Housing Programs

Supported Housing Program

MHA’s Supported Housing Programs provide individuals and families living with mental illness the opportunity to achieve independence in safe, affordable housing within the Orange County area. The program is distinguished by 11 separate initiatives that offer subsidized housing and case management services to forensic populations, hospital/community residence discharges, chronically homeless individuals, dually diagnosed populations, and families with children living at home. MHA’s Housing program participates in the Orange County System of Care, which ensures efficient use of the County’s housing resources.  Program participants, as with all housing programs in Orange County, must complete the appropriate Single Point of Access (SPOA) application or Orange County Continuum of Care Full Assessment be to be eligible for the program.  

• Adult Single Point of Access (SPOA) Application
• Children’s/Family Single Point of Access (SPOA) Application
• Orange County Continuum of Care Full Assessment  
• Orange County Continuum of Care Prevention Assessment

You also may be eligible for immediate assistance in quickly locating new housing. Please contact the Orange County Crisis Call Center by dialing 311 in Orange County if you:

• Have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not meant for human habitation
• Are living in a publicly or privately operated shelter designated to provide temporary living arrangements. These include congregate shelters, transitional housing, and hotels and motels paid for by charitable organizations or by federal, state and local government programs.
• Are leaving an institution where you have resided for 90 days or fewer and resided in an emergency shelter or place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution.

What is a System of Care?

People have asked for a simpler way to access services. Orange County System of Care has developed a single, cross-system point of access, staffed by the county’s child-serving agencies, including probation, mental health, social services, and family support. Information, linkage and referral, and wraparound services, are accessed through this single point of access.

In Orange County’s System of Care, youth, families, and individuals work together with service providers to plan, implement, and evaluate policies and programs developed with federal funding. Federal funding not only mandates participation but encourages us to be equal partners with participants in developing and making improvements to the System of Care.

Wraparound services are delivered in the least restrictive, most natural environment that is appropriate, based on individual needs. Services and supports are coordinated, remain flexible to adjust to a family’s or individual’s changing needs and are designed in ways that are responsive to the family’s beliefs, traditions, values, culture, and language.

We have a partnership with the University at Albany that helps us evaluate how we are doing. The evaluation team evaluates the outcomes of the services we are providing by talking to the youth and families that are involved. We use the feedback to identify what is and is not working. Learn more about Evaluation by clicking here.

The right programs and services are not always easy to find, especially in times of crisis. Eligibility criteria can be confusing and often needs do not fit neatly into a single box that can be addressed by one agency or system. Acronyms and agency lingo can be an "alphabet soup," and a family may not know where to turn. Without support, and a helping hand from caring people who are familiar with "the system," the road to wellness and recovery for a youth or young adult with mental health needs, and their families, can be a long and lonely one.

What is a Single Point of Access (SPOA)?

The SPOA program utilizes a centralized database to connect eligible applicants with appropriate vacancies in the mental health housing system in Orange County. SPOA significantly expands our capacity to gather data on housing needs and the availability of services for consumers with special needs, as well as to improve access to housing and related services for people with psychiatric disabilities. SPOA collects information on the housing referral process and movement through the housing system. The overall goals of the program are to improve access to housing and related services for people with psychiatric disabilities and to collect data on housing needs and the availability of services for consumers with special needs.

A SPOA is a process, led by a SPOA Coordinator, which helps Local Governmental Units achieve community based mental health systems that are cohesive and well-coordinated in order to serve those individuals most in need of services. There are three types of SPOAs - Children's, Adult Case Management and Adult Housing. The SPOA process provides for the identification of individuals most in need of services and manages service access and utilization. The Orange County Children System Services Division utilizes a System of Care philosophy.

Through Orange County System of Care/C-SPOA, youth and families, and providers can call one number, 845-360-6710, and receive:

• Linkage and referrals to community-based services and supports.
• Cross-system case conferencing, as necessary.
• Services and supports can include care management home-based assessment by children's outreach team, wraparound planning, home based crisis services, and family and youth peer supports.
• Consultation with therapist and family partner (children's outreach team) including safety planning.

Adult SPOA Application

What is C-SPOA?

Orange County System of Care has made a commitment to work together with youth and families to make our system better. We have, through our Children Single Point of Access (C-SPOA), developed a "pathway to care" for children and youth with behavioral and emotional challenges, and their families. 

Each local government in New York State has been asked to designate a Single Point of Access for Children and Families (C-SPOA). C-SPOA aims to: 

Reduce risk for out of home placement/hospitalization                 

Develop strategies to assist children, youth and their families in their home communities using an individualized, strength-based assessment.                 

Develop better decisions about individualized care planning for children at risk.        

Assist with linkage to appropriate services.

C-SPOA services can be accessed by completing the following application.

There are many supports and services available to all children, youth and families in Orange County. Some have eligibility requirements and others are available to all. To view a list of many of these services click here.

Please view additional supports and services for children and families in Orange County and Orange County Youth & Family Services Directory.

FY 2024 CoC Application along with the CoC FY 2024 Project Priority Listing

As per federal guidelines the CoC and Collaborative Applicant/HONOR must publicly post access to the final written version of the FY 2024 CoC Application along with the CoC FY 2024 Project Priority Listing with all accepted / one rejected application and no reallocation forms which has been publicly posted on October 25, 2024.  This HUD NOFO CoC Application and Project Priority Listing must be submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by Wednesday, October 30, 2024. 

HONOR and the Orange County CoC would like to extend our appreciation for your support throughout this process. Should you have questions or require any clarification on the contents contained within this post please feel free to contact CoC Coordinator, Michelle Herrera at 845-467-9071.