TRENTON At 61 years old, K Ka had spent most of his life in prison.

His decades behind bars kept him from learning about life on the outside, including matters of mental health. Diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffering from bouts of paranoia, Ka didnt understand what was going wrong with him.

I had a mental illness and I didnt know it, he said. Its like youve got something wrong with you, but you dont know what it is. They say, This is your diagnosis, but you dont know what it is. Youre paranoid. Okay, what does that mean? Youre schizophrenic. Okay, whats that?

As he was approaching his release date three years ago, Ka connected with the counselors of Greater Trenton Behavioral Health Care, an agency that coaches people with histories of serious mental illness to live more independently.

The agencys supportive housing program helps clients to make doctors appointments, attend therapy sessions and track medications. Started in 2006 with just 12 clients, the program is now helping Ka and more than 200 others to gain what might be the greatest of medical benefits a home.

Greater Trenton is working with the two-year-old Trenton Health Team, a collaboration among the city, local hospitals, clinics and social service organizations that is trying to stem the high rates of emergency room visits in the city. What the team and its cohorts are repeatedly finding is that the sickest, most expensive patients are often also homeless.

Closely integrating housing and medical care is a growing trend, said Ruth Perry, executive director of the health team. The Trenton Health Team is working very hard to understand the health needs of our homeless residents, and looks forward to collaborating with our community partners to end the scourge of homelessness so that the homeless residents of Trenton can have better health and a better quality of life.

Greater Trentons supportive housing program helps former inmates, rehabilitated patients from state hospitals and other individuals with serious mental illnesses who are at risk of homelessness.

A NORMAL LIFE

I had been in prison for 35 years of my life, Ka said. This is the longest I have ever been out of prison, since I was like 10 years old.

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Trenton health care program gives a home to former inmates and patients with mental illnesses