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The Safe Haven: A Low Threshold Program
Neither a shelter nor a drop-in center, a safe haven is a low-threshold transitional housing option
for chronically unsheltered adults who have lived on the streets for longer than nine months, are not willing
to enter the traditional shelter system or have a history of not accepting housing placement assistance.
Through access to stable housing, meals, showers, clothing, benefits assistance, medical and psychiatric services
and life skills training we anticipate the majority of residents make a successful transition into permanent housing.
Ultimately, success is measured by placement into housing.
The Travelers Hotel
In July 2007, UP converted its Travelers Hotel from a transitional shelter to a safe haven. This conversion
supports our "housing first" approach, insuring single men move rapidly and directly into housing from the street.
We recognize that offering a safe place to sleep will serve as a stabilizing factor that will both improve clients'
baseline standard of living and lead to the consideration of alternative housing options.
The Travelers Hotel is a welcoming environment where clients are encouraged to progressively achieve objectives
towards attaining permanent housing. A high staff-to-client ratio works to introduce a safer and healthier
standard of living for men who have lived on the streets for an extended period of time. Within two weeks
of arriving at The Travelers clients are assessed for a range of housing possibilities. When they are willing
to discuss housing goals, counselors introduce the "most independent housing possible." After the client
and counselor agree up housing goals, a contract is developed to attain these goals. The client and counselor
work together to gather and file paperwork for housing assistance and benefits applications. At the same time
the counselor and the Travelers team work to stabilize the client through individual counseling, psychiatric service and
assessment, medical treatment, and socialization to relearn social and living skills. These stabilizing activities combined
with the housing often result in a reduction of symptoms of mental illness.
The Moving Home Initiative
The actual move from the safe haven to permanent housing is predicated on two issues. First, insuring
clients remove all stigma and barriers attached to coming inside so that they may become and remain stable, focus
on other housing and become ready for permanent housing. The second issue is the availability of fiscal
assistance to support a variety of expenses associated with setting up permanent living situations. Moving
Home provides this critical support to those transitioning from the Travelers Hotel Safe Haven into permanent housing.
Our goal is to provide each of the 44 men we anticipate who will move on annually with the following:
- A $500 stipend, administered by a UP case manager for deposits, moving and/or furniture
- A new set of sheets and towels
- A cleaning kit including necessary household products
- A hygiene kit including necessary toiletries including shampoo, lotion, toothpaste
- Clothing
Placement into Housing
Staff work to get clients approved for and/or find living situations that meet the program's single goal:
placement into permanent housing. Housing placement options include:
- Section 8 Housing
- Supportive Housing
- Scattered Site Housing
- Residential Treatment Facilities
- Department of Homeless Services Rental Assistance Program
- Family Re-Unification
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Long-term Anticipated Outcomes
- 80% of clients who move out of the facility will join community programming or vocational training activities
within three months of locating housing.
- 75% of clients who move out of the facility will have fewer emergency hospital visits or admissions for the
twelve months following their location of housing.
- 75% of clients who move out of the facility will develop one significant service support relationship in their
new location within three months of locating housing.
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