APPROVED: Permanent Housing Support Services Standards.

Effective July 1, 2016, The Joint Commission Behavioral Health Care Accreditation Program will include permanent housing support services standards related to a “housing first” program model. The new standards, which are designed to assist individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, or other behavioral health care issues, will appear in the “Care, Treatment, and Services” (CTS) and “Human Resources Management” (HRM) chapters in the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Behavioral Health Care Organizations (CAMBHC). These standards are applicable only to Joint Commission– accredited behavioral health care organizations providing case management services related to a housing first program model; that is, these standards are not a mandate for all accredited behavioral health care organizations to offer such services. For organizations that do provide these case management services, the standards are designed to help “raise the bar” and ensure a uniform provision of services from one organization to the next. The standards also help lay out a program for those organizations that are considering such services. The distinguishing feature of a housing first program model is that individuals served are placed into private permanent housing without any requirement to participate in behavioral or physical health care, treatment, or services of any kind—except to meet with the organization’s case management staff on a regular basis. Case management staff can then work with the individuals to help them understand how other available care, treatment, or services could assist them in reaching their goals. The Joint Commission undertook this project because of the potential not only to address the housing and behavioral health needs of individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, or other behavioral health care issues but also to address their physical health issues. Research has shown that when an individual’s housing needs are met and are secure, improvements can often be made in other areas of the individual’s life. This would indicate a potentially strong connection between secure housing and improved health. An anticipated ancillary benefit of this approach is a reduction in health care and public services costs associated with assisting the homeless. The permanent housing support services standards will be displayed on The Joint Commission website at http://www .jointcommission.org/standards_information/prepublication_ standards.aspx, posted in the spring E-dition®, and published in the 2016 Update 1 to the CAMBHC. The box beginning on page 10 displays all the new requirements. For more information, please contact Lynn Berry, project director, Department of Standards and Survey Methods, The Joint Commission, at [email protected] or 630-792-5894. p