This year, 14 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continua of Care (CoCs) around the nation submitted applications to receive technical assistance from the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center. All of the applications were well-qualified and competition was tight! The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center was able to select five CoCs for the technical assistance award. Congratulations to the selected CoCs:
- Washington 504: Everett and Snohomish County
- Montana 500: Montana Statewide
- Oregon 507: Clackamas County
- California: 514: Fresno City and County and Madera County
- Illinois 503: Champaign, Urbana, Rantoul/Champaign County
With the assistance of the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, each CoC lead will attend a 3-day Leadership Academy and organize a SOAR implementation meeting in their community. Thank you to all of the CoCs that applied—your dedication to SOAR is inspiring. Keep SOARing!
|
|
San Francisco, California Leadership Academy
|
|
From December 5-7, 2017, the SOAR TA Center facilitated a SOAR Leadership Academy in San Francisco, California. Abigail Kirkman, Pamela Heine, and Matthew Canuteson of the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center facilitated the training. There were 21 participants representing 13 states (AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, LA, MO, MT, NE, NM, NY, TX, and WA). Throughout the 3 days of training, there was enthusiastic participation and commitment to SOAR; a testament to the participants' dedication to use SOAR to achieve their goals of ending homelessness in their communities. Congratulations to our new graduates! We are excited to see you SOAR!
|
|
SOAR Success Stories
Washington, D.C.
Bread for the City recently published a blog post from Ashley Moore on the power of SOAR! Read the excerpt below and then check out the full blog post, SOAR: A Solution to the Wait.
"Last year, our SOAR program maintained a 78 percent approval rating for initial applications in an average of about 5 months. While there are difficult parts of my job, I am grateful for the resilient and brave people who trust me with their stories and allow me to walk with them through this difficult process. I am also grateful that, through SOAR, Bread for the City can dramatically reduce wait times and avoid lengthy appeals for this vital benefit."
|
|
Events
January 23, 2017; 1:00 p.m. ET
The next SOARing Over Lunch Conference Call will take place Tuesday, January 23 at 1:00 p.m. ET! The SOAR TA Center hosts this 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.
January 25, 2018; 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET
Have you struggled with marketing your SOAR initiative? Do you lack the resources, knowledge, or support to effectively pitch SOAR to key stakeholders? If this sounds all too familiar, please don't despair. There is hope! This webinar will give you many practical and proven ideas to help your SOAR program become successful and sustaining!
|
|
SOAR Leadership Academies
The SOAR TA Center is now accepting applications for all Leadership Academies. Visit the SOARWorks website for more information. Leadership Academies are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and all participants must be approved by their SOAR State Team Lead. All interested participants must complete a Leadership Academy application and submit it for approval. Contact your SOAR TA Center Liaison with any questions.
- February 6-8, 2018 in Birmingham, Alabama
- April 24-26, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts
|
|
SOAR Job Postings
Colorado
Easterseals Colorado is hiring a full-time Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment Specialist in Golden, Colorado. The IPS Employment Specialist will engage clients with health-related employment barriers and establish collaborative relationships directed toward the goal of competitive employment.
Learn more about this position, including how to apply, on the SOAR website!
|
|
Partner Updates
January 10, 2018; 12:30-2:00 p.m. ET
The second webinar in the Crisis Response Spotlight Series will focus on the behavioral health crisis continuum, from prevention and intervention and beyond, along with use of peer supports as part of crisis teams.
You will learn:
- about crisis prevention and stabilization services;
- how peer support staff can support people during and after crises; and
- how mobile crisis services can be used to engage people in substance use disorder treatment.
Presented by:
- Kappy Madenwald, MSW, LISW-S, crisis systems consultant
- James P. Arnold Sr., certified peer specialist/recovery coach, Netcare Access
- Carrie Wirick, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, Director of Community and Adult Residential Services, Netcare Access
January 11, 2018; 12:30–2:00 p.m. ET
Outcomes matter! Outcomes is more than a buzzword. For individuals, outcomes means a home, re-established connections, and opportunities. For organizations, addressing outcomes means ensuring funding, cost-effectiveness, and quality. At the end of the day, it is the outcomes of our work that matter!
"Show Me Your Outcomes!" is the second webinar in the Case Management in the 21st Century Spotlight Series. Join us as a dynamic panel presents creative strategies for gathering and using outcome data.
Moderated by Pat Tucker, MBA, a national speaker and leader on case management, the speakers include:
- Amanda Major Polley, Catholic Charities serving central Washington;
- Stephanie Mercier, MSW, MBA, Corporation for Supportive Housing; and
- Melody Riefer, MSW, Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.
|
|
|
Federal Updates
Homelessness crept up in the United States, especially among individuals with long-term disabling conditions according to the latest national estimate by HUD. HUD's 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress found that 553,742 persons experienced homelessness on a single night in 2017, an increase of .7 percent since last year. Homelessness among families with children declined 5.4 percent nationwide since 2016. Local communities report the number of persons experiencing long-term chronic homelessness and Veterans increased.
Members of the ISMICC discussed the recommendations in their first Report to Congress during a press conference on Thursday, December 14, 2017. The findings and recommendations in the report have the potential to spur federal action to revolutionize behavioral health care by increasing access, quality, and affordability of care.
|
|
|
|
