Guiding Values and Definitions:
Housing First: An approach to quickly and successfully connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to program/housing entry, such as sobriety, treatment or service participation requirements. Supportive services such as housing-focused case management are offered to maximize housing stability and prevent returns to homelessness as opposed to addressing predetermined treatment goals prior to permanent housing entry.
Harm Reduction: Harm reduction incorporates a spectrum of strategies from safer use, to managed use to abstinence to meet drug users “where they’re at,” addressing conditions of use along with the use itself.
Low Barrier: Helping all people who seek assistance meet basic survival needs for shelter, food, clothing, and personal hygiene, while also helping them resolve crises and swiftly secure permanent housing opportunities.
Moving On: A Moving On strategy enables stable residents of permanent supportive housing who no longer need on-site services to move to a private apartment with rental support and after-care.
No Wrong Door: Describes the experience of accessing the housing assistance and service system from the client’s perspective. A system designed so the client only has to go one place for a housing referral to the appropriate housing assistance.
Progressive Engagement: Progressive engagement refers to a strategy of tailoring the amount of assistance to those entering the CES homelessness system based on their level of need. This flexible, individualized approach maximizes resources by only providing the most assistance to households who truly need it.
Trauma-Informed Care: Recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role trauma may play in an individual’s life, including service staff.