Community LINC
The mission of Community LINC is to develop self sufficient families and communities. Community LINC provides a supportive transitional housing program to homeless families in the Kansas City area.
Description:
Supportive Housing Program General Overview
The Community LINC Supportive Housing program is a structured transitional housing program for homeless families. The overall mission of the program is to assist these families with becoming self-sufficient by providing the tools they need to break the cycle of homelessness in their lives. With the advocacy and support of family coaches and budgeters, program participants are required to reduce or eliminate debt; and establish and maintain a savings account so that homeownership or other permanent housing are viable options.
Applicants are required to submit to a rigorous screening process that includes a group informational session, an initial one-on-one interview, and a follow-up interview and mental health assessment. Once accepted into the program, participants are expected to meet the following requirements:
• Attend weekly classes
• Obtain and maintain employment at least 32-
hours per week, or be actively engaged in job
search (following job loss) at least 32-hours
per week with documentation
• Save at least 50% of income (regardless of
the source), and work with a budgeter to
manage the remaining 50%
• Meet weekly with family coach and therapist
• Ensure that children are actively engaged
Coaching
Upon entry into the program, each family is assigned a family coach whose primary role is to assist the family with identifying and realizing their short- and long-term goals.
Through weekly meetings, coaches help the families:
- Work through challenges,
- Identify barriers,
- Celebrate successes,
- Gain invaluable skills and tools necessary for
maintaining self-sufficiency.
Budgeting
Regardless of the sources, all program participants are required to save 50% of their total income and budget the remaining. Because most of our participants have never budgeted before, they are assigned a budgeter who assists them with establishing a workable budget. In addition, the budgeter works with the family to prioritize and payoff past debts.
Counseling
Homelessness and the factors that lead to homelessness often take a tremendous toll on those who experience it. To address these issues, participants meet weekly with a therapist who provides support, encouragement and guidance through this very frightening and difficult time.
Life Skills Training
Life Skills Training is designed to provide families the additional tools they need to live self-sufficient lives. From effective parenting, to interviewing techniques, to goal setting, participants are provided training and information that will enable them to function successfully on a day-to-day basis.
Healthy Lifestyles
Healthy Lifestyles, offered through our Mental Health Department, is designed to educate participants in how to lead healthy and satisfying lives. Not limited to healthy eating and meal preparation, this class covers a plethora of topics that enable participants to make positive and healthy choices.
Children’s Program
Consisting of three components—Infants & Toddlers, Elementary, and Teens—this program is designed to assist children in such areas as basic life skills, tutoring, mentoring, and early education. The goal is to equip children with the tools and skills they need to break the pattern of generational poverty and homelessness.
In addition to our Supportive Housing Program, Community LINC also provides:
Outreach (Missouri Welfare (TANF) recipients)
Community LINC helps families receiving TANF
Temporary Aid to Needy Families) remove obstacles to employment. Community LINC worked with about 850 of the 6,500 adults receiving TANF assistance in metro Kansas City to address the childcare and/or transportation problems that kept them from finding jobs.
Community LINC's Results:
Community LINC is uniquely successful among transitional housing programs in Kansas City, in 2008:
• Community LINC gave a home to 45 homeless
families – 173 people, including 124 children
(24 hours a day, seven days a week, for more
than 35,000 bed nights in a year).
• 76% of our families left for a permanent home.
• 83% of those who left in the last 2 years
continue to have a home.
• 90% of all residents were employed or enrolled
in a school at year-end.
Other notes from recent years:
46 families have progressed from homelessness to
home ownership
46 women went to college and 10 earned a degree
Since 1988, more than 550 families are now living
independently thanks to Community LINC.
Contact people:
 |
Cecile Denny, Volunteer Coordinator, (816) 531-3727, (email)
Laura Gray, Executive Director, (816) 531-3727, (email) |
Office fax number: (816) 531-4416
Address:
|
4012-14 TroostKansas City, MO 64110(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.communitylinc.org
| Last updated on August 24, 2009 |
