Opening Doors for the Homeless Partnership

PLACES – a contract agency of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board for Montgomery County and a provider of Supportive Living Program services since 1995 – was selected as both the grant administrator and a service provider for Opening Doors for the Homeless, a program established in 1997.

Opening Doors for the Homeless was created to give homeless individuals with mental health diagnoses increased access to housing and supportive services. Later the program began targeting the hard-to-serve homeless with more intensive services to help them get the tools they need to obtain and retain permanent housing, secure employment and income, and reintegrate into the community.

In June 2012, the program was reconfigured again. The current focus is on keeping formerly homeless adults with mental health diagnoses – and other formerly homeless, hard-to-serve adults – stably housed for the long term.

Services now being provided to help clients remain housed include:

  • Employment training
  • Case management
  • Health care
  • Links to community services related to housing
  • Development of life skills related to housing

Opening Doors for the Homeless will continue to refine its services so the adults being served remain stably housed and increase their incomes over time. 

Serving homeless individuals who struggle with serious mental health issues has become a significant part of our mission at PLACES. Opening Doors for the Homeless currently has three partners.

As the grant administrator for Opening Doors, PLACES has a contract with the other two program partners and ensures all partners are:

  • Providing the services required by the grant agreement
  • Receiving payment for these services
  • Reporting the outcomes of the partners' efforts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds the program

As a service provider for Opening Doors, PLACES:

  • Provides case management and supportive services that help these individuals remain in housing
  • Advocates for them with local landlords
  • Works to improve their independent living skills
  • Links them to community programs that provide support
  • Provides startup funds for tenants moving into apartments as part of the Housing First Program

PLACES meets with Opening Doors partners quarterly to discuss the grant, guide services and fine-tune the program based on changes in the community and in the population being served.