Planning supported housing - A new orientation in housing for people with serious mental illness

There is a new role for planning in housing for people with serious mental illness. It involves the development of partnerships and protocols between mental health agencies and housing providers. This new role is not concerned with zoning and mitigating not-in-my-backyard responses. Supported housing is the newest and most popular model of housing and support for people with serious mental illness. It involves affordable integrated housing paired with flexible individualized mental health support services. Focusing on the Canadian experience, the authors review where past research on housing for people with serious mental illness has taken us. Supported housing and the new roles that planners can play in implementing this model are discussed.