More Homeless Getting Disability Benefits

More homeless people are receiving disability benefits thanks to a new program started by the Metro Homelessness Commission earlier this year.

The project is helping homeless people with either physical disabilities or mental illnesses access federal disability benefits that include health insurance through Medicare or Medicaid. Nashville’s Park Center, a community mental health center, runs the program.

Will Connelly does most of the project’s outreach. Connelly says the goal of the project is to provide homeless with the tools to receive benefits.

“There are more barriers when you are homeless and when you are applying. The Social Security administration communicates by mail and telephone, and when you don’t have a stable address or phone then it’s almost impossible to know what’s going on about your case.”

Connelly says according to national estimates, as much as two-thirds of the homeless population suffers from either physical disabilities or mental illnesses. Once they have health insurance, they can begin to access services to help them deal with those issues.

Based on the latest official count, the homeless population is estimated to be about 18-hundred people in Nashville, but homeless advocates think it’s much higher.