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Wisconsin State PATH Provider Manual

Section 2: Overview of PATH

PATH night walk

PATH is a federal formula grant that provides services, such as outreach and case management, to people experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness and who have serious mental illness or co-occurring disorders. PATH legislation helps states identify, engage, enroll, and transition eligible individuals to community mental health services, housing, and mainstream services.

The Division of Care and Treatment Services manages Wisconsin's PATH grant.

History

Congress authorized PATH legislation as part of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Amendments Act of 1990.

Under PATH, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services provides formula grants to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Formula grants are noncompetitive. The amount awarded is determined by statistical criteria related to each PATH grantee’s population. Grant recipients complete an annual application and must meet certain requirements to continue receiving funds.

State PATH contacts award funding to local public or nonprofit human services organizations, typically through a competitive proposal process. Recipient organizations use the funds to provide outreach, engagement, and support services for individuals with serious mental illness or co-occurring disorders who are experiencing or are at imminent risk of homelessness.

State PATH contacts issue requests for proposals to identify local providers; provide technical assistance; conduct annual site visits with subrecipient organizations; convene meetings and teleconferences; and review quarterly progress reports, data, and financial documents.

Jennifer Patridge is Wisconsin's state PATH contact. Send PATH questions or concerns to jennifer.patridge@dhs.wisconsin.gov.

SAMHSA assigns a government project officer to serve as the primary contact for each state PATH contact.

Wisconsin currently contracts with seven agencies to provide PATH program services.

Calendar

Key deliverables associated with PATH programming include the following events and timelines.

Release of the federal PATH funding opportunity announcement

This changes each year. SAMHSA usually releases the funding opportunity announcement in the spring.

Due date for application

Generally, the due date is 60 days from the release of the funding opportunity announcement; this will be stipulated in the funding opportunity announcement. Wisconsin's state PATH contact manages the state's work to apply for the federal PATH funding opportunity.

Data collection period for annual report

States determine their operating year, and data are collected for that period. Most states use their fiscal year. Wisconsin uses July 1 to June 30. This date range is Wisconsin's state fiscal year.

Official opening of the PATH Data Exchange for data entry

SAMHSA announces this date each year. This system typically opens between October 1 and 15.

PATH Data Exchange submission and approval deadline for annual report

SAMHSA announces the submission period each year. Wisconsin's state PATH contact submits the state's data by the deadline. Typically, the deadline to submit data to SAMHSA is December 31.

Eligibility

PATH program services are intended for adults with diagnoses of serious mental illness or co-occurring disorders who are also experiencing homelessness or at imminent risk of homelessness.

  • A serious mental illness is defined by someone over 18 having (within the past year) a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that substantially interferes with a person’s life and ability to function.
  • A co-occurring disorder is defined by someone experiencing a mental health condition and a substance use disorder at the same time, where the mental health condition and substance use disorder can be diagnosed independently of each other.
  • An individual experiencing homelessness is defined as an individual who lacks housing (without regard to whether the individual is a member of a family), including an individual whose primary residence during the night is a supervised public or private facility that provides temporary living accommodations and an individual who is a resident in transitional housing.
  • Imminent risk of becoming homeless commonly includes one or more of the following criteria:
    • Doubled-up living arrangements where the individual’s name is not on a lease
    • Living in a condemned building without a place to move
    • Having arrears in rent/utility payments
    • Receiving an eviction notice without a place to move
    • Living in temporary or transitional housing that carries time limits
    • Being discharged from a health care or criminal justice institution without a place to live

Allowable activities

States and territories establish priorities for PATH-approved services based on the needs of their populations. State PATH contacts make sure providers deliver services according to the state’s priorities and in line with PATH legislation. The legislation specifies providers may use PATH funding for the following activities:

  • Outreach services
  • Screening and diagnostic treatment services
  • Habilitation and rehabilitation services
  • Community mental health services
  • Alcohol and/or drug treatment services
  • Staff training, including training of people who work in shelters, mental health clinics, substance use disorder programs, and other sites where people experiencing homelessness require services
  • Case management services, including:
    • Preparing a plan for the provision of community mental health services to eligible individuals experiencing homelessness and reviewing such plan not less than once every three months.
    • Providing assistance in obtaining and coordinating social and maintenance services for the eligible individuals experiencing homelessness, including services related to daily living activities, personal financial planning, transportation services, and habilitation and rehabilitation services, prevocational and vocational training, and housing services.
    • Helping eligible individuals experiencing homelessness obtain income support services, including housing assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
    • Referring eligible individuals experiencing homelessness for such other services as may be appropriate.
    • Providing representative payee services in accordance with section 1631(a)(2) of the Social Security Act if the eligible individuals experiencing homelessness are receiving aid under Title XVI of such act and if the applicant is designated by the Secretary to provide such services.
  • Supportive and supervisory services in residential settings
  • Referrals for primary health services, job training, educational services, and relevant housing services
  • Housing services, including:
    • Minor renovation, expansion, and repair of housing.
    • Planning of housing.
    • Technical assistance in applying for housing assistance.
    • Improving the coordination of housing services.
    • Security deposits.
    • Costs associated with matching eligible individuals who are experiencing homelessness with appropriate housing situations.
    • Security deposits.
    • One-time rental payments to prevent eviction.

Each PATH grantee determines how to use PATH funds to address homelessness among people with serious mental illness or co-occurring disorders. Services provided must be included in the Intended Use Plan and in the grantee’s annual funding proposal.

Go back - Section 1: Homelessness in Wisconsin
Next - Section 3: Meeting People Where They Are At

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