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6.3.A. - Page 85 <br />Describe mainstream services, such as health, mental health, and employment services to the <br />extent those services are used to complement services targeted to homeless persons <br />San Mateo County's mainstream services are used to complement service targeted to homeless people <br />in a number of ways: <br />Behavioral Health Services: <br />• San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) has several mobile teams <br />that conduct intensive outreach to homeless people with mental health and substance abuse <br />issues on the street, in the shelters, and at the psychiatric ER. These teams engage with <br />homeless people and help them access treatment and/or housing. The Health Dept. also <br />operates a mobile health van funded by Health Care for the Homeless. <br />• BHRS staff are represented on the multi -disciplinary, bi-lingual, Homeless Outreach Team <br />(HOT)s, which conduct intensive outreach and engagement with unsheltered homeless people <br />located throughout the County geography, with a particular focus on the cities with large <br />numbers of unsheltered homeless people. The HOT team not only conducts outreach and <br />engagement, but also helps homeless people move as quickly as possible into permanent <br />housing and provides ongoing support to ensure their transition is successful. <br />• BHRS funds in-patient alcohol and drug treatment programs located throughout the County, <br />which serve a large number of homeless individuals with substance abuse issues. <br />• BHRS also provides a wide range of permanent supportive housing options for homeless people, <br />particularly chronically homeless single adults. They fund the majority of the case management <br />services for individuals and families living in Shelter Plus Care funded housing units. Mental <br />Health also has contracts in place to pay for short-term stays in shelters for those who are not <br />immediately placed into permanent housing, and is using state Mental Health Services Act funds <br />to provide rental subsidies for mental health clients as well as to develop new permanent <br />supportive housing units. Mental Health also coordinates with the Department of Housing to <br />ensure that clients access mainstream housing resources for which they may be eligible, such as <br />Section 8 or public housing. <br />Health Services: <br />Using Health Care for the Homeless funding, San Mateo County Health Services funds a mobile health <br />van that provides primary health care to homeless people living in emergency shelters. <br />The San Mateo County Medical Center (the County's main public hospital) coordinates with the CoC to <br />link health services to emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing. The Medical Center has <br />purchased beds in emergency shelters and utilizes both private and publicly funded board and care <br />homes and other facilities to ensure that appropriate placement alternatives are available for homeless <br />people. In addition, San Mateo County's Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (a division of Health <br />Services) has funded a rental assistance program that is providing short term rental assistance for 15 to <br />Consolidated Plan REDWOOD CITY 82 <br />OMB Control No: 2506-0117 (exp. 07/31/2015) <br />