Getting out of homelessness is hard enough, and staying out of it can be just as difficult, but it can be done.
That’s according to Linda Autore, the CEO and president of Laurel House, which offers housing assistance for people suffering from housing insecurity and dealing with mental illness.
“Sometimes people come to us who are in real distress, and so we remediate from that and help them build the skills they need to cope and just maintain daily living,” Autore said.
Finding mental health care and housing is possible, provided someone knows where to look for help, which Autore says even other nonprofits struggle to navigate. She was one of several speakers at a recent mental health panel hosted by the Housing Collective in Westport, which aimed to connect nonprofits with other resources from medical providers.
The need continues to increase for wrap-around services addressing the links between housing insecurity and mental illness, according to local nonprofit leaders.
Last year, an analysis of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development data showed a greater share of the homeless population now suffers from severe mental illness, compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.
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