More than dollars and cents.

"One of the advantages of working with Community Access is the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to solve one of the biggest problems in this city," said Steve Coe, the executive director of the not-for-profit organization that helps find housing for people with a history of psychiatric disorders.

"And in terms of being a businessman, it's much less expansive to provide an apartment for someone, than to have them stay at a shelter or at a hospital and pay for it with your taxes anyway."

The organization provides two types of housing for its clients -- short-term housing for those that have just come out of the hospital or a homeless shelter, and a longer-term option for those who have successfully completed the post-recovery stage. Patients in the short-term plan usually live in residences occupied by 12 to 15 people, where they stay for only a brief period of time -- in most cases, less than six months. Those who show ability to take care of themselves on their own are allowed to live more independently, with just one roommate, and on an unlimited term. They are provided with official leases, and enjoy all of the privileges that the traditional tenants do.

"Because we like to create housing situations where people are integrated into the mainstream culture, we provide housing based on people's needs," Coe said. "We use a program that helps them get adjusted -- our staff visit them almost every day and track their activities pretty carefully. So we know whether someone is ready to get their own apartment or not."

Coe, who has been involved in the real estate side of Community Access since the late 1970's, claims that although his tenants are usually viewed with suspicion, they are actually less troublesome than the traditional kind. "We don't move someone into their own apartment, if they are not ready to take care of it," he said.

"A lot of our clients are able to function fine. Sometimes they hear voices, but that doesn't mean that they can't be good tenants. They don't bother anybody. At the same time, there are plenty of normal tenants out there that are a big headache for their landlords."

In fact, because of the nature of the program, signing up Community Access' tenants may turn out to be a profitable move. In an effort to help the patients get adjusted to normal life, its counselors organize different communal projects, which involve the accomplishment of everyday tasks.

Sometimes, these will include making repairs and improving the quality of life in the building they live in. Back in the 1970's, when Coe was a graduate student, he served as a landlord and manager of two of Community Access' tenement buildings, a task that makes it easier for him now to find a common language with other landlords in his field.

"On that job, I learned a lot about construction and property management," he said. "When Community Access took over the buildings, they consisted for the most part of railroad flats. To get the patients to cooperate and do something constructive with their time, I organized a program to get the windows replaced, the boiler repaired, and the roof re-tiled. These are people who really value their housing, when they have it."

Among other advantages of renting your apartments to his organization, Coe lists regular rent payments, an intermediary that can help you solve any misunderstanding that might arise, and a flexible tenant that is willing to move out if you should happen to want your space back.

"The first thing that we bring to a landlord is the financial ability to pay rent every month," he said. "In addition, with us there is never a need to bring in a lawyer. Our tenants are not going to sue you. And in those instances when a landlord wanted his apartment back, either for renovation or a sale, we were very understanding. The tenants just moved out, without much ado."

Of course, sometimes problems still arise. According to Coe, however, it is not the mentally ill patients who usually get in trouble, but those who come from low-income families -- another group of people Community Access helps to find housing for. The incidents usually involve drugs, and they tend to be fairly rare -- two out of every 28 families or so -- but Coe still believes in strong corrective measures.

"We care a lot about the environment in which our tenants find themselves. So if it is someone with a psychiatric disorder we are going to send him to counseling," he explained.

"But with low-income families, we are just going to evict them. We do take people to court when we have to."

Coe, who is now responsible for fundraising and strategic planning, in addition to pitching in the organization's real estate initiatives, would love to see more involvement from the side of New York's real estate community.

At the current moment, he is looking for new members to join Community Access' fifteen-member board of directors.

"We are looking for people who would be interested in supporting us financially, but also for someone who can manage our real estate properties for us, who has that kind of experience," he said.

"We meet four times a year, so it's not a huge time requirement, but there's nothing like knowing that you have helped other people."