Providence House Resource Support Analysis

8- Heading Home is an organization based out of Charlestown that provides a continuum of services and care to individuals and families facing homelessness. In many ways their advocacy efforts match Pine Street Inn as they too provide emergency shelter and permanent housing through systemizing case management services. The mission is “to end homelessness in Greater Boston by providing a supported pathway to self-sufficiency

In the early 2000s—after a 15-year push to create emergency shelters for the burgeoning homeless population in U.S. cities—shelter funding began to decline, nationwide.    For  Pine  Street  Inn,  Boston’s  foremost  homeless

For clients who desire more than the occasional shower, meal, and a place to escape the elements of the weather for a few hours, there are case managers who devote their time to assisting clients to a pathway of self-reliance. Insightfully, I observed that very few of the clients that are served at the Beacon appear to have the life skills to advance through Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and I recall an appreciated statement Barbara Ehrenreich made in her book, Nickel and Dimed, when she said “…I can’t help thinking of them on account of the mysterious vulnerability that seems to have left them temporarily unable to feed themselves”; Though, for many at The Beacon it isn’t temporary (Ehrenreich, 2001, p18). The case managers at The Beacon are a life line to those desiring stability within their life, as they navigate their clients through a system of unfamiliarity that is often full of red tape and hurdles. They make referrals and assist with the application process to gain access to medical, legal, housing, counseling, and employment needs, just to name a few. On average 80 clients meet daily with a case manager, and without the guidance of the case managers many of Houston’s homeless

The DC government has been implementing Rapid Re-Housing programs in response to the homelessness crisis that the nation’s capital has been facing for years. The Rapid Re-Housing models were implemented across the country through the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP), as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 (Anderson, 2015). Rapid Re-Housing is mainly an intervention, informed by a Housing First approach. Housing First is a critical part of the community’s effective homeless crisis response system (Anderson, 2015). The program attempts to connect families and individuals experiencing homelessness to permanent housing through personalized programs of assistance that may include the use of limited-time

The Refuge Transition Team (RTT) is a program currently being provided through Mental Health Care, Inc. in the Tampa Bay area. The program is designed with the evidenced based model of Critical Time Intervention. Refuge transition team targets adult individuals who are chronically homeless, diagnosed with a serious mental illness, have histories of public inebriation by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMSHA) definition with priority enrollment given to veterans. The program services 36 individuals per year and services begin in shelter facility and transition to the community as the individual progresses in recovery and independent living. The Critical time Intervention model is time-limited intervention that last up to nine months. The model provides the additional support and assistance this population needs to secure a stable independent life.

According to the 2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report released by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), an estimated 62,619 veterans were homeless on any given night in 2012. The good news is that the estimate represents a 7.2 percent decline from the 2011 estimate and a 17.2 percent decline compared to the 2009 estimate ("Veterans," 2013). Although progress is being made, there is much to be done. There are veterans with the same needs as the general homeless population, but also veterans with severe physical and mental health disabilities, related to their service, that necessitate permanent housing with supportive services.

Too many veterans in the United States are living on the streets and in need of a permanent shelter. A home, a place to call their own, is a basic need for anyone. However, after so much time spent living in barracks, or in war zones, this is especially a need for a veteran. The stability of a home is an important part of adjusting to civilian life. There are few programs actually designed to facilitate veterans in finding homes. The percentage of homeless veterans is appalling. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness veterans comprise 8.6 percent of the homeless

The Huntington Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) located in Huntington, West Virginia provides health care to over 54,800 Veterans annually (Smith-Dikes, 2013). The mission statement of the Huntington VAMC is “to provide excellent care and service to those who have served our nation – every Veteran, every time!” (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). With this statement in mind, to care for the needs of homeless Veterans in the area, the Huntington VAMC opened the Huntington VA Homeless Veterans Resource Center (HVRC) (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2016). The HVRC provides homeless Veterans and those at risk for homelessness with job assistance, counseling, housing referrals and laundry and shower facilities, as well as referral to physical and mental health appointments. The HVRC also maintains a donation room and in house emergency food pantry. In pursuit of providing quality care for homeless Veterans, the Veterans Administration (VA) has also created different programs that join together social work with primary care, mental health, and rehabilitation services to deal with complex issues faced by these Veterans (Amdur et al, 2011). In 2008, a joint program, known as Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs

The number of chronic homeless individuals has dropped 30 percent from 2007 to 2014. Despite that, still about 15% of homeless people are mentally ill (“Chronic Homelessness – Overview”). An example of the effects of hospitality for this cause is the Carriage House. The Carriage House is a clubhouse in Indiana that assists those who are recovering from mental illnesses. Workers at the house provide these individuals with prepared meals, help with Medicaid billings, and with education in hopes that they can acquire a job. The executive director of this facility said, “We’re trying to change the face of mental illness in the whole world.” Programs like this one are a step in the right direction to achieve that goal, but if more people can assist these individuals with the appropriate help, there is no reason for why that goal cannot be met. With all these causes of homelessness in the United States, surely there is something the public can help

was developed by the Skid Row Housing Trust with the intention of fighting homelessness with a holistic model to break the cycle of homeless. This particular organization inhabits the complexes with qualified individuals to connect residents with on-site case management, medical care, mental health services, substance use treatment, advocacy and community building (Skid Row Housing Trust, n.d.). The ground floor of the complex is occupied by the Department of Health Services’ Housing for Health division headquarters whose programs aims to house 10,000 of the county’s sickest, most vulnerable homeless in the following decade (Holland,

A letter to hospital administration, to be determined after some research on who may be the most receptive. The program includes highlighting the issue of homelessness, mental health concerns and the consequences of their use of the emergency room services. The creation of homeless services to be able to obtain non-medical essential services without having to claim an illness to receive food, shelter or other basic needs. Allowing the homeless to receive food, warmth or other requirements without tying up vital medical personnel with false complaints to gain access to address their nonmedical needs. The request to present a plan of action with data and research to all parties of interest and who could be of assistance.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), a subset of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has created an Evidence Based Tool Kit for the implementation of permanent supportive housing communities in the United States (2010). The resource breaks down the implementation into six different dimensions or focus areas: (1) choice in housing and living arrangements, (2) decent, safe, and affordable housing, (3) access to housing and privacy, (4) community integration and rights of tenants, (5) flexible, voluntary, functional separation of housing, and (6) services and recovery-focused services (SAMSHA, 2010). Evidence has shown that these are the six dimensions that should be the focus of the design for permanent supportive housing communities. Other best practices when aligned with the focus areas

Throughout history there has always been a portion of society living in disadvantaged conditions. With the current high cost of living, global issues, unemployment rate on the rise, and low wages, many Americans are finding themselves homeless. One would think that in this advanced century, there would not be individuals living without the basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, there are millions of people with nowhere to sleep. Besides the many problems homeless people face daily, one of the leading problems is health care. Being homeless with limited access to health care or shelter in conjunction with mental illness or exposure to harmful diseases can lead to poor health, or

To begin with, it is important to start with the fact that more than half a million people in the United States are homeless and forced to live on the streets and either sleep in an unsheltered location, or at a housing project (emergency shelters, short-term transitional housing, or safe havens). Moreover, according to a Social Solutions’ article (2016), 15% of the homeless population are individuals who have experienced homelessness for a period longer than a year (chronic homelessness). It is because of those facts about homelessness that I had decided to volunteer at a faith-based temporary overnight shelter and subsequently record my experiences and what I observed during my visit.

In our first year we will work to provide shelter and case management for 120 individuals, nightly, through our emergency and transitional shelter. Our goal is decrease this number by ten percent, through our programs and services offered to clients. We hope to provide individuals with the resources they need to find stability in their lives, in order, become independent and self-sustaining. The services provided will include an emergency shelter and transitional shelter. We hope to provide 24,000 nights to individuals in our emergency shelter. Our emergency shelter will house twenty women beds and twenty men’s beds, a total of forty beds for emergency shelter program called Red Shield. Our transitional rooms, will house four people to room