Living On Main Street: The "Main Street Model"
A Home Makes All The Difference!
Housing is a basic human need, and there have been many, many research studies about the importance of stable housing when it comes to improving mental health. At Main Street Housing, we also see the crucial difference between housing and home.
Housing provides you with four walls and a roof, running water and heat, and a door that locks. A home is a sanctuary, a safe space for healing and recovery, a stable foundation on which you can grow and thrive. Maintaining a home brings pride and empowerment, membership in the community, and the autonomy to shape your environment to support your continued wellness.
In Maryland and across the nation, Main Street Housing, Inc. is leading the way with an innovative approach to developing quality, affordable, independent rental housing opportunities for people with mental health needs and limited means.
Housing provides you with four walls and a roof, running water and heat, and a door that locks. A home is a sanctuary, a safe space for healing and recovery, a stable foundation on which you can grow and thrive. Maintaining a home brings pride and empowerment, membership in the community, and the autonomy to shape your environment to support your continued wellness.
In Maryland and across the nation, Main Street Housing, Inc. is leading the way with an innovative approach to developing quality, affordable, independent rental housing opportunities for people with mental health needs and limited means.
Moving Forward: The "Main Street Model"
As a statewide non-profit Community Development Housing Organization (CHDO), we purchase quality properties in diverse communities across Maryland. We follow a “scattered site” model for purchases and do not display signage at any property. We follow rigorous Property Selection Criteria to make sure Tenants have convenient access to public transportation and community amenities like grocery stores and health clinics. We perform renovations as needed to make each unit ready to become a long-term, permanent rental home for an individual or family with mental health needs and limited income. Learn more about our Properties.
Our property management is more than what a typical Landlord provides. Main Street Housing staff check in on every property at least once each month, both to inspect for maintenance needs and to offer coaching to Tenants on fulfilling their obligations under the Lease Agreement. Our guiding principle is one of supportive accountability: setting clear expectations around Tenant rights and responsibilities, coupled with friendly and empowering support in meeting those expectations. Everyone on the MSH Team is a current or former recipient of mental health services, and we take the time to listen and work collaboratively with our Tenants:
Main Street Housing accepts Rental Applications on a rolling basis, and we perform special outreach to community organizations serving people with mental health needs and limited income whenever we have vacancies in their jurisdiction. Learn more about our Eligibility Guidelines and Application Process.
Our property management is more than what a typical Landlord provides. Main Street Housing staff check in on every property at least once each month, both to inspect for maintenance needs and to offer coaching to Tenants on fulfilling their obligations under the Lease Agreement. Our guiding principle is one of supportive accountability: setting clear expectations around Tenant rights and responsibilities, coupled with friendly and empowering support in meeting those expectations. Everyone on the MSH Team is a current or former recipient of mental health services, and we take the time to listen and work collaboratively with our Tenants:
- We believe Tenants have a right to privacy and the choice to live independently without the constant need of supervision. We encourage Tenants to participate in community based mental health resources that fit their needs, and we expect them to take full accountability of their actions when interacting within their communities.
- We provide coaching to Tenants on how to take care of their living spaces because we know how important environment is to wellness.
- We set expectations and provide support to Tenants around the three core “Tenants of Tenancy:” paying rent and utility bills on time, keeping the unit in safe and good order, and being a good neighbor.
- We work with Tenants to find practical solutions when health or financial challenges arise. We do offer an internal subsidy for those Tenants wait-listed for housing assistance program vouchers.
- We share tips and techniques for harmonious living, provide updates on our organization's growth and ask for feedback on our policies at semi-annual Tenant Council meetings.
Main Street Housing accepts Rental Applications on a rolling basis, and we perform special outreach to community organizations serving people with mental health needs and limited income whenever we have vacancies in their jurisdiction. Learn more about our Eligibility Guidelines and Application Process.
We create relationships and environments where people succeed and stay stably housed.
Main Street Housing, Inc. is a concrete example to every community where we have housing
that consumers of mental health services can lead productive and meaningful lives in the community.
The “Main Street Model” works!
Main Street Housing, Inc. is a concrete example to every community where we have housing
that consumers of mental health services can lead productive and meaningful lives in the community.
The “Main Street Model” works!
Looking Back: Limited Options
Historically, housing for persons with psychiatric disabilities and low income has been in segregated, congregate residential treatment settings:
These housing options provide critical support for individuals in crisis or who experience significant challenges with daily activities. All are subject to license requirements for staffing levels and safety. (In some areas, unlicensed Board and Care facilities may fill the gap between the authorized facilities' capacity and the enormous need for service-based housing.)
One limitation of these housing options is that they are chained to a medical/illness-based model; the funding for a person's stay in one of these beds is usually provided by insurance companies demanding proof of “medical necessity” for the services provided. This can hinder a person's ability to move forward in their recovery – if you become too well, you risk losing your housing.
Beds are designated for individuals meeting specific criteria; there is usually no capacity to keep a family intact. These housing options are also immediately recognized in the community as being for “the mentally ill” or “the disabled” as neighbors observe staff entering and exiting the building each day to serve the large number of individuals (4-12) living in one property. Organizations providing these sorts of protected environments for people in need of intensive support on a daily basis are performing a critical function in our mental health system, and we are lucky in Maryland to have many excellent providers serving our communities. However, many jurisdictions see individuals staying hospitalized despite achieving psychiatric stability due to a waitlist for RRP beds – the lack of affordable and suitable housing leaves those individuals stuck in RRP with nowhere to go.
But what if you don't need daily support?
For individuals and families who don't need assistance on a daily basis, the options for housing change significantly:
Affordability, quality and independence vary dramatically among these options. Market-Rate independent housing is out of reach for many people with limited incomes. If independent housing isn't an option – for reasons of affordability or quality – many people will move in with family or friends, if those relationships are intact and “doubling up” is possible. If not, individuals and families may be forced into homelessness, shelters and transitional housing. While shelters and transitional housing programs provide essential shelter, they are just that: temporary shelter.
Studies reflect that people with mental health needs much prefer to live in independent housing in their community. Rather than live in housing specifically designed around “illness,” many people seek to regain a sense of normalcy and find a space that promotes wellness and independence. Unfortunately, there is a significant shortage of decent, safe, affordable, independent housing across the country. This is where Main Street Housing is paving the way forward.
- Inpatient / Hospital / Facility
- Residential Rehabilitation Programs (RRPs)
- Group Homes, or Board and Care Homes
These housing options provide critical support for individuals in crisis or who experience significant challenges with daily activities. All are subject to license requirements for staffing levels and safety. (In some areas, unlicensed Board and Care facilities may fill the gap between the authorized facilities' capacity and the enormous need for service-based housing.)
One limitation of these housing options is that they are chained to a medical/illness-based model; the funding for a person's stay in one of these beds is usually provided by insurance companies demanding proof of “medical necessity” for the services provided. This can hinder a person's ability to move forward in their recovery – if you become too well, you risk losing your housing.
Beds are designated for individuals meeting specific criteria; there is usually no capacity to keep a family intact. These housing options are also immediately recognized in the community as being for “the mentally ill” or “the disabled” as neighbors observe staff entering and exiting the building each day to serve the large number of individuals (4-12) living in one property. Organizations providing these sorts of protected environments for people in need of intensive support on a daily basis are performing a critical function in our mental health system, and we are lucky in Maryland to have many excellent providers serving our communities. However, many jurisdictions see individuals staying hospitalized despite achieving psychiatric stability due to a waitlist for RRP beds – the lack of affordable and suitable housing leaves those individuals stuck in RRP with nowhere to go.
But what if you don't need daily support?
For individuals and families who don't need assistance on a daily basis, the options for housing change significantly:
- Market-Rate Independent Housing
- Public Housing: Housing Choice (Section 8) Vouchers
- Transitional Housing and Shelters
- Family or Friends
- Homelessness
Affordability, quality and independence vary dramatically among these options. Market-Rate independent housing is out of reach for many people with limited incomes. If independent housing isn't an option – for reasons of affordability or quality – many people will move in with family or friends, if those relationships are intact and “doubling up” is possible. If not, individuals and families may be forced into homelessness, shelters and transitional housing. While shelters and transitional housing programs provide essential shelter, they are just that: temporary shelter.
Studies reflect that people with mental health needs much prefer to live in independent housing in their community. Rather than live in housing specifically designed around “illness,” many people seek to regain a sense of normalcy and find a space that promotes wellness and independence. Unfortunately, there is a significant shortage of decent, safe, affordable, independent housing across the country. This is where Main Street Housing is paving the way forward.