Friends of Youth 3/23/2017 - Laserfiche WebLink

City of Everett Human Needs Grant January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017 Friends of Youth New Ground Everett Transitional Living Program " • EXHIBIT A: Program Summary New Ground Everett is the only transitional housing program in Snohomish County that intentionally serves homeless young adults, ages 18 to 21. We provide supportive housing and individual, employment-focused case management services to 12 homeless young adults at a time. (1) Program Objective: To provide housing and supportive services to homeless young adults, ages 18-21, so that they can develop the skills they need to live successfully on their own. Our program objective directly aligns with the City of Everett's priority to have more young people successfully transition to long-term housing, ending the cycle of chronic homelessness. (2) Program Components and Structure: - - (a) Supportive Transitional Housing New Ground Everett is located in the safe, residential neighborhood of Silver Lake in Everett, Washington. Part of a condominium complex with four buildings, New Ground Everett includes 12 units of transitional housing. Residents live in shared two-bedroom apartments. New Ground Everett helps homeless young adults develop independent living skills, pursue education and employment, increase social skills, manage life's stresses, and successfully move into stable housing. Many of the homeless young adults we serve have never lived independently, and—like many of their peers—lack experience and skills in household planning, budgeting and time management. We know that young adults succeed through the intentional and intensive support of a case manager, building relationships with their peers, and learning how to be contributing members of the community. (b) Case Management When homeless youth first enter New Ground Everett, we focus on helping them adapt to their new home and a new routine while building trust with program staff, their roommates and neighbors. We use evidence-based screening tools, including the Arizona Self-Sufficiency Matrix and the Ansell-Casey Life Skills Assessment, to assess the needs and strengths of each client. The results of these assessments form the basis for discussions between the Case Manager and each client to develop an Independent Living Plan (ILP) with achievable, time-bound goals on topics including permanent housing, employment, life skills and personal finances. All clients have a voice in their daily lives and long-term plans. They are the decision makers concerning their goals and work closely with their Case Managers to adjust goals and action steps as needed through weekly meetings. Clients contribute to discussions about issues affecting the group at regular community meetings of all clients. Through service learning (volunteer) activities, all clients have a chance to give back to others, learn that they can have a positive impact in other people's lives and make personal connections with other supportive adults. Throughout their stay, clients work individually on developing interpersonal skills with their Case Manager, complete life skills classes and practice their new interpersonal skills within the New Ground Everett community. They are encouraged to re-build relationships with their families and to build new relationships with peers. (c) Employment Support through Additional, Education-Focused Case Management While homeless young people need jobs to be successful in permanent housing, most homeless young people face barriers to stable employment and housing. Many come from families where they were abused or neglected and as result they distrust adults and authority figures. Many become homeless after aging-out of the foster care system and are unprepared to live independently and support themselves financially. They often struggle with substance use,