New beginnings - pillar, a certified community behavioral health center, in partnership with bethany house, laredo housing authority and the city of laredo health department, proposes the…

New beginnings - pillar, a certified community behavioral health center, in partnership with bethany house, laredo housing authority and the city of laredo health department, proposes the implementation of project new beginnings with a population of focus of adults, families and youth diagnosed with a serious mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, or CO-occurring disorders who are experiencing homelessness, or at risk of imminent homelessness in the catchment area of webb, JIM hogg, and zapata counties in the laredo-mexico border region. The purpose of the project is to support the expansion of local implementation of a community infrastructure that integrates behavioral health treatment, peer support, recovery support services, and linkages to sustainable permanent housing. The proposed unduplicated numbers are a total of 310 participants: 50 YR1, 60 YR2, 70 YR3, 80 YR4, and 50 YR5. The rate of homelessness in the area has been greatly affected by this rapid population growth and the presence of significant socioeconomic disparities with a staggering 163% increase in homeless counts, from 213 in 2018 to 397 in 2022. The selected culturally appropriate evidence-based practices include assertive community treatment, seeking safety, and cognitive behavioral therapy. The principal goals of the project are: 1) strengthen agency partnerships, infrastructure and expand service compendium to ensure effective planning and service delivery to the priority population on the texas/mexico border; 2) increase access to, or placement in, sustainable permanent housing, treatment, and recovery support services, to include medicaid and other benefit programs to 310 persons/families experiencing homelessness; and 3) implement a comprehensive evaluation and data collection plan to assess client-level outcomes and project performance measures. Staffing plan includes a project director, project coordinator, 2 licensed professional counselors, 1 recovery peer support specialist, 2 patient navigators/case managers, and evaluator.