Program Profile: SHACT

Posted on 3/24/2010 by The Bridge

As of January 1, 2010, The Bridge has implemented a first-of-its-kind program, SHACT – Supportive Housing and Assertive Community Treatment, but before you can understand SHACT, let’s discuss ACT, Assertive Community Treatment Program.

ACT
This program was created to respond to the needs of people with serious mental illness who do not do well in conventional programs. The ACT program responds to these circumstances by providing highly individualized treatment, support and rehabilitation services to people in their natural living settings, usually where they live. ACT brings th
e services to the consumer instead of the consumer attending programs at the agency site. The program uses a multi-disciplinary team approach made up of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, substance abuse specialists, vocational counselors, and a peer support workers. Each day teams visit consumers in the community and work with them to meet recovery goals set in their service plans (i.e. educational goals, employment skills and opportunities, improving family relationships); at least one team member is on call for emergencies. Services are not time-limited; clients may utilize the services of ACT for as long as they need them. The Bridge Act team is one of 43 teams in the New York City region and 78 across the state of New York.


SHACT
SHACT will be implemented by The Bridge in the Bronx. 68 clients will be enrolled in ACT and will be able to live in 68 supportive housing beds being created for the project. SHACT will offer an essential housing resource to ACT participants many of whom are in shelters, newly discharged from hospitals without housing or are living in substandard environments. ACT agencies across the New York City region will be able to refer ACT clients to The Bridge SHACT program in the Bronx to receive housing in addition to ACT treatment, support and rehabilitative services.

Not only do ACT and SHACT offer a solution to reduce psychiatric hospitalizations and visits to the emergency rooms, but they offer individuals an opportunity to live more independent and productive lives within our community.

Read More About ACT

For more information check out:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
New York State Office Mental Health



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