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The interruption of homelessness: Getting lost in the fray

November 28, 2019 By Rota Knott Leave a Comment

Giving Voice

The following article was published in The Times Record on 11/25/19 and written by Jennifer Iacovelli, Tedford Housing’s director of development and Giff Jamison, Tedford Housing’s director of operations.

When people experience homelessness, lives in progress become lives interrupted. The longer someone remains in homelessness, the more destabilizing the effects of that interruption. Each individual or family has a story or circumstance that brought them to a place of not having a home.

Much has been written about the causes of homelessness; housing affordability, family separation, job loss, health catastrophe, etc. In recent years, homeless advocates have emphasized the cost savings of placing people in housing versus lengthy stays in shelters or other public institutions such as jails or hospitals. This is a strong argument for embracing Housing First strategies for combatting homelessness.

But perhaps we don’t talk enough about what happens to people when housing is restored. For a young man in Bath, an apartment in a Tedford Housing supportive housing building offered him a stable platform to enroll and participate in ongoing community mental health services, including medication management. As a result, he has been able to reduce the frequency of delusions and disturbing thoughts that plagued him for years when he lived on the streets.

For the mother and her teenage children in Brunswick that survived living in their vehicle for a year, stable housing in a three bedroom apartment means an older daughter enrolled in courses to learn skills in the building trades and a son on his way to graduating high school.

We can’t forget the older gentleman who lost his apartment when the building he was living in was sold. As he did the best he could sleeping in barns and the porches of friends, his physical condition worsened, and when he got to the Tedford Housing adult shelter he required a number of extensive surgeries to restore his mobility. Today, he thrives in his apartment in Lincoln County and has many supportive neighbors and friends to connect with. One need only to shake his hand to know what housing has meant to him.

These are just a few success stories that come from Tedford Housing’s broad umbrella of programs and services. The successes come with a lot of work on the part of our clients who are often doing such work in times of crises. They come with a lot of support from our amazing case managers.

These successes can get lost in the fray when tragic and unexpected incidents like the one that happened at Tedford Housing’s family shelter earlier this week occur. The bulk of this article was written before the shooting occurred and we are heartbroken that our clients, staff and those surrounding us were exposed to the trauma an event like this causes. We are thankful for the support we have received from our partners and community members. For people who stopped by with hugs, food and a willingness to help in any way they were able. We are thankful for the efforts of the mental health community who are working with us to provide the counseling support for families in our shelter and others affected.

Getting our fellow citizens experiencing homelessness out of the cold and roughness of the Maine weather is a compelling enough reason to offer shelter and, ultimately, housing. But when housing is restored for people who have gone without it, sometimes for months or years, so too is the progress in their lives. We cannot lose sight of this simple fact. As Thanksgiving and the holidays approach, this may be a good time to think about the meaning of home, and why providing shelter is just the first step of the work we do at Tedford Housing, with the ultimate goal being stable, permanent housing.

Filed Under: News & Events Tagged With: Giving Voice, holidays, homelessness, housing, Housing First, stability, Thanksgiving

Giving Voice: Thinking Long-term with Supportive Housing

May 20, 2019 By Rota Knott Leave a Comment

The following article was published in The Times Record on 5/3/19 and written by Jennifer Iacovelli, Tedford Housing’s director of development.

Between 2005 and 2011, Tedford Housing embarked on a campaign to develop six supportive housing facilities for previously homeless individuals and families. These buildings, located in Brunswick, Bath, Lewiston, Auburn and Augusta, offered permanent housing with key case management services attached to them. Tenants have regular leases and no predetermined or expected length of stay. 

Supportive housing provides a vital platform for people to move forward in other areas of their lives like employment, education and improved health. Using a Housing First approach, Tedford Housing’s 37 supportive units provide safe, clean and affordable apartments with on-site case management for previously homeless individuals and families. Many are occupied by adults and families who have experienced disabling conditions like mental illness and/or substance abuse and/or catastrophic events like domestic violence that have resulted in homelessness. Many have had multiple shelter stays. 

According to HUD, taking a Housing First approach means that individuals and families experiencing homelessness are quickly connected to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to entry, such as sobriety, treatment or service participation requirements. While still a relatively new approach, it has seen some promising results in keeping tenants in housing and off the streets and/or out of shelters. Tedford’s supportive housing case management services include assistance with applying to available benefits such as MaineCare and SSI, referrals to job training and employment services, coordination of services with health care providers, crisis prevention, referrals to substance abuse counseling and treatment, assistance with basic living skills and mitigating landlord-tenant issues. 

The services and resources that supportive housing provides are essential for people like Brian. Brian, 44, has lived in our Everett Street supportive housing unit since 2013. He had been in and out of homelessness, with several stays at Tedford’s adult shelter, since 2009. At one point, he had sold two cars and quit a job in Maine with the hope and promise of a job from a friend who was living in South Carolina, only to find out that the job fell through when he arrived. When he came back home to Maine, without a car or a job, his mom drove him to Tedford Housing. 

The two biggest barriers to finding housing for Brian were high rents and location. His mother and daughter live in Woolwich so it was important for him to be somewhat close to them. His advice for people who find themselves in and out of homelessness as he did is to be patient. Finding housing can take time when you factor in the paperwork, searching and waiting for vouchers and available units. He was lucky to get the call from Tedford’s shelter alerting him of an open unit becoming available at Everett Street. 

Located in the heart of Brunswick, Everett Street offers easy access to the essentials. The location is a quick walk to Hannaford, RiteAid, Curtis Memorial Library and to Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program, where Brian also volunteers. Without transportation, it’s important for Brian and other tenants to be able to walk or take the bus. They can hop on the Brunswick Explorer from Hannaford and get to places like Walmart and Sweetser. Brian is thankful for the support he gets from Tedford and says they are “good people to work with.” 

Brian says that the best part about living at Everett Street is the community. There are eight single studio units. People tend to keep to themselves, he says, but they are there for each other if someone needs help. He is appreciative of the support from case management and from the community, especially during the holidays. 

The average length of stay for tenants at Everett Street is 4.2 years, and the average length of stay across all of our supportive housing units is 2.7. While evictions still do occur in supportive housing, some tenants also end up moving on to other permanent housing option and pay market rental rates. Many, like Brian, thrive in the supportive housing setting and have no immediate plans to move from their found community. 

Filed Under: News & Events Tagged With: case management, Giving Voice, homelessness, Housing First, Jennifer Iacovelli, Maine, supportive housing, Times Record

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