First Stop: A Health Center Prevention Collaborative

The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless developed the First Stop Initiative to meet the need for an early warning, early intervention system to help households stabilize their housing situations at the first sign of trouble. First Stop accomplishes this by placing experienced advocates at neighborhood health centers to help consumers who are at risk of homelessness to access a range of resources to maintain or secure housing. Health care settings were selected as the focus for this initiative because they provide a venue for connecting with low-income families and individuals who are not connected with other service systems.

The services First Stop provides to stabilize the housing situations of these households include:

• Weekly on-site housing/resource clinics at each of the participating health centers to provide at risk households with information on resources and programs which can address their specific circumstances.

• A comprehensive housing and income assessment use to link households with programs that will maximize their income and stabilize their housing. Programs such as
• utility discounts and fuel assistance programs
• Food stamps
• affordable housing programs,
• private and public emergency cash assistance programs to pay rent/utility arrearages and up front move in costs
• Government income programs.
• Reduced cost checking accounts and other financial services through a partnership with the Credit Union League of Massachusetts
• Follow-up to assess the effectiveness of these referrals
• On-going support and case advocacy to certain consumers when it is clear that there is a need for more support to successfully link them to needed resources.

Initiated with the help of a seed grant from The Boston Foundation and generous support from P&G, Clippership Foundation, Linden Foundation, Roy Hunt Foundation, Mental Insight Foundation, Vincent Mulford Foundation, and Nord Family Foundation, the Coalition began providing these early warning prevention services in the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester in June 2004 and the Lynn Community Health Center in May 2005. In June 2006, the state legislature passed a supplemental funding bill which included $500,000 to expand this innovative program to an additional three health centers. With this support, the Coalition initiated First Stop services at the Brockton Neighborhood Health Center and the Lawrence Family Health Center in Fall 2006. A third health center is scheduled to be added in early 2007.

For more information or to get involved, call the Coalition at (781) 595-7570