Three Oaks Continues Homeless Prevention Programs

Three Oaks Center in Lexington Park serves St. Mary’s County residents at risk of becoming homeless.

Five programs provide valuable extra services to this most vulnerable population.

Project Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) allows Three Oaks to help homeless individuals with serious mental illness gain access to community-based services. The center advocate puts experience and expertise to work in meeting the needs of homeless people who have mental illnesses by engaging the services of community mental health centers and other mental health providers, community-based social services agencies, health care providers, and substance abuse service providers.

SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) is a national project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that is designed to increase access to SSI/SSDI for eligible adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, and have a mental illness and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder. Using a three-pronged approach of strategic planning, training, and technical assistance, the SOAR Technical Assistance Center coordinates this effort at the state and community level.

Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) exists to provide eligible veteran families with outreach, case management, and assistance in obtaining VA and other benefits, which may include health care services, daily living services,  personal financial planning services, transportation services, fiduciary and payee services, legal services, child care services, and housing counseling services. In addition, the program may also provide time-limited payments to third parties (e.g., landlords, utility companies, moving companies, and licensed child care providers) if these payments help veteran families stay in or acquire permanent housing on a sustainable basis.

The purpose of the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) is to provide services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans.

The purpose of the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program is to assist individuals and families to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis or homelessness. The center uses its ESG funding for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing: both components fund housing relocation and stabilization services (including rental application fees, security deposits, utility deposits or payments, last month’s rent, and housing search and placement activities). Funds also may be used for short- or medium-term rental assistance for those who are at-risk of becoming homeless or transitioning to stable housing.

For information on these programs and other services, call the Three Oaks Center at 301-863-7361. For information on Emergency Services/SOAR Program, call 301-863-9535, Ext. 103. For information on Supportive Housing/Veterans Services, call 301-863-9535, Ext. 104.

To learn more about Three Oaks Center, visit their Leader member page.