Jay S. Levy has spent more than 30 years working with individuals who experience homelessness. He is the author of the highly acclaimed books Pretreatment Guide for Homeless Outreach & Housing First and Homeless Narratives & Pretreatment Pathways. He has also published a monograph and several journal articles on Homelessness issues. His newest publication features multiple authors from both sides of the Atlantic and is entitled- Cross Cultural Dialogues on Homelessness: From Pretreatment Strategies to Psychologically Informed Environments (PIE). Jay developed Pretreatment as an approach for helping people without homes. He has helped to create new Housing First programs such as the Regional Engagement and Assessment for Chronically Homeless program (REACH).
Jay is currently employed by Eliot CHS-Homeless Services as a Regional Manager for the statewide SAMHSA-PATH Homeless Outreach Team. He is also an adjunct teacher at Anna Maria College and recently taught a unique graduate psychology course on Outreach Counseling, which integrated Pretreatment and PIE perspectives with the clinical challenges of homeless services work.
He has achieved formal recognition from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for his ongoing efforts to help under-served homeless individuals through his direct service, clinical supervision of staff, and program development. Jay received his MSW degree in clinical social work from Columbia University in 1988.
Jay lives in Western MA with his wife, Louise. His two children, Talia and Sara, are off to college and beyond. He is an avid stargazer. More information on Jay and his work can be found at www.jayslevy.com.