Psychiatric Housing: Locational Patterns and Choices

This study investigated locational patterns and choices in recently sited psychiatric housing. It examined the socioeconomic attributes of the neighborhoods of a sample of supervised houses and apartments for persons with severe mental illness in seven states, and the factors associated with the choice of those locations. Using data drawn from the U.S. Census and interviews with mental health administrators and residential staff, the study identified siting patterns that linked housing affordability to development in mixed use, walkable neighborhoods that provided residents with access to community resources in a variety of small towns and metropolitan areas. Although residences were located in neighborhoods with a range of socioeconomic attributes including low and high poverty rates, mean municipal poverty levels were significantly higher than those of the states in which they were located.