UNITED CARING SERVICES

Background United Caring Services (UCS) is committed to creating a community of caring that will break the cycle of poverty and homelessness by championing people who are marginalized, empowering them to lead hopeful and productive lives. As a homeless shelter and services agency, we strive daily across six (6) programs to compassionately meet the emergency and stabilization needs of those we serve while also pursuing opportunities to permanently reduce, prevent, and end homelessness in our community.

Statement of Need More than any other region in Indiana, we need to reduce the number of people becoming homeless and entering shelter. According to recent IHCDA (Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority) data shared by local agencies, our community has an unacceptably large number of households - 482 in 2015 - who enter our homeless assistance system each year. These 482 households represent approximately 1,000 – 1,500 men, women, and children who needlessly became homeless because we do not have a community-wide, mediation-based homeless diversion program in place. The 2016 United Way ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) report for Vanderburgh County illustrates that this preventable number will continue to increase unless something is done to prevent it.

Program Description We are seeking your support to provide specialized mediation-based diversion training to at least twenty (20) partner agencies and faith based organizations including UCS. This mediation training is foundational to the implementation and sustainability of a new, community-wide homeless diversion program that will reduce the number of people becoming homeless and entering shelter. Mediation-based diversion is a creative problem-solving and crisis-resolution process that helps a person discover their own strength and resources to remain housed. Mediation-based diversion avoids ‘cookie cutter’ financial solutions to unique problems and reveals that a majority of diversion situations do not require financial assistance to resolve. Early intervention lowers both the devastating impact of a housing crisis as well as the cost of the solution.

A best practice nationally, mediation-based diversion training teaches case managers skills and techniques to provide conflict resolution with landlords, family members, and friends providing housing; to encourage clients to rediscover their natural supports; to personally connect clients to mainstream resources; to offer housing search and stabilization assistance; and to provide limited, short-term financial assistance if necessary. In this initial process, nationally-recognized experts will ‘train the trainer’ from USI, who will offer pro bono mediation training classes for new agencies and faith based organizations that join this collaborative program. We will implement a central database, thanks to a USI partnership, to track, make confidential notes, and measure service utilization so no one ‘falls through the cracks.” We will also have follow up learning circles to support trained staff and refine the diversion process for greater effectiveness and success.

UCS wants to create a community of caring that breaks the cycle of homelessness. Participating in this mediation-based diversion process directly aligns with our mission and programs. UCS provides emergency shelter services, but every household at risk of homelessness does not need, nor do they benefit from these services. More shelter beds will not solve the problem. Like UCS’ pursuit of medical respite and permanent housing solutions, we need to change the system. Many community and agency staff members have collaborated on this diversion endeavor for over a year - researching best practices, building community partnerships, securing training partners, and creating a database for accountability. UCS believes in this collaborative effort and is honored to do our part to see it succeed for those we serve and on behalf of the Commission on Homelessness, United Way, Aurora, Ozanam Family Shelter, House of Bread and Peace, Outreach Ministries, St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army, Crossroads Christian Church, EVSC, HOPE, Vectren and more.

Program Outcomes Mediation-based diversion shrinks the ‘funnel’ into homelessness. Success rates of best practice mediation-based diversion programs range between 25% - 50% in Cleveland, OH and Tacoma, WA. These amazing outcomes are a result of several years of collaborative effort. We hope to be at these same levels in three (3) years in our area. This will mean that we will divert approximately 1,000 people in our community from entering homelessness each year and there will be shelter availability for those who do need it. Implementing a mediation-based diversion program will create an important culture change in our community. We will move away from always seeing emergency shelter as the solution to a mindset that seeks first to prevent people from losing everything – their housing, respect, dignity, health, and relationships. It will provide consistent assistance to people in crisis. Moving forward in 2018, more collaborative partners will be trained and added to the diversion program and database. An education campaign about the benefits of diversion will also be promoted in the community.