| From Homelessness to Sustainable Living |
New Beginnings offers Emergency Shelter through an Intake and assessment process. The initial contact and
screening is now being done at First Call For Help as an obvious 1stop stategy. Shelter is provided to people who
have been displaced from their homes through motel vouchers and other community resources. Our Assessment
Coordinator looks at the individual needs and matches housing and services that can do the most good. For years,
New Beginnings ran an overnight shelter and found this method did not provide for dignity nor privacy and kept
people cycling round and round at the bottom of society. It was a very costly and inefficient way to help people.
We began to look at ways that would do the greatest good for the individuals involved and that led us to the "Housing
First" philosophy. It only made sense. The word homeless translated to less (-) a home. How do you solve the
problem of someone being minus a home....you help them into a home.
screening is now being done at First Call For Help as an obvious 1stop stategy. Shelter is provided to people who
have been displaced from their homes through motel vouchers and other community resources. Our Assessment
Coordinator looks at the individual needs and matches housing and services that can do the most good. For years,
New Beginnings ran an overnight shelter and found this method did not provide for dignity nor privacy and kept
people cycling round and round at the bottom of society. It was a very costly and inefficient way to help people.
We began to look at ways that would do the greatest good for the individuals involved and that led us to the "Housing
First" philosophy. It only made sense. The word homeless translated to less (-) a home. How do you solve the
problem of someone being minus a home....you help them into a home.
Today, we can offer many avenues of hope for people. In the
emergency phase of a crisis we treat the immediate need....shelter,
physical health and mental health needs. We provide motel
vouchers, use resources from First Call for Help, Salvation Army,
and other agencies who have funds for housing. We have also
developed relationships with landlords who are willing to work with
individuals. Motel vouchers provide:
Most importantly it allows us to focus on transitional and permanent
affordable housing and the services that will sustain them.
emergency phase of a crisis we treat the immediate need....shelter,
physical health and mental health needs. We provide motel
vouchers, use resources from First Call for Help, Salvation Army,
and other agencies who have funds for housing. We have also
developed relationships with landlords who are willing to work with
individuals. Motel vouchers provide:
- maximimum use of all community resources available for
this type of emergency - phones to a call for work or service appointments
- an address that other agencies visit in order to provide
services - people are not asked to wander the streets during the day
- partnering with the private sector with public sector
optimizes funds The public sector does not pay for
overhead expense and the private sector receives
guaranteed income - less expense than a shelter
Most importantly it allows us to focus on transitional and permanent
affordable housing and the services that will sustain them.
" On a bright spring day a women in her late forties showed up at the office of our Intake and
Assessment Specialist. She had congestive heart failure along with many other complications. She could
hardly get out of bed but she made it down to the office because she had lost her place to stay. It had
been many, many months since last she worked and she had no benefits.She applied for New
Beginnings Transitional Housing but because she was limited in her ability to care for herself she was not
a good fit. So a motel voucher was issued for as long as she needed it and the situation was referred to
New Beginnings Program Director. Immediately he brought together the States Rehabilitative Services'
Adult Protective services, their benefits qualifying services and an assisted living director from a facility in
our community. They visited her in her motel room to make their assessments. Finally she received
benefits that included a medical card which in turn was used as payment for the assisted living facility.
She moved to this facility where she could receive the care that supplemented what she was able to do
for her self.
Assessment Specialist. She had congestive heart failure along with many other complications. She could
hardly get out of bed but she made it down to the office because she had lost her place to stay. It had
been many, many months since last she worked and she had no benefits.She applied for New
Beginnings Transitional Housing but because she was limited in her ability to care for herself she was not
a good fit. So a motel voucher was issued for as long as she needed it and the situation was referred to
New Beginnings Program Director. Immediately he brought together the States Rehabilitative Services'
Adult Protective services, their benefits qualifying services and an assisted living director from a facility in
our community. They visited her in her motel room to make their assessments. Finally she received
benefits that included a medical card which in turn was used as payment for the assisted living facility.
She moved to this facility where she could receive the care that supplemented what she was able to do
for her self.
|
| Local Emergency Shelter Statistics |
Housing First!
"For over 10 years, the housing first methodology has proven to be a
practical means to ending and preventing family homelessness. The
methodology is currently being adopted by organizations throughout the
United States through Beyond Shelter's Institute for Research, Training
and Technical Assistance and the National Alliance to End
homelessness' Housing First Network." .........housing first philosophy
"For over 10 years, the housing first methodology has proven to be a
practical means to ending and preventing family homelessness. The
methodology is currently being adopted by organizations throughout the
United States through Beyond Shelter's Institute for Research, Training
and Technical Assistance and the National Alliance to End
homelessness' Housing First Network." .........housing first philosophy
| Contact Susie Christopher at First Call For Help @ 620-669-8485 |
YOU CAN HELP!
New Beginnings is always seeking donations for motel vouchers and the first month's
rent so that more people can be helped. Those wishing to contribute in other ways
can provide gift cards from eating establishments for meals, bus passes so that
people can get to their appointments and jobs and phone cards for those who need
to contact family members.....donate and volunteer
New Beginnings is always seeking donations for motel vouchers and the first month's
rent so that more people can be helped. Those wishing to contribute in other ways
can provide gift cards from eating establishments for meals, bus passes so that
people can get to their appointments and jobs and phone cards for those who need
to contact family members.....donate and volunteer
| Poverty is never having enough Poverty is always running out of money,of food, of clothing, of fuel, of soap, of bedding, of equipment, of furnishings, of room, of time, of anyway to go any place, of anything to do anything with, of any way for the family to stay together and live. John Cage |
| POVERTY |
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