will be instrumental at Places at Page in helping to stabilize housing for people who may have a history of chronic homelessness. Staff will be available to assist and intervene as needed and to provide support services directly where the clients live, which has consistently proven to yield the most positive results.

With development assistance from ND Consulting Group, the plans for this project have been designed by Jeffrey A. Brambila, AIA, Architects & Planners of St. Louis. Financing plans include a combination of tax credits, public funding, and private donations.

Project Overview

• The 2 1/2 floors plus the lower level will be extensively renovated for use by residents and staff.
• Staff will be on-site around the clock and will provide community support and monitor the entrance.
• There will be 23 residential units, consisting of 9 efficiency, 10 one-bedroom, and 4 two-bedroom apartments.
• Three overnight rooms will be available for short-term use to address special situations.
• Each unit will have ample closet space as well as a full kitchen with standard electric appliances.
• The building will have central air conditioning.
• There will be several community areas, including a community kitchen, a living room and social areas, a laundry room, and meeting and conference rooms.
• The outdoor courtyard will be accessible to residents.
• All major systems will be replaced.
• Minor exterior repairs will be made to preserve the structure’s historic integrity.

Labels: Addiction, Affordable Housing, Agency Philosophy, Funding, Housing First

Places at Page: PfP's New Housing Project  

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Providing Mental Health Services Requires a Mix of Financial Resources

Private support is increasingly funding vital programs and services that are not funded by the state or federal government

Places for People's Community Support Services and Psychosocial Rehabilitation Center are funded, in part, by a mix of state and federal Medicaid dollars. 80% of PfP's clients are eligible to receive Medicaid-reimbursed services, which are provided in accordance to each client's individual treatment plan.

HOW MEDICAID WORKS
Medicaid is a program designed to provide low-income Americans with health care. Children as well as disabled, elderly and blind individuals are also eligible for Medicaid, if they meet certain income restrictions. Medicaid is the largest payer for mental health services in the country and is a partnership program between state and the federal government. In Missouri, roughly three-fifths (60%) of all Medicaid funding comes from the federal government, with the remaining from state coffers.

Many high-need clients, who visit PfP's offices and The Club on a daily basis regularly exceed the level of services that are reimbursable by Medicaid.

PURCHASE OF SERVICE
Annually, Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) provides PfP with a Purchase of Service Contract that reimburses PfP for providing community support services and psychosocial rehabilitation to individuals who are not currently receiving Medicaid. Clients must also meet certain DMH mental health criteria for PfP to be reimbursed for these services. The reimbursement rate for a purchase of service contract is the same as Medicaid, and utilizes the same billing rules as Medicaid, but federal funds do not support this program. 20% of PfP's clients rely on Purchase of Service care.

GRANTS Grant support provides 21% of PfP's operating budget. These funds are allocated, in part, to PfP's homeless outreach teams, to housing assistance for homeless clients and to integrated treatment services, which assists individuals living with severe mental illness and addiction disorders.

Many grants are time-limited and cannot be renewed. Certain grants provide restricted funding for specific activities, while other grants support the general operating budget, or day-to-day costs of business. Throughout its 35 year history, PfP has never rejected or stopped providing services to a grant-supported clients when a grant ends.

In the previous fiscal year, foundations provided more than $850,000 to support PfP's programs and services.

Programs designed to assist individuals struggling with addiction disorder and homelessness were supported by Missouri Foundation for Health and Saint Louis Mental Health Board, which receives funds from an special tax approved by St. Louis city voters.

Labels: Funding, Medicaid, Spring 2007

Providing Mental Health Services Requires a Mix of Financial Resources  

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The Cost of Care: Homeless Outreach

$870.33	$500	$78.30
Average monthly cost for providing homeless outreach services to one client	Average monthly cost for providing emergency housing to one client	Average monthly cost for providing lunch to one client

Labels: Funding, Homeless Outreach, Spring 2007

The Cost of Care: Homeless Outreach  

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The Funding Gap: Your Support Does Make a Difference

Places for People provides numerous services, activities and programs that are not billable to Medicaid, including:

• Telephone conversations, which are considered "collateral contact" because it is not a face-to-face interaction with a client. PfP receives more than 250 calls from clients daily.
• Working or acting on a client's behalf if the client isn't present, including visits/calls to Medicaid or Social Security
• Talking with a client's landlord, doctor, attorney or family member while the client is not present
• Parenting assistance
• Transportation and travel time to-and-from clients' homes
• Housing assistance, including moving and providing emergency housing to individuals who are homeless
• Services that are not identified as medically necessary on the client's treatment plan
• Recreational activities
• Vocational assistance
• Educational services
• Nursing services and medication management for 200+ clients
• Client Accounting Services, which assists 225 clients a month with paying bills and managing finances
• Providing an average of 80 hot, daily lunches in The Club. The time clients spend together eating lunch in The Club is also not billable to Medicaid

Donations by individuals, foundations and businesses allow the agency to continue providing around-the-clock services to our clients. If you would like to support these efforts, you can make a safe, secure donation by clicking here.

Labels: Funding, Medicaid, Spring 2007

The Funding Gap: Your Support Does Make a Difference  

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