POVERELLO HOUSE

Poverello House offers a substance abuse rehabilitation program for adult men. The resident program is open to men with a history of substance abuse that have no income, but who are physically able to work. Residents must be able to function in a structured group environment; willing to make a commitment to stay in the program six months to a year and showing a willingness to adopt a sober lifestyle.

Naomi’s House is a gentle haven of healing for homeless women. It is the only safe haven for single, homeless women in the Fresno County. It started in 2002 by a group of concerned community members who observed numerous homeless women on the streets of Fresno. Naomi’s House is a 30-bed overnight shelter for single, homeless women. It provides basic necessities such as showers, clothing, meals and medical and/or dental care.

Each woman is served with dignity and respect. Clients can participate in case management services to assist them in finding housing, accessing mental health services and assisting them in making positive life choices to achieve self-sufficiency. Classes provided are: Peer counseling, life skills, agency referrals, health education, 12-step class, 12-step support group and self-esteem class.

The Village of Hope was established in 2004 in response to the increased number of homeless encampments in the City of Fresno.

Helping a person end the cycle of homelessness is complicated and requires many different approaches. Many of the homeless population suffer from severe mental illness and substance abuse issues. Many homeless have experienced both physical and mental trauma from living on the streets. Some of them lack any form of identification and are in need of substance abuse treatment and mental health counseling. Often times, even though they desire a home, they are not in a position to maintain housing.

The Village provides a unique opportunity for the homeless to sleep off the streets and live in a community-type environment. The structures they live in are simple "Tuff Shed"-like shelters. While in the Village there are is three simple rules, "take care of yourself, take care of others, and take care of this place." The residents provide their own security and clean-up crew. Clients are not allowed to possess alcohol or drugs while living in the Village. The Client Services Coordinator, who oversees the Village, provides the occupants access to education, life-skill training, substance abuse counseling and mental health referrals. The shelter provided by Poverello House is the bridge between homelessness and housing that our clients need to be successful in securing permanent housing.

MAP (Multi-Agency Access Program) is an integrated intake process that connects individuals facing housing, substance abuse, physical health and/or mental health challenges to supportive services. MAP Point at POV is a physical intake location for the community homeless population. If a family or individual needs other immediate services, they will be referred to the appropriate agency partner. Partners include: Fresno Housing Authority, Kingsview, Centro La Familia Advocacy Services, Community Conversations, City and County of Fresno.

THE PROCESS
Each service provider is an access point. The centralized intake process allows agencies to serve the families or individuals where they are. No one solution fits all. However, services exist that can be leveraged to customize a plan that will have a high chance of long-term success.
The process is as follows:
1) Go to a MAP Point – a person in need of housing or services goes to one of the partner locations known as MAP Point.
2) Connect with navigator for standardized intake and assessment – The role of the navigator is to complete the initial intake assessment and connect individuals and families to the appropriate services immediately, whether that is housing, mental health, substance abuse care, or other social services.
3) Match with agency and transition from Navigator to Case Manager – Once the individual is connected with the appropriate agency, the agency case manager takes over in developing a long-term plan for that individual or family and monitoring their success.