IMPACT | John Hyatt, President & CEO | 414-256-4808 | www.impactinc.org
Permanent Supportive Housing launches in Milwaukee:
22 placements of individuals and families in homes
On April 3, 2017, Coordinated Entry for Homeless Services (CE) began to address a critical issue for those experiencing chronic homelessness. CE has expanded beyond emergency shelter placements to include coordinating the placement of individuals and families into permanent supportive housing (PSH). IMPACT has coordinated 22 placements of individuals and families into PSH as of April 26.
 
In this short duration, Milwaukee County has achieved an important objective of housing all "chronically homeless" families, as well as those who have experienced homelessness for six months or longer. All families now housed were transitioned from emergency shelter.
 
Coordinated Entry emerged amid strong support to transition from 'first come - first served' to a 'needs-based' service access approach and uses a multi-faceted strategy to engage and assess people experiencing homelessness in Milwaukee County. While IMPACT's 2-1-1 crisis line continues to serve as an access point for referral to emergency shelter, PSH, and other services, our team has expanded to include mobile screeners who work in tandem with street outreach teams and coordinate with case managers to produce the most successful outcomes for clients using a Housing First model.
 
The U.S. government's Housing and Urban Development (HUD) endorses the Housing First approach to PSH as the preferred solution for chronic homelessness. Housing First combines financial support for housing with access to psychiatric, medical and social rehabilitative services. Some programs use a "project-based" model, accommodating formerly homeless tenants in buildings where comprehensive services are also available. Other programs use a "scattered site" model which provides subsidized rental support for an apartment, as well as outreach from case managers who conduct regular visits and coordinate services for the tenant as needed. Studies have shown that Housing First interventions result in faster exits from homelessness and more time spent in housing.
 

IMPACT's Evaluations Support Program Sustainability

IMPACT's approach to evaluation is designed to support organizations in creating positive and lasting changes in our community. We believe that evaluation plays a vital role in each stage of a program's lifecycle and ultimately contributes to long-term success and sustainability.
  • We help our partners plan new programs, by identifying promising service models and designing evaluations to successfully secure initial funding.
  • We work with programs to establish data infrastructure, by designing data collection, management, and reporting procedures to meet stakeholders' needs.
  • We build evaluation capacity, by supporting organizational staff in developing the expertise to be key players in evaluation efforts.
  • We promote continuous quality improvement, by facilitating the use of evaluation data to improve service delivery.
  • We help programs tell their story, by supporting dissemination to secure additional funding and assist replication in other communities.
Two of IMPACT's partners have recently leveraged their programmatic and evaluation successes to insure the sustainability of their programs. Meta House  recently secured a Targeted Capacity Expansion HIV: Minority Women  grant from SAMHSA , due in part to their robust evaluation capacity and demonstrated outcomes. The Milwaukee County Family Drug Treatment Court  also used its wealth of program data to become one of just four family treatment courts nationwide to receive a Prevention and Family Recovery grant through the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Duke Endowment. This additional funding will assist these programs in their efforts to support recovery from addiction and strengthen families.


Access Point Counselors Provide Hope For People Seeking Heroin Treatment

IMPACT serves as a designated Access Point in Milwaukee County for residents seeking treatment for an alcohol or drug abuse issue. More than 75% of our clients identify opiate or opioid addiction as their primary concern. Heroin is the most common opiate and a Schedule 1 narcotic. Opioids are synthetic or partly-synthetic substances generally prescribed to treat pain and include Hydrocodone and Fentanyl.

IMPACT's specially-trained counselors conduct comprehensive screenings which include a mental health component and trauma checklist to determine eligibility and level of care for the client to be referred to treatment or recovery support services funded by the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division.

Clients 18-59 years old with an alcohol or drug abuse history who are seeking treatment and may or may not have insurance are encouraged to inquire about options by calling (414)649-4380 from 8am to 4pm. However, IMPACT's 2-1-1 crisis hotline is available 24/7 for people in need of information and referral to take the first step toward regaining stability. Simply dial 2-1-1.

Watch a TMJ4 news story about IMPACT's role in preventing opiate overdose and death  here.
Wisconsin women ages 19 to 44 lead the nation in binge drinking, which is defined as consuming four or more drinks on one occasion.
Women in our state average 6.4 drinks per occasion. 
IMPACT changes lives, for good. Building on our nearly 60-year history, we provide the essential first step toward regaining personal stability, and collaborate to advance health and human services throughout Southeastern Wisconsin.
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