3. Go
Find the Right Housing
When you've established the need for a transitional living program and identified the population you wish to serve, you're ready to make an important and complex choice: housing.
Research residential models.
"The choice of housing type is probably the biggest issue when planning a transitional living program," says Mark Kroner of Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc., in Cincinnati, Ohio.
You'll need to answer three main questions:
- What type of housing is best for your clients and community?
- Will you own or lease?
- Where will the residences be?
The three most popular residential models are the clustered site, the scattered site, and a combination of the two-the step program. The best model for your transitional living program will depend on the population you wish to serve, your community, and what housing is available (see box).
Clustered-site or group home model. Clients have individual rooms or apartments at one location. Because the clustered-site plan requires a number of youth to be housed in one place, the building tends to be supervised 24 hours a day.
Scattered-site model. Clients live in individual apartments at separate locations (either alone or with roommates), and supervision ranges from low (staff dropping in occasionally) to high (staff visiting apartments on a daily or twice-daily basis).
Step, or graduated, model. When clients enter this type of program, they live at residences with high supervision (typically at a clustered site) and advance to a scattered site with more independence and less supervision.
Another important factor to consider when looking for housing is whether to own or lease the property.
Purchasing property. When an organization owns housing, it has a lot of control over clients and their living space. Owning property also means your organization is responsible for renovations and upkeep and for complying with zoning and other property laws.
Leasing residences. Leasing residences allows clients to live in various locations (scattered-site model). Your organization won't have to raise money to purchase a house or be responsible for building and plot upkeep. If you choose to lease, you'll need to decide who will sign the lease.
No matter the type of housing or lease you choose, aim for residences near the following:
- Public transportation, if available in your community
- Potential places of employment
- High schools and community colleges
- Health care clinics and hospitals
Know the housing regulations and zoning laws in the area. And, most importantly, be sure the location is safe.
Find Housing
After you've researched your housing options, it's time to secure housing. Experts agree there's no one right way to do it. For many successful transitional living programs, finding housing is a combination of rigorous planning, nabbing what's available, and trial-and-error.
When the Mendocino County Project started searching for housing, serendipity came to the organization's aid: an employee was related to a property owner who was willing to rent to the project. But Wandrei says it takes more than luck to find the right housing: "We forged connections in our community and used those connections to our advantage."
But often, finding housing isn't as simple as it was for the Mendocino County Project. It took With Friends nearly a year to find a safe place to rent. "Everything was going for us. We had a piece of land. We purchased a house. We received $50,000 from HUD to renovate," Krikorian says. But community protests threw a wrench in their well-laid preparations. "Even after we let [the neighbors] know about our organization's plans, they still didn't want us in their neighborhood," says Krikorian, whose law degree helped her navigate the thorny situation.
With Friends didn't give up. Staff searched until they found a landlord who had "a great heart" and wanted to help the young people the transitional living program was going to serve, Krikorian says. Now that landlord often hires With Friends' clients to do maintenance work and odd jobs. The moral: be persistent.
Get to know the neighbors.
Once you've settled on a neighborhood (or hoods), positive relations with neighbors are key-even before your youth move in. You must prepare your community for the realities of what's going to happen. Notify the police, neighbors, and community groups.
"Be proactive," Kroner says. "Call a neighborhood or city council meeting. Hand out business cards. Set up a 24- hour hotline that people can call with complaints and suggestions."
Though some neighbors might try to block your efforts to open a transitional living program in their backyard, others will become your biggest boosters, providing support and, if all goes well, terrific public relations.
Take the example of Mendocino County Youth Project staff, who found neighborhood allies by knocking on every door in the small community where they started their clustered-site program about a year ago and speaking to residents about the youth, the program and its goals, and the rules. Since then, one neighbor has enjoyed having young people around so much that he put a basketball hoop in his driveway.
Neighbors supporting young people and giving them healthy, fun things to do: That's a happy ending proponents of transitional living programs would like to see replicated across the country.
Home Sweet Home
Which housing model works best for you and your clients?
Clustered
- Best for youth who need daily attention and supervision
- Group counseling, life skills training, and other group services are easier to organize when clients live in one place
- May lead to group and crowd-control issues, as well as neighborhood resistance
- Youth must find a new place to stay after discharge
Scattered
- Best for youth who require less supervision
- Clients can choose a location convenient to work, school, or their social support networks
- Neighbors and landlords won't necessarily know clients are in the program and won't label them as "transitional" or "at-risk"
- Transition to self-reliance is sometimes smoother because the living arrangement resembles the future situation of the youth
Step
- Tailored toward the level of supervision each client needs
- When clients graduate levels, they gain feelings of competence while they are still part of the program
- Staff can work with clients to customize the living situation to their individual needs
See Mark Kroner's Housing Options for Independent Living Programs for more information on types of residences.
Lease Options
The organization signs leases on behalf of clients.
- Landlords may be more willing to lease to an organization than to a young person.
- When one youth leaves, the apartment can go to a new client immediately.
Clients sign their own leases (perhaps with the organization cosigning).
- Youth feel a sense of accomplishment when they sign their own leases.
- Your organization is not responsible for damage done to the residence.
- Clients begin establishing credit and rental references.
- Clients have the option to stay in the residence after they graduate from the program, making transition out of the program easier.
Get to Know the Neighbors
Once you've settled on a neighborhood (or hoods), positive relations with neighbors are key-even before your youth move in. You must prepare your community for the realities of what's going to happen. Notify the police, neighbors, and community groups.
"Be proactive," Kroner says. "Call a neighborhood or city council meeting. Hand out business cards. Set up a 24- hour hotline that people can call with complaints and suggestions."
Though some neighbors might try to block your efforts to open a transitional living program in their backyard, others will become your biggest boosters, providing support and, if all goes well, terrific public relations.
Take the example of Mendocino County Youth Project staff, who found neighborhood allies by knocking on every door in the small community where they started their clustered-site program about a year ago and speaking to residents about the youth, the program and its goals, and the rules. Since then, one neighbor has enjoyed having young people around so much that he put a basketball hoop in his driveway.
Neighbors supporting young people and giving them healthy, fun things to do: That's a happy ending proponents of transitional living programs would like to see replicated across the country.
Tips for establishing good community relationships:
- Invite a realtor, property owner, and someone involved in city housing to join your board of directors or collaborative task force.
- Invite an attorney and a city council member to sit on your community advisory board to deal with zoning laws and housing regulations.
- Foster a positive relationship with your mayor so that he or she supports the program.