Programs
Time and experience taught the Family Shelter staff and volunteers that while emergency shelter and food alleviates the immediate basic needs of the family, these were
not enough to affect any change in the quality of the family’s life. Over the
past few years many of the programs and services addressing life skills training
have waned. One explanation for the decline is the loss of a strong volunteer
base willing to commit the time long-term to help teach these skills to the
families. During the latter part of 1999, the Family Shelter restructured and
consolidated its staff in an effort to reduce some of the administrative costs.
One the main charges of the new staff was to make recommendations on what
services we need to continue providing and identify what sister agencies provide
the rest. This is an ongoing effort for this year and next.
Emergency Shelter: The Family Shelter is able to provide shelter for up to fifteen families. Families participating in our program are provided lodging,
food, referral services, group support sessions, and limited childcare while
parents search for employment or keep social service appointments. Currently,
Family Shelter is able to offer a support group, which includes former
residents.
All families are admitted to the Shelter on an emergency basis. When a family contacts Family Shelter seeking assistance, they are entered into a database. This database is examined as vacancies occur to determine which family that is seeking shelter has the greatest
need and will fit into a room that is available.
Once a family is admitted into Family Shelter, the case manager assists them in setting goals to work towards in order to achieve self-sufficiency. The length of time a family may remain at Family Shelter is determined by their willingness to make an effort to address
whatever circumstance(s) caused them to become homeless as well as, how well they follow the policies and procedures. The official maximum length of time a family can stay in emergency shelter is ninety (90) days.
Families with little or no income may be provided with diapers, over the counter medication, city bus tickets, personal care items, and assistance with prescription drugs. Family Shelter attempts to coordinate this assistance with similar aid offered by other
agencies. Family Shelter's resources for this sort of assistance are limited,
therefore, where practical, attempts are made to secure this assistance from
other agencies before providing the help in house.
Children's Services: Programs are available for school age children who are residents of Family Shelter or who live in our immediate neighborhood. We partner with other agencies to assist with homework and provide extra instruction in subjects with which individual students are struggling.
Transitional Housing: Transitional
housing is for immediate former residents of Family Shelter who require additional support in order to continue the progress begun while living in the emergency shelter. The purpose of transitional housing is to provide the needed support for a family to see their program through whether it be vocational rehabilitation, drug therapy, employment training, or acquiring job and
financial stability. A stay at the transitional facility would be from six months to two years depending on the families goal and needs.
The PATH (Prompt Access To Housing) Program provides transitional housing for up to two years for qualified residents. It is modeled after the national "Housing First" program being implemented in states across the country. The goal of this program is to have residents placed in permanent housing by the time they have completed the program.