Opinion: A Powerful Tool to Address the Homelessness Crisis, Waiting for its Big Moment

Majority people associate occupational therapy with post-injury rehabilitation But Occupational Therapy OT addresses something more fundamental helping people master basic programs of daily living An participant in an occupational therapy session at one of Project Renewal s Courtesy of Project Renewal Homelessness defies simple solutions As an assemblymember representing the west side of Manhattan and the CEO of one of the city s largest homeless services organizations we grapple with this complexity daily how mental wellness and substance use disorders often interact to push stable housing further out of reach creating a vicious cycle that plays out in our streets and subways But we ve also witnessed something promising in our group Project Renewal has quietly developed and tested occupational therapy programs that address the daily living skills essential for housing stability from medication management to emotional regulation and job interview preparation function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' The bulk people associate occupational therapy with post-injury rehabilitation But OT addresses something more fundamental helping people master basic programs of daily living Occupational therapists assess functional skills and identify restrictions to tasks like taking medication consistently managing emotions or preparing for job interviews As a career path OT is more accessible than various healthcare professions typically requiring three years or less of postgraduate mentoring Project Renewal has built this workforce from the ground up training OT interns annually across more than a dozen colleges Numerous remain to work in the city These homegrown employees now fill Project Renewal s ranks occupational therapists across locations serving more than New Yorkers with histories of homelessness OT is versatile enough to deploy alongside mobile biological care meeting homeless New Yorkers directly on the streets This approach represents one of the sparse low-barrier high-impact interventions for both behavioral soundness and substance use that providers have successfully scaled Project Renewal s initiatives serves as the test scenario with promising results across their entire continuum of care Project Renewal s mobile clinics reach New Yorkers living in residents spaces a population scarce agencies can access Integrating occupational therapy proves crucial for connecting unhoused individuals to broader care networks Someone seeking wound care or a flu shot can be referred to an OT for assessment and connection to other providers beginning their journey toward housing stability Urgency shelters serve in recent times unhoused individuals several with untreated behavioral wellness and substance use issues Here OTs ensure shelters don t become revolving doors back to the street They expeditiously assess residents necessities and connect them to appropriate care An OT recognizing opioid withdrawal manifestations can instantly refer a new resident to remedy Without this intervention that person might return to the streets seeking relief from withdrawal s devastating effects OTs also work directly on substance use disorders A examination of Project Renewal s eight-week substance use healing project at a men s shelter exhibited encouraging results Participants worked with OTs to identify personal strengths and weaknesses use calendar tools for healthy routines and recognize triggers for substance use Preponderance participants displayed improved recovery outcomes after completion After establishing consistency at shelters residents move to transitional housing supportive temporary units for those not yet ready for independent living Project Renewal embeds services that prepare residents for permanent housing The Clinton residence in Midtown provides apartments for adults with behavioral physical condition diagnoses On-site occupational therapy helps patients manage mental illness ensuring they attend psychiatric appointments and follow medicine plans OTs also assistance key milestones toward self-sufficiency from job interview preparation to housing application assistance OT is embedded at all five Project Renewal permanent housing sites tailored to residents unique demands whether stemming from homelessness histories mental illness or aging At Geffner House for older adults OT often involves group programs music art writing cooking and brain games This programs simultaneously combats social isolation while strengthening functional skills from working memory to digital dexterity These independence-sustaining services have grown increasingly crucial as homelessness among older New Yorkers has risen Across this care spectrum the picture becomes clear On streets and in shelters OT connects in recent weeks unhoused people with acute requirements to vital services In transitional housing OT prepares residents for stability In permanent residences OT fortifies resilience At each stage OT addresses underlying causes of housing instability while connecting clients to care systems Occupational therapy alone cannot eliminate mental illness addiction or homelessness It must work within well-resourced endorsement networks spanning substance medicine psychiatry and social services But as Project Renewal has demonstrated that this efficient replicable model addresses critical necessities and underlying causes of housing instability As policymakers and venture leaders confront these persistent challenges this approach merits our attention and assets Addressing New York s homelessness demands evidence-based interventions that tackle root causes Occupational therapy represents one such tool tested and ready for broader implementation across our homeless services system Tony Simone represents New York s th Assembly District in Manhattan Eric Rosenbaum is CEO of Project Renewal The post Opinion A Powerful Tool to Address the Homelessness Emergency Waiting for its Big Moment appeared first on City Limits