From the Real Frontline: The Unique Contributions of Mental Health Caregivers in Canadian Foster Homes‪.‬

Foster homes have existed in North America for the past 50 years, as many patients discharged from psychiatric hospitals were placed into these homes (Deci & Matrix, 1997; McCoin, 1985; Murphy, Penne, & Luchins, 1972; Trainor, Morrell-Bellai, Ballantyne, & Boydell, 1993). These community-based residences provide an important source of housing for people with mental health problems, many of whom have lived for years in institutional settings. Unlike most services for people with serious mental illness, which rely on professional staffing (that is, assertive community treatment), nonprofessional caregivers operate foster homes, which are indistinguishable from ordinary homes in the community. Foster homes originated in Belgium where over 600 years ago families in Geel took people with mental illness into their homes (Carpenter, 1978; Linn, Klett, & Caffey, 1980; McCoin, 1983; Roosens, 1979). The concept of caring for someone in a natural family environment spread throughout Europe during the 1800s and was introduced in the United States in 1885 (Linn, 1981; Tuntiya, 2006). Although in recent years emphasis has shifted to more autonomous housing, such as supported housing, foster homes remain the oldest form of housing for people with serious mental illness (McCoin, 1985).