Homelessness Prevention
&

Community Stabilization

Program Design & Staff Training
for Non-Profit & Government Organizations

(read pdf)

Bob Ronnow ronnow@taconic.net


 Is homelessness a problem in your community?

Are emergency shelters filled to capacity?

Have food pantries and meal programs become indispensable?

Are families having trouble making ends meet?

Have businesses abandoned downtown?

This service helps communities stabilize low income households and reduce homelessness, reaching hundreds of households before crises occur and helping people achieve their goals and contribute to the community.

Reduces your community's emergency shelter requirements to just one bed per night per 10,000 population and eliminates street homelessness;

Improves housing conditions, decreases evictions and stabilizes neighborhoods;

Increases the economic self-sufficiency of low income households;

Redirects community resources to education and economic development and reduces spending on crisis management;

Creates a more efficient, effective social service delivery system;

Stabilizes student populations so schools can focus on education;

Teaches clients to advocate for themselves and take responsibility for solving problems.


 Community Access

 Comprehensive Services

 Client Responsibility

 Case Review


Bob Ronnow ronnow@taconic.net


Bob Ronnow has 20 years experience desiging and directing programs in New York City and Massachusetts at Covenant House, Stanley Isaacs Center, Family Life Support Center and Law, Order and Justice Center (view resume). He wrote the program manual Few Sheep, Little Corn: Preventing Homelessness & Stabilizing Communities. (read pdf)

Chapter 1: Introduction - Stable communities retain people long enough to establish
                  diverse, supportive relationships and networks

Chapter 2: Organizing Principles

            Basic Assertions

            1. Homelessness is not the problem; it is a symptom of the multiple,
                unaddressed  problems of a household before it ever becomes homeless

            2.   Homelessness and other crises are preventable now, with the resources
                  available today in or near every community

            Operating Principles

            1.   Community Access: No eligibility requirements, allowing anyone in the
                  community to receive services

            2.   Comprehensive Services: One-stop shopping to solve any problem or
                  combination of problems through direct counseling and referrals

            3.   Client Responsibility: To leverage positive, permanent life style changes
                  that will make future crises less likely

            4. Case Review: A commitment to high quality services and intensive,
                ongoing staff training

Chapter 3: Client Services

            1.   Housing Services: Housing search assistance; Landlord-tenant relations;
                  Utilities negotiations

            2.   Income Services: Employment counseling; Benefits advocacy; Budget
                  counsleing

            3.   Specialized Services: Referrals for specialized services; Life skills
                   counseling; Financial assistance and personal loans

Chapter 4: Program Structure

            1.   Outreach
            2.   Intake and assessment
            3.   Service plans
            4.   Case review
            5.   Program statistics and evaluation
            6.   Staffing and program costs

Chapter 5: Community Relationships

            1.   Defining the problem
            2.   Describing the community
            3.   Establishing prevention programs
            4.   Funding strategies

Chapter 6: Case Studies