SOAR TA Center Fiscal Year 2017 Accomplishments

Plus Success Stories from Florida and Ohio!

CONTACT US SSA WEBINARS SOAR VOICES BLOG SOAR TA Center Fiscal Year 2017 Accomplishments Sharing Our Successes Florida Randy Vargas of the Florida Health Care Services Department shared an incredible success story from SOAR Case Manager Jahaira Romero of the Hillsborough County Government in Tampa, Florida: Louis* was homeless for over 10 years, and had been living on the streets when one of our SOAR Case Managers was helping him submit a SOAR application. He has several chronic health and mental health conditions. Through the combined effort of the ACTS/HEART Permanent Supportive Housing Program and the SOAR team at Hillsborough County Health Care Services Department, the client received necessary medical and mental health assistance and was approved for SSI benefits in 2 months utilizing the SOAR model. It is great to see Louis now, living in a stable healthy home and receiving treatment for his illnesses. He is happier and grateful saying, "I have been waiting 7 years to obtain disability benefits, due to my health and mental conditions; thanks to Jahaira Romero from Hillsborough County SOAR Program the wait is over. It only took her 2 months…." Ohio We're excited to share a SOAR shout out from the August issue of Breaking Ground: News from the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio! The article featured the SOAR Ohio Annual Meeting which highlights the top-performing Ohio SOAR specialists around the state! From the article: "The heart and soul of the SOAR Ohio Project are the individual SOAR specialists who assist some of the most vulnerable community members throughout the state. If it were not for the hard work, dedication, and excellent service provision from these specialists and their agencies, this work would not be possible." Read the full write up on the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio's website. Way to go, Ohio! Keep SOARing! Do you have a success story you'd like to share with the SOAR community? E‐mail it to soar@prainc.com! *Name changed to protect client anonymity. Job Postings New York/National The SOAR TA Center is seeking a full-time Project Associate to support the TA Center's activities! Residence near or relocation to PRA's Delmar, NY office is preferred. Remote locations will be considered for those with significant experience. Arizona Lifewell Behavioral Wellness is seeking a full-time Benefits Specialist in Phoenix, Arizona. The successful candidate will provide comprehensive direct support services to adults diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Connecticut Columbus House is seeking a full-time Recovery Intervention Services Team SOAR Benefits Specialist in Middletown, Connecticut. The successful candidate will coordinate the SOAR application submission process. Michigan St. Joseph's Mercy Health System is seeking a SOAR Coordinator in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The successful candidate will provide assistance with SOAR applications and provide referrals and linkages to services. Learn more about these postings on the SOARWorks website. Do you have a job posting you would like to share with the SOAR community? Submit it to the SOAR TA Center! Events SOARing Over Lunch Conference Calls Thursday, October 12, 2017; 1:00 p.m. ET The next SOARing Over Lunch Conference Call will take place Thursday, October 12 at 1:00 p.m. ET! The SOAR TA Center hosts a series of informal monthly calls designed to help support SOAR efforts across the country. Participants can log‐in to ask about any SOAR‐related question they may have. SOAR Webinar Series on SOAR Applications and Opioid Use Disorders this October Part 1: Wednesday, October 18, 2017; 3:00-4:30 p.m. Part 2: Wednesday, October 25, 2017; 3:00-4:30 p.m. In this two-part webinar series, to be held on October 18 and 25, 2017, you will hear from clinicians about the clinical consequences of addiction to opioids and marijuana. SOAR providers will describe their communities' responses to the opioid crisis by providing supportive services such as Housing First and Medication-Assisted Treatment. Experts will provide an overview of federal policies and new resources which relate to individuals with addiction and/or individuals who may be taking opioids and other drugs, such as medical marijuana as prescribed by their clinician. Recent Stories from the SOAR Voices Blog New Materials from the SOAR Expert Panel Work Group Using SOAR to Heal Federal Updates SSA Adds Three Conditions to the Compassionate Allowance List Nancy A. Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of Social Security, announced three new Compassionate Allowances conditions: CACH--Vanishing White Matter Disease-Infantile and Childhood Onset Forms, Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy, and Kleefstra Syndrome. Compassionate Allowances are a way to quickly identify serious diseases and other medical conditions that meet Social Security's standards for disability benefits. View the full Compassionate Allowances Conditions. New VA Derivative Benefits Eligibility Service Connected Matrix Veterans may become eligible for additional benefits based on a number of different situations. To assist Veterans with navigating the additional benefits they may be eligible for, the Veterans Benefits Administration created a VA Derivative Benefits Eligibility Service Connected Matrix (Service Connected Matrix). View the Service Connected Matrix and read the accompanying blog post to learn how to use the Service Connected Matrix. Funding Corner Funders Together to End Homelessness A national membership organization that provides critical resources, learning, and networking opportunities to foundations working in the homelessness space to increase their knowledge, capacity, and effectiveness to prevent and end homelessness. They have members in most states across the country—foundations that might possibly be interested in providing funding to SOAR programs based on SOAR's historic usefulness in supporting efforts to reduce and stop homelessness. Find member foundations to target outreach in your state! Foundation Center's Knowledge Center Developed by foundation funders across the country, this space provides information about what foundations are looking for and offers free concrete tools and tips for successfully finding and accessing foundation funding for your program. Techsoup This website offers nonprofits, foundations, and libraries with tech products, services, and learning resources. Most importantly, registered members are eligible for deeply discounted or free technology hardware and software.

The SOAR TA Center is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Disclaimer: The SOAR Technical Assistance Center is sending this NewsFlash with support from SAMHSA, HHS. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of HHS or SAMHSA.