Resource Planning Case Study

Homelessness has been a prevalent and contentious topic since its public emergence in the 1980’s. In fact, according to the most recent estimates, on any given night in the United States, there are roughly 645,000 people residing in homeless shelters or unsheltered street locations (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2011). And based on a local study done by the Mental Health Unit at the Houston Police Department in 2011, Houston has the largest homeless population in Texas and the eighth largest in the United States. While many great efforts have been put forth to aid the homeless population in Houston, “the public health epidemiology task of quantifying and tracking child and family homelessness over time has been complicated…by increasing rates of…shortages [in] affordable housing” (Grant et al., 2013), and restrictions on temporary encampments (Loftus-Ferren, 2013). In order to successfully reduce, prevent and combat homelessness, more policies must be put in place to create sustainable, affordable housing for homeless families and to modify current laws that harm homeless individuals.

“The National Center on Family Homelessness currently estimates that as many as fifty U. S. children (1.5 million) are homeless or “precariously housed” in temporary quarters such as motels and shelters” (Cohen, 2009). Today’s economic crisis is not helping this growing number of families that are being relocated as home foreclosures and loss of jobs add to the overwhelming number of homeless

1). Complete families are also in need of other human services before, during, and after the use of homeless shelter services (Culhane, et al., 2011). According to this research study, homeless families appear to use more services provided by homeless service programs than individual single adults do. Apparently, these homeless families supplant mainstream medical services intended for the general public, with services directed towards the homeless offered by homeless service programs (Culhane et al.,

Homelessness in the United States can be ended, not just maintained. Allot of cities now have plans to eradicate homelessness. Homelessness and housing instability are large issues that afflict a diverse demographic such as: Families, youth, veterans, and chronically homeless single male adults. Ending homelessness may require specialized solutions that are specific to individual needs. Factors like these make defeating homelessness a difficult task. Although solutions exist for some of the demographics, such as housing for chronically homeless adults, scaling up best practices remains a challenge. For other subpopulations, such as transitional aged youth, evidence-based interventions need to be developed. In this paper we argue that ending homelessness is a Grand Challenge that is big, important, and compelling—one that the profession of social work should be adopt. Meeting this challenge will require a focused, organized response from social work researchers, clinicians, and policymakers. Ending homelessness will require innovation and interdisciplinary or cross-sector collaboration. Key words: Housing First, Permanent Supportive Housing, rapid re-housing, prevention, poverty. The notion that homelessness in the United States can be ended, rather than managed (Mangano, 2002; National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2012), represents a fundamental shift in expectations from the 1980s and ’90s. Since the early 2000s, researchers, policymakers, advocates,

One way D.C. can enhance the performance of Rapid Re-Housing programs and lower the rate of individuals/families returning back to homelessness is to emulate the model that NYC has been following for the past few years. A few years ago NYC launched the Home to Stay program (Bornstein, 2014). Home to Stay is a partnership between New York’s Department of Homeless Services and four other organizations committed to fighting homelessness (Bornstein, 2014). Home to Stay uses an evidence-based protocol known as Family Critical Time Intervention which is intended to motivate individuals and heads of families over nine months to take an advantage of support services, such as addiction and mental health counseling, conflict mediation, and improvement of job prospects (Bornstein, 2014). The program follows an extensive and rigorous screening procedure in order identify and select the most vulnerable and needy homeless individuals and families who must have access to the supportive services the program provides (Bornstein, 2014). Though Home to Stay does not target the homelessness population as a whole, program expansion is a future possibility. While there is no concrete data that measures the performance of Home to Stay, testimonies from individuals and families that participated in the program indicate that there is a promising future (Bornstein, 2014). Individuals and families that were previously homeless believe that Home to Stay is a

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

adopting. The emphasis on rapid re-housing represents a significant shift in the response to family homelessness toward a Housing First philosophy. Increased attention on rapid re-housing, accompanied by an influx of resources, and expansion of programs, elicits urgent need for more rigorous evaluation, some of which is already underway.

People often think that homelessness only affects men and women but in reality homelessness also affects families “It is estimated that 3.5 million Americans experience homelessness every year. Among this group, 17 percent are single women and 30 percent are families with children” (Finfgeld-Connet, 2010, p.1). It is said that women along with their children are among the fastest growing homeless population and not only does it impact women but it also impacts their children significantly.

One of the simplest pieces of knowledge we acquire in elementary school (for future growth and development) are the three basic needs a living organism requires for living: food, water, and shelter. However, not everyone has access to all of these essentials. Homeless people are faced with awful conditions and suffer more due to poor weather conditions, diseases, and lack of safety. There hasn’t been much progress on this issue, and if this continues, the number of homeless people will only increase. In a few states the topic is being named as a “statewide emergency”, but unfortunately this problem is national. Instead of focusing on state programs, local programs and non-profit organizations to fix the housing issue, we must all contribute to ending this epidemic. The National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) released an article stating, “In January 2015, 564,708 people were homeless on a given night in the United States” (Snapshot of Homelessness). We must develop a solution to end long term homelessness immediately. The best way of solving this issue is to provide stable long-term housing, which is a term used to describe the home’s environment and financial status.

These homeless families face many adversities and issues when seeking permanent housing like possible separation from their family members due to many

The Transitional Living Program was designed to promote a transition for these clients to self sufficient living and prevent long-term dependency on social services. Another strength of this policy both micro and macro is that in 2008 when changes were occurring to the preliminaries of the act, the length of stay was increased in the shelters from 14-21 days and in the Transitional Housing Program from 18-21 months. This amount of time stated in the RHYA for an individual’s stay originally worried me only because what if the client’s needs were not met by this deadline what happens next? On the macro level this extension of time gives the agencies more time for implementation of services and programs. Agencies must try there hardest to not turn away any clients, because it could possibly come across as discrimination. It was rewarding to learn that these agencies are well equipped with information and techniques for the various people inquiring about services. As the National Alliance to End Homelessness states the United States served over 500,000 homeless youth in 2005. But the Department of Human Health Services reported that 2,500 people were turned away from agencies and shelters due to the lack of bed space. If I were a major stakeholder or beneficiary of this Act, I would be concerned that not all people in need are getting what they deserve. Although this number is relatively low compared to how many served this shows some changes

The homeless family would benefit from the assignment of a case-manager. The case manager may encounter the homeless mother with children on the streets in a situation of extreme instability. The case manager will follow the family and monitor any physical and mental health issues and make sure that the family is having proper care.

HCC constantly assesses its programs and services to see were growth is need for the future. HCC has been involved in joint efforts across Dallas striving to end and avoid homelessness. The HCC is in progress to have new approaches developed with the emphasis on prevention, and housing criteria. This outlined will guide the agency over the next three to five year period. The strategy plan will expands the effort toward homeless teen, short the time that an individuals or families need to be homeless before receiving some help, and have a rapid re-housing for family who become homeless without fault of their own doing.

I hope this message finds you in good health. As you know home and supplies are some of the most important necessities people need in life. Helping out individuals deprived of these necessities is a must for those with the power to do so. Today, I am contacting you on behalf on my team with a goal to build affordable houses for the people who are financially able to move out of the shelters and start living on their own. As we have made the intent to build a housing society for homeless people, achieving this goal is not so easy which is why we want your company, J.C. Penny to help us make this dream true. Accomplishing this goal will help to decrease the number of homeless in Dallas and also ensure that those who are ready to move into homes will no longer have to wait for available housing.

The agency’s mission statement is as follows “The Coalition for the Homeless is the nation’s oldest advocacy and direct service organization helping homeless men, women, and children. We are dedicated to the principle that affordable housing, sufficient food and the chance to work for a living wage are fundamental rights in a civilized society. Since our inception in 1981, the Coalition has worked through litigation, public education and direct services to ensure that these goals are realized.” Their purpose is to help as many people as possible avoid homelessness. They provide immediate help but their goal is to create long term solutions for families.