Disabled and Soaring Out of Homelessness

The population of homeless individuals in this country is chock full of people who are suffering from a serious health and/or mental health condition; HUD's 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report states that 43 percent of homeless adults suffer from some disability and more than two-fifths of sheltered homeless people have a disability.

While our society has attempted to assist folks suffering with disabilities via the Social Security Administration, the process of obtaining federal disability benefits (SSDI/SSI) is tedious, complex and often far beyond the scope of the typical layperson's ability to navigate and ensure proper and successful completion of the application procedure ("successful" meaning approval of benefits).

The SOAR program was designed to assist case managers and outreach workers who find disabled individuals in the course of their duties with a streamlined process for applying for disability benefits.  Based on my hands-on experience with the program, it is currently the single best tool we have to assist folks who have physical and/or mental disabilities and who are relegated to the street as a result.  This is not to say it is the best we can achieve, but when compared to other resources currently available in the war to end homelessness, the SOAR program's ability to rapidly and successfully complete a disability application sits at the top of the pyramid.

The program itself is relatively simple and inexpensive for most agencies to implement, at least initially. I worked for an agency in Nashville, Tennessee that dedicated just two staff members to full-time SOAR efforts and over a two year period, they enjoyed a 99 percent success rate (200+ people in two years approved, just one denied).   Better still, the average time from initial intake interview to obtaining a benefit check was just 57 days!

How did/does this agency pull off such an amazing feat?  The key hinges on having a fully dedicated SOAR team, rather than simply training case managers and then adding SOAR applications to their other duties.  Unfortunately, piling on this responsibility is typically the norm for many agencies, and this is due in large part to budget constraints and the lack of funding needed to add additional personnel.

Typically agencies, when they hear about the amazing successes of the SOAR program, excitedly rush case managers to the usually free trainings available around the country.  These dedicated but often overworked people sit through the trainings, leave with their manuals and a few contact phone numbers for additional help, then return to a caseload that is often pushing or beyond 40 clients to 1 employee.

Those newly skilled and conscientious providers usually have several individuals mind they believe they can assist with this program before they even leave the training.   Upon their return to the office, they dive into the effort with the zeal of the newly converted.  Unfortunately, the trainers have not included a way to add several additional hours to each day for the newly trained; hours that will be almost certainly needed in order to fully implement the techniques and requirements of the SOAR program.  Those "extra" hours are also needed in order to establish the necessary connections and relationships within area hospitals, the Social Security administration and other assorted individuals who play crucial roles in the overall success rates of the SOAR program.

As the case manager begins to bog down in the nuts and bolts of the SOAR process, he/she then pushes the case aside for attention "a little later" when things slow down and the other forty or so clients on their caseload are taken care of. The longer the case sits, the less one remembers about the initial training and this then compounds the confusion as the case manager attempts to continue with the process over the  next week or three.  Often the case manager becomes frustrated with the process as a result, which causes them to push it back farther in the "to do" pile, and the cycle repeats itself.   In the event a person actually gets one completed and sent in, the chance it will be denied is relatively high; "over 60 percent of all first time application are rejected by the Social Security Administration."  One can imagine the impact this will have on a person who has devoted considerable time to the process on top of all the other duties they do over the course of a day.   Suffice it to say, the need for a dedicated staff member or two to handle SOAR applications and processing is almost a necessity if one hopes to achieve a modicum of success with the program.

While the SOAR program does indeed bring much needed income and additional resources to the table for those suffering from a disability while living on the street, it should also be pointed out that in general, the typical amount of a social security check is usually between $600 and a thousand dollars a month.   With the current cost of living in most cities, it is not surprising to hear that even with SSDI, many individuals are still forced to remain on the street, especially if there are long waits for affordable housing and/or Section 8 vouchers.

Still, some income is better than none at all and the health insurance that comes with the income check greatly improves the overall quality of life for most individuals coping with disabilities on our city streets.  Additionally,

One additional bonus the SOAR program brings to its participants that occurs regularly but is often overlooked is that for many in the general public, the perception of the recipient changes from being "homeless" to "suffering from a disability."  This attitudinal change brings with it compassion instead of scorn, help rather than indifference, and hope instead of despair for the person who was just days before was ignored, marginalized and basically kicked to the curb.

Image: RachelCreative