If you’ve been keeping up with the news lately, you’ll know that the economy hasn’t exactly been at its best. There’s an unemployment problem, people are losing their homes and everyone is getting strapped on cash. Just think of the average-income person, someone who owns a small house or rents a place. That person is now likely to be less financially comfortable. Whether it’s because rents are getting higher, or goods are getting expensive, no one is happy with how the economy is doing nowadays. Now, it comes to people who aren’t doing well financially. To begin with, things are tougher than ever.
But, you don’t need to lose hope just yet. The good news is that there are plenty of organizations out there trying to help. Besides the government, there are plenty of non-profit organizations that are tackling the homelessness problem. Among those organizations is the National Alliance To End Homelessness. The organization states its mission as “To end homelessness in the United States. We use research and data to find solutions to homelessness; we work with federal and local partners to create a solid base of policy and resources that support those solutions; and then we help communities implement them.”
Among the many programs the government develops to fight homelessness is the Continuum of Care (CoC). The program is “ designed to assist individuals (including unaccompanied youth) and families experiencing homelessness and to provide the services needed to help such individuals move into transitional and permanent housing, with the goal of long-term stability.”
How Does CoC Actually Work?
Well, the organization focuses on collecting data about homelessness and how to fight it. After that, CoC will provide useful information to not only individuals but also other organizations, such as the government, that aim to fight homelessness. So, you should visit their website if you’re looking for information on housing solutions that help combat homelessness.
Let’s Talk About Housing Programs That CoC Can Help You Find
When looking through the information provided by CoC on housing solutions for homeless people, the list can go on and on. However, there are some programs that do stand out. A lot of these solutions are often temporary. That means that these programs provided temporary housing to homeless people to help them get back on their feet. Different programs will often provide different benefits. They will also require different qualifications. If you’re interested in any of the housing programs we’re about to discuss, then you should visit the page created for it specifically, and/or contact the offices responsible for running it.
Homeless Shelters
That’s probably a term that you’ve come across before. While many people have heard of homeless shelters, many don’t know how they actually operate or where to even find them. There are many organizations, including governmental ones, that provide their services through homeless shelters. The list of organizations includes National Alliance to End Homelessness, the Salvation Army, Feeding America, and Covenant House.
Homeless shelters provide support to, you guessed it, homeless people. The idea is to give homeless people a safe sanitary place to spend the night. How long a person can stay varies by shelter. During their stay, tenants may have access to beds to sleep on and warm meals to keep them from going to sleep hungry. In some shelters, visitors may receive medical and/or psychological counseling.
Homeless shelters operate on a first-come-first-serve basis. That means that homeless shelters will serve whoever visits them first. If a homeless shelter is fully-occupied, they may have to turn visitors away. However, if a homeless shelter turns visitors away, they’ll often give them information on other nearby shelters that can help them out.
If you need help finding homeless shelters in your city, check out this map. All you’ll need to do is click on your state, select your city from a list and you’ll find all the information you need on shelters within that city.
Transitional Housing
This is a broad term that defines a supportive system(s) that helps the needy find their permanent homes, through temporary, transitional solutions. Basically, transitional housing is here for those experiencing homelessness. The idea is to provide safe, sanitary, supportive housing to those who need it while they figure things out.
As we mentioned before, as part of CoC, governments and non-profit organizations often provide this type of housing solution. The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a great reference for those looking for transitional housing. The organization also acts as a great resource for information on local shelters, access to healthcare, and more. Moreover, The National Alliance to End Homelessness is a safe space for those suffering with domestic situations, due to violence, underage runaways, and even veterans who suffer from mental and/or physical disabilities.
Transitional Shelters
This is a great example of how transitional housing helps shelter people and get them back on their feet. Transitional shelters give tenants housing for a period of 6 to 24 months. During their stay, tenants will get a chance to be put on a path towards acquiring their permanent homes.
Transitional shelters won’t just give homeless people to stay. The idea is to provide them with supportive services that guide them towards starting careers, finding permanent homes and resolving different challenges in their lives, whether mental or physical.
Rapid Re-Housing
This is yet another example of how transitional housing aims to fix one problem, and that is to fight homelessness. Rapid Re-housing works towards one specific goal which is to tackle the issues that affect homeless people and find ways to fix them. To achieve that, rapid re-housing workers take their time with homeless people to identify these issues and find the most effective ways to tackle them. Down the road, the program aims to raise these people’s standards of living. Issues that lead homeless people to their current status can have a pretty big range. There are circumstances that are out of these people’s hands. On the other hand, there are issues that are connected to substance abuse, mental/physical challenges, and unemployability.
Rapid Re-Housing Is A 3-Step Process
It’s not just about taking homeless people in and talking to them. The program aims to provide comfortable circumstances that will help homeless people feel comfortable to work on such sensitive issues. These houses need not only to be safe, but also comfortable and sanitary. That’s why rapid re-housing works through a solid 3-step plan:
- Housing Identification: This is where rapid re-housing workers will match participants with appropriate homes. To achieve this, the program works on recruiting reliable landlords and choosing qualified staff for each case. The staff also needs to make sure participants are satisfied with their choice of homes.
- Rent and move-in assistance: Participants may get financial assistance to help out with their move. The program may also help them move their things.
- Case management: Caseworkers will work with participants and get started on the road of removing the obstacles that challenge their lives. They will also do regular checks on participants to monitor their progress.
Qualifications Required To Apply For Rapid Re-Housing
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- If not 18 years old, must provide documentation of legal emancipation
- Household income is at or below 30 percent of Section 8 area median income
- Households that require more than one month’s financial assistance must agree to work with and receive aftercare services from a Housing Stabilization Specialist
- Households must get references from Emergency or Transitional Housing and meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s definition of “literally homeless”
