Family Life Support Center housing assistance programs.
Numerous services are provided to the homeless and well as those threatened by it. One of Berkshire County's leading providers of housing programs is Family Life Support Center, and the agency offers everything from emergency financial aid to short term and low income housing.
The non-profit is the areas only provider offering comprehensive services for the homeless and people facing eviction. They have provided resources to the needy, funds for back rent as well as homeless prevention programming to thousands of individuals and families in Berkshire County. Available services include both transitional and permanent housing programs and an array of case management type supportive services.
Short and long term housing solutions
The purpose of the FLSC Transitional Housing Program is to help homeless clients, regardless of their race or age, with stabilizing their situations and to assist them as they work to reach goals that transform their lives. There are many components to it.
Louison House is a transitional housing shelter that allows individuals to reside in at for at least two years. Clients are required to follow Individual Service Plans, which are developed as they work with FLSC social workers or volunteers. Guests of the center must also participate in the program’s supportive services, which include budget and financial counseling, case management, education, career planning, job and housing search assistance. There is also general life-skills training.
To be eligible for support from Family Life Support Center, the client must be able to document (for example, show an eviction letter) that they meet federal government created standards for being considered homeless. Or a disconnection letter from their utility provider.
The PSH - Permanent Supportive Housing solutions provides housing for chronically homeless families and individuals, including single parents or the youth in Berkshire. Clients may participate in PSH for an indefinite period of time, and the rent is paid by the agency. It is part of Housing First Programs from the government.
There are also basic support services given to families, such as case management. Last year, FLSC served a number of local chronically homeless families and individuals through this program. All of these individuals were able to either remain in or secure permanent housing during this time.
Financial assistance from Family Life Support Center
Emergency Rental Assistance offers limited financial aid or low interest loans, on a first come, first-served basis, to income qualified individuals and households who are homeless or at risk of eviction. Depending on the availability of funding from Family Life Support Center and its partners, the organization will provide one-time assistance for individual and cash grants for families with children. To participate in this program, income must be greater than rent amount that is due.
Ongoing tenant support is offered. This is based in part on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development SSO model. Case managers from Family Life Support Center run the Supportive Services Only Program, and there is help to ensure that clients who have exited housing programs or who have been chronically homeless and are at-risk of becoming evicted again do not actually end up that way.
To accomplish this, SSO housing coordinators and various other specialists work closely with each household until their finances are stabilized and they have sufficient income to pay the rent on their own. The objectives will be gaining new skills and achieving housing stability, increasing income, and becoming self-sufficient.
One of the many advantages to running SSO programming is that the costs are much lower than they typically run for a housing program, due to the fact that operating expenses are relatively low and there are no leasing costs, making this type of program extremely cost-effective.
Budgeting and employment programs in Berkshire County
Job Assistance Readiness Training, also known as JART, is an employment skills program for Berkshire County residents aged 18 years and older. The service provides instruction on on-the-job training, job-readiness skills, and support services. All of this is offered to assist clients in finding ongoing employment in the community.
Budgeting and support from the Representative-Payee Program is for seniors and the disabled. The agency provides individual or organizational payees for Social Security recipients who are unable to manage their finances and pay the bills on their own.
The representative payee is an independent contractor appointed by the Social Security Administration to work consistently with the client, so they are verified and highly trained. The payee can even help the disabled person find advocate lawyers for filing assistance. The payee receives the SSI/SSDI benefits on behalf of enrolled clients, and then the representative uses the funds to pay for the current and foreseeable needs of the beneficiary. Once those expenses are paid, the payee holds any leftover benefits that are not needed for meeting the client’s immediate needs.
Applying to Family Life Support Center
As noted, a major focus is on addressing housing needs in Berkshire County. The main address of the Family Life Support Center is at 395 Old Columbia St., Adams, MA 01220. Dial (413) 743-7957.
|
