Texas Department of State Health Services

Texas Recovery Initiative Opening the Door for Persons in

Recovery

What is the Texas Recovery Initiative (TRI)?

The purpose of TRI is to ensure services and resources necessary are conveniently available to support persons in their recovery from substance use disorders.

Recovery assistance will be provided through Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC).

ROSCs are partnerships and collaborations consisting of Federal, State, County, and City agencies, Community, and Faith-based organizations, and individuals that provide services and resources vital to the recovery process.

The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) with the assistance of those participating agencies/organizations are developing ROSC model programs in metropolitan and rural areas in Texas.

• $500 Million- The estimated financial cost associated to the number of lost work days each year in the U.S., due to alcoholism alone.

• $276 billion- The estimated cost associated to drug and alcohol problems in the United States a year .

• $33.4 billion, Total estimated economic costs of alcohol and drug abuse in Texas in 2007. The work productivity loss accounted for 43.7% of that total costs.

• $885 million –Estimated total treatment costs of alcohol and drug abuse in Texas in 2007.

• $8.9 billion -Total estimated crime costs in Texas due to alcohol and drug abuse in 2007. Of that  amount, the incarceration costs due to work productivity loss for individuals with alcohol and drug abuse were about $2.5 billion.

• 1,927,033 -The estimated number of persons who are in need of substance  abuse treatment services in Texas in 2010.

• Sources: National Business Group on Health, Dec. 3, 2010Texas Department of State Health Services Mental Health and Substance Abuse, 2007

The Impact of Substance Use on the Economy

Factors that Support Recovery

• Employment• Housing• Positive Social Support

Network• Supportive Resources

(employment, medical, educational, food, child care, transportation, etc.)

The Importance of Housing

• It is a basic need for every individual.

• Next to employment, housing is the second most important factor that contributes to how individuals feels about themselves.

• Provides physical security for ourselves and family

Housing Barriers for Persons in Recovery

• Lack or limited income • Poor or no credit history• Laws that deny persons with certain

criminal conviction(s)• Availability of quality low income housing • Availability of locally owned subsidized

housing• Long waiting lists

Current Housing Opportunities for Recovering Persons

• Transitional housing for those released from correctional settings (ex. Half-way and three-quarter way houses, family members)

• Community-based Sober Transitional Housing

• Oxford Housing

• Quality and affordable subsidized housing

• Open Rental Apartments and Homes

Employer Success Stories

• Turner Industries, Pasadena, TX : • Persons in recovery trained for

welding, fabricating and materials handling – currently about 20% of total workforce

• “They’re motivated employees…They appreciate the company for giving them a second chance” Brian Daigle, Houston Chronicle article 10/21/10

Employer Success Stories cont.

• Venturetech Corp., Houston, TX:• Persons in recovery and/or formerly

incarcerated are employed in heavy equipment manufacturing – up to 45% of workforce

• “Treatment makes workers want to give back through loyal and diligent performance” Darrell Verrett “It makes your workers more productive…and it also helps the bottom line” Larry Keast, article in Houston Chronicle 12/29/10

Things the Housing Industry Can Do To Help Make Quality Housing

Available?• Help to change laws that prevent those

deserving of a new opportunity to housing.

• Be open to negotiate criteria regarding local policies on resident selection.

• Don’t stereotype recovering individuals• Request additional information and or

documentation the may show the individual’s worthiness.

• Seek funding and/or property opportunities to develop or that will allow the property to be offered to persons with drug/drug related history.

• Use resources available at federal, state, and local levels

Information to Empower Individuals Seeking Housing

FEDERAL

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) - programs that are administered by local Public Housing Authority:

• Privately Owned Subsidized Housing / Low Rent Apartments - the government gives funds directly to apartment owners, who lower the rents they charge low-income tenants: senior citizens, people with disabilities, as well as for families and individuals; HUD search engine for low rent apartments and contact –

• Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) - find your own place and use the voucher to pay for all or part of the rent. To apply, contact a your local public housing agency for assistance.

• Public Housing - affordable apartments for low-income families, the elderly and persons with disabilities. To apply, contact a public housing agency for assistance.

Information to Empower Individuals Seeking Housing

STATE:  

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

Assistance to Individuals: • Rental assistance - distributed through various Local Community

Providers

• Non-Development Funds to low income families for remodeling or repairing their homes

• Mortgage Revenue Bond ("MRB") programs provide below-market interest rate funds for single-family home buyers and multifamily mortgage loans made to qualifying recipients.

• Contract for Deed Conversion Initiative (HOME Division) to residents who are currently purchasing residential property within 150 miles of the Texas-Mexico border and reside in a Colonia

• Texas "Bootstrap" Loan Program loans to very low-income families (60% Area Median Family Income) who provide at least 60 percent of labor that is necessary to construct or rehabilitate the home.

• Texas First Time Homebuyer Program offers below-market interest rate mortgage money through participating Texas lending institutions

Information to Empower Individuals Seeking Housing

Assistance to Developers/Housing Providers

• Development Funds to developers to build affordable housing • Emergency Shelter Grants Program (ESGP) provides grants to

eligible entities that provide shelter and related services for homeless persons

• HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program provides grants and loans to help local governments, nonprofit agencies, for-profit entities, and public housing agencies provide safe, decent, affordable housing to extremely low-, very low- and low-income families.

• Housing Tax Credit Program is the primary means of directing private capital toward the creation of affordable rental housing. Developers of low-income rental housing use the tax credit to offset a portion of their federal tax liability in exchange for the production of affordable rental housing.

• Housing Trust Fund Program is the only state-authorized program dedicated to increasing the state's supply of affordable housing. The program awards funds on a competitive basis to nonprofit and for-profit organizations, local governments, public housing authorities, community housing development organizations, and income eligible individuals and families for the acquisition, rehabilitation, and new construction of affordable housing

Information to Empower Individuals Seeking Housing

Acts that fund housing for specific populations:

• Homeless & Near Homeless - Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), is being distributed based on the formula used for the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) program

• Rural & Homeless - Homeless Emergency and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH)

• Very Low Income -  HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME Program)

• HIV/AIDS - Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

Benefits of Supporting Housing for Persons in Recovery

• Generates revenue for the owner of the property by filling a vacancy

• Provides a stable living environment that allows an individual to work thereby helping to stimulate the economy and pay taxes

• Helps to deter crime• Helps to limit the number of people

who are homeless

Client Success Stories

Amy-Abilene- “I have eight months clean and sober today, praise God. Before coming to the Access To Recovery (ATR) program in Abilene, I had been doing meth on a daily basis for the past fifteen years.” “The ATR program has given me the skills necessary to change my life.

Monique-El Paso “October of 2005, I had tried drugs for the first time, and in December of 2005, I was not only using on a pretty regular basis, but I found myself in jail for possession of a controlled substance. I voluntarily went into a very well known local rehabilitation program. I recently celebrated my 1 year anniversary of being clean. I have managed to, obtain my own 3 bedroom apartment, and I just mailed off the paperwork to renew my professional license.”

For More Information on the TRI Initiative Regarding Housing

• DSHS TRI website: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/sa/texasrecoveryinitiative/default.shtm

• Add your local contact informationName:Phone #:Email address: