NOVA Safe Haven will provide quality, cost effective services to homeless persons with a serious mental illness. A day Drop In Program, combined with residential services as well as supportive services, will engage individuals and prepare them to achieve the goals of increased sufficiency, stability, and greater self-determination which will lead to permanent housing.

Safe Haven is a specialized program for homeless adults presenting with symptoms of a serious mental illness. It provides a unique function within the homeless continuity of care with a specialized design.

Target Population

Safe Haven serves homeless, seriously mentally ill adults. The majority of these individuals are dually diagnosed with a substance abuse disorder. Priority for residential services will be given to those individuals with an HIV diagnosis, or physical handicap.

Program Overview

Homeless seriously mentally ill individuals are among the most vulnerable populations living on the streets, and are considered to be "hard core homeless". Any trust, or willingness to become involved with the "system" is generally absent which makes this a difficult population to serve. The purpose of Safe Haven is to "engage" these individuals to affect positive changes in critical life areas such as stabilization of the psychiatric condition, increase skill levels, enter housing, and work towards greater self determination.

Engagement is attained through the availability of a 25 bed residential program as well as a Day Program available to another 25 individuals which operates daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. Safe Haven operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Immediate basic needs are addressed including 3 meals daily, showers, washers and dryers, personal care items, lounge areas, nursing care, TV rooms, and a safe, comfortable respite from the streets. AA/NA meetings are held on site along with a Nutrition Educational Program, and recreational activities. Long term issues are also addressed.

Residents are not involved with any other housing provider. Individuals involved with the Day Program may or may not be receiving services from another provider while continuing to live on the streets.

Engagement/Transition

There is a process of transition involved in the engagement process where long term issues can be addressed. Safe Haven staff provide intensive case management services in an effort to ensure that needed services are made available. Often this involves working with ValueOptions regarding SMI determinations, or psychiatric services. It is crucial that the individual's psychiatric status be stabilized, health issues be addressed, and effort be placed toward greater self determination on the part of the member including making applications for Social Security, AHCCCS, or other such programs. Much effort is placed on the transition into permanent housing.

Interface with other Homeless Providers

Safe Haven works with a variety of Providers to ensure needed services are available to our members, and to make our services available to the homeless. This includes working relationships with numerous agencies including, but not limited to: Urgent Care Centers, Health Care for the Homeless, CASS, Advocates for the Disabled, UMOM, Terros, VA Medical Center, City of Phoenix Community Services Division, ValueOptions clinics, Charter Hospital, St. Lukes Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Stargate, Crisis Services, HOM, Inc., Addiction Treatment Centers, local police and fire departments, SMI Providers, and others.

Front Door

Safe Haven serves as a front door to the homeless continuum for seriously mentally ill persons. This is important given the lack of involvement or engagement on the part of this population towards receiving needed services and getting off of the streets.