The Linden Street program at North Central Human Services is a 6 unit, permanent housing program. To enter the program, clients must be HUD defined homeless, and have a mental illness. The program offers a wide range of services, helping clients learn life-skills such as grocery shopping, budgeting, and management of appointments. Clients are provided with transportation to get to appointments or to run errands. The Linden Street house is communal living; the clients share a common living room and kitchen. The clients as a group must share household chores and attend the weekly house meetings.

The majority of the clients at Linden Street were only temporarily homeless; the program is designed for their needs. The most common issues that have introduced the clients to homelessness are drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, and effects of both of these, such as losing a job. Due to the lack of affordable housing and the strict guidelines for getting into many other programs, clients became homeless temporarily. Pam Muse, of North Central Human Services, states that one issue for individuals applying to get into other housing programs is that they may not be “homeless” but they might be living in an overcrowded, temporary situation (such as staying on a friends couch). Although they are near-homeless and need help from the program, they still may not qualify.

While Linden Street is a permanent housing program, residents are still encouraged to apply for housing subsidy vouchers and apply for jobs. The ideal outcome is to make the clients more self-sufficient and independent, and maintain permanent housing.