Homeless Prevention Center
HPC works to prevent and eliminate homelessness in our community.
How we do that depends on the needs and goals of the people we work with.
It could be providing rental assistance; helping someone find an affordable apartment; assisting a family in the eviction process; or helping people manage other challenges in their life that effect their housing. Below are some of the programs we provide at the Homeless Prevention Center.
Understanding program availability and eligibility is complicated ...and it changes. A worker at HPC will listen to your housing needs and goals and help you understand which of our programs may be the best fit to assist you.
If you live in Rutland County and are struggling with Homelessness, call us at 775-9286.
If you live in Rutland County, are homeless, and seeking emergency shelter call:
Weekdays between 8 and 4: 8004796151
After-hours and Weekends: 211
Coordinated Entry & Assessment
Most of our clients start here with an assessment that helps us understand what their housing needs and goals are, what their strengths and challenges may be, and which of the various programs in our organization and community may be useful in assisting with those goals.
Outreach
Outreach is about developing rapport, demonstrating integrity, and being able to provide useful information. HPC works as a team to respond to community requests for homeless outreach.
Housing Navigation for Youth
Homeless Prevention Center provides housing search and case management support to young adults (ages 18-24) who are homeless. This can be a critical time for new renters as they build skills as tenants, develop financial independence, and build landlord references that can either help or haunt them for years...
Housing Navigation for Youth
(continued) We launched our Housing Navigation for young adults in October 2019 and were initially unsure how many 18-24 year-olds would actually connect. This is often a group that improvises and will “double-up” with family or otherwise stay under the radar of social service providers that want to impose a lot of program and requirements.
OUR SERVICES
Rapid Rehousing
Rapid Rehousing is targeted financial assistance and case management provided to people who meet HUD’s definition of homelessness. The goal of Rapid Rehousing is to ensure a family’s experience of homelessness is as brief as possible.
Homelessness Prevention
Prevention is our middle name. Homelessness Prevention is financial assistance and case management provided to people who are not yet homeless but who meet HUD’s definition of at-risk of homelessness.
Supporting Families
Family Supportive Housing is a more-intensive program prioritized for families who’ve already experienced homelessness. Most have young children and many have been through multiple episodes of homelessness and other life challenges. In addition to its housing focus, Family Supportive Housing provides support around parenting, and places a big emphasis on increasing financial independence through activities such as building savings and reducing debt.
Landlord Liaison
HPC’s Landlord Liaison serves as a bridge between area landlords and the client-centered programs of the Homeless Prevention Center. The Landlord Liaison can provide mediation between landlords and tenants as well as technical assistance with rental applications. The Liaison also tracks longer-term stability of our clients who obtain housing.