Transcript PERMANAENT SOLUTIONS - FM Coalition for Homeless Persons

INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY IN
Permanent Solutions
You Help Because You Care!
Most religious traditions teach Most civic groups focus on
service and improving their
the importance of caring for
community.
the least and the lost.
“Serving the children of the world.” – Kiwanis
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you invited me in ...- Matthew 25:35
Current ways our community shows they care:
• Financial support to emergency shelters.
• Volunteering at emergency shelters or emergency
food programs.
• Donating food or clothing.
• Praying for the hungry and homeless
Soroptimists
provide welcome
baskets with
bathroom supplies
for women coming
out of homelessness
at CCRI.
Olivet provides new
towels for women
and families leaving
YWCA
WELCOME BASKETS
AND TOWELS
Hope Lutheran
Church donated
the proceeds
from their
annual Hope
Fest to the
Fargo Moorhead
Coalition for
Homeless
Persons
HOPE FEST
Youth from a
number of faith
communities
take part in the
annual event to
show their
solidarity with
their neighbors
who lack
housing
HOMELESS AND
HUNGRY
Faith
communities
take turns
preparing and
serving meals at
local shelters
PROVIDING MEALS AT
SHELTERS
Olivet Lutheran
Group prepares
kits with soup,
bus token,
resource guide
and scripture
message
SOUP FOR SOULS
A Shift in Focus
WHILE THE SUPPORT OF
EMERGENCY SERVICES IS STILL
NEEDED AND VALUED, IF WE
TRULY WISH TO END
HOMELESSNESS, A SHIFT IN
FOCUS IS NEEDED!
A Shift in Focus:
Moving To Permanent Solutions
 A shift from catching falling families to assuring
families are less likely to fall.
A Shift in Focus:
Moving To Permanent Solutions
 A shift from catching falling families to assuring
families are less likely to fall.
 A Shift from putting on a Band Aid to preventing
the incident in the first place.
A Shift in Focus:
Moving To Permanent Solutions
 A shift from catching falling families to assuring families
are less likely to fall.
 A Shift from putting on a Band Aid to preventing the
incident in the first place.
 A Shift from providing emergency support to providing
individuals with skills and support to remain stably
housed even in emergencies.
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS
While emergency shelter provides vital help to
individuals who become homeless, without
addressing the root causes of their
homelessness it is probable that individuals
will either remain homeless or cycle in and
out of homelessness.
UNDERSTANDING HOMELESSNESS
ROOT CAUSES
Most people become homeless because of a lack of three
things;
1. Skills,
2. Resources, and
3. Positive Support Systems.
ROOT CAUSES
1. 1. Skills:
•
Abusive or chaotic environments fail to
equip individuals with basic life skills
and appropriate coping mechanisms.
ROOT CAUSES
1. 1.
•
•
Skills:
Abusive or chaotic environments fail to
equip individuals with basic life skills or
appropriate coping mechanisms.
Lower socioeconomic status = less
opportunities to gain these skills and
coping mechanisms outside of their
home environment.
ROOT CAUSES
1. Skills:
•
•
•
Abusive or chaotic environments fail to
equip individuals with basic life skills or
appropriate coping mechanisms.
Lower socioeconomic status = less
opportunities to gain these skills and
coping mechanisms outside of their
home environment.
Consequently, as adults, they are less
likely to successfully handle common
obstacles and stressors in their
environment and less able to control
their reactions.
ROOT CAUSES
1. 2. Resources:
• While many individuals who become
homeless work, they are not afforded jobs
that allow them to save money to handle
financial emergencies.
1.
2. Resources:
ROOT CAUSES
•
•
While many individuals who become
homeless work, they are not afforded jobs
that allow them to save money to handle
financial emergencies.
A single unplanned financial stress (car
repair, illness, accident, loss of hours) can
lead to homelessness.
1.
2. Resources:
ROOT CAUSES
•
•
•
While many individuals who become
homeless work, they are not afforded jobs
that allow them to save money to handle
financial emergencies.
A single unplanned financial stress (car
repair, illness, accident, loss of hours) can
lead to homelessness.
Individuals in poverty disproportionately
become homeless because of addiction or
criminal behavior.
1.
2. Resources:
ROOT CAUSES
•
•
•
•
While many individuals who become
homeless work, they are not afforded jobs
that allow them to save money to handle
financial emergencies.
A single unplanned financial stress (car
repair, illness, accident, loss of hours) can
lead to homelessness.
Individuals in poverty disproportionately
become homeless because of addiction or
criminal behavior.
Many individuals on low and fixed incomes
have to make difficult choices when it
comes to their health and safety, sometimes
giving up housing to pay for other needs.
ROOT CAUSES
3. Support System:
• Research strongly suggests that ones
social support system essentially
predicts ones physical and mental well
being.
ROOT CAUSES
3. Support System:
• Research strongly suggests that ones
social support system essentially
predicts ones physical and mental well
being.
• One's socioeconomic status is a major
factor in whether or not an individual
gets enough social support.
3. Support System:
ROOT CAUSES
• Research strongly suggests that ones
social support system essentially
predicts ones physical and mental
well being.
• One's socioeconomic status is a
major factor in whether or not an
individual gets enough social
support.
• It is crucial for individuals to have a
healthy and stable support system to
overcome past issues of violence,
extreme poverty, abuse, neglect or
addiction.
MOVING TO PERMANENT SOLUTIONS
A greater focus of time, talents and resources
needs to go to prevention, re-housing and
housing stability if we want to end
homelessness.
PREVENTION
 Volunteer to teach or mentor basic living skills like;
budgeting, car repair, cooking, couponing, or
cleaning.
PREVENTION
 Volunteer to teach or mentor basic living skills like;
budgeting, car repair, cooking, couponing, or
cleaning.
 Advocate on the root causes of homelessness – issues
such as access to affordable housing, mental health
services, a living wage.
PREVENTION
 Volunteer to teach or mentor basic living skills like;
budgeting, car repair, cooking, couponing, or
cleaning.
 Advocate on the root causes of homelessness – issues
such as access to affordable housing, mental health
services, a living wage.
 Develop a Circle of Support or mentorship program.
PREVENTION
 Volunteer to teach or mentor basic living skills like;
budgeting, car repair, cooking, couponing, or
cleaning.
 Advocate on the root causes of homelessness – issues
such as access to affordable housing, mental health
services, a living wage.
 Develop a Circle of Support or mentorship program.
 Help individuals get involved in the community.
REHOUSING
 Encourage members of your church who own rental
property to rent to individuals who are homeless.
REHOUSING
 Encourage members of your church who own rental
property to rent to individuals who are homeless
 Financially supporting a housing first program in your
community.
REHOUSING
 Encourage members of your church who own rental
property to rent to individuals who are homeless.
 Financially supporting a housing first program in your
community.
 Consider purchasing a rehab home and partnering
with a community service agency to house a homeless
family (i.e. Habitat for Humanity)
REHOUSING
 Encourage members of your church who own rental
property to rent to individuals who are homeless.
 Financially supporting a housing first program in
your community.
 Consider purchasing a rehab home and partnering
with a community service agency to house a homeless
family (i.e. Habitat for Humanity)
 Advocate for increased affordable housing options in
your community.
REHOUSING
 Encourage members of your church who own rental




property to rent to individuals who are homeless.
Financially supporting a housing first program in your
community.
Consider purchasing a rehab home and partnering with
a community service agency to house a homeless
family (i.e. Habitat for Humanity)
Advocate for increased affordable housing options in
your community.
Advocate that housing is a right, not a reward after
certain service requirements have been met.
HOUSING STABILITY
• Encourage individuals in your faith or service group
to hire and mentor a homeless or formerly homeless
person.
HOUSING STABILITY
• Encourage individuals in your faith or service group
to hire and mentor a homeless or formerly homeless
person.
• Develop a circles of support or mentorship program.
HOUSING STABILITY
• Encourage individuals in your faith or service group
to hire and mentor a homeless or formerly homeless
person.
• Develop a circles of support or mentorship program.
• Help individuals get involved in the community.
HOUSING STABILITY
• Encourage individuals in your faith or service group
to hire and mentor a homeless or formerly homeless
person.
• Develop a circles of support or mentorship program.
• Help individuals get involved in the community.
• Encourage affordable housing development.
COOPER
HOUSE
INTERFAITH
PILOT
PROJECT
F M Coalition for
Homeless Persons
The Center for
Interfaith Projects and
Olivet Lutheran Church
WHAT IS COOPER HOUSE
o
o
o
o
o
o
Permanent Supportive Housing, opened in 2010
43 Unit Apartment Building in North Fargo
Provides housing for individuals who have been homeless long
term and would have difficulty getting an apartment on their
own
Provides Support Services –Secure building and staffed 24/7
with 2 staff. Also has half time RN, and active involvement of
case managers from Southeast Human Service Center
Housing First Philosophy
Harm Reduction Model
OBJECTIVES OF THE PILOT PROJECT
To provide stable, positive support to people
coming out of homelessness
2. To provide opportunities for community
integration to people coming out of homelessness
1.
Objectives are consistent with the Fargo Ten-Year Plan
and West Central CoC Plans to End Long-Term
Homelessness.
VOLUNTEERS
Interfaith Volunteer Group
PHASE ONE- TRUST BUILDING
o Start with providing and sharing meals
o Cross Cultural
o Reliability and Consistency to help build trust
o
2nd Thursday and 4th Sunday of every month
o
Volunteers commit to once a month
PHASE TWO- RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT
o Activities
o Allow for increased interaction
o Include in house activities and
o Community Activities
TRAINING
4 Hours of Training
 Orientation to Homelessness
 Mental Illness & Chemical
Dependency
 Cultural Differences
 Boundaries
PHASE THREE – MENTOR PROGRAM
 One on One Relationship
 Provide Positive Support
 Increased Opportunity to Integrate into the
Community
 Screening and Matching Process
 Training and Supervision
TRAINING AND SUPERVISION
 Additional 6 to 8 Hours of Training for this Phase
Review and build on topics in first training
Mentorship specific training
 Ongoing Supervision every other month
EVALUATION AND REPLICATION
 Debriefing after each event
 Evaluation before implementation of Phase Two and
Phase Three and after 18 months.
 Will consider replicating the project if successful
IDEAS?
QUESTIONS?
CONCERNS?