ARTISTS HELPING THE HOMELESS
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Mission Statement
To reduce the need and cost of care for the homeless in the communities we serve by providing aid with respect, addressing underlying causes, advocating for those in need, workng with, rather than duplicating exisiting services and raising awareness of homeless issues.
About This Cause
AHH fills gaps in local safety nets to remove barriers and facilitate access to services. Last year (2023) AHH assisted over 1,500 people from all segments of the homeless populations in the Greater Kansas City metro and Douglas County (Ks). AHH was created in 2008 to fund a Sunday night meal in a midtown park. It has grown organically by collaborating with existing agencies to find innovative solutions to individual and systemic challenges facing area homeless. This growth is exemplified by the three levels of complexity and involvement in the services provided. General Assistance typically involves one or two interactions to meet an immediate need. In 2010, AHH expanded from a meal program to a transportation-based hospital diveersion program that soon transported sheltered and unhoused person throughout the metro. An example of a GAP service is a ride for a resident of a domestic violence or family shelter resident to a medical, legal or housing appointment. Discharge Planning assists hospitals, recovery or homeless services, jails and others in identifying and accessing placement and subsequent services for their unhoused patients or clients. A needs assessment in the referring facility is usually the first step following referral from case workers. AHH is unique in tranporting individuals and assuring a warm-handoff. Follow-up assistance can improve efficiency and outcomes by fostering communication, coordination and client engagement. Residential services fill housing gaps by providing shelter, food, basic needs and a wide menu of wrap-around services, free of charge. AHH operates respite houses in Jackson (Mo), Johnson and Douglas (Ks) counties. This service has proven particularly effective with unhoused adult males who lack the resources to identify, access and follow through with services to address the issues that led to or resulted from being unhoused. In 2019, this service was replicated in Douglas County with a focus on those in re-entry who were unhoused. Annually, 85%-90% of respite residents move on to the next step in their reintegration or recoveery plan, transitional housing or independent living. AHH oeperates transitional facilities in Jackson (Mo) and Douglas (Ks) counties. The objective is for residents to obtain jobs of fields of their interest, secure long term housing, lead fulfilling, sober lives and, not merely survive, but thrive. Besides benefitting the individual, AHH reduces and often eliminates their demand on local hospitals and emergency services. Graduates of AHH residential housing take that a step further by becoming taxpayeres who contribute to the services they once heavily relied upon.