Shelter House Community Shelter And Transition Services

Emergency services: shelter house provides emergency shelter stays for single adults and families experiencing homelessness in johnson county and is the designated coordinated entry lead for johnson and washington counties in iowa. The shelter has 70 beds; men and women's dormitories for single adults, and a family wing of six family bedrooms. Bridge housing services are offered to qualifying veterans experiencing homelessness. These services are embedded in the shelter facility with 10 of the 70 beds prioritized for veterans. Shelter house provides an additional emergency shelter during the winter months at a satellite location and in its overflow lobby, providing shelter for up to an additional 70 people. Emergency shelter services have a low barrier for eligibility. The approach is person-centered, and trauma informed. The focus is on harm reductionminimizing the risks and consequences of certain behaviors rather than prohibiting the behavior itselfand on keeping people alive and safe.breakfast and dinner are offered daily for current guests of shelter house's emergency shelter. Health services are offered onsite to guests by volunteers from the university of iowa college of nursing and the university of iowa hospitals and clinics department of adult psychiatry on a weekly and bi-weekly basis. Drop-in services are available daily and include access to showers, laundry, phone, and professional staff. These services are available to anyone from the public in need.shelter house provides street outreach services for the service region. Through street outreach, people living in unsheltered locations are engaged to ensure basic needs are met (water, food, and supplies) while offering support toward housing stability and other services as needed and desired.eviction prevention and diversion services were initiated in response to the pandemic. Shelter house offers direct financial assistance for rent and utility arrears and supports individuals facing a housing crisis by negotiating with landlords to avoid eviction, providing landlord-tenant education and conflict management support; an eviction diversion help desk is held weekly at the johnson county courthouse. Through these efforts combined, households avoid the cost, crisis, and trauma of homelessness.

Supported employment: shelter house provides supported employment for tenants in its permanent supportive housing programs through fresh starts janitorial services, an in-house janitorial company that employs permanent supportive housing tenants and has cleaning contracts throughout the community. Through supported employment, people with mental illnesses discover paths of self-sufficiency and recovery, rather than disability and dependence. Supported employment ensures all people who want to work are offered work; services are integrated with comprehensive mental health treatment; personalized benefits counseling is provided to every client; and clients receive job support for as long as required.