1999 Exemplary Program Initiative
Award Recipient
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Project HOMI
Morris County, NJ
 Project
HOMI (Homeless Outreach to Mentally Ill people) exists for people
who want to "get unstuck." A program of the Mental Health
Association of Morris County, New Jersey, Project HOMI began in
1989 as an expansion of the Association's clinical case management
program. Project HOMI staff aggressively seek out and serve the
homeless populations of Morris County, primarily Morristown, New
Jersey (population 16,000) and nearby Dover (population 15,000 ).
One of eight PATH-funded providers in New Jersey, it was Project
HOMI's dedication to homeless people in Morris County that led Cathy
Boland of the New Jersey Department of Human Services to nominate
it as an exemplary program for FY 1999. "Project HOMI does
not just take their funding and do their job. I hold the program
up to other New Jersey PATH providers as an example of how PATH
programs should be developed and managed. This is a very proactive
program," Boland said.
Project HOMI received $86,382 in PATH funding in FY 1999. This
represented more than one-fourth of its total funding dedicated
to services for homeless people with serious mental illnesses. Of
334 PATH-funded clients outreached that year, 74 received housing
and mental health services. Project HOMI's service components include:
- mobile van outreach two evenings a week;
- daily outreach at the Morristown soup kitchen;
- outreach at the Dover soup kitchen once a week;
- drop-in services once a week at the Step Off the Street Drop-In
Center in Dover;
- intensive case management for 70 enrolled clients per year;
and
- supportive in-home services for up to 25 individuals placed
in permanent housing.
As of December 1998, 60 percent of Project HOMI's clients were
housed within six months of enrollment in the PATH program. By the
end of 1998, more than 85 percent of clients placed in permanent
housing remained housed for at least 12 months.
Consumer Involvement
Project HOMI employs two consumers, as well as one consumer volunteer.
One of the consumer employees is a full-time case manager who also
works in the outreach van. The other consumer staff member is a
peer outreach specialist who provides assistance to case managers,
while the consumer volunteer performs maintenance within the agency
offices and maintains the outreach van and all other agency vehicles.
Interested PATH consumers are also linked to Consumer Connections,
which trains them to provide mental health services as peer counselors
and case managers. Although not paid during this training period,
consumers who complete this three-week program often move into paid
employment. Once consumers move into the work force, they are provided
monthly in-service training and paired with a staff mentor.
 Service
Coordination
The Mental Health Association of Morris County (MHAMC) is the lead
agency in a consortium of agencies that provide case management
services for the county. MHAMC also partners with the county's homeless
shelter in the HUD-sponsored Safe Havens program, giving it easy
access to shelter services.
Culturally Competent Services
Project HOMI has hired a diverse, bilingual staff that is key to
its success in understanding the needs of its clients and that helps
establish communication and trust. The agency also holds regular
orientation and in-services that are provided by New Jersey Division
of Mental Health Services staff trained in diversity issues. Additionally,
Project HOMI maintains affiliations with the Organizations for Hispanic
Affairs, the Urban League, the Greystone Psychiatric Hospital and
other community mental health agencies for translation and interpretive
services when needed.
For more information about Project HOMI, contact Deborah
Taggart at (973) 377-9280, or MHAMC@aol.co
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