PARTNERSHIP IN PROMOTING FAIR HOUSING FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS RECOGNIZED

July 17, 2003

NASHVILLE, TN - The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities’ Office of Housing Planning and Development (OHPD) and the Tennessee Fair Housing Council were recently honored with a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Best Practice award for their partnership in promoting fair housing for people with mental illness and co-occuring disorders.

The two agencies were among 14 others across the nation whose projects were highlighted for their innovation and effectiveness. The Council is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to combat housing discrimination in Tennessee.

A national committee that included leaders and experts from the housing industry, public interest groups and non-profit fair housing agencies selected the 14 Best Practice Award recipients. Applicants were selected based on how well their projects reach underserved communities and how easily their projects can be replicated.

Virginia Trotter Betts, Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, said that affordable housing is a dream of all Americans, including individuals who have a mental illness.

“The Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities is committed to the goal of recovery and we believe that safe housing is one of the essential fundamentals to a recovery process,” Betts said. “Receiving this highly competitive award affirms a national recognition of Tennessee’s efforts and vision.”

The Tennessee partnership involves educating the general public about the fair housing rights of people with mental illness and other disabilities to live in residential neighborhoods, whether individually or in groups sharing a household. The partnership supports the department’s Creating Homes Initiative, a project that began in 2001 with the goal of developing 2005 new, permanent housing units for people with mental illness by 2005. The goal was surpassed in late 2002 and another goal of 2005 units has been set.

Director of the OHPD Marie Williams, L.C.S.W., said the award is a true testament to the incredible outcomes that occur when people work together to leverage resources to establish communities of inclusion, rather than exclusion.

“It has been a true joy and hope-filled experience to work with Tracey McCartney of the Tennessee Fair Housing Council to effectively further the rights of persons with mental illness to live in safe, affordable and quality housing,” said Williams.

As part of the project, the Council researched, wrote and distributed three handbooks with distinct target audiences - providers of housing and other services for people with disabilities, public officials and homeowners who may be concerned about housing for people with disabilities in their neighborhoods. All three handbooks provide an overview of federal and state fair housing law and of research showing that such housing does not create declines in property values or safety in residential neighborhoods. A handbook for attorneys currently is under development.

Executive Director of the Tennessee Fair Housing Council, Tracey McCartney, said that the project could not have been as successful as it has been without the excellent working relationship with the staff at the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.

“The Department’s decision to make civil rights an issue of importance alongside the shortage of appropriate housing for people with disabilities puts it at the forefront of state agencies of its kind nationwide,” McCartney said.