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2015 SOAR Outcomes PRESENTED BY: SAMHSA SOAR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER POLICY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC. UNDER CONTRACT TO: SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Webinar Instructions  Muting  Recording availability  Downloading documents  Evaluation 

Agenda Welcome  Dr. Pamela J. Fischer, Social Science Analyst, Homeless Programs Branch, Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA 2015 SOAR Outcomes Overview  Kristin Lupfer, Project Director, SAMHSA SOAR TA Center Tales from the Top Ten  Ambrosia Crump, SOAR State Team Lead, Nevada Consistent Progress  Latasha Howlett, SOAR State Team Lead, Virginia Making Improvements  Fred Morton, SOAR State Team Lead, Connecticut Questions & Answers

PAMELA J. FISCHER, PH.D. SOCIAL SCIENCE ANALYST HOMELESS PROGRAMS BRANCH CENTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION Welcome

KRISTIN LUPFER, PROJECT DIRECTOR SOAR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER POLICY RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC.

44 states and the District of Columbia reporting Sharing and celebrating successes together Supporting sustainability and expansion efforts You Made This Possible

How Do You Compare?

Quantity AND Quality States that consistently reported over 100 decisions for 3 years Some states in BOTH categories Arkansas Florida Maryland Michigan Nebraska North Carolina Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Tennessee Virginia

Average Days to Decision

Meeting the Need

Increasing Efficiency

Quality and Success

Show Me The Money SSI brought over $275 million into the economies of participating states and localities Eight states report $1.32 million in Medicaid reimbursement, or an average of $6,400 per person General assistance reimbursement was on average, $2,218 per person approved for SSI Based on reports from 462 approvals, retroactive benefits equaled $3.6 million

Ending Veteran Homelessness  Thirty-two states reported assisting Veterans with their disability applications and over 300 Veterans were helped with their applications  Currently, more than half of the 380 Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grantees report using the SOAR  Fourteen percent (42 grantees) use SSVF grant monies to fund a dedicated SOAR benefits specialist  An additional 15 percent indicated that they plan to incorporate one in the future  One-year SOAR pilot with federal VA staff at four VA Medical Centers  VA released federal guidance for staff: SOAR Works to End Veteran Homelessness: VA Caseworker’s Guide

Justice-Involved Persons  Our mantra is "decision before discharge”  Collaborations were reported by 20 states and include:  Jail in-reach for pre-release applications  Jail diversion programs  State prison reentry initiatives  Training for state departments of correction (and state forensic mental health facilities)  Collaboration with parole and probation to coordinate services

Transition Age Youth  Twenty-one states reported working with 171 TAY applicants  81 percent approval rate in an average of 81 days  These states did reconsiderations with 23 TAY applicants  70 percent approval rate in 71 days  Of those youth approved, 57 percent were also working post-approval

Working Together  People seeking or receiving SSA benefits are encouraged to work independently or with the help of professional supports  Twenty states reported that 25 percent of their 1,896 applicants were working during the application process.  Sixteen states reported nearly 50 percent of the 929 SSI/SSDI beneficiaries were working post-approval

Sustaining our Efforts  19 states reported that they were successful in securing new or sustaining funding for their SOAR programs  Creation/continuation of:  60 FTE SOAR benefits specialist positions  2 FTE SOAR Coordinator positions  Funders: PATH, CABHI, foundations, universities, hospitals

SAMHSA Homeless Programs PATH All fifty states report collaboration with the SAMHSA PATH program including:  Dedicated benefits specialists on PATH teams  SOAR training for PATH outreach and case management staff  State PATH contacts serve as SOAR coordinators and leaders CABHI  Eleven states reported that they used SAMHSA’s CABHI grants to fund dedicated SOAR positions  Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Tennessee  Arizona, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania are using CABHI funds to support training and expansion efforts for SOAR

AMBROSIA CRUMP NEVADA SOAR COORDINATOR CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA Tales from the Top Ten: Nevada

Where We Were in 2014 Nevada 11/13 approvals (85%) % cumulative (since 2005) No dedicated staff 220 active trained community members in NV

Factors that Contributed to Improvements Staff dedicated to coordination (CABHI Funding) Engagement Training Statewide data collection and reporting (HMIS)

Nevada SOAR Newsletter Sent to everyone SOAR- trained in Nevada, COC coordinators, SSA/DDS, and supervisory staff Provided outcome reporting process and timelines, training opportunities, and other SOAR related announcements

Recent Milestones Pilot Dedicated staff in Southern Nevada (3 F/T, 1 P/T) SOAR pilot with local Las Vegas SSA office as of December 2015 Forum Hosted statewide forum on 8/25/15 with participation from all COC and interested stakeholders, facilitated by PRA HMIS Data collection integration for outcome reporting Training Developed and provided Nevada-specific Training (Northern/Southern NV Fundamentals and Refreshers) Engagement Re-engaged trained members statewide for data collection/info and training: Newsletter Staffing CABHI state funding for SOAR staff (coordinator as of January 2015)

Where We are Now! Nevada 94% (2015) approval on initial 107 days to decision 3 dedicated staff in Las Vegas 2 new local leads (Northern and Rural Nevada)

LATASHA HOWLETT SOAR STATE TEAM LEAD VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES Consistent Progress: Virginia

SOAR In Virginia:2014 Overview 206 TOTAL SOAR APPLICATIONS COMPLETED IN 2014 OVER 100 ACTIVE SOAR WORKERS ACROSS THE STATE 72% APPROVAL RATE IN PEOPLE HOUSED IN 2014 THROUGH SOAR EFFORTS NO DIRECT SOAR FUNDING BUT CAHBI GRANT FUNDS HAVE BEEN USED FOR SOAR EFFORTS VIRGINIA

SOAR In Virginia: 2015 Overview 182 INITIAL SOAR APPLICATIONS COMPLETED 124 SOAR INITIAL APPLICATIONS APPROVED 68% APPROVAL RATE IN 2015 DECISION RECEIVED IN AN AVERAGE OF 102 DAYS! 93 PEOPLE HOUSED IN 2015 THROUGH SOAR EFFORTS

SOAR In Virginia: Our Approach PLANNING COLLABORATION CONTINUATION MODIFICATION

SOAR In Virginia: Spotlight SSA AND DDS IN -SERVICE TRAININGS BEST PRACTICES FOR COMPLETING DDS AND SSA FORMS ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE (ALJ) AND SOAR WORK INCENTIVES UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL SECURITY DRUG ADDICTION AND ALCOHOLISM POLICY

FRED MORTON, SOAR STATE TEAM LEAD, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM MANAGER HOUSING AND HOMELESS SERVICES CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION SERVICES Making Improvements: Connecticut

Incorporating SOAR into New Initiatives Critical Time InterventionSOAR Case Management Employment Services Housing Supports CT CABHI Grant

Continued Training and Assistance Online Course Intensive Half Day Training with State SOAR Experts Outcome Tracking and Reporting

Regional Collaborations Gather Feedback from local groups Identify Statewide Changes to Support Local Groups

Quality Improvement Facilitate Information Sharing Identify QI Approaches Share Successes

Encourage Employment Additional Income and Higher Quality of Life

Keep Up The Great Work! You are transforming lives one application at a time.

Super SOAR says:

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