Abstract
This chapter explores the array of supportive services a social worker must become familiar with to help families and individuals exit homelessness. Using a plan to prevent and end homelessness developed by Austin, Texas, as a guiding framework, this chapter discusses such services as outreach, coordinated assessment, prevention, diversion, case management, and healthcare coordination and highlights the range of knowledge and skills social workers need to be effective practitioners in this arena. The trend today is “housing first,” and it is these services that support and empower a person experiencing homelessness through the process of moving into housing and successfully maintaining that housing. The chapter underscores the critical role social workers play in providing, or connecting clients with, these essential services in the effort to end homelessness in our communities.
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Duncan, S., Howard, A., Streeter, C.L. (2019). Meeting the Diverse Service Needs of People Experiencing Homelessness. In: Larkin, H., Aykanian, A., Streeter, C.L. (eds) Homelessness Prevention and Intervention in Social Work. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03727-7_4
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