Comprehensive Case Management
Building the capacity of the homeless assistance system, in part through increasing the knowledge and skills of staff at the various housing and services organizations, has been a priority since the adoption of the Homeless Solutions Plan.
A key component to increasing the capacity of the system was the development of Case Management: Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness Manual - a manual for providing housing-focused case management. Case management is a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation, care coordination, evaluation, and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual's or family's comprehensive needs. Housing-focused case management concentrates on the areas that directly impact a particular household's stability in housing. These areas often include obtaining sufficient income to pay rent, managing money, and following the lease rules about guests, noise and maintaining the unit.
The Case Management Manual sets minimum standards for the practice of case management at each homeless program with guidance through each step of the case management process.
As a complement to the Case Management Manual a Supervisor's Manual was also created. It is the responsibility of the Supervisor to provide the necessary tools needed to empower staff to provide housing-focused services. The Supervisor's Manual- is a guide to reinforcing better case management through enhancing case management standards. The Supervisors Manual provides minimum standards for agencies.