Portland Street Response: Year Two Program Evaluation

Executive Summary Excerpt: Overview of the Program Portland Street Response (PSR), a program within Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), assists people experiencing mental health and behavioral health crises. The program operates daily from 8 AM to 10 PM and responds to calls throughout the city of Portland. The team consists of mental health crisis responders, community health medics/ EMTS, community health workers, and peer support specialists. PSR is dispatched from the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) when a caller reports one or more of the following and the individual has no known access to weapons and is not displaying physically combative or threatening behavior: A person who is possibly experiencing a mental health crisis, intoxicated, and/or drug affected. This person is either outside or inside of a publicly accessible space such as a business, store, or public lobby A person who is outside and down, not checked A person who is outside and yelling A person who needs a referral for services but does not have access to a phon

Portland Street Response: Year Two Mid-Point Evaluation

Executive Summary Excerpt: Overview of the Program Portland Street Response (PSR), a program within Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), assists people experiencing mental health and behavioral health crises. The program operates daily from 8 AM to 10 PM and responds to calls throughout the city of Portland. The team consists of mental health crisis responders, community health medics, community health workers, and peer support specialists. PSR is dispatched from the Bureau of Emergency Communications (BOEC) when a caller reports one or more of the following and the individual has no known access to weapons and is not displaying physically combative or threatening behavior: A person who is possibly experiencing a mental health crisis, intoxicated, and/or drug affected. This person is either outside or inside of a publicly accessible space such as a business, store, or public lobby A person who is outside and down, not checked A person who is outside and yelling A person who needs a referral for services but does not have access to a phon

Investigating the relationship between neighborhood experiences and psychiatric distress for individuals with serious mental illness

The present study examined the relationships between how research participants experienced their neighborhood, their neighborhood social climate, and psychological well-being. Participants (n = 525) were residents of supported housing programs who used mental health services at one of 17 community mental health centers in South Carolina. Hierarchical regression and mediation analyses were employed to answer research questions. Results suggest that neighbor relations, perceptions of neighborhood safety, and neighborhood satisfaction were significantly associated with perceptions of neighborhood social climate; and neighborhood social climate accounted for a significant amount of the variance in psychiatric distress. Of particular interest, perceptions of neighborhood social climate fully mediated the relationship between the specific reported neighborhood experiences and psychiatric distress. These findings have implications for interventions and policy aimed at promoting integration of individuals with serious mental illness into community settings

Examining the psychological sense of community for individuals with serious mental illness residing in supported housing environments

The psychological sense of community is an important aspect of community life; yet, it remains largely unexamined among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Sense of community represents the strength of bonding among community members; and this social phenomenon likely impacts the process by which individuals with SMI integrate into community life. The current study examined sense of community (SOC) for individuals with SMI by assessing the relationships between neighborhood experiences, unique factors related to SMI (e.g., mental illness diagnosis), and sense of community in the neighborhood. Participants were 402 residents of supported housing programs who used mental health services in South Carolina. Hierarchical linear regression was utilized to determine which components of community life helped to explain variability in sense of community. In total, 214 participants reported that it is very important for them to feel a sense of community in their neighborhoods. Neighbor relations, neighborhood safety, neighborhood satisfaction, neighborhood tolerance for mental illness, and housing site type emerged as significant explanatory variables of sense of community. These findings have implications for interventions aimed at enhancing SOC and community integration for individuals with SMI

PSU Student Housing Insecurity Report

This study on student housing insecurity and homelessness was funded as part of a HUD FY2023 Community Project Funding Opportunity awarded to Portland State University. Phase 1 of the study included a literature review; a summary of past PSU student survey results; a description of PSU programs based on interviews with staff and administrators; an analysis of programs at other institutions; and a set of recommendations for better addressing student housing needs. Phase 2 of the study incorporated the results of a comprehensive student survey on housing insecurity and homelessness conducted in fall 2023. Additional reports by outside consultants on options for creating additional student housing and addressing policy barriers to effectively meeting student housing needs will be released in 2024

Do Travel Costs Matter For Persons With Lower Incomes? Using Psychological and Social Equity Perspectives to Evaluate the Effects of a Low-Income Transit Fare Program on Low-Income Riders

Objective: Access to transit can deliver a host of benefits to the riders and to the region. Previous research aiming to study these benefits has primarily relied on data collected from the opening of new routes or transit systems and focused on the general population. Little is known how low-income riders (LIR) react and benefit in response to when the cost barrier to access to transit is removed. With an intention to increase ridership while addressing the needs of transit-dependent riders in the region, TriMet (Portland, OR) expanded the Honored Citizens Program (HCP) in July 2018 to include low-income riders (LIR). Methods: In pre-test, post-test design, TriMet riders took two self-reported surveys, the first after recently enrolling or renewing their enrollment in HCP to examine changes in behavior, such as their usage in modes of transportation, especially public transit; as well as changes in ill-being; access to schooling- and employment-related opportunities; and perceptions of TriMet as an organization. Riders of other status (i.e., Non-LIRs) served as a comparison group. The final sample with matching surveys was 98 LIR and 20 others, for a total of 118 riders over the age of 18. Twenty LIR were also interviewed for supplementary qualitative data. Descriptive statistics, mixed ANOVA, repeated measures and two-sample t-tests were conducted. Results: There was evidence for an interaction between groups and timepoints for frequency of public transit use such that NonLIR demonstrated a significant decrease in use across timepoints but LIR did not. LIR reported higher levels of walking, carpooling or ridesharing, and psychological ill-being than the Non-LIR groups. Non-LIR reported higher levels of sense of community than LIR. Conclusion: The impact of COVID-19 during the data collection stage interfered with this project’s capacity to detect meaningful changes of rider experiences over time. Despite this, LIR reported no significant changes (i.e., constant usage) in public transit use, suggesting a larger dependency than non-LIR. Findings suggested the HCP positively adds to riders’ lives in various ways including professional and recreational opportunities and physical and mental health, which is most apparent from qualitative interviews

Do Travel Costs Matter for Persons with Lower Incomes? Using Psychological and Social Equity Perspectives to Evaluate the Effects of a Low-Income Transit Fare Program on Low-Income Riders

69A3551747128, NITC-1360Access to transit can deliver a host of benefits to the riders and to the region. Previous research aiming to study these benefits has primarily relied on data collected from the opening of new routes or transit systems and focused on the general population. Little is known how low-income riders (LIR) react and benefit in response to when the cost barrier to access to transit is removed. With an intention to increase ridership while addressing the needs of transit-dependent riders in the region, TriMet (Portland, OR) expanded the Honored Citizens Program (HCP) in July 2018 to include low-income riders (LIR)

Portland Street Response: Six-Month Evaluation: A Report Prepared for the City of Portland Bureau of Fire and Rescue

Overview of the Program: Portland Street Response (PSR) is a new first responder program for non-emergency calls involving people experiencing homelessness or mental health crisis. The program launched on February 16, 2021 in the Lents neighborhood in Portland, OR and operates Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM. The pilot is coordinated by Portland Fire & Rescue (PF&R), and the founding team consists of a firefighter paramedic, a licensed mental health crisis therapist, and two community health workers

Examining Community Integration of Individuals With Psychiatric Disabilities Residing In Supported and Non-Supported Housing

Community integration refers to the notion that individuals with disabilities should have opportunities to live, work, engage with others, and enjoy recreational activities in the same manner as peers without disabilities. Community integration research has emerged as a high priority among mental health advocates, policy makers, and researchers. The Networks of Community Support (NoCS) study intends to fill a gap in the literature by comparing the community integration experiences of individuals living in supported housing with the experiences of individuals living in non-supported housing (i.e., housing that is not attached to rehabilitative services). To achieve this goal, the NoCS study employed a mixed-methods design (qualitative and quantitative) to document meanings and experiences of community integration from the perspectives of individuals with psychiatric disabilities; compare differences in potential determinants of community integration between individuals living in supported and non-supported housing; and assess the impact of personal characteristics, housing/ neighborhood variables, and negative community experiences on community integration. A total of 100 persons participated in this mixed-methods study. Specifically, participants were 50 individuals living in supported housing and utilizing Columbia Area Mental Health Center (CAMHC) services; and 50 individuals living in non-supported housing and utilizing Mental Illness Recovery Center, Inc. (MIRCI) services. Results suggest significant differences in housing/ neighborhood experiences between individuals in supported and non-supported housing; but minimal differences in community integration experiences. Personal characteristics (i.e., age, sex, race, car ownership, monthly income, psychiatric diagnosis, physical health impairment, and psychiatric distress); housing/ neighborhood variables (i.e., neighborhood quality, perceptions of safety, neighbor relations, residential satisfaction, neighborhood census characteristics, and proximity to stores and services); and negative community experiences (i.e., perceptions of mental health stigma and frequency of experiences with racism) emerged as significant predictors of community integration for both housing groups. Findings call attention to the need to develop new programs or refine existing interventions to promote community integration of persons with psychiatric disabilities living in various types of housing

Spatial And Social Factors Associated With Community Integration Of Individuals With Psychiatric Disabilities Residing In Supported And Non-Supported Housing

Book Description:The Handbook of Mental Health and Space brings together the psychosocial work on experiences of space and mental distress, making explicit the links between theoretical work and clinical and community practice. The change from an institutional to community care model of mental health services can be seen as a fundamental spatial change in the lives of service users, and the book aims to to stimulate discussion about mental healthcare spaces and their design. With contributions from those involved in theorizing space, those drawing on their own experiences of distress and space, as well as practitioners working on the ground, the book will be of interest to mental health practitioners and academics