Permanent Options for Recovery-Centered Housing (PORCH)

The Permanent Options for Recovery-Centered Housing (PORCH) program aims to increase housing stability and encourage independent living among adults with a history of mental illness and housing instability or homelessness. Regional support networks, mental health and housing providers located in two counties (Pierce and Chelan/Douglas) participated in the SAMHSA funded project. In this third report about the PORCH program, we provide an update on the population served and examine preliminary outcomes on housing stability, psychiatric hospitalizations, emergency department use, arrests and employment. We found that most participants (89 percent) were stably housed after one year of PORCH services. Preliminary data indicate PORCH may reduce emergency department visits and community psychiatric hospitalizations. A final evaluation at the end of the five-year grant period will assess the extent to which outcomes for PORCH participants may differ from those of other DSHS clients with similar housing needs and behavioral health problems.