Program areas at Dawning Family Services
Emergency shelter: through the emergency shelter component, the organization provides temporary emergency shelter to parents with children who are homeless in our community. This short-term (up to 90-day) support offers safety and Services to families seeking emergency shelter, including those who have been turned away from other shelters in hillsborough county. Families in emergency shelter are provided essential Services including: case management incorporating the principles of trauma-informed care, housing search and placement assistance, financial assistance (in the form of cash benefits and rent and utilities) to help them move into permanent housing, and post-shelter supportive Services to ensure stability once permanently housed...(continued on schedule o)
Path to prevention: homeless prevention specialists provide solution- focused strength-based case management Services to families in crisis and prevent them from entering the homeless system. Services include mediation with landlords and/or Family members/friends; employment assistance; referrals to legal, and other support Services; and financial assistance. One of the key components for a successful homeless prevention program is flexible funding...(continued on schedule o)
Housing Services, including rapid re-housing Services: housing and support specialists assist clients with housing searches and placement, as well as develop and maintain relationships with prospective and current property managers and landlords, including acting as liaisons between property managers/landlords and clients. Housing and support specialists maintain fidelity to the housing first delivery model, an approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing quickly ending a Family's homelessness. Rapid re-housing (rrh) Services are available for clients who meet the qualifications and stipulations of the program and want to enroll... (continued on schedule o)
Work for success: employment specialists work one on one with adult Family members experiencing homelessness who have high-employment barriers. Providing safe,stable housing is a priority in addressing employment for the adult household members. Additionally, employment specialists assess hard-to-employ adult Family members for education,job experience and need for additional career skills/job training, prepare them for job search, and help them find good jobs. In 2023, 81 individuals were served through this program.