THE INSTITUTE OF URBAN LIVING
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Mission Statement
The mission of the Institute of Urban Living dba. Hyacinth’s Place is to provide permanent affordable housing with support & therapeutic services to the homeless mentally ill. We work to break the cycle of homelessness by challenging individuals to move above and beyond their environment and personal circumstance, to maximize quality of life and work towards life-long self-sufficiency
About This Cause
The Institute of Urban Living (IUL) is a non-profit 501 (C) 3 organization with a history of working in underprivileged communities. IUL was founded 36 years ago to address issues relating to HIV/AIDS when the epidemic was affecting the minority community disproportionately. ." Over the years, IUL has also offered mental health, social services, advocacy and referral services as appropriate. In 2011, IUL diversified its services to focus on the homeless mentally ill. This came in the form of a $3.5 million affordable housing construction in Ward 5 called "Hyacinth's Place" and serves women drawn from all 8 wards of the District. Hyacinth’s Place has fifteen (15) furnished efficiency units, laundry facility, library, common cooking and eating areas and a healing garden. By providing affordable housing with Behavioral and Therapeutic Services, there is a focus on emotional, financial and vocational stability to prepare participants to re-enter their communities and society without the risk of recidivism. The units at Hyacinth's Place are efficiency units, complete with its own bathroom and kitchenette. The women who occupy these units are 30% below the federal poverty guidelines. The women of HP are diagnosed with mental health disorders ranging from schizophrenia to bi-polar disorders, post-traumatic Stress, domestic violence; sexual/verbal/physical/emotional abuse etc. Psychotherapy is individualized because of issues around privacy, honesty and confidentiality. Life skills Training is a necessity because depression is a common mental health diagnoses among women and is often combined with other mental health disorders such as post-traumatic Stress and bi-polar disease. With depression there is neglect of personal care and lack of insight. Through medication education, women are taught about side effects and the purpose of specific medications. They learn about signs of de-compensating and they are empowered through education to discuss their medication regime with their Psychiatrist. Our women are offered a secured environment, meals and paid utilities. While in this program, women complete tutoring and /or workshops on financial management; medication education; vocational choices and advocacy. Our women are provided the resources to return to school/college or seek positions as volunteers and/or part-time employment. In an effort to maximize limited resources, and provide essential services, we work with a number of community organizations, businesses and government agencies. The Capital area food bank partners with Hyacinth's Place to bring this population nutritious and affordable food. The area shelters, Department of Behavioral Health and the DC Housing authority refer and process the homeless mentally ill for housing at Hyacinth's Place. Twenty six (26) Mental Health Community Service Agencies provide psychiatric and pharmaceutical support and a number of community non-profits offer training programs and volunteer opportunities to our residents. The scope of our impact is in breaking the cycle of homelessness and starting women on the path of independence. While at Hyacinth’s Place women work towards emotional, vocational and financial stability. In addition to focusing on this group, our organization is making quite a difference to law enforcement, public health and with the problem of substance abuse. Although approximately 72% of our clientele have histories of substance abuse, they must be at least six (6) months “clean” before enrolling in the Hyacinth’s Place program. While at Hyacinth’s Place all residents are involved in support services that encourage them to remain free of any illicit substance. Removing this population from the streets of the District makes a significant difference to law enforcement. Because Hyacinth’s Place is a secure and controlled environment, women returning from incarceration, take full advantage of all available resources to prepare themselves for a productive future. In addition to mental health problems, the women who come to our program also come with complicated medical issues. This is the population who have historically accessed the emergency room for their health care. This has made the health care system very expensive and problematic to properly deliver services. The scope of our impact on the health care system includes, a record of no visits to the emergency room from our population and scheduled medical appointments for consistent medical care. Our women are also involved in nutrition classes and exercise programs.