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Self-Sufficiency Program Introductory Video
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“Do you think you might need PIH’s homeless self-sufficiency program, or do you know someone who might? Learn more about program benefits and expectations by viewing this short introductory video.”
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PIH's Self-Sufficiency Program
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What is PIH's Homeless Self-Sufficiency Program?
Our Mission: Partners In Housing's mission is to give homeless families with children the hope and opportunity to achieve self-sufficiency through supportive services and transitional housing.
What types of Households we Serve: Although our mission focuses on homeless families with children, we accept any household type into our program, including families with children (either single parent or two parent), single men or women, or childless couples.
Services provided: Our program is designed to move households from homelessness to self-sufficiency in two years or less - most families stay 1 year to 18 months. In order to help households make this transition, we provide five key services: transitional housing, case management, life skills training, budget counseling, and sometimes therapy.
- Transitional Housing helps families stabilize their situation, so they can move beyond crisis and focus on working towards long-term self-sufficiency.
- Case management helps our clients (called "Partners") access community resources, and create a self-sufficiency plan that spells out short term and long-term goals that will help them become self-sufficient. This plan focuses on finding employment, planning a career path, continuing formal education, and finding permanent housing. Partners meet with their case managers at least once per month, and more often as needed.
- Life skills classes teach Partners critical life skills, with a particular emphasis on managing household finances and learning skills to find and maintain employment. There are also classes on many other topics, including general health and well-being, and finding permanent housing. Life skills classes are offered several times per month, and dinner and child care are provided on class nights.
- Budget counseling teaches Partners to create and live within a household budget, track their spending, manage debt and credit, use banking services, and other financial skills. Budget counseling is held monthly in conjunction with rent assessment. (Note: Partners pay a percentage of their previous month's actual income for rent, minus several deductions).
- Therapy helps families that are dealing with trauma related to being homeless, domestic violence, military service, or other causes. PIH pays for visits with professional therapists to help Partners get the psychological and emotional help they need to succeed.
What this program is not:
- PIH provides a self-sufficiency program, not a housing program. The emphasis of our program is helping people learn the skills they need to be economically independent. To participate in the program, all adults must be willing and able to work and, most importantly, be motivated to achieve self-sufficiency! If you need affordable housing, please call Diana at 325-5825 to learn about our affordable housing program, or see our Community Resources page to find other agencies that provide affordable housing.
- PIH is not an emergency shelter or safe house. If you need immediate shelter due to homelessness or domestic violence, please see our Community Resources page or call Pikes Peak United Way's 211 line to access emergency housing. You are still considered homeless while living in an emergency shelter or safe house, and you can still submit an application to our Self-Sufficiency program while living there.
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To be eligible for our program, all adults in the household must work, participate in supportive services, and follow program rules. Please review the following requirements before applying to the PIH program.
- the household must be homeless or in imminent danger of becoming homeless (see HUD's Definition of Homelessness, which PIH must follow).
- there must be at least one person over 18 years of age in the household (no unaccompanied minors are accepted)
- adults must be legally present in the U.S. and legally able to work in the U.S.
- no member of the household can currently be addicted to drugs or alcohol
- please note: PIH is not a dry program - alcohol use is permitted for adults 21 years and older, but must be handled responsibly
- applicants must not have used illegal drugs within the recent past (different time periods apply for different drugs). If you have previously been addicted to drugs or alcohol, but have received documented treatment and been drug/alcohol free for a certain period, you may be eligible for the PIH program. Please call 473-8890 for more details on PIH admission policy regarding drug use.
- all household members must be free of illegal drugs upon entry and for the duration of the program. PIH reserves the right to drug test anyone in the program.
- adults must be willing and able to work and/or attend school (Note: Partners in our program are expected to find and maintain employment, and are responsible for paying their own expenses including utilities, food, transportation, and rent. Rent is calculated monthly, and is never more than 30% of the households' previous monthly income, minus several deductions)
- no one in the household can have any felony convictions, or a violent or habitual criminal history
- household members must be willing to abide by a PIH lease agreement, including:
- no smoking in PIH units
- no overnight visitors not on the lease except as approved in advance by PIH
- no businesses operated out of the PIH unit, including babysitting
- no pets of any variety
- adults must be motivated and capable to achieve self-sufficiency with the support provided by PIH, and willing to fully participate in all mandatory PIH support services, including:
- case management
- life skills classes
- budget counseling
For additional detailed information, you may want to review the Program Contract (which you would be required to sign upon entry to the program), which gives more detailed explanations of the criteria mentioned above.
Please note that Partners In Housing does not discriminate, in the conduct of any aspect of its mission, on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical ability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.
Still Need Help? If you don't think the PIH Self-Sufficiency program is right for you, but you still need help, please call Pikes Peak United Way's 211 hotline to find resources that will meet your needs, or view their online database of services providers.
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