Returning Home Ohio Partnership
People with severe mental illnesses reentering society after incarceration need housing, services and support to start their lives over. That’s why PLACES became a services provider for the Returning Home Ohio (RHO) reentry program.
RHO is a supportive housing program operated by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) in Ohio.
The program is designed to reduce the rate of recidivism and homelessness for ex-offenders who are returning to the community by providing housing and supportive services so they can live independent, productive lives.
Miami Valley Housing Opportunities (MVHO) selected PLACES as its RHO services provider in 2013.
- MVHO gives clients access to housing.
- PLACES connects clients to mental health agencies and teaches these individuals so they can maintain housing, obtain valid employment to increase their income, improve their quality of life and ultimately be independent in their own housing.
About RHO clients
RHO clients are ex-offenders released from ODRC who have histories of chronic homelessness or are at risk of homelessness upon release. Priority is given to individuals who are likely to require supportive services to maintain housing. This includes people with severe mental illnesses, addictions, developmental disabilities or all three.
Meet Dave
Dave – a 40-year-old man with mental health challenges who was convicted of rape, kidnapping and felonious assault – referred himself to the RHO program at PLACES.
He was accepted only because of his sheer determination to change his life.
After less than a year in the RHO program, Dave is a new man:
- He has kept every RHO appointment to date.
- He has reunited with his family – especially his daughter – and maintains an immaculate apartment.
- He is now a full-time student at Sinclair Community College.
Dave has proven that neither
his sentence nor his conviction can keep him from being a productive citizen.
Our RHO team is extremely proud of this young man. We continue to work with and encourage him.
Services provided by PLACES
PLACES provides the following services to clients in the RHO program:
- Household/apartment items
- Access to programming such as support groups and 12-step recovery meetings
- Access to reentry resources such as employment services, local pantries and meal sites, community social events, and physical and mental health providers
- Case management
- Assistance with successful integration into society
Once clients complete the RHO program and gain their own housing, they are already well-established with a mental health provider and other services in the community.
Referrals
PLACES serves potential RHO clients from several referral sources:
- Institutional case managers
- Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley
- MVHO’s PATH program (Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness)
- Homefull
- Montgomery County Office of Ex-Offender Re-Entry
- Self-referrals
A potential RHO client referred by any source must:
- Be homeless
- Have been in an Ohio state institution (not jail or federal prison)
- Be currently incarcerated, or released for no longer than 120 days
- Have a severe mental disorder (SMD) diagnosis; a severe, persistent mental illness (SPMI) diagnosis; or HIV, and be receiving treatment
PLACES can accept up to 20 men and women into the program.
- PLACES prefers to work with clients who have low to moderate Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) scores.
- The RHO case manager considers those scores, plus additional information, when evaluating clients for the program.
