FROM HOMELESSNESS TO PEER SUPPORT
WHO WE ARE AND WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO!
WHO
WE
ARE
Julie McDermid, Project Manager
Coulee Collaborative to End Homelessness
Kish Hudson, Homeless Outreach Specialist
Independent Living Resources
Fue Yang, Homeless Outreach Specialist
Independent Living Resources
HOMELESS VS. EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS?
HOMELESS VS. EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
Why is this distinction so important?
Language
Shapes
Our World
- Semantics
- Stereotypes
- Restrictive Language
- Experiencing Homelessness
Consumer
Driven
Support
- Measuring Success without a Scale
- Learning How to NOT Be a Passenger Driver
PEER OUTREACH: HISTORY AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
CCEH Created
1st Outreach
Team Hired
Consumer
Advisory Council
Created
2016-2018
2019-2020
Peers Form
the New Team!
A PEER
BECOMES
VICE CHAIR!!!
PRIORITIZING PEER VOICE AND CHOICE in the Local Homeless Service System
CCEH IMPACT
NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM:
NAVIGATING THE SYSTEM:
WHY PEERS ARE MORE EFFECTIVE
Why Peers are more effective!
CONNECTION!
- People Expereincing Homelessness Have Been Disconnected
- Loss of Trust, Faith and Hope
Peers Promote Honesty
- Reasons for homelessness can be difficult to talk about
- Effective strategies to return to stable housing require addressing the root cause
- Sympathy and Sharing the Feelings vs. Empathy and Understanding the Feelings
- Impact of Emotional Well Being on Successful Rehousing Efforts
Personal
Experience
Knowing
the Ins
and Outs
- What Agencies and Organizations Don't Understand About Their Systems
- Providing Knowledge and Experience VS. Information
PERSONAL
EXPERIENCE
MAKES
THE DIFFERENCE