‘Second-Step’ Facility Helps Homeless Get Back on Feet : Rehabilitation: The first project of its kind in the county, Henderson House bridges the gap between a shelter and independent living for the mentally ill and recovering substance abusers.

A housing project that allows homeless adults who are mentally ill or recovering from drug or alcohol abuse to share apartments is the first of its kind in Orange County, housing officials said.

Henderson House, actually a pair of apartment buildings, is unusual because of its blend of residents and the fact that it will be self-supporting rather than subsidized once all eight units are rented.

The “second-step” facility provides housing for up to two years for as many as 30 men and women who have completed a rehabilitation program at Friendship Shelter, a temporary homeless shelter in Laguna Beach.

“After working with the residents here, we came to the awareness there was no low-income housing in Orange County that was affordable . . . for our graduates,” said Barbara Clippinger, Friendship Shelter’s program director. “We thought they needed a little more help.”

The apartments were already rented when Friendship Shelter Inc. bought the two four-plexes in January after raising $100,000 for the down payment. Since then, shelter graduates have gradually moved in as previous residents moved out. The sixth new resident unpacked last weekend.

A dedication ceremony will be held Saturday, during which the buildings will be christened Henderson House after Colin Henderson, an Episcopal priest who, as Friendship Shelter’s executive director, launched the new project.

Henderson said there are advantages for all when the mentally ill and recovering substance abusers have an opportunity to live together.

“I think it’s very positive for people recovering from drug and alcohol abuse to discover they have a lot to offer to other human beings,” he said. “For the mentally ill, they’re no longer being segregated and treated as a different species but just part of the community down there working together, with a common goal of getting back into independent life.”

County housing officials praised the transitional living project, which they said bridges the gap between a homeless shelter and independent living.

“It is definitely unique for Orange County,” said Eddie Henderson, mental health housing coordinator for the Orange County Health Care Agency. “They saw a need, and they filled it.” The two Hendersons are not related.

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“This would certainly be a different model,” added Douglas C. Barton, the agency’s deputy director of mental health. “Especially in lieu of the [county’s] bankruptcy, anything we can provide that the government isn’t funding is certainly going to benefit the community.”

To live at Henderson House, at a cost of $250 per month, residents must sign a contract agreeing to abide by rules such as keeping the dwelling tidy and not staying away overnight without the apartment manager’s permission.

Residents recovering from drug and alcohol abuse may stay six months if they adhere to conditions such as having a job, remaining sober and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Clippinger said.

Mentally ill tenants can stay two years if they take their medication, see their mental health worker and either maintain a part-time job or in some way contribute to the community.

As part of Friendship Shelter’s rehabilitation program, many residents receive job training that Clippinger said can help them eventually find higher-paying jobs so they can afford their own apartments when they move from Henderson House.