Representative – Payee Program
The Representative-Payee Program is designed to help Social Security recipients who are required by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to have a payee manage their finances. Louison House, Inc. has one staff person, Dickilyn Mackinnon, assigned as a Rep-Payee to work part-time with these clients on an individual basis. The representative payee receives the SSI/SSDI benefits for enrolled clients and works with the clients to prioritize and pay for the current and foreseeable needs of the beneficiary.
Preventative Outreach Supports
Preventative Outreach Support aims to help people secure housing before reaching homelessness. Additionally, outreach to people who have left Louison House’s programs can help them retain their housing. This program provides supportive information and referrals to area resources to help prevent shelter housing.
Emergency Assistance
- Emergency Beds assistance, especially during winter months, provides help to secure emergency housing through referrals and placement.
- Food Assistance is provided to help people in crisis to secure food until they can access local food resources. This is offered on limited basis to Louison House program participants.
Move Forward (Educational Supportive Services)
Move Forward is centered on the participants’ goals to move forward and into affordable housing. Working with Louison House staff, program participants engage in workforce development, financial planning, and other educational or life skills development in order to obtain and retain housing.
- JHIM (Jobs, Housing, Income Motivation) workforce development is a Louison House program that provides assistance in preparing, seeking and retaining employment. JHIM is named for Jim Sulzman, Louison House’s Board of Directors Program Liaison. Jim developed a resume writing and job preparation training that supports residents to present their many skills and interests in a resume while guiding them through job searches and interviews. JHIM aims to motivate participants and increase their confidence by helping them realize the skills and talents that they have to offer.
- Home Skills are tools necessary to secure housing. Budgeting and financial planning training begins immediately with each person to help them understand and prioritize costs to live within their income. Whenever possible, we encourage participants to plan and save for housing deposits and necessary expenses. Other home skills include experiential training in cooking, cleaning and maintaining a household.
BNS Initiative (Basic Needs Support)
The BNS initiative provides basic needs for food and shelter to those households moving into new apartment housing. To live safely and comfortably in a new apartment, people need furniture, household items, supplies and food. Louison House works hard to provide for basic needs by coordinating donations (furniture and household items), often also offering pickup services for the donations. Basic supplies such as kitchen tools, cleaners, paper goods, etc., are purchased and distributed, along with food in a welcome basket to the new apartment residents. When available, funds are utilized for costs associated with moving the household goods and possessions and/or rent deposits on the new housing. The BNS initiative supports successful housing by lowering initial costs and enabling residents to concentrate their funds on rent and other essential costs.