Changing Lives at Pathways Home

September 9, 2009

From the outside, Leland Apartments resembles  any other well-maintained Chicago building. Located in the city's dynamic Uptown area, it is an impressively renovated six-story structure with a welcoming lobby.

Inside, lives are quietly being changed thanks to the staff at Heartland Alliance's Pathways Home program. Established in 2000, Pathways Home is an outreach facility for the city's most desperate homeless populations — people with mental illness who also have a substance use issue, or co-occurring disorders. Twenty-four participants live in Safe Haven housing at Pathways; 26 others reside in the permanent-housing section, engaged in treatment and preparing to eventually live independently.

"We help people become interested in and build motivation for change," says Ed Stellon, Heartland Alliance's director of Pathways Home. The issue of homelessness combined with mental illness is challenging. Homeless people suffer from higher rates of mental illness, but their lack of stable housing makes preventive or ongoing health care difficult. Research indicates that about one third of people experiencing homelessness are diagnosed with mental illness, and among this group, about two thirds have a substance use issue.

Pathways Home's approach with these individuals is dramatically different from traditional models. Heartland Alliance's outreach staff members meet people wherever they may be— whether that's in a shelter, an alley, or on a park bench.

The Heartland Alliance team initiates relationships and encourages men and women, whom in the past may have been ignored or reproached by others, to utilizePathways' services, which are offered unconditionally.  Other providers often offer  services only if  clients meet specific behavioral benchmarks.

Mary Ullrich, a resident since February 2006, is grateful to Pathways Home. "Being here has changed my life for the better," she says. "The staff I deal with here is open to whatever you consider your needs. It's up to me, and I know that they're available."

The Pathways Home program has shown dramatic  impact. An impressive 97 percent of Pathways residents adhere to their psychiatric medication. And 100 percent of participants who were discharged last year remained housed 60 days later, an important indicator of success.

"When we started, we were  among the first to serve individuals with co-occurring disorders  from a harm reduction approach," Stellon says. " If people seek abstinence from drugs or alcohol, we embrace and support that goal.  However, we recognize that many people are not ready for traditional routes to recovery.  What we learn from our partnerships with program participants influences how we design and deliver services." 

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