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This web page includes information and resources related to using a trauma-informed approach when serving individuals experiencing homelessness. It explores the rates of trauma in the community of people who are homeless and provides guidance for supporting this community during disaster planning and response.
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The second webinar in a series focused on individuals experiencing homelessness and winter crises, this recording focuses on challenges posed for vulnerable populations when natural disasters occur during colder seasons. Presented by professionals from homeless service provider organizations and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the webinar highlights strategies for overcoming barriers.
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Companion animals are often essential for individuals experiencing homelessness to reduce stress and enhance resilience. This resource provides best practice guidance for treating this bond as a family unit when providing individuals experiencing homelessness with services, shelter, and support during disasters.
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An essential element to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness during disasters is to establish communication and provide successful outreach. This recorded presentation provides guidelines for reaching people experiencing homelessness effectively through case illustrations and the application of five clinical principles of care.
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This toolkit provides guidance for building an inclusive emergency management system and highlights the importance of collaboration between and among healthcare professionals, emergency managers and public health officials, and professionals who provide services to individuals experiencing homelessness. It offers resources and strategies for addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness during disasters.
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These weather-specific informational flyers designed for people experiencing homelessness were created using input from people who were or are homeless. The flyers focus on specific natural disasters, offering weather-appropriate guidance for individuals seeking shelter and safety.
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Created for healthcare professionals providing services to individuals or communities affected by disaster events, this recorded webinar explores special considerations that must be addressed for community members who have previous trauma experience or impacts and struggle with homelessness or poverty. It highlights the need for Mental Health First Aid and explores the differences between disaster trauma and other traumatic experiences.
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This comprehensive toolkit provides communities with information and resources to develop a disaster response and recovery plan that addresses the needs of community members experiencing homelessness. The toolkit features information regarding stakeholders; data regarding homelessness; provider networks; and checklists of key actions for disaster planners to consider before, during, and after disasters.
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This recorded webinar explores the role emergency shelters must fill during a housing crisis and encourages providers to assess their response plans and practices. It includes data and research related to length of stay, reasons individuals may avoid shelters, and shelter outcomes. The page also links to self-assessments shelter providers can use to determine opportunities for improvement in their crisis response plan.
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This report highlights the importance of partnerships and improved communication between and among homeless services providers, disaster planners, and individuals experiencing homelessness to develop a successful disaster response and recovery plan. Based on the experiences of two disaster-affected communities, the report describes research and findings on best practices for serving communities experiencing homelessness during disasters.
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Part of SAMHSA's Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) series, this manual provides best-practice guidelines for practitioners offering mental health and substance use disorder treatment services to individuals experiencing homelessness. It defines types of intervention and prevention, stages of recovery, and forms of treatment through discussion and vignettes, as well as a literature review.
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Developed for shelter staff members, this fact sheet provides guidance for supporting families and children experiencing homelessness. It includes a definition of complex trauma, which may involve trauma linked to a disaster, and explores its effects on caregivers and children who are homeless, offering recommendations for providing support.
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Developed for programs serving people experiencing homelessness, this fact sheet offers information and guidance for supporting youth who are homeless and who have a trauma history, which may include traumatic experience associated with disaster. It includes a definition of complex trauma and explores its effects on youth experiencing homelessness, offering providers recommendations for conducting intake assessment and providing ongoing care.
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This guide provides an adaptation of the psychological first aid model that shelter providers can use when working with families experiencing homelessness.
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This resource highlights ways that emergency management plans fail to meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness and offers guidance for local officials, emergency planners, homeless service providers, and others involved in disaster planning. It provides strategies for addressing barriers people experiencing homelessness face, including lack of transportation and ability to evacuate, health status, and communication issues.
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This manual presents an adaptation of Psychological First Aid for professionals working with individuals and families experiencing homelessness. It includes information on trauma and strategies for shelter staff members to gather information, address immediate needs, and connect families with social supports. The manual includes worksheets and examples to refer to when offering services.
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This brief explores challenges faced by youth experiencing homelessness and defines trauma and related consequences, such as substance use, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. It includes treatment considerations for mental health and substance use disorder service and treatment professionals when working with youth experiencing homelessness who are coping with trauma or retraumatization.
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Developed for emergency planners and service providers for people experiencing homelessness, this resource reviews research and highlights the importance of disaster planning to best serve at-risk populations. Guidance provided includes suggestions for supporting specific needs and managing service reductions. Although this resource was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, it includes information applicable to future pandemics.
This web page includes information and resources related to students experiencing homelessness and disasters, with a focus on helping students cope and connecting schools to displaced students. It features a series of briefs about the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and how it can help students and families displaced by disaster, as well as links to resources from federal agencies and nonprofit organizations.
This web page compiles numerous resources for individuals experiencing homelessness seeking housing and food assistance, health and safety support, and disaster support. The collection includes national and local agencies readily available to provide for people experiencing homelessness through hotlines, food banks, treatment centers, and more.
Developed for emergency shelter staff members, this manual provides worksheets and checklists for agencies to develop a disaster plan that best serves youth experiencing homelessness. The activities encourage staff to consider various topics such as community demographics, record maintenance, evacuation plans, and staff preparedness.