My son took his life while "being helped" by this organization. The premise is good. Help those in need of mental health services with housing, which each patient pays for; education, which includes daily group sessions; and employment, usually janitorial.
Each individual starts out in a group home environment that is staffed 24/7 and includes a series of steps in order to move to a more independent living situation. Medication is closely monitored and daily goals are expected. The patients are allowed to "graduate" when it is clear they are not ready to be independent. They are moved into an unsupervised group home and are expected to monitor each other while taking daily medications. Absolutely ridiculous, especially for those who suffer from schizophrenia. These patients often believe they do not need medication.
A psychiatrist comes to the house weekly and sees each person for approximately two minutes. This is verified by my daughter, who was there when the psychiatrist visited.
My son went missing while part of this organization. There was no explanation as to what could have happened, because there is no supervision. The psychiatrist has refused to speak to me about my son because he was an adult and didn't sign a waiver. To this day, I have no idea what my son's mental state or medication routine was. I firmly believe he would be alive today if he were not part of this organization.
I have worked as a client at Tasks for over thirty years and cannot imagine a better company to have worked for in view of my mental health diagnosis. Because of them I went from homelessness to a middle-class lifestyle where I own my condo outright. It's been mostly a pleasant run with few and small bumps.
It is an example of the Fairweather Model which was developed by George Fairweather who hypothesized the persons with mental illness could recover through interaction with similar persons. It is highly successful.
My goal in life is to do what I can to promote Fairweather throughout the country.