Unique Residences for People with Mental Illness and Low Income

These several unique residences for people with mental illness and low income cater to a variety of individual needs including; independence, affordable living, home-like atmosphere, freedom to maintain personal schedules and supportive living.
Skills' Housing Support Services manages three unique residences for people with mental illness and very low income. The programs receive funding from a variety of sources, and the degree of support services available to tenants varies according to the individuals' wants and needs. In addition, Skills manages Blair County's Housing Support Funding Program

Tyler Hall, Altoona

A 20-unit, single-room occupancy program for individuals in Blair County who have very low income and special needs, and who are able to live independently. This is a temporary housing arrangement whose goal is to help the individual stabilize his or her mental illness.
A community support specialist is available to work with individuals to attain a greater degree of independence and is on-call for emergencies seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Twin Mountains, Altoona

Twin Mountains is two one-story buildings with eight furnished apartments each, offering both one- and two-bedroom apartments. It offers an on-site laundry facility and a small community room. This HUD Section 202 program is for individuals with chronic mental illness and very low income.
It aims to provide a quality, affordable, independent living arrangement. A community support specialist is available to work with individuals to attain a greater degree of independence and is on-call for emergencies seven days a week, 24 hours a day. There is a waiting list for this facility.

Transitional Supportive Housing, Lewistown

Skills' house on Princeton Street offers the first and only program of its kind in Lewistown. It provides a seven-unit, single-room occupancy program for the low-income, special-needs population of Huntingdon, Mifflin, and Juniata Counties. The program provides a quality living arrangement to persons who can live independently with the help of satellite support services.
Although it is intended as temporary housing, tenants are able to stay as long as they wish. On average, tenants live in the house from 1 to 2 years. Currently there is a waiting list. All services are available upon the tenants' request. Two staff members work at the house from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and are available for emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Tenants can make an appointment with the community support specialist for assistance developing any life skill they wish i.e.: cooking, budgeting, making medical appointments, job hunting, grocery shopping and more.

Housing Support Funding Program

In 1997 Skills assumed responsibility for the Housing Support Funding Program previously administered by the Blair County Office of Mental Health. The program is intended as a safety net to support individuals with a diagnosis of mental illness.
The program provides monetary assistance to mental health consumers for a wide range of needs. For example, it may provide funds for rent, household items, utilities, food, clothing, emergency housing, moving services and personal finances.
Each request for assistance is evaluated on an individual basis to determine eligibility.
Referrals are received from case mangers, therapists, and other staff in the mental health system.
Currently there is a cap on funds available per person in any one year.
The program is coordinated by Skills' Manager of Housing Support Services