Housing First Collection

Little more than two decades ago, the 'Housing First' (HF) approach pioneered by Pathways to Housing, Inc. was a small but determined challenge to the burgeoning yet ineffective service system for homeless persons. Today, the success of HF has brought about paradigm-shifting systems change not only in the homeless 'industry' but in related service systems. This book employs conceptual frameworks drawn from theories of institutional change and innovation to explore the rise in homelessness in the US, the 'lineages' of responses to the problem, and the subsequent rise of HF.

As an evidence-based practice, Housing First has not only been proven to be successful in ending homelessness, but is also embraced as the most cost-effective solution. Today, the Housing First model is being implemented in hundreds of communities across the United States, Canada and Europe. As the model evolves one thing remains constant: Housing First ends homelessness. Housing First is simple: provide housing first, and then combine that housing with supportive treatment services in mental and physical health, substance abuse, education, and employment.Housing First details:solid, actionable information about the program's philosophy, operations, and administrationthe composition, staffing structures, and day-to-day operations of the clinical and support servicespractices in client assessment and engagementproperty management operationsthe best protocols for assisting clients with the search for housing, relationships with landlords, and the overall "settling in" processthe research evidence for the effectiveness of the Pathways modelThe Pathways model has been remarkably successful in ending chronic homelessness. Since its founding, housing retention rates have remained at 85 – 90 percent even among individuals who have not succeeded in other programs. Not only is Housing First effective at keeping people housed and working toward recovery, it has also proven to be incredibly cost-effective.

Housing First Collection

From the author of Homeless Narratives & Pretreatment Pathways Jay S. Levy brings us a new educationalresource entitled "Homeless Outreach & Housing First: LessonsLearned." This monograph features three written works onhomelessness inclusive of an article on moral, fiscal, andquality of life considerations, a new story entitled "Ronald'sNarrative: The Original Housing First," and an interview thatwas originally featured in "Recovering The Self: A Journal ofHope and Healing." These three documents provide a rich andfertile resource for learning, reflecting, and informing neededaction that promotes high quality outreach services andhousing stabilization for the most vulnerable among us.The Reader will... Learn about the positive measurable impact of a HousingFirst approach and its moral, fiscal, and quality of lifeimplications.Explore the relationship between Homeless Outreach andHousing First, as well as understand the five basic pretreatmentprinciples that can be applied to both.Learn how to utilize a Pretreatment Approach with individualsexperiencing major mental illness and addiction.Understand how to better integrate Housing First andHomeless Outreach initiatives with homelessness policy. Praise for Jay S. Levy "This is one of the best guides I have read about workingwith the underserved and homeless. I wonder why all citiesdon't put it into place? How we approach our homelesscan defi nitely make a diff erence. Sometimes it's not in thetechniques, but in the attitude of the case manager."--Carol S. Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views Learn more at www.JaySLevy.comFrom Loving Healing Press www.LHPress.com

Chronic homelessness is a highly complex social problem of national importance. The problem has elicited a variety of societal and public policy responses over the years, concomitant with fluctuations in the economy and changes in the demographics of and attitudes toward poor and disenfranchised citizens. In recent decades, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the philanthropic community have worked hard to develop and implement programs to solve the challenges of homelessness, and progress has been made. However, much more remains to be done. Importantly, the results of various efforts, and especially the efforts to reduce homelessness among veterans in recent years, have shown that the problem of homelessness can be successfully addressed. Although a number of programs have been developed to meet the needs of persons experiencing homelessness, this report focuses on one particular type of intervention: permanent supportive housing (PSH). Permanent Supportive Housing focuses on the impact of PSH on health care outcomes and its cost-effectiveness. The report also addresses policy and program barriers that affect the ability to bring the PSH and other housing models to scale to address housing and health care needs.

Newspapers, television and films cast homeless shelters as places of desperation, sadness and sickness. However, over the last 25 years, homeless shelters have changed dramatically. Shelters have become more professional and sophisticated in addressing homelessness in their communities. They now do much more than provide a bed and a meal for the night — they offer different methods of intervention, different types of services and different forms of connection to the communities they serve. This book offers essays by experienced shelter managers who address the future of the homeless shelter in Canada. This diverse collection also includes a chapter by Dr. Sam Tsemberis, the father of the successful Housing First Model. There are contributions by leaders in the homelessness field from across Canada, who have been at the forefront of developing unique services for women, youth, Indigenous people, and families. The days of shelters serving to merely warehouse homeless people out of sight and mind are being replaced by specialized approaches that are reducing homelessness in Canada. The contributors have years of experience understanding the causes of and solutions to homelessness and the role that shelters can play in achieving their ultimate goal — the elimination of all forms of homelessness in Canada.