Homeless integration program - COPE community services, INC. (COPE) is proposing the homeless integration project (HIP) for pima county, AZ

HIP will serve 200 clients (40 per year) experiencing homelessness by providing harm reduction, comprehensive treatment, housing linkages and intensive case management. HIP will expand access to services by creating an intersection of coordination and providing care to homeless individuals to reduce SUD, COD and to improve housing stability. The number of people experiencing homelessness in pima county increased by 68% between 2020-2022, and the need for substance use disorder (SUD)/CO-occurring disorder (COD) treatment also continues to grow. In 2022, 27.9% of people contacted during the point in time (PIT) count of homelessness reported SUD, and more than 40% reported a mental health issue. COPE data supports this need: between 2020-2022, 73.4% of people experiencing homelessness entered COPE services with a COD, and 56.3% entered with a SUD. And the consequences of increasing SUD are catastrophic; overdoses in the county more than doubled from 175 in 2018 to 348 in 2021. The complex and cyclical nature of homelessness and substance use requires intensive care coordination. There are too few programs coordinating and integrating care in the community. Community stakeholders reported that treatment and this type of care coordination is a significant services GAP in pima county (casuga, 2022). In response to this need, COPE proposes to implement HIP. HIP will conduct outreach and harm reduction education in the community; enroll adults in treatment, case management, and recovery support (including benefit assessment by soar certified staff) and will proactively link youth to youth-specific services. Based on county demographics and previous programming, IT is anticipated that clients will identify as follows: 67% men, 33% women; 40% hispanic/latino and 60% non-hispanic/latino; 70% white, 12% black, 10% two or more races, 6% american indian/alaska native, 1% asian, and 1% pasific islander. HIP's design will establish rapport, build trust and implement care coordination to help clients access benefits they need. In addition to program services, enrolled clients will also have access to COPE's full spectrum of care. Four evidence-based treatment practices will be implemented by the fourth month of the program: motivational interviewing (MI), intensive case management (ICM), peer support (PS), and smart recovery (SR). The combination of experienced providers, COPE's extensive experience working with the focus population, and the effectiveness of the proposed services will ensure success of HIP's goals: 1) expand SUD treatment and recovery support for people experiencing homelessness; 2) provide evidence-based SUD/COD treatment, housing service coordination, and benefit eligibility assessment; and 3) improve behavioral health and housing-related outcomes among HIP clients. Outcomes among HIP clients. Research shows that the identified treatment practices demonstrate effectiveness in achieving the intended measurable outcomes: 80% maintained or improved substance use and mental health symptoms; and 70% maintained or improved housing and employment/economic status. The treatment approach will be combined with supportive recovery services (benefit eligibility assessment and enrollment, transportation, etc.), and access to higher level of care, all designed to increase engagement and bolster success. COPE is ready to expand its current services to serve additional clients with treatment that also connects historically siloed services. Implementation of HIP is crucial to meet the unmet need for evidence-based treatment, housing and coordination services in pima county, AZ.