How to Start A Peer Driven Room & Board Coalition
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Transcript How to Start A Peer Driven Room & Board Coalition
How to Start A Peer Driven
Room & Board Advisory Coalition
Cynthia White, M.F.T.
Chief Advocate, Patients’ Rights
County of San Bernardino
Call to Action
Due to unfortunate circumstances, Room &
Boards came to the forefront of Patients’
Rights attention
Consumers were being taken advantage of in a
variety of ways – fiduciary, poor standards
CoSB-DBH stopped using existing list-which
historically gathered from all over and not
verified
Federal Fair Housing Act
FHA defines discrimination as “a refusal to
make reasonable accommodations in rules,
policies, practices or services , when such
accommodations may be necessary to afford
(handicapped) person(s) equal opportunity to
enjoy a dwelling.”
The Continuum of MH Housing
Independent
Living
Medical ,
Supervision or ADL
Care needed
Stabilization needed
Locked
facilities
Board
& Cares
Room
&
Boards
Housing Costs in SB County
Board & Care *900-$1,086 per month
Def: Facilities that provide 24-hour non-medical care for adults ages 18-59,
who are unable to provide for their own daily needs. Adults may be
physically handicapped, developmentally disabled and/or mentally
disabled.
Room & Board ** $350-$700 per month
Def: a place to live which includes bed, electricity, water and food. For
adults who are able to provide for their own daily needs.
SOURCE: * Community Care Licensing, Title 22
** DBH Homeless Program
Peer Driven Room & Board
Advisory Coalition
Mission Statement
To provide Room & Board consumers a
resource tool to assist in renting healthy, safe,
well managed and quality room and board
housing.
Values Statement
• To recognize the dignity
and worth of all human
beings
• To acknowledge that
clients are the experts of
their experience
• To empower consumers
to develop leadership
skills
• To promote and
encourage consumer selfadvocacy skills
• To facilitate a positive
partnership between
consumer and room and
board operators
• To advocate for
consumers of room and
board facilities
• To educate consumers on
available resources
• To actively participate in
monthly coalition
meetings.
Wellness & Recovery includes…
Steps toward Self Determination
Setting goals for symptom management,
work, education, socialization and housing
Accessing information to make informed
choices
Acquiring confidence and developing a sense
of personal accountability
Being woven into the community
Empowerment is the key!
Wellness and Recovery promotes selfdetermination – including housing choices
Room & Boards are a popular choice among
mental health clients due to:
-Limited, fixed income
-Meals are included
-Socialization opportunities
-Affordability
Client Issues with Room & Boards
Quality of housing
Quality & quantity of
food
Not getting what you
paid for
R&B operators as the
payee
Poor or NO record
keeping of P&I money
Rude and discourteous
treatment from staff
Arbitrary rules
Lack of accountability
“Oral” rental
agreements
Increased number of
tenants over time
Arbitrary evictions
R&B Operators had issues as well
Disruptive behavior
Agency contacts in the
home
Unreliable payments
Destruction of property
Complaints from
neighbors
Uncooperative,
demanding tenants
Drug/alcohol issues
Security issues
Police involvement
Getting a bad
reputation
Provider concerns…
Providers want to be able to provide a location
that is safe and reputable
Ethically responsible for client safety upon
discharge
Housing is essential to client wellness
No means to “report” or “complain” on R&B’s
Seeking solutions that are client centered
Background Work to be Done
Check with your Local Housing Authority for
any considerations
Review city requirements – Fire Clearance,
Business License
Identify a location for regular meetings
Develop goals of Coalition (different than
Mission Statement)
Identify current R&B Operators in county
Seeking out Participants
1) Solicit participants from local Clubhouses
2) Seek current Providers of Behavioral Health
3) Encourage NAMI members to participate
4) Allow community members and volunteers
to join
5) Seek agency participation – e.g. local
community groups, homeless services
6) Find existing R&B Operators
First Steps as a Coalition
Mission Statement – what are you hoping to accomplish?
Code of Ethics – define your standards.
Conflict of interest? Adherence to rules necessary for
participation.
Membership requirements
Application, site review, attendance, fee?
Define Training Necessary – conduct needs assessment
from Consumers, Operators, Providers
Develop a Complaint Resolution Committee
Governing Board
• Decide what titles you want to have
Director, Chairperson, Co-Chair and a
Complaint Resolution Committee Chair?
• Establish the guidelines for election and
participation. Establish roles for each position.
• Encourage regular participation so members
can benefit from the trainings.
Additional considerations…
How often should you hold meetings?
Where are they to be held? Can they move locations for
large counties?
How long will the meetings be?
What are the standard meeting agenda items?
Define your training schedule after needs assessment is
done and line up presenters
Remember Cultural Competency considerations
Sample Meeting Agenda
Welcome
New members introduction – Self
PTSD – How to recognize and help – Pts. Rts. Staff
Discharge Considerations – SB Community
Hospital
Recipe of the Month – a healthy alternative
Low Cost Socialization Ideas - Various
Cultural Competency Insights – Office of Cultural
Competency
Other topics we have shared…
Board & Care vs. Room & Board
Depression – Taking positive steps
Communication 101
Preparing for an Emergency – Developing
Action Plans for the Room & Board
Disaster Preparedness – Taking care of those
in your home
Being Culturally Sensitive
The Process
Consumer seeks independent living arrangement
List is provided via clubhouse, case manager, or
mental health provider
Consumer is guided through available options
based on personal needs
Consumer makes selection and calls for interview
Consumer makes selection(s) – appropriate
information sheet(s) is provided
Consumer visits location and enters into rental
agreement with operator
Maintaining the List
Operators are asked to call by Monday at noon
any changes to their vacancy status
New lists sent electronically each Tuesday to
all recipients that have been trained on the
process – (note: operators do not get lists)
Operators can be suspended or removed
from list if they do not comply with Coalition
guidelines.
Paperwork…
Interest/Application Forms
Site Review Forms
Complaint Resolution Form
Room & Board Comparison List
Lessons Learned…
Membership drive must be ongoing
Operators stop attending once their houses
become full – have a participation policy
Develop Resolution Committee quickly
Line up several presenters of information based
on training needs assessment
Provide a consistent day and time for attendance
Be willing to “hand over” the process to the
community
Questions?