Special Project
Introduction
Partnership for Families, Children, and Adults’ Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) provides services for young adults in the greater Chattanooga area who are experiencing homelessness. All YHDP participants must be between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, be presently experiencing homelessness, and reside in the Greater Chattanooga Area. This project will focus on developing new policies for the YHDP program that focus on life skills development and preparing clients for financial and housing stability.
Partnership was awarded the YHDP grant in October of 2022 and began providing services to young adults and their children in March of 2023. The program provides case management and rental assistance to clients referred through the Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition. Once enrolled in the YHDP program, clients work with their assigned Case Manager to find permanent housing and any needed services. Prior to the implementation of this project, YHDP provided rental assistance for one year to all YHDP participants who remained in the program. Clients met with their case manager once a month to maintain compliance with the program. Clients were not required to have employment, save money, attend any life skills programing, or meet any specific goals.
This project will implement new policies and procedures for the YHDP program that will require clients to participate in life skills classes, be employed, create and work toward SMART goals, and save money for their future. The YHDP program will also taper financial assistance on a quarterly basis to help clients prepare for financial independence.
Social Issues
Across the nation, one in 30 young adults are estimated to experience homelessness (Homelessness and Housing Instability, n.d.). There are 975 people experiencing homelessness in the Chattanooga area according to the most recent Point In Time count. Of those individuals, 46 are between the ages of 18 and 24, and 103 are below the age of 18 (Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition, 2024). Young adults often experience homelessness due to family conflict, substance abuse, sexuality and gender identify, and/ pregnancy. These young adults are at higher risk than their housed peers to become involved in the justice system, use illegal substances, suffer from sexually transmitted diseases, and show signs of mental health conditions (Homelessness and Housing Instability, n.d.). Young adults need early intervention with positive youth development resources to prevent long-term homelessness and other risk factors (Homelessness and Housing Instability, n.d.). Young adults are referred to the YHDP program by the Regional Homeless Coalition because they are either literally homeless or couch surfing and lack the social and financial support to maintain housing. Once clients enroll in the program, they are provided with supportive staff and temporary housing assistance. Most current clients are nearing the end of their first year in the program. Many clients are not prepared to provide for themselves after the subsidy ends. They are at a high risk of returning to homelessness because of unstable or insufficient employment and lack of knowledge to maintain housing. The YHDP staff recognize a need for the policies to change to better prepare clients for long-term stability.
There are 22 households, some include children, in the YHDP program. Eight clients are unemployed, and the majority are underemployed or earning less than a living wage for the Chattanooga area. Most YHDP clients lack adequate employment to cover the cost of their rent once the program ceases. They also lack many of the necessary life skills to care for themselves and their homes. Presently, the YHDP program’s policies do not require the clients to attend life skills classes (except for Good Tenant Training), maintain employment, or save money. The program hosts life skills classes every month, but the turnout for courses is less than ten percent of the total client population. PFCA staff wish to add verbiage to the client agreement stating that clients must be employed, working toward their goals, accruing life skills training hours, and saving their money to remain in the program.
Tentative Goals
- After one year in the program, eighty percent of clients will have an income equal to two times their rent amount or higher.
- After graduating from the program, clients will show a thirty-five percent increase in knowledge about life skills such as budgeting, reading a lease, maintaining a job, etc. as measured by the Life Skills Survey.
- Upon graduating from the program, clients will have at least one month of expenses saved.
- By the end of the program, clients will have achieved at least one of their goals described at intake.
- After case closure, ninety percent of second cohort clients will remain housed after the sixty-day check-in.
Intervention
The mission of this project is to promote the long-term stability of YHDP clients through interventions that employ Empowerment Theory. The tentative goals for this special project will be achieved by implementing changes in program policies and procedures. The YHDP program policies will include interventions such as required life skills classes for all clients, goal-setting meetings with clients, requiring a savings goal, and implementing follow-up meetings with graduating clients.
Life Skills
The new YHDP Program Agreement now states, “All clients participating in the YHDP program are required to accrue at least 10 hours of Life Skills Training” (see Appendix A). Case Managers will track their clients’ training attendance using the Life Skills Training Log placed in each client’s folder (see Appendix A). The training opportunities will be counted on a credit basis, not based on literal time spent in the training. For example, the Good Tenant Training lasts four hours but will count as two credits toward their total requirements. They must receive credits in each category to meet program requirements.
Goal-Setting Meetings
Case Managers will meet one-on-one with new clients for their program intake. During the intake meeting, Case Managers will use the Goal Setting Form (see Appendix B) to create SMART goals with their new clients. The clients will provide their goals, and the Case Manager will work with them to ensure the goals are specific to their stability, measurable, achievable within the time they are in the program, relevant to their situation, and time-bound. Together, they will list action steps to help the client reach their goals. At their monthly face-to-face meeting, the Case Manager will assess whether or not the client has made progress toward accomplishing their action steps. The goals and action steps may be adjusted as needed to remain relevant to the client’s situation.
Savings Goals
Each client is required to save a portion of their paycheck each month. The Case Manager will work with the client to decide the amount of money that they would like to save. The client will provide bank statements to their Case Manager when requested to review their progress toward their savings goal.
Follow-Up Meetings
When a client graduates from the program, their Case Manager will contact them after thirty, sixty, and ninety days. They will discuss any ongoing concerns, needs, and successes. The Case Manager will have the client take the Life Skills Survey upon completion of the program to measure their change in knowledge.
Review of Literature
Empowerment Theory
According to Langer and Lietz, the Empowerment Theory builds on social work principles of empowerment and self-determination (2014). The theory asserts that clients are experts on their needs, and the social worker helps the clients recognize their own strengths and ways to remove barriers to their success. Clients learn to advocate for themselves and seek solutions the problems they are experiencing. Three key outcomes of Empowerment Theory are improved sense of self, increased knowledge of the realities of life, and identification and nurturance of strengths to achieve goals (Langer, & Lietz, 2014).
Employment and Long-Term Outcomes for RRH
According to a study conducted by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, ten to fifty percent of Rapid-Rehousing recipients are homeless within two years of enrolling in the program (2021). Forty percent of RRH recipients have former evictions. This results in difficulty finding housing for clients and a recurrence of homelessness. Employment has been shown to play a major role in combatting barriers such as evictions and increasing a client’s likelihood of maintaining housing (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2021). HUD affirms that RRH participants are more likely to achieve long-term success if employment supports are a centerpiece of the assistance provided (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2016).
Clients with consistent employment while in the RRH program are more likely to remain in their home after leaving the program. To promote consistent employment, the NLIHC suggests providing employment and credit building education to clients to help them learn how to find and maintain employment (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2021). The National Alliance to End Homelessness advocates for asset-building as an essential aspect of ending homelessness. They describe inadequate assets as a “direct catalyst for an episode of homelessness.” They recommend helping persons experiencing homelessness by showing them how to open a bank account and establishing savings (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2016). In addition, Marshall and associates found that employment is often a desired goal for individuals experiencing homelessness. Increasing income for clients is a critical component of preventing and ending homelessness. Employment provides financial benefit and promotes psychosocial wellbeing for those experiencing homelessness. Thus, employment-based approaches to ending homelessness have the potential to promote the overall wellbeing of individuals for the long term (Marshall et. Al., 2022).
Evaluation Methods
The effectiveness of the policy changes will be measured by surveys, case manager case notes, documentation of employment, and case closure documentation. Upon enrollment in the program, case managers will meet with clients for an intake session. During intake, the client will complete a Life Skills Survey to assess their abilities. After 90 days in the program, the client will retake the survey to assess changes in knowledge. The client and case manager will meet once a month. The case manager will record meeting information in case notes and any additional information regarding client progress. The client will be required to report changes in employment and evidence of employment status. The client must attend various training and skills development classes to remain in the program. All training will be recorded by the case manager. The client will take the survey a final time upon closure of their case. The case manager will contact the client thirty and ninety days after case closure to see if they are maintaining housing stability. Policy changes will be implemented upon next the next client intake. The next client is estimated to join the program in late April 2024. This new policy seeks to impact 20 new clients.
Conclusion
The YHDP program provides housing assistance for young adults experiencing homelessness in the Chattanooga area. The program presently lacks organized interventions to help clients develop life skills to assist them with long term stability. This project will utilize Empowerment Theory to develop interventions that encourage clients to improve their knowledge and abilities related to financial and housing stability. Clients will take life skills classes and be required to make steps toward achieving predetermined goals. Case Managers will use the new policies and documents to track client progress during and after the program.
This project hypothesizes that the YHDP program will see an increase in client housing maintenance, life skills development, and client savings upon case closure. The increase will be measured by comparing the outcomes of the first round of clients, those enrolled in the program between January 2023 and March 2024, and the second round of clients, those enrolled between April 2024 and March 2025. This project also hypothesizes that clients will show a thirty-five percent increase in life skills knowledge between the client’s initial enrollment in the program and case closure. This will be measured with the Life Skills Survey. The program changes will help the YHDP program create a streamlined process to support clients as they gain independence and self-sufficiency.
Limitations
Clients remain in the YHDP program for one year from the date they are housed. It will take over a year to receive the results of the interventions. Thus, the final outcomes of the project will not be available upon the end of the internship period, December 2024. Other project limitations include limited resources for life skills classes. The team will need to coordinate with outside agencies and other Partnership programs to develop and implement the life skills classes. This may limit the availability of classes and the variety of information offered. Also, clients lack reliable transportation and consistent work schedules which may make class attendance difficult for many participants in the program. As for goals, the clients are limited in their earning potential by a lack of reliable transportation and access to well-paying jobs. These limitations may make it difficult for clients to achieve their savings and income goals. Finally, the consistency of the interventions provided is dependent upon Case Managers’ record-keeping and implementation of the interventions.
Field Connection
The Special Project will fulfill my learning plan by providing opportunities for me to present ideas and create materials for the YHDP program (1.4). I will also be advocating for program policies that promote housing stability (2.1) and implementing life skills trainings tailored to the needs of my clients (2.2). I will review articles related to youth wellbeing and homelessness (4.1) and conduct research and disseminate regarding the life skills of YHDP evaluated in the pre and post-tests (4.2). I will participate in reviewing existing policies and advocating for changes (5.2). I will create a life skills assessment and review results to measure the knowledge of clients (7.1 and 7.2). I will promote distribution of client resources to improve life skills (8.1) and work with staff to measure outcomes (8.2, 9.1, and 9.2).
Competency Integration
1.) Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
I will demonstrate ethical and professional behavior by developing organizational practices that are evidence-based and professional. I will use professional oral and written communication to develop policies and share them with my team.
2.) Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice
My project will advance human rights by developing practices that support the long-term housing, employment, and financial stability of my clients. This project will promote social, economic, and racial justice for clients by helping them learn the life skills needed to gain financial independence, self-advocacy, and social support. This project will promote social justice by connecting clients with other agency resources and education.
3.) Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice
This project promotes self-determination and self-actualization of individuals experiencing homelessness. The clients in the YHDP program are primarily people of color who were raised in economically disadvantaged families or in the foster system. Many of these young adults did not develop the life skills required to care for themselves and others. This project seeks to inclusively provide equity to a diverse client population.
4.) Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
This project includes research conducted based on the expressed needs of my team and clients. The evidence found through research will provide frameworks for developing new practices. Research will be conducted using pre and post-testing of clients.
5.) Engage in policy practice.
This project will develop new organizational policies. I will advocate for the implementation of the policy changes.
6.) Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
In preparing this project, I consulted with clients and staff members to understand the problem and seek solutions. I also reviewed client files and researched other communities and their YHDP practices. I participated in case conferencing meetings with other agencies, met with clients about ways to help support them, and communicated with staff, my supervisor, and the director.
7.) Assess with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
In preparing for this project, I assessed the needs of clients and consulted with staff to determine what policies need to be changed to improve outcomes for youth. Clients were instructed to complete the Life Skills Survey at the beginning of this project. The results of the Life Skills Survey were used to determine which life skills classes needed to be required. This project will also require review of case notes, employment data, and client outcomes after case closure. In developing this policy change, I assessed the outcomes for clients and unmet needs. The staff and I used surveys and communication with clients to determine how well they were prepared for the end-of-program services. This evidence showed a severe deficit of basic life skills and financial responsibility. This project created a Goal Setting worksheet to evaluate how individuals and families are progressing within the program.
8.) Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
This policy will provide a framework for intervening with families, groups, organizations, and the community regarding the development of life skills and promotion of financial literacy and independence. Case Managers will use the policy and Goal Setting worksheet during client intakes and at client meetings.
9.) Evaluate individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
I will evaluate the outcomes of the interventions to determine the effectiveness of the project. I will review client goal completion, Life Skills Survey outcomes after client graduation, savings goals, and housing maintenance. Evaluation of current survey results show a lack of life skills knowledge. This initial data will be used to compare to the outcome of the interventions.
References
Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition. (2024). 2024 PIT Count Results. https://www.homelesscoalition.org/download/2024-pit-count-results/
Homelessness and Housing Instability. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://youth.gov/youth-topics/homelessness-and-housing-instability Langer, Carol L., and Cynthia Lietz. Applying Theory to Generalist Social Work Practice, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2014. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/southern-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1874136.
Marshall, C. A., Boland, L., Westover, L. A., Goldszmidt, R., Bengall, J., Aryobi, S., Isard, R., Easton, C., & Gewurtz, R. (2022). Effectiveness of employment‐based interventions for persons experiencing homelessness: A systematic review. Health & Social Care in the Community, 30(6), 2142–2169. https://doi-org.ezproxy.southern.edu/10.1111/hsc.13892
National Alliance to End Homelessness (2016, October 19). Fostering Financial Literacy and Security. https://endhomelessness.org/resource/fostering-financial-literacy-and-security/
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (2021, January 11). Study of Rapid Rehousing Identifies Barriers to Successful Long-Term Outcomes. https://nlihc.org/resource/study-rapid-rehousing-identifies-barriers-successful-long-term-outcomes
Partnership for Families, Children, and Adults. (2024). Youth Homelessness Demonstration Project. https://www.partnershipfca.com/youth-homelessness-demonstration-program
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. (2016, September). What rapid rehousing providers need to know about employment supports. https://files.hudexchange.info/public/resources/documents/Housing-and-Employment-Works-What-Rapid-Rehousing-Providers-Need-to-Know-About-Employment-Supports.pdf
Appendix A
Policy Revisions
The following policy revisions will be made to the client agreement. The client will be required to sign the document in agreement with all program requirements.
Goal Setting
Upon intake, all clients must work with their case manager to establish at least three SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals related to their long-term stability. The case manager and client will create a client action plan for each of their goals. Clients must put forth effort to meet their goals to remain in the program. Effort toward completing goals will be measured by the action steps completed for each goal. Clients and case managers will review the clients’ goals once a month at each face-to-face meeting. If clients do not show a good faith effort toward completing their goals, their case may be closed.
Eviction and Housing Debt Payments
Partnership for Families, Children, & Adults (PFCA) may pay a portion of clients incurred eviction debts to former landlords on a case-by-case basis. PFCA will only pay for a portion of the balance due if the client has a payment plan in place with the landlord, rental company, or other debt collection company. Only clients with active payment arrangements and have made payments toward their debt qualify for payment by PFCA. Funds may be utilized for debt payments at the Program Manager’s discretion.
Rental and Utility Assistance
PFCA provides rental and utility assistance on a case-by-case basis. PFCA will provide assistance according to the needs of the client. The purpose of the rental assistance is to place clients in permanent housing. Rental assistance will be provided to maintain housing as needed with the goal of clients achieving financial independence and stability by the end of their time in the program. Financial assistance will taper off as the client nears the end of the program to prepare the client for self-sufficiency.
Life Skills Training
All clients participating in the YHDP program are required to accrue at least 10 hours of Life Skills Training including hours related to budgeting, Good Tenant training, house maintenance, healthy and employment. PFCA will provide opportunities for clients to participate in training throughout the year. Clients must earn at least 5 hours within the first six months of being enrolled in the program. Clients must complete the Life Skills Survey upon entrance into the program, after 90 days (about 3 months), and upon case closure.
Employment
To remain in the program, clients must have a stable form of income. A client’s case may be closed if the client does not maintain employment or have regular income from another source. Job maintenance classes will be available for all clients throughout the year.
Savings
Clients must save a portion of their income each month to be compliant with program requirements. The client’s case manager will work with them to establish their savings goals. Clients may be required to show bank or app statements as proof of the amount saved. On a case by case basis, case managers may assist clients with opening a bank account.
Appendix B
Client Goal Setting Form
Client Name: ______________________________________________
HMIS Number: _______________________________________________
Case Manager: ________________________________________________
Goal #1: ____________________________________________________________________________
Step 1: _______________________________________________________________________
Step 2: _______________________________________________________________________
Step 3: _______________________________________________________________________
Goal #2: ____________________________________________________________________________
Step 1: _______________________________________________________________________
Step 2: _______________________________________________________________________
Step 3: _______________________________________________________________________
Goal #3: ____________________________________________________________________________
Step 1: _______________________________________________________________________
Step 2: _______________________________________________________________________
Step 3: _______________________________________________________________________
I ___________________________________ (client name) agree to follow the action steps listed above to help me achieve my goals. I will work with my case manager to meet my goals.
___________________________ ______________________________________
Case Manager Signature Client Signature
__________________________
Date
Appendix C
Life Skills Survey
Link to Life Skills Survey: https://forms.gle/6uEvxVq4RJJ9tdWT9
Appendix D
Participant Case Closure Form
| Participant Information | ||
| First Name:
|
Last Name: | HMIS Number: |
| Date of Birth: | Child/ Children’s Names:
|
|
| Closure Information | |
| Date of Closure |
|
| Will client receive follow-up contact? | ☐Yes
If yes, after how many days will the client receive a follow-up? __________ ☐ No |
| What is the reason for case closure? | ☐ Client is no longer in need of services
☐ Client is not compliant with program requirements ☐ Client has completed the program ☐ Other: _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ |
| Exit Survey Completed | ☐ Yes
☐ No |
| Other Information |
|
|
_________________________ ___________________________ ____________________
Case Manager Name Case Manager Signature Date
_________________________ ____________________________ ____________________
Client Name Client Signature Date
| If unable to acquire client signature, explain: |
|
|
Appendix E
Client Progress Tracking Procedures
Intake Assessment Forms
- Life Skills Survey
- Client Goal Setting Form
Program Compliance – at the monthly face-to-face meeting, client must provide evidence of:
- Completion of action steps toward goals
- Employment
- Life skills training log
- Savings
Surveys
- 90-day survey
Case Closure
- Case Closure Form
- Life Skills Survey
- 30-day follow-up
- 90-day follow-up
Appendix F
Student Attestation
My submission of the special project outline indicates that I have collaboratively discussed this
document with my field instructor and that I have completed no more than approximately 150
hours of field.