SAHP Agency Summary

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

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.

housing for homeless young adults, many of whom have aged out of foster care. It serves

As it relates to programs and services offered to the homeless, there is Coordinated Assessment (CA), which is a community wide system that connects those who are homeless, to available shelters or housing in the community. HRC or Homeless Resource Center provides space and community service that serve meals to the homeless during evening and weekend hours. Shelter Plus Care, also known as SPC is a federally funded housing program for the homeless. Housing Stability Funding (HSF) is a collaboration between Mecklenburg County, the city of Charlotte, and Charlotte Housing Authority to coordinate a funding process to support permanent housing stability for the homeless. Last but not least, there is Moore Place, which is an 85-unit apartment building for chronically

Thesis: The United Way of Champaign County utilizes their resources to provide aid to the local homeless population.

The population the agency services is homeless families in the community. There services extend to everyone in the family beginning with kids, parents, grandparents, and so on. Although homeless families are what most of their programs are centered on they do serve individuals. Their services are offered to people of all ages, race, and religion if they are in need of them.

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

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.

S263). This test is “11 questions in the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Module” and was issued on a scale of one to eight (Montgomery et al. S263). Another test conducted by a different team was used on a scale of either affective or psychotic and it was called the IES-R (Helfrich et al. 119). Both testing groups decided that housing and constant therapeutic sessions were key into reintroducing people to society. The most difficult problem with their conclusions is the aspect of housing. Housing First is one of the many healthcare and housing organizations to yield multiple aids for the homeless and mentally ill (Somers et al. 1). These aids consist of sustainable market housing without the requirement of a lease (Somers et al. 1). “Our findings confirm that HF programs- particularly the ones using scattered site format- promote reductions in offending and reconviction among people who were previously homeless and have a current mental illness ” (Somers et al. 6). By using a “scattered site format,” the organization chose a random sample that pulled many subjects from the streets and put them through the HF program. This was one of the first real solutions shown in reintroducing the once homeless into society. Haven for Hope homeless shelter is centered on returning the homeless and mentally ill to community. They have plans on renovating one of the male housings into a psychiatric facility with rooms for the residents

HIS is the lead agency for the Homeless Families Solution System (H.F.S.S.) in Service Planning Area (SPA) 8. If a family is experiencing homelessness, they can call (H.F.S.S.) to be referred to housing resources. HIS also provides an Emergency Family Shelter for families for up to ninety days during which time the head of the household meets with a case manger two times a week to work on taking the necessary steps to acquire permanent housing. In the meantime, the family will have access to free or affordable

This population relies on the clinic for what the clinic calls integrative medical care (M. Lind, personal communication, May 10, 2017). In addition, the Santa Monica non-profit organization OPCC (n.d.), offers a “comprehensive system of care” for the “vulnerable and needy members of (the) community—homeless individuals, victims of domestic violence, at-risk youth, indigent Veterans, and people dealing with severe physical or mental illness or substance abuse”. The organization (which also partners with the Venice Family Clinic) has multiple locations and offers assessments for all. OPCC (n.d.) touts the success of its programs, reporting that the organization “has placed 966 people into permanent housing, 95% of whom remain housed.” As far as the homeless population, Elizabeth Anderson of the Human Services Division believes that Santa Monica “does more than its fair share in making shelter beds available year-round”, especially as compared to greater Los Angeles (personal communication, April 27, 2017). Santa Monica’s Police Department (n.d.) also has a homeless liaison unit which partners on this issue.

Homelessness is a problem in many communities across the United States. It is particularly sad when one sees women and children that are homeless. The Cornerstone Rescue Mission Women and Children Home in Rapid City, South Dakota addresses this need in this particular community. They serve pregnant women, single women, Veteran women, girls under the age of 18 with their mother, and boys under the age of 16 with their mother. A community assessment was completed on this population to identify strengths and their particular needs; interventions were then done based on these needs.

From august 30 to September 14th I have been going to Kansas City rescue mission located at 1520 Cherry St, Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City rescue mission is a homeless shelter that provides a lot of services to homeless men. It provides shelter, meals, showers, healthcare, laundry services, bible study/support groups, and recovery services. The men that reside in this facility need a place to stay, healthcare assistance and jobs.

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.