West Central Minnesota

Continuum of Care

Housing Stability

Housing Stability Toolkits 


  1. Starting out Right
  2. Housing Stabilization
  3. Crisis planning
    • What happens if you loose housing
    • Rehousing – Eviction does not mean termination
  4. Move on/Transition 
    • ethical termination

What is housing stability? 


The Stabilization stage assesses and strengthens housing stability through the provision of support services and linkage to mainstream and community supports and benefits. 


Quality individualized stabilization services help assure persons do not return to homelessness and reach identified goals. Persons who are homeless sometimes lack the confidence, skills, and/or knowledge abilities of key services useful for stabilization. 


Housing stability services include, but are not limited to, education, mainstream and community linkage, coordination, assessment, household set-up, safety planning, and crisis planning.


COMPONENTS:

Stabilization centers on both activities that center around having a home (i.e. paying rent, cleaning, shopping, furnishings, being a good neighbor, etc.) and the experiences and skills independent of housing (i.e. employment, health, mental health, addiction, and education, etc.) that influence housing stability.

  1. Comprehensive Assessment Tool (SPDAT)
    • Prior to move in
    • 1,3, 6, 9 months during first year and at least quarterly thereafter (during program enrollment)
  2. Pre-Move in Plan
    • Crisis & Safety Plan
    • Housing match/preferences
    • Tenant rights & responsibilities
    • Guest policy
  3. Case management offered at least weekly.
    • Mainstream linkage
    • Landlord engagement
    • In home visits at least monthly.
    • Adapted to individual households preferences.
    • Pro-active, persistent, and creative engagement.  

WHAT IS NEEDED?

  • Utilization of full-assessment tool that includes housing stability measurements
  • Weekly contact with clients during the first year of housing, moving to 1-2x monthly after
  • In-home visits at least monthly during the first year of housing
  • Training and integration of housing stability, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, client centric care, cultural competency, safety, crisis management, trauma informed care, and housing first concepts
  • Creative engagement strategies
  • Crisis and Safety plan
  • Move-in plan
  • Comprehensive knowledge of mainstream and community services
  • Income focused plan
  • Matching housing to household characteristics/ needs
  • Basic Life Skills
  • Financial Management

Crisis Housing Assistance Program: https://arcminnesota.org/ways-we-can-help/housing-access-services/crisis-housing-assistance-program

·Provides funding for covering rent or mortgage, phone, electricity while a person receives behavioral health treatment; folks don’t have to choose between housing and treatment
·ARC MN are ready to get the word out; looking for increase in number of applications