PATH stands for Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness. It is a program of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA), which links people who are homeless and have a chronic mental illness to services. PATH also assists people who are at risk of homelessness and have a mental illness. PATH participants receive case management, which assists them in accessing primary health care, mental health services, disability income, and housing.
PATH participants come to HOPES Center through street outreach and referrals from a variety of sources including shelters, agencies that assist people who are homeless, hospitals and organizations that serve people with mental illness, probation officers and other PATH participants. Kathie Solie, PATH Service Facilitator, works with various mental health service providers who can provide a mental health assessment if someone believes he or she has a mental illness, but is not sure. She also works with Legal Action of Wisconsin to assist in disability claims and various subsidized housing providers. The goal of PATH is to assist PATH participants to transition out of homelessness and into stable housing.