MHRI was founded in 2004 by Heartland Alliance Health, with support and involvement from a number of service and policy organizations.
MHRI currently receives funding from The Chicago Community Trust to provide training and technical assistance to Chicago area permanent supportive housing providers who are committed to adopting a Housing First approach that is based on the philosophy and practice of harm reduction. Staff also collaborate with researchers from the Center for Urban Research and Learning at Loyola and at Indiana University who are studying the effects of harm reduction housing on homelessness, mental health, and substance use.
MHRI offers trainings and webinars open to all housing, substance use, and mental health treatment professionals on topics that include housing first, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed services, case management, drug knowledge, homelessness, and complex co-occurring disorders. See the calendar for upcoming events.
Finally, MHRI is available to create trainings and technical assistance tailored to meet the needs of agencies and their staff and participants.
Mission
- To increase understanding of the harm reduction philosophy
- To help individuals, organizations and systems build the skills necessary to implement harm reduction strategies
- To strengthen harm reduction leadership across a diversity of disciplines and communities
- To develop an awareness of and strategies to address the attitudes that contribute to discrimination against drug users and other marginalized groups
