Gateway awarded three-year, $1.2 million federal grant to assist homeless adults

PAWTUCKET – Gateway Healthcare has been awarded a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, part of the U.S. Health & Human Services, to develop a program to provide behavioral health treatment to homeless adults in Rhode Island.

The program will treat homeless adults with chronic mental health issues, including substance abuse disorder, serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbance. Gateway, a Lifespan affiliate, will develop and manage the program using evidence-based mental health care practices endorsed by SAMHSA. Coordinating diverse community resources so participants receive a seamless continuum of care is essential, so primary care services, emergency departments, law enforcement, medical benefits agencies and homeless shelters will need to collaborate.

“At the core of this effort is community,” Richard Leclerc, president of Gateway Healthcare, said in a statement. “As a behavioral health care organization, we have the ability to help people regain mental strength and help them work toward a stable and healthier future for themselves and their families. To be successful, this program must involve a health care system that works together, and a community that is understanding and accepting of these individuals as they re-enter society.”

“These individuals are highly vulnerable [and] have very complex needs,” James DiNunzio, administrative director of Gateway Adult Services, said. “But just like all of us, they have their own background and experiences. With that understanding, we will work with each program participant to determine what care and resources are best for them. This includes helping them break out of addiction cycles, gaining access to specific care and benefits resources, and finding housing options.”

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Support services, including client assessment, community support, crisis intervention and stabilization, housing and medical benefits research, will be grant-funded.

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