SOAR Online Course: Child Curriculum - 100 passes!

SOAR WORKS SAMHSA
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100 SOAR Online Course: Child Curriculum Graduates

Child Curriculum Passes a Milestone!

The SAMHSA SOAR TA Center is proud to announce that since it's release in October 2018, 100 trainees have successfully completed the SOAR Online Course: Child Curriculum
Does your agency assist children or youth with serious mental illnesses and/or physical disabilities who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness? We encourage you to enroll in the course to learn how to use the SOAR model to assist with Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applications.
Learn more by watching the video below, and then reading a heart-warming success story! 

When a Child Receives SSI

Jon Katherine Martins

Emma Norton Services

St. Paul, Minnesota


Over the past year, the SOAR program at Emma Norton Services has helped 4 parents with their children's Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applications. Three of the claims were approved at the initial level. One is still in process. As the children's SOAR advocate, I know first-hand how receiving SSI can benefit both parent and child. 
When a child receives SSI, a mother and her 9-year-old son, who experiences schizophrenia, can find a measure of peace. The mother doesn't have to wake vulnerable in the morning, staring down the high cost of her son's medications, the constant demands on her time, and the gnawing insecurity. She can wake refreshed and ease into the day as she shares a moment with her son before he heads off to school, knowing that the struggles are reduced and the supports he needs are there. 
When a child receives SSI, a father can buy a car with the lump sum back payment. He can now drive his 7-year-old son, who experiences autism spectrum disorder, to his appointments rather than taking that long bus ride that's filled with so much sensory overload. And, instead of worrying about whether he can keep a roof over his son's head or food on the table, the father can worry about the ordinary, everyday things - just like any other parent.
When a child receives SSI, a mother and daughter can stop doubling up with relatives. And an 8-year-old girl, who experiences attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, can have her deepest wish come true - a bedroom of her of own where the walls are painted purple. And she doesn't have to go to someone else's house to visit her cherished dog. Her dog can lie beside her as she falls asleep at night.   
When a child receives SSI….
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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) Technical Assistance (TA) Center is sponsored by SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Disclaimer: The SAMHSA SOAR TA 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.