Open Door Shelter

The mission of The Open Door Shelter, Inc. (ODS) is “to effectively address the causes and complexities of the homeless and working poor by providing shelter care, food, clothing, case management services, treatment services, transitional planning for short and long term goals, subsidized housing, education, employment, and a path towards independence and success.”

The core strategy at Open Door Shelter begins with satisfying the basic human needs of food, clothing and shelter. Then the organization provides case management counseling to identify the challenges faced by each individual and family. The Shelter supports and connects disadvantaged people to resources and services that address their health, mental health, addiction, and employment issues. Through intensive case management, the agency helps the impoverished and homeless achieve a level of security and well-being that allows them to experience personal responsibility and eventually become contributing members of society.

Homelessness is a major fact of daily living for hundreds of thousands of Americans, and presents significant social service demands, health care burdens and policy dilemmas for the nation as a whole. There is not a single reason that an individual or a family becomes homeless. There is however an array of problems that creates the conditions which place people at risk including: housing shortages, deinstitutionalization, failed educational systems, inadequate income, illness, disability, substance abuse, and domestic violence, among others.

In a recent study by the United Way of Connecticut, the top ten unmet needs in 2013 all related to housing, case management, and homeless services. More than 29% of the families living in the Greater Norwalk area have been identified as struggling to survive or as Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE). According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2012, the number of families with children experiencing homelessness increased by over 30% from 2007 to 2011. The consequences of homelessness for children include occurrences such as delays in cognitive development, interruption in education, and health deficiencies. In a recent count of homelessness there were 537 homeless individuals in Greater Norwalk. This number would be higher without diversion programs and support provided by the shelter.

The Shelter is located in South Norwalk, which is one of the older industrial sections of Norwalk, Connecticut. Although the community continues to undergo significant improvement and redevelopment, it contains one of the largest concentrations of homeless individuals and families living below the poverty level in the state of Connecticut. The Shelter’s outreach encompasses most of Lower Fairfield County with the greatest concentration being from Norwalk where the poverty rate is 16%. (City-Data, 2009) housing.

The core belief of the shelter is that all individuals have a right to safe, affordable, and decent permanent housing. The shelter’s Case Managers deliver support services use the following strength-based framework to guide the services they provide:
• Individuals have the ability to learn, grow and change.
• The best results are achieved through a supportive, non-judgmental and trusting relationship.
• The risk of recidivism of homelessness and hospitalization due to mental illness and substance abuse can be reduced through prevention and intervention efforts specific to each individuals needs with a stable home being the most critical piece to stabilization.
The shelter measures the effectiveness of services by:
A. Number of clients achieving stable income sources and housing. The goal is 80% of the shelter clients that transition to stable housing.
B. Number of clients maintaining positive health/mental health including having appropriate food and health resources. The goal is to provide 30% of the food resources for those living in poverty and accessing the food pantry. The goal for health services is for 20% of shelter residents to participate in health/mental health management services that stabilize health conditions.
C. Number of clients working a personal plan to address the causes of homelessness and remain stable within and beyond the shelter. The goal is for 80% of the clients served to be successfully working a personal plan that leads to stability beyond the shelter.