Shelter of Flint

MISSION STATEMENT Integrating programs and services with safe, affordable housing to help low income and homeless individuals and families achieve independence and stability. HISTORY: For 35 years, Shelter of Flint has been helping low income and homeless individuals and families achieve independence and stability. Over the years, we have continued to grow as we’ve strive to meet the varied needs of homeless families in our community. Our programs and services have developed into housing programs that provide a wide range of supportive services targeted towards helping low income women, male and female single parents, and two parent households experiencing homelessness and facing multiple barriers to sustained, living-wage employment. We serve more than 1,000 adults and children each day throughout our programs and properties.

Emergency shelter for single women, couples, men with children and women with children. Clients are given a support structure, coaching, and resources to regain stability. A typical individual or family that comes to our emergency shelter stays for 30 to 90 days. Throughout that stay, we work with them to resolve the issues that brought about their homelessness, and develop a long-range plan toward permanent stability. Our comprehensive approach to combating homelessness is intended to connect families to community resources and work on solving the root cause of their homelessness – with the end result of every client obtaining permanent housing. One Stop and Homeless Outreach One Stop strives to eliminate barriers for those we serve by providing services that meets the needs of the individual and family and enhances the community safety-net by placing service providers in one, easily accessible location. In addition to housing referrals, One Stop offers: • referrals for basic needs such as food, clothing, personal care items, furniture, vital records, and other needs; • emergency services such as bus passes and motel stays (including partnership with United Way in response to water shut-offs); • screenings and inspections; • Housing Choice Voucher program assessments; • utility payments, security deposits, and first month rent payments; • access to a permanent mailing address (over 1,100 mailboxes maintained at no cost to residents who do not have a permanent address or a safe place to receive mail); and • access to an array of supportive services. One Stop programming also includes our Homeless Outreach program, which serves a critical role in our community as a point of entry into homeless services. The program provides homeless verification through street outreach for housing programs; wrap around services, partnering with other community agencies to serve clients; intake for clients into Continuum of Care partner programs; and information and referrals leading to available services. Through our permanent supportive housing program, Shelter of Flint offers rental assistance to people with physical and mental disabilities, who could not otherwise find or afford independent living conditions. Supportive case management services remain available to help individuals and families sustain financial accountability and a connection with the community resources they need to remain self-sufficient. In April of 2015, our permanent supportive housing program expanded with the addition of the Veterans’ Lease Up program. Veterans’ Lease Up is dedicated specifically to homeless, disabled veterans and their families, and gets veterans connected with services that have been designed to meet their needs.