N Street Village1333 N Street, N.WWashington, DC 20005http://www.nstreetvillage.org/

Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center Summer 2008 Internship

Jessica Coulter ‘10

Mission Statement

N Street Village empowers homeless and low-income women to claim their highest quality of life by offering a broad spectrum of services and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.  The Village also provides affordable rental housing for low and moderate-income individuals and families.( NSV website)

Statement of Culture and Community

We are N Street Village. We are a community of respect, recovery, and

hope. We create a safe and welcoming place with our words and actions.

We expect kindness and we value honesty and diversity.

We honor and respect each other for the diversity of our experiences and the

insight we bring to our work. We commit ourselves to grow personally and

professionally. We value spirituality and witness its many forms in our daily work.

Homelessness in the Nation’s Capital

75% of the district’s homeless population are mentally ill. This qualifies as the highest mentally ill homeless population in the country

Homelessness in the Nation’s Capital

Nearly 1 out of 5 of DC residents—or 104,000 people—live at or below the poverty line, making DC the jurisdiction with the 3rd highest poverty rate in the nation. These numbers compare with rates of 8.2% in MD and 10.0% in VA

Washington, D.C was on the top ten list for highest rates of homelessness by state in the US, according to a study released in 2007 by The National Alliance to End Homelessness

Causes of Homelessness

Individual Risks Environmental FactorsHomelessness and chronic homelessness

Mental illness

Addiction

Medical disability

Family crisis

Domestic violence

Abuse, trauma

Eviction, displacement

Criminal involvement

Unemployment

Poverty, Eviction, Displacement

Un/under employment rates

Insufficient labor wages

Inadequate health/mental health care, educational and vocational access

Racism, discrimination

Inadequate supply of affordable, safe, decent and “supportive” housing

A Look Inside N Street Village

A total of 782 women were served by NSV in 2007

The population served at NSV is considered high risk and hard-to-reach.

Population Served at NSV 59% with severe and persistent mental illness

only 12% with addiction only 20% with co-occurrence of mental illness and

addiction 33% with chronic health problems 16% with physical disability 61% who meet the criteria for “chronic

homelessness,” which is homelessness that lasts for 12 or more consecutive months or occurs four or more times in a three year period.(2006 survey)

N Street Village Programs

Bethany’s Women’s CenterCase ManagementWellness CenterLuther Place Night ShelterClinical ServicesGroup HomeTransitional Living HousingRecovery Program Housing (Sarah House and Tubman House)Rehabilitation and Employment Services

N Street Village Programs

The eight different programs withinthe N Street Village continuum serve

different purposes in order to accommodatethe disparate need and levels of ability andfunctioning in the clients and residents, orin some cases to accommodate the samewomen but at different levels of readiness

for change or in different areas of need.(2007 report)

My Role as a Summer Intern

Rehabilitation and Employment Program (RES) Department

clients in all of theNSV programs,spanning disparatelevels of ability providing basicrehabilitationfor some all the wayto mainstreamemploymentplacement for others.(NSV 2007 report)

The primary goal of the (RES) is to support the occupational and vocational needs of the

(right to left) Job Developer, Manager of RES, and Myself

RES Intern Responsibilities

Assist in facilitating a ten week career exploration & skill building seminar (Unit I)

Conduct new client intakes, develop case plans to address the consumers educational /employment goals with follow ups when desired

Supervise adult education classes 2 overnights at the LPNS Put together a binder full of low cost

educational and job training programs offered in DC

A Sample Schedule of My Day

9:15- Morning Meeting10:00-12:00- Supervise Open Lab12:00-12:30-Lunch12:30-1:00- Prepare for Unit I1:00-2:15- Facilitate Unit I(Wednesday’s Staff Clinical Meeting from 1:30-3:00)

2:15-4:45- meet with clients, conduct new client intakes, prepare extra work for a client, paper work, etc

The Structure of RES Program

Objective: Empower women to achieve their highest possible level of self-sufficiency through gained life skills and employment placements (NSV 2007 report)

5 steps to become involved 3 Units that make up the program

RES Statistics for 2007

Total # of referrals to RES in 2007 (from NSV) = 62 74% retention rate (women referred that remain active with RES)

Unit III - mainstream employmentTotal # who have received new employment since Jan 1, 2007 = 25

Unit II - sheltered employment and job training (learning lab, typing class, PLATO adult education, open lab, shelter employment,

skills training, adult education)

Total # graduated since Jan 1, 2007 = 26 graduated

Unit I - "Skill Building" (12-week classroom-based curriculum)14 women graduated during 2007 (= completed 12 weeks of Skill

Building) 50 women graduated since program inception

Job Keepers Dinner Club – Once a MonthAverage of 5 attendees each month

RES Program Steps and Units

Steps Step 1

Client Interest Step 2

Staff Referral (Only for Unit II and III)

Step 3 RES Intake

Step 4 Placement

Units Unit I “Career

Exploration and Job Readiness”

Unit II “Training, Education or Volunteering”

Unit III “Supported Employment Program”

Important Skills I Learned

How to write case notes How to facilitate a group/class to best target the

need of the audience How to conduct client intakes and make case

plans Became a better observer Broadened my understanding of psychiatric

disorders beyond textbook definitions especially regarding Axis II Disorders

Learned much about social policy and government aid such as welfare and social security

And MUCH MUCH more…….