Voluntary Services:
Helping Households
build financial
independence
Kathy Wahto
Serenity House of Clallam County
Port Angeles, WA [email protected]
Clallam County
Snapshot
•Average Medium Income (AMI) – $44,398 (22%
lower than state average)
•Unemployment stuck around 10%
•Average Rental Price – 2 Bedroom $610-$650 a
month (utilities not included)
• County has 10% vacancy rate, with wide variations
in the three communities and unincorporated county
2012 Point in Time
Results (2013 Peek)
Homeless Single Adults
2006
2010
2011
2012
561
308
291
237
Net Change
57.70%
Homeless People in
Families with minors
2006
2010
2011
2012
494
289
281
176
Net Change
64.30%
Clallam Family Programs:
Emergency Shelter: average 20 days and
may transition through rapid re-housing
OR
Transitional Housing Programs
Housing First Programs, including
Rapid Re-housing and DV/SA
Housing First
Permanent Supportive Housing
Transitioning homeless family
programs to Housing First
Problems of persistent social inequity
and poverty
-vsMainstream programs/faith-based and
housing programs moving towards
integration
Transitional Housing Programs:
Site-based, services enriched for high needs households
•6-10 month average program participation
•Clean and sober, program compliance, Housing Stability plan,
scheduled case management, staffings with Mainstream
agencies
•Program Voluntary Services: Parenting, Nutrition, Childcare,
Education supports for children
•Post Program follow-up- Completely Voluntary: Housing
counseling, mentoring and volunteering
Housing First Programs
Includes Rapid Re-Housing programs
More or less case management, depending upon program
One Time up to 12 months assistance
Community-Based Housing (leases)
Housing Stability Plans
Fewer compliance issues and more voluntary services:
Life skills, nutrition, parenting curriculum
Economic Opportunity programs at all sites
Benefits and services portal at all sites
Behavioral Health and treatment requests
Post-Program services completely voluntary: Employment and education,
transportation supports
Permanent Supportive Housing
Harm Reduction Model
Family Therapeutic Court- CPS Dependencies
Focus on welfare of minor children & increasing
family stability
Housing is permanent (leases)
Voluntary services delivered on site or homebased: parenting, childcare, school supports,
transportation, basic needs, behavioral health
Voluntary Services are more
Community-Based than Program-Based
Access to:
• Employment, education
• Parenting, childcare, early childhood
education issues
• Health and behavioral health
• Mainstream focused on outcome-based
pathways (Children’s Administration
example)
Lessons Leaned… or Learning
Delivering voluntary services
• Preference for non-invasive methods to
sustain contact and deliver
information/curriculum
• Staff training and development critical
• Setbacks are inevitable
• Finding a way to always say “Yes” and still
have boundaries
• Push back from mainstream systems
Benefits of voluntary services that help
support permanent housing and
stability for formerly homeless families
• Improve outcomes—reduce recidivism and
increase family resiliency/safety
• Model that best fits what families want
• Reduction of case loads for expensive service
interventions
• Establish more effective/integrated mainstream
interventions
Contact Information
Serenity House of Clallam County
PO Box 4047
Port Angeles, WA 98363
[email protected]
Serenityhouseclallam.org