Sustaining Housing: A Voluntary Service

Approach National Conference on Ending Family

and Youth Homelessness

February 2013

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Workshop Content • A voluntary services approach has become an

increasingly popular mechanism for providers to

serve vulnerable families and youth. This workshop

will demonstrate how providers, including

transitional housing providers, are successfully

implementing a voluntary service model and

examine the benefits of this approach. Presenters

will also explore how this model can be used to

provide in-home services, making it an ideal model

to use in conjunction with rapid re-housing.

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Speakers • Kay Moshier McDivitt

(Moderator/Speaker); National Alliance to End Homelessness

• Anna Melbin; Director of Network Growth and Strategy

Full Frame Initiative, Yarmouth, ME

• Kathy Whato, Executive Director,

Serenity House of Clallum County

Port Angeles, OR

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What we have learned about mandatory services • Required “program” participation in

staff driven services creates barriers

• Often more households exited for non

participation with mandatory services

than for “program completion”

• Try to be “all” to “all issues”

• Creates a “cycle of dependency” o Folks asking to come back even after program

completion to access services

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Transition to a “Voluntary Service " Model

Services are unique to each household

needs Intake assessment identifies current support systems,

individual strengths and gaps/barriers for each family

Individualized housing plan developed specific to that

assessment

Service participation is voluntary

Engage external service providers to

provide services

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Voluntary Services to Sustain Housing

• Services are Consumer Driven

• Three critical pieces: • Housing Plan (look at barriers) • Home Visits • Links to Mainstream Services

• Voluntary, housing-focused services

• Focus on client needs/client choice

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Services are Client Centered and Client Driven

• Client Driven Processes

• Client driven decisions

• Client driven goals

• Client Centered Processes • Home-based case management

• Strengths-based

• Housing Stabilization

• Connection to Mainstream/Community Resources

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Sustaining Housing Thinking About Plans and Visits

• When visits occur (not how often)

• Client choice

• Identification of household strengths

• Client identifies services

needed/staff leverage those

services

• Client drive short and long term

household goals (with focus on

housing) 8

Voluntary Services Focus on Stabilization

Services focus on: Tenant responsibilities

Living arrangements

Neighborhood familiarity

Benefits and Employment

Healthy boundaries

Resourcefulness

Others identified?

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Parenting/Parent Support

Youth Mentoring

Legal Assistance

Employment

Local Churches

Financial Assistance &

Literacy

Volunteer Opportunities

Adult Education

Tenants Education

Utilities

Medical/Mental

Dental

Families

Mainstream Community Connections

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Staff Role in Voluntary Service Model Service Coordinator

•Links clients to mainstream

and community resources

and leverages needed

support

•Helps client identify

strengths and resources to

maintain housing

•Helps client identify short- and intermediate-term goals

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“Our job (program) is to find help find your housing, your job (client)

is to keep it”

Adopting the Voluntary Service Model

Putting the approach into practice

Retooling a Transitional Housing Model

using the Voluntary Service Approach

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Adopting the voluntary service model

• Redefine role of program o Individualized program for each household

• Redefine role of supportive services o Leverage external service providers

o Voluntary “program” participation

• Redefine role of staff o Supportive Service Coordinator

o Housing Specialist

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Voluntary Services Staff Role

• Redefined Staff Role: o Shift from “what you need to do to stay in

the program successfully” to “what do you need to do move out quickly and sustain your housing”

o Role is not to counsel or “fix” but to connect residents with the services identified on the supportive service and permanent housing plans

o Required reaching out and developing partnerships with community providers

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Voluntary Services: Develop Strategic Partnerships

• Identify services and providers to engage o Driven by the population(s) served

• Networking o More time in community to develop

relationships

• System of Coordinated Services o Includes existing supports and identifies new

systems to meet gaps

o Collaboration and coordination critical

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Benefits of Service Partnerships

Creates a “comprehensive" support system

Less dependence on the program

Ensures an ongoing sustaining support

system within the larger community

Allows for specialized expertise

Staff job can now be more focused

Cost Effective

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The Results

Participation in supportive services improved

Community Service Providers became active partners

Housing Plans were followed Families “owned” their plans

TH LOS dropped from 8-12 months to 3-4 months with 75% moved to Permanent housing 90% + maintain permanent housing for six months

Revolving door stopped Families return only to share how well they are doing

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Additional Program Benefits/Results

Staff retention increased

Staff benefited by being out in the community networking

Greater sphere of services

Improved/positive atmosphere

Increased cooperation

Mentoring program started

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Final Thoughts on Adopting a Voluntary Service Model

Requires a culture that embraces change

Clear roles and relationships

Services offered/leveraged adjust with each unique family

Its not about the “right families” for our program but about the “right services” for each unique family

Evaluate and adjust

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“Its not the letting go that hurts, it’s the holding on”.

Some Alliance Resources

• Various PowerPoint Presentations from previous

conferences

• Supportive Services Rapid Rehousing Module o Recorded module with PowerPoint and activities

• Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing for

Survivors of Domestic Violence o A paper that includes using a voluntary service approach

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Thank You Kay Moshier McDivitt

Capacity Building Associate

kmoshiermcdivitt@naeh.org

National Alliance to End Homelessness

www.endhomelessness.org

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