OLD ANSWERS FOR TODAYS PROBLEMS - INTEGRATING INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HOMELESS WITH MENTAL-ILLNESS INTO EXISTING COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS - A CASE-STUDY OF FOUNTAIN HOUSE

Individuals who are homeless and mentally ill are continually underser ved and neglected by state and local social service agencies. This pap er describes an urban vocational rehabilitation agency's implementatio n of an outreach project designed to provide employment and housing se rvices to this group from June 1990 to May 1992. The participants cons isted of 228 individuals who met diagnostic criteria for major mental illness, of whom 47% were employed during the project. Listed are the inter-agency linkages and essential components for such a model. The r esults suggest that the needs of this population can be met if the con sumers' wants take precedence over agency dictum.