1. Partnering for Change
partneringforchange
Housing First for Families
pfc
  
Barcelona, Spain – May 2013

2. Partnering for Change
Housing First for Families
En la familia la vivienda es lo primero
Viviendo

3. Partnering for Change
About Partnering for Change
Partnering for Change collaborates
with researchers and policy makers,
organizations and communities, to
develop and test innovative
approaches to improve the social and
economic well-being of vulnerable
families, and helps take evidence-
based program models to scale
through education, training,
advocacy and consulting.

4. Partnering for Change
The Housing First Program was first developed in 1988 in Los Angeles, California,
in response to increasing numbers of homeless families and long waiting lists at
family shelters.
The innovative approach to addressing the problem was simple:
(1) Homeless families living in shelters and other temporary housing would be
assisted in moving back into permanent housing as quickly as possible. This would
require helping families to overcome the challenges of high rents and low
incomes, in addition to discrimination based on single parenthood, ethnicity,
social class, bad credit, eviction history, and welfare dependency.
(2) After moving into housing at rents they could afford, each family would then
be provided one full year of social services support to help them rebuild their
lives and integrate back into the community.
About Housing First for Families. . .

5. Partnering for Change
Through this approach, homeless or marginally-housed families are referred to a
Housing First Program by collaborative partners who are providing emergency shelter
or other crisis services to the family.
Upon enrollment into the Housing First Program, each family is screened and assessed
for housing and services needs and a Family Action Plan is developed.
Each family is then assigned a Services Coordinator (or Case Manager or Social Worker)
who works closely with the family for one full year.
Housing Coordinators help each family to move back into permanent housing or to
remaining in current housing, if appropriate.
After families move into their own housing, Services Coordinators provide support
through home visits, helping parents with homemaking, nutrition, parenting, budgeting,
and referrals for education and employment, childcare, health and mental health care,
enrichment and recreation, and for other special needs.
The Basic Program Model

6. Partnering for Change
Housing First Flow Chart – Los Angeles, CA
Emergency
Shelter
Referral to
“Housing First Program”
Intake & Enrollment - Assessment of
Housing & Services Needs
NOTE: Although families
are enrolled in
Housing First Program,
they remain with
Referring Agency until
moving into permanent housing.
The Housing Coordinator works with the family on housing-related issues, the Job Coordinator works
with the parent on training & employment issues, and the Services Coordinator is the family’s
primary advocate, working together with parents on all other family needs.
Transitional
Housing
Domestic
Violence
Programs
Drug
Treatment
Programs
City/County
Programs
Emergency
Shelters
Family moves into apartment with their own lease, often with a subsidy. Case management is provided based on intensity of
service needs and following an individualized Family Action Plan, evaluated & modified as progress is made (often in incremental
steps). Participation in case management is voluntary & provided for from six months to one year, to help family stabilize.

7. A Flexible Model
This approach can be implemented by one agency working alone or it
can be accomplished through the collaboration of government
agencies and NGOs, each providing specific and targeted services.

8. Partnering for Change
1. Crisis intervention and emergency services
2. Screening and assessment for housing, social services and
employment needs
3. Assistance finding and moving into affordable housing – or
remaining in current housing
4. Home-based case management (time-limited and
transitional or long term) to help family transition to
stability and well-being.
The Key Components

9. Partnering for Change
Relevance to Barcelona, Spain
Single-parent families with dependent children are a type of family
that keeps increasing every year in Barcelona. Most single parent
families are headed by women, and they are most at risk of
becoming homeless…
Although stable housing is vital for social inclusion, social services
programs are rarely able to address housing problems successfully.
Without adequate and stable housing, parents are often unable to
work, children fall behind in school, support systems provided by
family and friends become stressed, and poverty often becomes
generational.

10. Partnering for Change
The Housing First Program model promotes
social inclusion by:
providing access to affordable housing opportunities by overcoming
barriers
equipping single parents with effective coping strategies
building self-awareness and self-value, and reinforcing a sense of
pride in self, family, community, and culture
reinforcing the bond between parent and child
informing and orienting families to community resources
overcoming barriers to increasing income
and providing an ongoing and culturally responsive support system
to promote improved social and economic well-being.

11. Partnering for Change
Family Services
Coordinator

12. Partnering for Change
The Family Services Coordinator
The Family Services Coordinator serves as a mentor and friend, almost like a
“life coach.” She assists with finding childcare, household management,
time management, money management, and addresses all other child and
family needs that might prevent the parent from successfully maintaining
her housing and participating in programs outside the home.

13. Partnering for Change
The Housing Coordinator

14. Partnering for Change
The Housing Coordinator helps families to find (access) and move into
more affordable and adequate housing. Sometimes this means
moving to a larger apartment with extended family who help pay rent.
The Housing Coordinator

15. Partnering for Change
The Job Coordinator

16. Partnering for Change
The Job Coordinator coordinates and monitors referrals for remedial
education, job training and vocational programs, and to employment
programs for part-time or full-time jobs. The Job Coordinator may also
provide access to computers and help teach basic computer skills.
The Job Coordinator

17. Partnering for Change
The “Team” provides support as the parent
moves forward in incremental steps….
Family Services
Coordinator
(Social Worker or Case Manager)
Coordinates ALL activities related
Family Action Plan
to ensure good outcomes.
Housing
Coordinator
Coordinates all housing-related
Issues & resources for family;
may be main contact for
Landlord on housing-related issues.
-
Job
Coordinator
Coordinates all education,
training & employment
activities, supporting parent
to ensure good outcomes.

18. Partnering for Change
Primary Functions of Case Management
 Assessment
 Planning
 Linking
 Monitoring
 Advocacy

19. Partnering for Change
In simple terms . . .
 What does the family need?
 What are the issues for the children?
 What should the goals and priorities be?
 How will they achieve these goals?
 What are the barriers they are confronting?
 Are there child welfare, domestic violence, mental health or recovery
issues to be addressed?
 How will they sustain permanent housing?
 How could their income situation be improved?

20. Partnering for Change
Mental Health
Services
Childcare
Parenting
Education
Training &
Employment
Addiction
Treatment &
RecoveryChildren
& Youth
Services
Legal & Welfare
Advocacy
Domestic
Violence
Counseling
Crisis
Intevention
Health Care
Services
FAMILY
Linking Families To Community Resources
Family With
Children

21. Partnering for Change

22. Partnering for Change
Partnering for Change
The Institute for Innovative Strategies to Combat Family Homelessness & Poverty
www.partnering-for-change.org
For more information, please contact: tanya@partnering-for-change.org