Homeless Outreach Project
Targeting Children and Youth
Service Description
The Homeless Outreach project provides outreach and case management
for homeless families to identify children and youth with serious
emotional disturbance (SED) or at risk of SED. The program assists
parents in securing needed mental health services for children and
links parents with other services needed to keep the family intact.
How is service provided?
Six agencies have a dedicated service delivery team that provides
outreach and case management to the target population.
Why do we fund it?
To prevent homelessness among children with SED and their families
and to assist children with SED and their families who are homeless.
To identify and provide needed case management services to homeless
families and their children while transitioning their care to the
established mental health service delivery system.
Whom does it serve?
This program serves homeless families with children who have SED
and homeless families with children who are at risk of developing
SED.
What are the outcomes?
The program reduces the likelihood of hospitalization and the use
of acute care, assists in mainstreaming the mentally ill homeless
into the mental health system, provides services to a vulnerable
population that would not otherwise be receiving services, increases
community tenure and the likelihood of employment, ensures that
consumers receive the needed services in order to successfully integrate
into the community, improves the quality of life, and reduces the
reliance upon more costly services. The annual report for this program
demonstrated the following:
- 1019 families contacted by the program were referred to other
services
- 159 families received rental assistance
- 210 families received emergency food or clothing
- 49 families received mental health treatment as a result of
the program
- 59 families were able to access employment and educational
training
- 118 children received mental health treatment as a result of
the program
- 234 children experienced positive behavioral change
- 28 families were able to secure permanent housing
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