Teaching and Empowering Communities To Find Solutions For Homelessness
We work together with local leaders and nonprofits to find solutions that improve communities.
Every community (City, County, Organization, etc.) is struggling to address a growing homeless population. Homelessness due to the lack of safe shelter and affordable housing is a growing crisis all over the US and especially on the West Coast.
Homeless Solutions Consultants is here to help. Our team has over 30 years of experience with building community shelter and housing continuums. We can help your community identify gaps in service and secure partnerships to be created to fill in those gaps people fall through.
Our goal is to listen and work collaboratively with you to create a unique plan and road map to address your community’s shelter/housing safety nets. Together we can build your community plan to outgrow the problem of homelessness, intergenerational poverty, and trauma.
Our Work
The process begins by conducting a listening tour to survey the unhoused, service providers and the general community. Results are compiled into a report to share with leaders in your community to create a comprehensive strategic roadmap your community can follow to build up shelter, housing, and services inventory.
After a plan is created and put into place, HSC consultants will continue to be available to answer questions, win over community leaders, and partner with you to help move this work forward.
Our vision is to one day live in a society where everyone has a safe place to live. Please join HCS in making this vision a reality. Together we can do this, one community at a time.
How can Homeless Solutions Consultants help your community?
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HSC will meet with leaders from local advocacy and outreach groups in the identified region who work with unhoused neighbors. Locations for reaching groups of homeless will be identified. Together with local groups, HSC staff/consultants will connect with and speak with homeless neighbors.
Deliverables:
Compile a list of local advocacy and outreach groups as well as leader contact info.
Conduct outreach surveys.
Compile results into a Homeless Community Needs Assessment Report including potential actions to meet immediate needs.
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HSC will compile a list of resources and a list of current and potential partners including faith-based institutions, health, and human service providers, public safety agencies, etc. HSC will work with community leaders to identify existing inventories and directories of community partners and currently available services and help identify potential gaps in services, low-hanging fruit, and potential partnerships (listening tour).
Deliverables:
Collect community inventories and resource guides.
Discuss gaps and potential partnerships.
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HSC will email our HSC Community Survey to community leaders, partners, service providers, and local consumers of homeless services to capture input on community needs. These results will be transcribed and used to help create a unifying regional vision.
Deliverables:
Conduct interviews and surveys. Transcribe survey results.
Create a unifying regional vision.
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HSC will facilitate a one-day workshop to identify a community vision, create a community SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, and establish an action plan that is unique to the community. The action plan will include short/mid-range/ and long-term community goals and measurable outcomes.
Deliverables:
Conduct a one-day Strategic Visioning Session.
Create a community vision statement.
Create a SWOT analysis of the region.
Brainstorm a community action plan with short, mid-range, and long term goals.
Identify potential funding sources that can be leveraged.
Identify lead agencies with the strongest sense of commitment that can help carry out this work, and provide services.
Transcribe results from the workshop into a strategic vision and action plan that is part of the Road Map.
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Deliver Road Map (Action Plan) (listening tour). HSC will write up an Action Plan which will include the information gathered and developed above and also includes a proposed Road Map of activities to accomplish the vision and goals of the action plan along with measurable results and outcomes.
Deliverables:
Package all gathered materials into one assessment document.
Propose a Road Map to help accomplish the action plan.
Deliver draft Road Map by an agreed-upon date.
Review Road Map with local leadership. Make revisions as required.
Deliver the final Road Map by an agreed-upon date.
Present the final Road Map to the appropriate group(s).
Provide Timely, On-Demand Coaching and Technical Support. HSC faculty will provide on-demand coaching and technical support with all remaining staff time.
List of on-demand coaching and technical support scheduled.
List of outcomes achieved as a result of the coaching and technical support provided.
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Once a plan is put into place, HSC will provide Continued Coaching and Technical Support (consultation) in the development and implementation of comprehensive services to meet the needs of your unsheltered community members. HSC faculty will provide on-demand coaching and technical support for safe shelter, support, and resources that are culturally informed, and promote self-reliance, dignity, hope, and holistic healing. HSC faculty will meet by Zoom, teleconference or in person. Once the shelter services in your community are fully open, an HSC liaison will be available by email, text, and phone, and will connect with and include experienced staff and administration at other shelter programs, as required.
Deliverables:
Provide direction
Work directly with shelter leadership, once hired to develop and implement comprehensive services.
Work directly with the group; provide professional expertise and make professional recommendations for the development, implementation, and ongoing management of comprehensive services.
Recommend and/or create checklists, as needed, for safety, sanitation, screening, supplies, etc.
Advise and assist the Project Manager with obtaining all required documents such as permits, licenses, signage, etc.
Advise and assist in developing and implementing policies, procedures, and standard operating procedures based on “best practices.”
Our Blog
Free 30-Minute Consultation
Contact us to schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see how we can help your community find solutions for homelessness.
Meet The Team
Chad McComas
Chad McComas is the founder of a large homeless services organization that created a homeless program with multiple levels taking people off the streets and empowering them to become self-sufficient. At its height, the organization was providing housing for over 500 individuals a night. The organization’s secret sauce was a five-level coaching program that led participants from being in crisis to thriving. The organization’s success attracted leaders from communities, counties, universities, and States to come to visit. Chad also founded Set Free Services which has become one of Medford’s largest community services program that serves hundreds of homeless and working poor individuals each week with food boxes, hot meals, clothing, showers, laundry, and more.
Matt Vorderstrasse
Matt Vorderstrasse is the Executive Director of the North Bend City/Coos-Curry Housing Authorities. Matt was born into non-profit work and has worked around non-profits most of his life including the Addictions Recovery Center, Compass House (a clubhouse for those experiencing mental illness), and was the Development Director for a large homeless services organization where he oversaw a team that raised millions of dollars. Matt helped create the organizations consulting arm which provided consulting services to help organizations dream and create their own homeless services plans. He has now shifted that experience to now help build Homeless Solutions Consultants. His political science degree provides a great foundation for Matt to work with community leaders from various towns and cities in Oregon.