Increasing Financial Self Sufficiency

1
Increasing Financial Self Sufficiency

• Suzanne F. Clifford
• NAMI National Board Former Director of Mental
  Health and Addiction for Indiana
• June 2008

2
Panel

• Moderator Suzanne F. Clifford, NAMI National
  Board of Directors Former Mental Health
  Director of Indiana
• Robert Drake, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, New
  Hampshire-Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center,
  Hanover, NH
• Elliott Steele, Executive Director, Vincent
  House, Pinellas Park, FL
• Rand Pierce, Vincent House, Pinellas Park, FL

3
Alignment with the NAMI Strategic Plan Goal 3F

• NAMI is leading a multi-faceted campaign to
  facilitate employment and financial independence
  for persons with serious mental illness.
• Target Increase focus on employment in the next
  Grading the States report
• Target Convene panel of experts to advise NAMI
  on steps that can be taken in federal and state
  policies to increase access to meaningful
  employment options for people with serious mental
  illness and issue recommendations from convened
  panel

4
Benefits of a Good Job Match

• Increases self-esteem
• Provides structure
• Enhances social integration and friendships
• Encourages the person to think about something
  other than mental illness
• Improves fiscal stability
• Increases societys understanding of mental
  illness and support for mental health treatment

5
Barriers to Employment

• Perceived and actual cash, housing and healthcare
  disincentives
• Lack of access to affordable healthcare
• Lack of follow-along services to help people keep
  a job
• Discrimination
• Lack of outreach to businesses
• Criminalization of mental illness
• Gaps in employment

6
Financial Stability Policy IssuesHealthcare

• Healthcare work disincentives
• Lack of affordable healthcare creates a
  dependence on Medicaid and Medicaid
• If you are receiving SSI or SSDI, you are
  entitled to free benefits counseling
• People can earn money up to a certain point
  without losing their Medicaid Medicare
  eligibility (Get benefits counseling!)
• Advocate for Medicaid Buy-In in your state if
  you do not have it
• Improvements are needed!!!!

7
Financial Stability Policy IssuesCash

• Cash work disincentives Social Security
• Work with your service providers to maximize the
  New Ticket to Work program
• If you are receiving SSI or SSDI, you are
  entitled to free benefits counseling
• More federal improvements are needed!

8
Financial Stability Policy IssuesHousing
Criminalization

• Housing work disincentives HUD
• Criminalization of mental illness
• Arrests and convictions on a persons record
  significantly limit employment and housing
  opportunities
• Diversion programs are critical and have a high
  human and economical impact re employment

9
How can NAMI advocate for policies that promote
financial stability?

• Reinforce the importance of employment at
  national, state and local levels
• Reduce state and federal healthcare work
  disincentives (Medicaid, increase access to
  affordable healthcare, etc.)
• Reduce federal cash and housing work
  disincentives
• Increase federal resources for benefits
  counseling
• Ensure that your state legislature passes
  Medicaid Buy-In

10
What can NAMI member do?

• Advocate about employment
• Work with your local service providers to
  maximize the New Ticket to Work program
• Refer people who receive SSI or SSDI to free
  benefits counseling
• Outreach to businesses
• Partner with Vocational Rehabilitation to
  streamline their processes and increase their
  understanding of mental illness
• Foster peer support focused on employment
• Increase the use of asset building techniques
• Promote a recovery-oriented culture and system
  that helps people reach their financial stability
  goals