Our Services
In aiming for widespread knowledge of our services and programs, we strive to provide maximum benefit to our community. Our Street Outreach Worker provides services to individuals experiencing homelessness in downtown New Orleans. The outreach ensures that individuals who are homeless in the area are aware of how to access services, from food and shower resources to permanent housing, employment training, and counseling. In addition to providing these referrals to services, the outreach specialist also manages a caseload of highly vulnerable individuals who are homeless in the downtown area and who cannot access these services on their own for any reason, such as being mobility impaired or living with severe mental illness or substance abuse disorders. For these individuals, the outreach specialist provides direct case management in the streets, completing all necessary applications and appointments with the client wherever necessary to ensure the individual is housed as quickly as possible.
CRISIS – INTERVENTION
COUNSELING PROGRAM
The Crisis Intervention Counseling Program offers immediate emergency assistance and crisis counseling on a walk-in basis. Anyone who is homeless or displaced is eligible for services. The program also provides extensive case management services, focused on long-term needs for transitional or permanent housing, food stamps, Medicaid/Medicare, employment, and additional resources that promote stability and independence.
Support services may include:
- Food. Clothing and Shelter
- Rental/Utility Payment (when funding is available)
- Toiletries
- ID
- Bus Tokens
- Day Shelter
- Limited Space for Storage of Belongings
- An address to receive mail
- Telephone/Fax/Computer/Internet Access
- Etc.
Nationwide communication with family, friends, or other resources is provided through the Travelers Aid International Chain of Services.
Coordinated Entry
In our Coordinated Entry system, Housing Navigators identify individuals in need of housing and services and work to establish a scaled appropriate response. Housing Navigators assess and prioritize chronically homeless individuals and assist those individuals with gathering documentation needed to refer them to UNITY. UNITY will refer eligible clients to programs where they can access permanent housing, rapid rehousing, or external housing programs with our partner agencies. The purpose of this system is to increase the efficiency of our local crisis response system and improve access to resources.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Our Permanent Supportive Housing Program provides stable, subsidized housing for qualifying individuals. Participating individuals are referred by UNITY, from the coordinated entry system, where their needs have been identified and criteria has been established for participating. This program operates on a Housing First, premise and helps support, long-term self-reliance and stability with counseling, substance abuse treatment, job training, etc. This program offers a long-term comprehensive solution to the problem of homelessness.
Homeless Prevention
Travelers Aid provides case management for households in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish for participants in the LERAP Homeless Prevention Program. Case managers assist households to maintain housing stability, increase access to mainstream resources and increase income to prevent the household from becoming homeless. Case Managers assist individuals with identifying barriers to housing stability and engage in goal planning that aims to link individuals to the resources and skills that they need to achieve long-term housing stability.
Self-Help Employment Program (SHEP)
The Travelers Aid Self-Help Employment Program (SHEP) was started in 1985 as a result of the large number of clients requesting assistance in finding employment. This program is for individuals seeking full-time permanent employment.
This unique program was designed to meet the overall needs of homeless individuals seeking full-time employment.
Any homeless person can walk-in to inquire about how to enroll in the program.
Support services may include:
- Pre and post employment counseling
- Job search/readiness skills training
- Bus pass/tokens, until the first paycheck
- Food/shelter vouchers
- Mail receipt address/voicemail/phone/fax/computer/internet access
- Storage of personal belongings
- Assistance with work uniforms and/or tools
- Identification
- Laundry and toiletries, etc.
- Rental assistance may be available, based on funding availability.
Day Shelter
Travelers Aid Society of Greater New Orleans is housed in the Community Resource and Referral Center. In our facility, we are able to offer Day Shelter. As a place of Day Shelter, individuals may come to be indoors, make use of showers, telephone, laundry services, bathroom facilities, basic necessities that many of us might take for granted. We provide a safe place of respite for individuals to simply sit, or watch television, a space where there is no threat of arrest for loitering.