RALEIGH—An annual report finds significant progress in the Transition to Community Living Initiative (TCLI) which helps North Carolinians with mental illnesses find housing and services in their communities.

The report, from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), says that the initiative has seen a 27% increase in housed individuals since last year.

The NCDHHS report highlights various successes, such as a total of 2,114 participants in supportive housing and the implementation of a new Referral, Screening, and Verification Process (RSVP). The RSVP makes integrating into the community easier for participants because it diverts them from settings that are not suited for their individual needs. The RSVP tool helped increase diversions by 14% according to the NCDHHS.

The initiative was created in 2012 with the U.S. Department of Justice in response to an allegation that those with serious mental health issues were being improperly served in adult care homes.

“The TCLI program is key to our Behavioral Health Strategic Plan released by the department in 2018 which aims to integrate care and increase the richness of our community levels of services,” says Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Kody H. Kinsley in a press release, “Our vision is for all persons with disabilities to live, work, and thrive in their communities to the fullest of their abilities.”

An independent reviewer notes that the TCLI initiative met its annual housing goal for the first time since 2014. The reviewer also says that NCDHHS has provided leadership which may improve program management, budgeting, and oversight.

Progress for the initiative is measured in areas such as supported housing levels, pre-screening and diversion, quality assurance and performance improvement, supported employment, discharge and transition planning, and community mental health services. The NCDHHS has highlighted significant improvements in the first three objectives, and they say efforts continue for all six goals.