#sicmonoparentals tanya tull presents partnering for change (eng)

Partnering for Change

partneringforchange Housing First for Families

pfc

Barcelona, Spain – May 2013


Housing First for Families En la familia la vivienda es lo primero

Viviendo


About Partnering for Change

Partnering for Change collaborates

with researchers and policy makers, organizations and communities, to develop and test innovative approaches to improve the social and economic well-being of vulnerable families, and helps take evidence-based program models to scale through education, training, advocacy and consulting.


The Housing First Program was first developed in 1988 in Los Angeles, California, in response to increasing numbers of homeless families and long waiting lists at family shelters.

The innovative approach to addressing the problem was simple: (1) Homeless families living in shelters and other temporary housing would be

assisted in moving back into permanent housing as quickly as possible. This would require helping families to overcome the challenges of high rents and low incomes, in addition to discrimination based on single parenthood, ethnicity, social class, bad credit, eviction history, and welfare dependency.

(2) After moving into housing at rents they could afford, each family would then

be provided one full year of social services support to help them rebuild their lives and integrate back into the community.

About Housing First for Families. . .


Through this approach, homeless or marginally-housed families are referred to a Housing First Program by collaborative partners who are providing emergency shelter or other crisis services to the family. Upon enrollment into the Housing First Program, each family is screened and assessed for housing and services needs and a Family Action Plan is developed. Each family is then assigned a Services Coordinator (or Case Manager or Social Worker) who works closely with the family for one full year. Housing Coordinators help each family to move back into permanent housing or to remaining in current housing, if appropriate. After families move into their own housing, Services Coordinators provide support through home visits, helping parents with homemaking, nutrition, parenting, budgeting, and referrals for education and employment, childcare, health and mental health care, enrichment and recreation, and for other special needs.

The Basic Program Model


Housing First Flow Chart – Los Angeles, CA

Emergency

Shelter

Referral to

“Housing First Program” Intake & Enrollment - Assessment of

Housing & Services Needs

NOTE: Although families

are enrolled in

Housing First Program,

they remain with

Referring Agency until

moving into permanent housing.

The Housing Coordinator works with the family on housing-related issues, the Job Coordinator works

with the parent on training & employment issues, and the Services Coordinator is the family’s

primary advocate, working together with parents on all other family needs.

Transitional

Housing

Domestic

Violence

Programs

Drug

Treatment

Programs

City/County

Programs

Emergency

Shelters

Family moves into apartment with their own lease, often with a subsidy. Case management is provided based on intensity of

service needs and following an individualized Family Action Plan, evaluated & modified as progress is made (often in incremental

steps). Participation in case management is voluntary & provided for from six months to one year, to help family stabilize.

A Flexible Model

This approach can be implemented by one agency working alone or it can be accomplished through the collaboration of government agencies and NGOs, each providing specific and targeted services.


1. Crisis intervention and emergency services

2. Screening and assessment for housing, social services and employment needs

3. Assistance finding and moving into affordable housing – or remaining in current housing

4. Home-based case management (time-limited and transitional or long term) to help family transition to stability and well-being.

The Key Components


Relevance to Barcelona, Spain

Single-parent families with dependent children are a type of family that keeps increasing every year in Barcelona. Most single parent families are headed by women, and they are most at risk of becoming homeless…

Although stable housing is vital for social inclusion, social services programs are rarely able to address housing problems successfully.

Without adequate and stable housing, parents are often unable to work, children fall behind in school, support systems provided by family and friends become stressed, and poverty often becomes generational.


The Housing First Program model promotes

social inclusion by:

providing access to affordable housing opportunities by overcoming barriers

equipping single parents with effective coping strategies

building self-awareness and self-value, and reinforcing a sense of pride in self, family, community, and culture

reinforcing the bond between parent and child

informing and orienting families to community resources

overcoming barriers to increasing income

and providing an ongoing and culturally responsive support system to promote improved social and economic well-being.


Family Services Coordinator


The Family Services Coordinator

The Family Services Coordinator serves as a mentor and friend, almost like a “life coach.” She assists with finding childcare, household management, time management, money management, and addresses all other child and family needs that might prevent the parent from successfully maintaining her housing and participating in programs outside the home.


The Housing Coordinator


The Housing Coordinator helps families to find (access) and move into more affordable and adequate housing. Sometimes this means moving to a larger apartment with extended family who help pay rent.

The Housing Coordinator


The Job Coordinator


The Job Coordinator coordinates and monitors referrals for remedial education, job training and vocational programs, and to employment programs for part-time or full-time jobs. The Job Coordinator may also provide access to computers and help teach basic computer skills.

The Job Coordinator


The “Team” provides support as the parent

moves forward in incremental steps….

Family Services

Coordinator (Social Worker or Case Manager)

Coordinates ALL activities related

Family Action Plan

to ensure good outcomes.

Housing

Coordinator Coordinates all housing-related

Issues & resources for family;

may be main contact for

Landlord on housing-related issues.

-

Job

Coordinator Coordinates all education,

training & employment

activities, supporting parent

to ensure good outcomes.


Primary Functions of Case Management

Assessment

Planning

Linking

Monitoring

Advocacy


In simple terms . . .

What does the family need?

What are the issues for the children?

What should the goals and priorities be?

How will they achieve these goals?

What are the barriers they are confronting?

Are there child welfare, domestic violence, mental health or recovery issues to be addressed?

How will they sustain permanent housing?

How could their income situation be improved?


Mental Health

Services

Childcare

Parenting

Education

Training &

Employment

Addiction

Treatment &

Recovery Children

& Youth

Services

Legal & Welfare

Advocacy

Domestic

Violence

Counseling

Crisis

Intevention

Health Care

Services

FAMILY

Linking Families To Community Resources

Family With

Children


Partnering for Change The Institute for Innovative Strategies to Combat Family Homelessness & Poverty

www.partnering-for-change.org For more information, please contact: [email protected]

#sicmonoparentals tanya tull presents partnering for change (eng)

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