Housing Programs

Over the last eighteen years Silver Spring Interfaith Housing Coalition has focused on the challenging work of acquiring housing for homeless and low-income resident of Montgomery County.  We work to acknowledge and address the systemic as well as institutional barriers that often impact our famillies' ability to acquire housing.   Advocacy is two-fold, conducted at the individual and institutional levels.  History has shown us that it is quite possible and most effective to do the work of both at the same time.

SSIHC provides scattered site housing to a range of individuals and families in Montgomery County. We have apartments for small families, single-family homes for larger families, and a two-family home shared by six single men.

We partnered with Shepherd’s Table, our "parent" and the local agency that provides support and services to homeless people to implement the Shepherd's House project in 2000.  Our collaboration with Shepherd's Table will continue in many ways, however at the end of 2008 Shepherd's Table and SSIHC agreed that the both Shepherd's Table clients and SSIHC clients would be more effectively served if SSIHC provided case management to the three men in the upper unit of Shepherd's House.

Residents typically move into our housing after spending weeks or months in homeless shelters or other temporary housing arrangements. For some of our residents, this is the first stable housing they have had in several years.

Through our case management and mentorship program we work with our families to assist them as they move to self-sustainability.  Our programs are implemented in a way that respects and understands the stresses that often accompany homelessness.  With the broad knowledge that systems influence our clients' ability to progress and make change SSIHC’s social service programs use the client-centered approach - focusing on the person-in-the-situation.  Client centered practice entails the promotion of client empowerment and the responsible use of staff authority.  We seek to empower individuals through comprehensive services, such as education, job development, life skills, resources and referrals.

The SSIHC staff is adamant about the idea of modeling empowerment to clients.  Case managers work to teach various skills to clients so that the clients eventually can employ the skills themselves. For example, understanding basic housing regulations and being able to invoke them when necessary is critical.  Minimally, the decision to undertake client-centered programming necessitates continual self-assessment on the part of staff, administrators and the agency as a whole.  Therefore, SSIHC regularly holds staff trainings to insure that members understand this approach to case management. 

Re-entry Program

In 2007 our organization received funding to provide housing to women who are reentering society and reuniting with their children after a lengthy prison stay.  The needs of women released from prison are unique and multi-dimensional making their successful reentry into the community even more of a challenge.  The lack of available housing for this special population makes the reentry process even more difficult.  A study published by the Urban Institute states that, “Limited pre-release preparation and community programming coupled with heavy responsibilities to care for custodial children upon release, create deep-seated barriers for women trying to secure stable housing on the path towards self-sufficiency” (Roman & Travis, 2004). 

National studies of incarcerated women indicate that many of them arrive in prison with long histories of abuse (domestic abuse, substance abuse, etc.).  In a 1999 report the Bureau of Justice Statistics suggested that at least 16% of jail inmates have a mental illness.  Similarly, a significant portion of offenders also have learning disabilities. Studies also indicate that a number of women who are incarcerated were homeless the year prior to their arrest (Roman & Travis, 2004).  For many of these women, securing housing has always been a struggle that only becomes more difficult once they are released from prison. 

Among the more than 70 women incarcerated each year in Montgomery County, Maryland, three out of four have children.  Upon their release these women may regain custody of their children only if they can find housing.  If they are able to find housing they typically are unable to pay rent, they have no furnishings or supplies, and they lack basic knowledge about community resources that can assist them in their reentry.  Our program addresses each and every one of these issues. Additionally, the underlying cause of this issue is lack of awareness and the historical fears that permeate society regarding individuals involved in the criminal justice system.  Our program collaborates with the prison system, probation/parole department, public housing departments as well as community volunteers.  One of our program goals is to make opportunities available to women who are leaving the system and are working diligently to rebuild their lives.  We believe that affordable housing supports should be available and accessible to anyone demonstrating a willingness to meet the guidelines.  Unfortunately many individuals who have a criminal history that consists of certain non violent offenses are ineligible to access public housing. Our program is designed to challenge this directly. 

Mentoring Program 

Presently, we offer a mentoring component to families in our programs.  This mentoring piece is fully staffed by volunteers.  We provide an orientation and training to those volunteers interested in serving as a mentor to a family. 

Our volunteer mentors provide residents with an extra layer of support, connecting them to neighborhood and community resources such as schools, daycare, and social and recreational activities. In turn these SSIHC volunteers learn life-long lessons about the challenges confronting individuals who struggle with the profound disadvantages of poverty and homelessness.

SSIHC Client Advisory Board (CAB)

The Client Advisory Board was bourne out of a discussion between the SSIHC Executive Director and a former client that just graduated from our program. Both discussed the need for more dialogue regarding client needs and how to best serve Agency clients.  The SSIHC Executive Director entertained the idea with several other area Agencies and determined that there was much interest from Agencies on how they could better serve their clients. Area agencies recommended client representatives to serve on the Board and the Executiver Director applied to the Washington Area Women's Foundation (WAWF) for program funding. Thanks to WAWF and their program funding, the Client Advisory Board program has become a reality. The Client Advisory Board commenced meeting this past March and has been working diligently to develop best practices and principles as well as provide data that will help SSIHC and area Agencies improve upon servcies provided to Agency clients. Through the experience of those we serve, Agencies like SSIHC can develop beneficial programs and services that best meet the needs of clients. The SSIHC Client Advisory Board provides such a forum.

CAB Board Officers

Bernadine Johnson, President -Silver Spring Housing Coalition

Vayda Smith, VP- Silver Spring Housing Coalition

Ronald Davis, Secretary-Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless

Sharron Huff, Treasurer - Montgomery County Coaliton for the Homeless