B.A.S.S. Belleview Area Social Services

Shepherd’s LightHouse, Inc. In conjunction with B.A.S.S

(Belleview Area Social Services)

Day Resource Center

“Short term help for long term success”

For many years Shepherd’s LightHouse in conjunction with BASS has been a beacon of hope to others in need. When the lost and hungry come to the doors of SLH they are given the resources and help that they need.

Shepherd’s LightHouse will continue to help clients with a comprehensive case management assessment that will provide full needs list for the person and family. After the needs assessment is complete the referral process for the client can begin. Mainstream services under one roof will provide a faster turnaround for the client. No judgment and no turn away due to receiving services before.

Meeting the person at the point of their need is a great beginning. Making sure that the person leaves with their voice heard and some type of solutions will open an opportunity to share focused solutions.

The range of Services:

· Case Management with full assessment and referral wrap around services.

· Showers/Restrooms

· Computer access for Access Florida site/Job search site

· Direct Service referrals

· Phone charging station

· Laundry

· Housing first

· Water and snacks

Road to self-sufficiency

A focused solution to the issues that keep the person retuning for help will be addressed and the correct agency will receive a referral for the client. All housing avenues will be researched for the client with the ultimate goal to get the homeless person into supportive housing and off the street.

There will be computers available to be used for Access Florida applications, job searches and housing opportunities.

Various counseling opportunities will be made available to client such as AA, NA, financial, conflict resolution and parenting. If the client is found to need additional mental health counseling a referral will be made for the client.

This center will allow the client to get engaged back into their life. They will be encouraged to make the correct decision to better their lives. We can provide dignity back to these clients by having a one place for them to come into that has no judgment and will meet the client at the point of their need and help them move forward.

Our community homeless issue needs a focused solution. The challenge for most homeless people is that have to travel to all sides of the county for services. At times they go to agencies that cannot even help them. With the lack of knowledge of what agencies provides what services there is a lot of frustration and wasted time spent on their homeless issues with no end results.

With a centralized resource center a person can receive the case management that they need, appointments can be made for the client and time will not be wasted. Solutions to the client’s issues should be the end result to this process.

The center should be located in a central location with access from all points of the city.

In our county we have many service providers with awesome programs but, the homeless does not have the knowledge of whom and where to receive this help. Most emergency shelters house people for the night and turn them back out onto the streets in morning after breakfast. The homeless not having access to computers, fax machines, wrap around services, or phones, keeps them from moving forward in their lives.

Goals and Objectives

The benefit for having a resource center will give the homeless and families in need a focused solution to their issues. The center will provide a place for the homeless and families in need to come to seek these solutions and kept them off the streets during the day and gives them a place to work on their focused life goal plans.

We will house the homeless clients as quickly as possible into supportive housing and cut the use of emergency shelter beds by 10% in the first three months. By six months we should be able to cut the emergency shelter bed use by 30%.

By doing case management assessments and connecting clients to direct services the homeless and families in need population should become smaller.