Our program

 

We offer chronically homeless individuals a safe, positive living environment
combined with personalized support services in order to reestablish stable housing.

The facilities are composed of twenty individual cabins and one communal “community center” containing a commercial kitchen, shower house, laundry service, and meeting space. A fenced perimeter, 24-hour security system, and on-duty overnight personnel ensure the community is safe. A participatory management model engages program participants in the governance of the community and the care ofthe facilities.
The program is single-mindedly focused on equipping participants to acquire housing. Staff members are experts on local housing resources and facilitate daily workshops on re-housing opportunities. Case Managers develop a personal housing plan with each participant and provide one on one assistance to accomplish housing-focused tasks. The program offers financial assistance to overcome common housing barriers and temporary housing stability support when an individual obtains a new home. Participants are required to actively work on their re-housing goals in order to remain in the program.

Innovative solutions
& empowering support.

Housing First Focused

We believe in addressing an individual’s housing first and offering voluntary support services afterward. Every person is ready for housing now and does not need to fix anything to become “housing ready.” Connections to supports for addiction treatment or mental health services are best made in the community from their new home. Likewise, life skill training for maintaining stability is best offered in the concrete circumstances of the home and neighborhood where the individual obtains housing. Housing is a foundation of security and stability from which an individual may successfully make other changes in their lives. It is also a human right.

Low barrier entry level

We welcome individuals to participate in the program without pre-conditions as much as possible. We recognize that individuals in need of shelter, housing, and support services may experience complex co-occurring issues related to physical health, mental health, and substance use. We recognize that individuals seeking services may have criminal histories, may engage in sex work, may not be a citizen of the United States, may lack government issued ID, may exhibit disruptive behaviors, or may need accommodations for pets. We believe it is incumbent in our program to develop ways to include and retain those with complex needs in the program whenever possible.

Motivational Interviewing

Our philosophy is to build on the strengths and abilities the participant already has to accomplish the participant’s goals. Case managers collaborate with individuals as they contemplate changes, experiment with options, and endeavor to maintain healthy changes in their lives. Staff will approach program participants in a relationship between equals rather than a relationship between helper and the broken.

Trauma Informed Care

The program appreciates the lasting effects of chronic trauma on cognitive processes (such as memory, attention, and thinking), the ability to regulate behavior, and the ability to control the expression of emotions. The program responds to this awareness in practical ways by creating an environment of physical andpsychological safety; employing creative behavior interventions; and demonstrating a commitment tohigh standards of transparency, fairness, trust, and power-sharing.

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