Transitions Homeless Center

PROGRAM GOAL:

The primary goal of Transitions is to move people from homelessness to permanent housing. Various strategies and types of housing are used to help stabilize individuals living on the street and enroll them in services designed to improve their lives, increase their income, and help them secure permanent housing.

HOUSING- 260 Beds Total (adults over age 18 men and women)

· Clients can be referred by staff, outreach workers, and partner agencies.

· Clients must be able to perform all activities of daily living without assistance, to include bathing, bladder and bowel continence, dressing themselves, monitoring their own medications and entering the Day Center for meals.

· Clients must be both medically and psychiatrically stable upon admission. Transitions is not staffed by medical or mental health supervisory staff; therefore, persons requiring medical or mental health monitoring, assistance in carrying out their activities of daily living, or who need medication monitoring are not appropriate.

· Each client will create an individual development plan with assistance from the case manager.

o Clients will participate in on site programs, activities, orientations/trainings and classes

o Be referred to community-based treatment programs and classes as needed

o Pursue stable income

o Pursue stable housing

o Complete chores and community service

o Follow agencies policies and rules

Emergency 68 Beds (42 Male, 26 Female) and 14 Convalescent beds (9 Male, 5 Female)

These beds are for people who are on the street and need a safe place to sleep, but may not yet is ready for the structured programs of Transitions. Clients may be in active addiction and/or have a mental illness.

14 Convalescent Beds are included in this 82, clients are referred from local hospital referrals for clients as they recuperate from physical illness or injury rather than discharging them to traditional emergency housing facilities or the streets. Emergency will provide case management services and short-term housing (30-90 days) to individual homeless men and women.


Program: 114 beds (84 male, 30 Female)
Program will provide case management services and short-term housing (30-180 days) to individual homeless men and women who are motivated and ready to participate in a structured program of recovery, including increasing their income and securing permanent housing. Clients moving into Program must be currently drug and alcohol free, as indicated by a urine drug screen and random breathalyzer screens or actively engaged in recovery. If a client tests positive for alcohol or drugs, they must complete have a contract and treatment plan in place with their case manager. A Sled background check is conducted at entry.

Transitional: 64 beds (32 Male, 32 Female)
Transitional housing units provides up to a two-year opportunity to stay and fully address individual obstacles so that the clients can achieve self-sufficiency. The Transitional Housing Unit residents will be expected to obtain and maintain income (from employment, benefits or both) and to save money once they have income. Each individual’s needs will be assessed and a plan will be designed to assist them to enter the workforce and budget their money.

Day Center
To engage chronically homeless people in services and to recruit them into on-site housing programs, so they can begin the process of recovery; to provide a safe and appropriate daytime alternative to the streets for those in need. Day users will be allowed into the facility from 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. with serving up to 150 adults daily.
The center will include staff support to encourage intake into the center’s programs and assistance with outside referrals and other services. The center will provide computers with internet access, community resource information, a library with a quiet area with reading materials, and a court yard including a designated smoking area. Ongoing classes and activities will be offered for day users focusing on education, resources, financial stability, health, safety and fun. Homeless court meets monthly to review referrals for misdemeanors. An on-site lunch will be provided to anyone on site in the Day Center regardless of being a resident. Any snacks available or donated will be distributed regularly.

Outreach
To identify and assertively engage, people who are living on the street in order to increase their awareness of services and to improve their readiness to participate in programs.
Transitions outreach workers works closely with other outreach workers in the community to identify, engage, and assess eligible clients for the center by visiting places where homeless people congregate including soup kitchens, public/community places, libraries and other areas identified by community partners.

Additional Services

Transitions is collaborating with a number of different local service providers to work both on-site and off in order to meet the needs of the clients. These organizations provide many services including assistance to homeless individuals with mental illnesses, addictions, and those who are veterans.

Substance Abuse Treatment

Goal: Maximize the opportunities for clients to recover from addiction by providing a wide range of on-site substance use disorder screening and treatment services that are fully integrated in program components from outreach to housing.

Meals

Goal: Provide nutritious meals to those who are participating in center programs. The center will provide meals to residents (three/day including breakfast, lunch or bag lunches for those who are working), and dinner. On-site lunch will be provided to those who are participating in the day center program.