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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Mental Health *DEposºtep
BY
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA




*s.
Every night, an estimated 600,000 people are
homeless in America. Of these, about one-third
are single adults with serious mental illnesses.
The Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assis-
tance Amendments Act of 1990 authorized a new
Federal grant program to deal with the needs of
people who are homeless and have serious mental
illnesses. The program—known as Projects for
Assistance in Transition from Homelessness
(PATH)—funds community-based outreach,
mental health, substance abuse, case management
and other support services, as well as a limited set
of housing services.
Each year, the PATH program distributes
nearly $30 million through formula grants to each
State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. territories to provide services to people
with serious mental illnesses—including those
with co-occurring substance use disorders—who
are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The formula is based on the urban population in
the jurisdiction compared to the total U.S. urban
population, with minimum grants of $300,000 per
year. In Fiscal Year 1993, States engaged 427
local organizations in the provision of services.
These organizations reported more than 92,000
enrollments for PATH-supported services.
The PATH program is administered by the
Center for Mental Health Services, a component
of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Ser-
vices Administration, one of eight Public Health
Service agencies within the Department of Health
and Human Services.
PATH PROVIDERS SERVE PEOPLE
WHO ARE HOMELESS AND
|MENTALLY ||LL
Local PATH-supported agencies reported
they delivered services to more than 92,000 people
in Fiscal Year 1993. Who were their clients?
Demographic data reveal that, among the

Number of PATH Clients Served: FY 1993
Total = 92,036
Number of Local Agencies Receiving FY 1993 PATH Funds
NH 643
NJ 3100
RI 631
Amer. Samoa 500
Guam 51
N. Mariana Isl. 39
Puerto Rico 2751
Virgin Isl. 35
ſº Bºº
CT 655
DE 260 |
DC 34
MD 981
MA 1015
º DC 4
MD 11
MA 1
NH 11
NJ 24
R 4
º
º #.
Amer. Samoa 1
Guam 2
N. Mariana Isl. 1
Puerto Rico 12
Virgin Isl. 1
substantial number of clients for whom informa-
tion was obtained:
• More than half the clients served—64
percent—were male.
• More than half the clients—60 percent—
were Caucasian. Nearly one third—30
percent—were African American; the
rest represented Asian, Native American and
other racial groups.
• Nearly 90 percent of the people served were
between the ages of 18 and 64.
• PATH clients have some of the most disabling
mental disorders. Among clients for whom
a diagnosis was made, nearly 42 percent had
schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
and 24 percent had affective disorders such
as depression.
• At least 47 percent of the clients had a
substance use disorder in addition to a
serious mental illness.
PATH PROJECTS INVOLVE A
BROAD RANGE OF SERVICE
|PROVIDERS
The PATH program involves a wide
network of State and local agencies that contrib-
ute comprehensive community-based services
for people who are homeless and have serious
mental illnesses. PATH providers have suc-
ceeded in putting experience and expertise to
work to meet the needs of homeless people who
are mentally ill by engaging the services of
community mental health centers and other
mental health providers, community-based
Social service agencies, health care providers,
and substance abuse service providers.
|PATH PROVIDERS OFFER A
SPECTRUM OF CRITICAL
SERVICES
Local PATH-supported organizations
provide a wide range of services to people who
are homeless. Among the services eligible for
funding under PATH are:
• Diagnostic and treatment services;
• Habilitation and rehabilitation services;
• Community mental health services;
• Alcohol or drug treatment services (for
people with mental illnesses and co-
occurring substance use disorders);
• Case management services;
• Supervisory services in residential settings;
and







FY 1993 Federal PATH Allocations to states
Dollars in thousands
\!.
Total = $29,312
FY 1993 State Match to Federal PATH Funds
Dollars in thousands
Total = $32,572
$478 *
’ $300 . $366
$300 $300 ſ
$1512
Xe
i $2097 $1 14
$364 º×2 $826 £2
$3728 CT $574
| A $989 º DE $300 tº 500 S DE $288
$300 $1260/$400 ſº $ $183 *sº. º DC $1,091
$3784 $300 $569 iſ DC $300
$300 - MD $532 $2344 - MD $1,681
$330 º MA $703 Yºº MA $295
$300 $300 $300 $300 NH $300 $148 || $199 NH $2169
A. NJ $985 $81 NJ $864
**sapo) $484 RI $300 $732 $196 RI $463
$300 VT $291
º Amer. Samoa $50
Guam $50 / O
N. Mariana Isl. $50
Puerto Rico $316
Virgin Isl. $50
º
100°
sloo's
*-i- sº
Puerto Rico $106
N/A: Data not available
Note, American Samoa, Guam, N. Mariana Islands,
U.S.V.I. are exempt from the State match requirement
• A limited set of housing services and
Services to help clients access housing
ICSOUITCCS.
In addition, virtually all States use PATH
funds to provide outreach services to contact
and engage people who have not sought ser-
vices. In many States, PATH funds are the only
dollars available for outreach services within the
mental health system.
States also use PATH funds to train local
provider staff on effective strategies to assist
persons who are homeless and have mental
illnesses. .
DHHS Publication No. (SMA) 94-3013
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Mental Health Services
T LIII
PATH PROGRAM FUNDS
STIMULATE STATE AND LOCAL
CONTRIBUTIONS
PATH funds represent over 46 percent of
the total dollar amount earmarked by provider
agencies for serving homeless people with
mental illnesses. These funds are worth more
than their face value because they must be
matched by State and local resources. For every
$3 in Federal funds, State or local agencies must
put forward $1 in cash or in-kind services. At a
minimum, a $30 million Federal allocation
would result in a $10 million match. However, in
FY 1993, States matched over $32.5 million in
state and local funds against the $30 million
Federal allocation. In some states, PATH funds
and the State/local match are the only commit-
ment of resources targeted to homeless people
with serious mental illnesses.
THE PATH PROGRAM WORKS
The PATH program reaches some of the
most vulnerable members of our society. It
delivers essential services, leverages significant
State and local resources, and marshals a creative
network of human services organizations to
improve the mental health and well-being of
people who are homeless and who have mental
illnesses.
For more information about PATH programs
and other mental health Services for homeless
people, contact the Homeless Programs Branch,
Center for Mental Health Services, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Room 11C–05, Rockville, Maryland 20857,
or call (301) 443-3706.