DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health

TAC was awarded a contract with the District of Columbia to facilitate the merger of the Department of Mental Health and the Addiction Prevention Recovery Administration into a combined Department of Behavioral Health. The District's merger, which took effect October 1, 2013, is similar to efforts in other jurisdictions where government agencies are working toward integrating addictions and mental health treatment, increasing access to services, readying for Medicaid expansion and parity, and streamlining administrative functions. 

Prior to the merger, TAC also assisted the D.C. Department of Mental Health to develop a Strategic Supportive Housing Plan for people with mental illness which overlapped with the Mayor's Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force. TAC analyzed the current landscape of affordable housing and services within the District, including all federal, state, local and private resources, and made recommendations to maximize the availability of integrated, affordable housing and supports available for people with mental illness. TAC also devised a methodology to estimate the need for affordable housing and for permanent supportive housing among district residents with mental illness.