North Carolina health plan to provide affordable housing to people with SMI

Abstract

Cardinal Innovations Healthcare, a specialized health plan and care coordinator for Medicaid recipients and the under‐ and uninsured in North Carolina with complex behavioral and special needs, is funding an innovative project to provide permanent, affordable housing for people with serious mental illness (SMI), according to a news release. A public/private partnership between Cross Disability Services Inc. and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work will use a $100,000 grant from Cardinal Innovations to develop Tiny Homes Village, whose primary purpose is to offer “well‐designed, affordable, permanent homes to support the health and wellbeing of people with SMI.” According to the grant application, the project will comprise 15 tiny homes, each valued at $50,000 with approximately 350 square feet of living space. The homes will be built in a village with a communal clubhouse, green spaces and ready access to public transportation and a variety of community‐based services. “Tiny Homes Village is an exciting and pioneering effort in support of those with SMI,” said Trey Sutten, Cardinal Innovations CEO. “We are honored to be a partner in helping to realize such an important project with great potential to become a national model.”