100,000 New Leases on Life, Greater Triangle, NC

Stan Holt is Vice President of Regional Initiatives at United Way of the Greater Triangle. His work across the four county region of the Triangle area of North Carolina has improved the financial stability of low-income, working households by using a framework that focuses on increasing household income, accessing affordable housing, and improving household financial management skills.

In January, the Triangle completed Registry week for the 100,000 Homes Campaign, a national initiative aimed at eradicating chronic homelessness. The model was developed based on best practices used by communities that have experienced success in reducing the size of their chronically homeless population and includes:

·         Bringing together local supporters from across the community to form an action-oriented team

·         Holding a “registry” event to identify those most vulnerable to dying on the streets

·         Lining up the supply of housing units

·         Moving vulnerable individuals into housing and providing them with the supports they need to stay housed

United Way of the Greater Triangle, in North Carolina, is one of many agencies involved in the Campaign. According to Holt, the agency mobilized 120 volunteers to participate in a community registry event earlier this year. Using a tool called the Vulnerability Index, volunteers surveyed homeless individuals to determine the 40 most vulnerable individuals in their community. The data gathered will be used to tailor services specifically to fit their needs.

“Housing is a difficult resource to obtain and it is our greatest challenge,” said Holt. “It’s going to take innovation, creative thinking, and collaboration to find a solution.”

To learn more about the 100,000 Homes Campaign, visit http://100khomes.org/the-model

Helping People Go Home, Nashville, TN

by Rebecca Stoll

Welcome Home Ministries is a Nashville faith-based organization which operates transitional and permanent supportive housing programs for men overcoming substance addiction. They will celebrate 20 years of serving chronically homeless men with a history of substance addiction in December of this year.  With the opening of two new recovery homes, the agency increased its capacity to serve by 62% in 2012. One of these homes is dedicated to serving veterans and is the first of its kind in the state.

The agency recognized that treatment programs were a crucial first step on the road to recovery from a lifetime of addiction. Welcome Home provides specific long-term recovery support services for clients’ needs in an effort to support progress made on their recovery journey towards sustainable sobriety, self-sustainability and spiritual wholeness. Welcome Home’s recovery residences ingredients for success include:

• A faith-based approach that incorporates the 12 –Step model of support
• Close relationships with healthcare professionals and mental health treatment facilities in Middle Tennessee to assist clients with physical and mental healthcare needs
• Eligibility for independent living in a sober-living community of permanent supportive housing for clients who graduate from an alcohol and drug recovery support program
• New permanent supportive housing residents must be “voted in” by current residents, maintain a healthy sobriety and demonstrate self-sustainability

“It is powerful to see the progress of men who become whole again after 15, 20, 25 years of living with addiction,” says Kyle Duvall, Director of Operational Advancement. “We are able to help guide and support them through the process of recovery during their journey towards wholeness.”

The agency’s primary challenge is raising awareness around the issue and the programs designed to help individuals in need of recovery from alcohol, drugs and a destructive way of life.

Inspiring Hope through Wrap-Around Services, Shreveport, LA

by Rebecca Stoll

When HOPE for the Homeless in Shreveport, LA signed on to the 100,000 Homes Campaign in 2010, it changed the way the organization approached ending homelessness.

“Instead of looking for clients that fit our program, we began adapting our program to fit the clients,” said Ryan Parker of HOPE for the Homeless. “Now we wrap our services around each client.”

This new attitude is evident in the agency’s approach to outreach. HOPE’s Street Outreach Team provides services in the field to those homeless persons who are living on the streets, abandoned buildings, or emergency shelters. 

The Outreach Team:

• Consists of a substance abuse professional, a mental health professional, formerly homeless individuals, and volunteers from local agencies who serve the homeless
• Builds relationships with homeless persons by offering them food, blankets, or other essentials
• Engages those with mental illness and provides case management services to link the client to healthcare, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, and/or transportation with the ultimate goal of the client obtaining and remaining in housing 

 

The Team blogs about outreach experiences and current needs - http://inthetrencheswithkristiandryan.blogspot.com/

The 100,000 Homes Campaign also influenced the agency’s decision to create a Vulnerability Book, which identified the 100 individuals most vulnerable to dying on the streets. These individuals are given priority in receiving services.  

To learn more about HOPE for the Homeless, visit http://www.nwlahope.org/.