Income & Employment
Income is a critical part to successfully housing people previously experiencing homelessness. The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC) has worked to integrate the homeless service system with income services through assessment, triage, and a referral to ensure all people receiving homeless services can access both housing and income resources. View the information below to see how you can assist people experiencing homelessness to gain and maintain employment and income!
Training Information
The Coalition for the Homeless and partners of The Way Home periodically provide employment and income-focused trainings for staff of partner agencies of The Way Home. Please check here and The Way Home Training Calendar for current offerings.
The Way Home Income Initiatives Training Information
About:
The Way Home Income Initiatives training provides partner agencies of The Way Home and their staff an opportunity to learn about referrals that connect people experiencing homelessness to income. Helping people experiencing homelessness increase and stabilize their income is a primary goal of the homeless response system.
Who should attend?
All staff of The Way Home partner agencies are welcome and highly encouraged to attend!
Income Initiatives Training
The Coalition is evolving our approach to supporting income growth and stability for clients housed through the Way Home. Going forward, the Income Team will transition from hosting our broader Income Initiatives webinars to conducting more targeted and personalized Income Training Sessions. These sessions will be in collaboration with CoC agencies, specifically designed to empower Rapid Rehousing, and Permanent Supportive Housing clients to enhance system performance towards client housing stability.
We're excited about this new direction and the opportunity it presents for deeper, more impactful engagement. If you are interested in participating in a future training session, please don't hesitate to get in touch at twhincome@homelesshouston.org
Additionally, if you have previously contributed as a presenter and are interested in engaging with the Way Home community of partners, we warmly invite you to reach out to PIF lead. We value your expertise and look forward to potential collaboration!
Income Initiatives Training Archive
Workgroups
Workgroups are a fundamental part to developing successful solutions to barriers our CoC may face. For information on workgroups focused around income and employment see the information below.
Please direct any questions regarding our programs or workgroups to the Coalition's Income team at cfthincome@homelesshouston.org.
SOAR Initiative
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) provides increased access to the disability benefit programs administered by the Social Security Administration, for eligible adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a disability that prevents them from working. The Way Home CoC incorporates SSI/SSDI basic SSI/SSDI eligibility questions into the coordinated entry assessments, so that individuals without adequate income who may qualify for Social Security disability benefits receive immediate referrals to local SOAR providers as appropriate. These assessments for income support needs are done concurrently with housing-related needs assessments, such that individuals experiencing homelessness are rapidly placed into housing and referred to appropriate supportive services as needed and desired.
The SOAR Online Course trains providers to assist individuals with the Social Security disability application process. The course includes an Adult Curriculum for assisting with SSI and SSDI claims for adults, and a Child Curriculum for assisting with SSI claims for children. View more information below:
- The SOAR Online Course: Adult and Child Curriculums are free and are located on the SOARWorks website (https://soarworks.prainc.com/content/soar-online-course-catalog).
- Each curriculum consists of seven classes, each of which has a series of articles, short quizzes, and a practice case component. The practice case provides an opportunity for trainees to apply what they have learned in the course by completing a sample application packet for a fictitious applicant using SOAR techniques.
- It takes approximately 20 hours to complete each curriculum and participants can work at their own pace, starting and stopping as they wish. However, we encourage students to complete the curriculum within 30 days to retain the information learned.
- Upon successful completion, participants will receive 20 CEUs (continuing education units) from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).
If you are a member of The Way Home CoC and would like more information about SOAR program and/or training please contact the Coalition's Income team at cfthincome@homelesshouston.org.
Screening and Referral Training
- Identifying and Referring a SOAR Client (pdf)
- SOAR Fax Cover Sheet (word document)
- Vulnerable Populations SSI Referral (pdf)
SOAR-Trained Service Provider Events & Materials:
- SSA & CFTH Collaboration Presentation - April 2021
- SOAR SSA Local Process Training - May 2021
- SOAR SSA Process - August 2022
- SOAR SSA Process (fillable form) - August 2022
Employment Partners
Currently Income Now referrals are sent exclusively to Work Force Solutions. Our goal is to include community employment partners. If interested, please contact the Coalition's Income team at cfthincome@homelesshouston.org. for more information.
Program Flyers & Information
Our partners are always here to help! Check out the information below on ongoing and current programs, as well as available classes and services.
