Pre-Reading for January 16 meeting: Homelessness Task Team’s Proposed Framework for Emergency Shelter Services
The Homelessness Task Team is pleased to present the members of the National Advisory Board with our confidential draft of the Framework for Salvation Army Emergency Shelter Services. We look forward to discussing the draft Framework and our recommendations with you on January 16.
This Framework was developed with input from 319 stakeholders, including 207 Salvation Army officers and staff and 73 Salvation Army shelter clients. It reflects our current best practices, our aspirations, and our response to sector trends such as Housing First.
The Homelessness Task Team was struck in 2013 with representation from the Territorial Social Services department, Divisional leadership, ministry units offering homelessness programs, the National Advisory Board, and community experts. The Task Team has provided updates and presentations at 5 meetings of the NAB. Our mandate is:
- 1. To understand what is best for those experiencing homelessness in terms of program delivery.
- 2. To understand what funders identify as best for persons experiencing homelessness currently and in the future.
- 3. To identify the processes and systems needed to respond to emerging opportunities, best practices, and funder policy directions.
- 4. To provide recommendations to The Salvation Army to ensure effectiveness and efficiency of The Salvation Army’s response to homelessness, including benchmarking, best practice, evidence-based and research-informed responses, program definition, partnerships, and the development of national service standards.
The attached Framework presents our recommendations. Further details regarding best practices, funder expectations, and processes and systems are available in three reference reports: Phase 1 Report (literature review), Survey Report, and Phase 2 Report (includes stakeholder consultations as well as highlights from literature review and survey reports). These are posted on the NAB website in a separate entry along with our Work Plan.
If you have any questions about these reports, please contact Alison Kooistra, Homelessness Task Team consultant, at alison_kooistra@can.salvationarmy.org, or Mary Ellen Eberlin, Territorial Social Services Secretary, at mary_ellen_eberlin@can.salvationarmy.org.