It can take several visits to the food pantry before we earn the trust of someone experiencing homelessness. But over time, our caseworkers listen to identify ways in which we can improve an individual’s situation and set them up with a plan and a path to housing. During these conversations, our team at North Beach Citizens uses compassion to establish trust, dignity, and respect with our clients –an essential step in helping people get housed.
After gaining a better understanding of a client’s situation, in many cases, we identify them as a candidate for Social Security Disability benefits. In fact, 68% of our clients qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. However, nearly 70% of their initial claims are denied. This appeal process can sometimes last over two years! Our Transitional Housing Program ensures that these disabled individuals do not have to live on the streets while awaiting benefits that they qualify for – and we work to ensure their paperwork is in order while we advocate to expedite the appeal process.
Another situation we frequently see are people that experience a financial hardship and end up with an eviction notice. The reality is that many clients we encounter are just one missed check away from experiencing homelessness. With that in mind, we prevent evictions by providing one-time grants to pay clients’ owed back-rent. To qualify for this grant, our clients must demonstrate that they will be able to pay their rent going forward. This aspect of our housing work is vital because preventing homelessness in the first place is the easiest way to reduce homelessness.
Our Case Managers assisting three of our clients sign the lease to their new rooms. Between those three clients they had experienced over thirty five years of chronic homelessness, and through our assistance they are now all permanently housed.
Here’s another way we help: imagine someone who has been living on the street finally secures housing for the first time, but are prevented from moving in because they cannot afford the first month’s rent and security deposit. Our move-in fund can make the difference between someone accepting a housing opportunity or remaining homeless. Through our fund, we provide that critical first month’s rent and security deposit. We also have established relationships with other non-profits that help by providing clients with move-in items and furniture.
At North Beach Citizens, we believe a successful crisis response not only addresses the immediate crisis of homelessness, it also helps create longer-term stability by connecting people with permanent housing. Stopping homelessness before it happens is achieved by using our proven, evidence-based homelessness prevention strategies. Our goal is always to prevent our clients from escalating episodic, short-term homelessness into chronic homelessness, because that has a huge positive multiplier effect across the system.
A recent client success story demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach:
Before the pandemic when rental assistance was harder to access, Ken, a local community member, came to us. He was bartending full-time, making ends meet, but had recently suffered a motorcycle accident. He was reluctant to ask for help, but had nowhere else to turn. Overwhelmed, he shared his story, and we took the time to listen. We made a phone call to his landlord to prove that we would assist him in paying the back rent he owed. That day we were able to provide him with the amount he owed. He returned to work, got back on his feet, and is now a productive community member once again.
At the end of the day, listening and compassion lead to trust, dignity, respect - and in the case of our clients, housing and long-term stability.