Shelter For All assists Mississippians with disabilities who are homeless and their families in locating needed resources and supports in their communities to help them access permanent housing and achieve self–sufficiency. Since its inception in 2001, Shelter For All has provided technical assistance to over 1,000 people throughout the state.
Shelter For All uses the continuum of care approach to help communities plan for and provide a balance of emergency, transitional, and permanent housing and service resources to address the needs of homeless people with disabilities so they can make the critical transition from uncertainty to employment and independent living.
Miss Mahaffey celebrates her move to her own apartment.
Services are based on immediate need and are coordinated with existing agencies to provide referrals and counseling to ensure a smooth transition as determined by person-centered planning and implemented through a case management system. Although many homeless individuals with disabilities may need evaluative or treatment services from state and other agencies, the end goal for Shelter For All is for homeless individuals with disabilities to have permanent housing in inclusive community settings.
Who is eligible to participate?
A person must be an individual with a disability or have a family member with a disability residing with them and must be homeless to be eligible for assistance from Shelter For All. Homeless individuals are classified as unsheltered and sheltered.
An unsheltered homeless person resides in
a place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings (on the street)
A sheltered homeless person resides in
an emergency shelter
in transitional housing or supportive housing for people who are homeless who originally came from the streets or emergency shelters
Services Provided
Services include but are not limited to
case management and person-centered planning for independent living
life skills training, including money and household management, nutrition, and parenting
job development and supported employment service referrals
home buyer education/training and post-purchase counseling
individualized rental education/counseling and post-renter counseling
individualized financial and credit counseling
employability skills training referrals
referrals to the community for services and supports
identification of transportation through existing providers
connections with Medicare, Social Security, and Food Stamp services
Not all homeless people with disabilities and their families will need access to all these services.
Home Closet
The Home Closet is a project created by the Shelter For All program to fill a gap in services for people with disabilities in Mississippi who are homeless. People who have become recently homeless and are living on a fixed income are not able to afford basic household items to maintain housing. The Home Closet accepts donations from the public that are in good condition such as furniture, and household items such as sheets, towels, small appliances, dishes, and pots and pans. The Home Closet’s first priority is to the clients of the Shelter For All program, and then to other projects at the Institute for Disability Studies. The Home Closet has made donations to the Domestic Abuse Family Shelter, United Way, and other social services agencies in the local area.
Donations made to the Home Closet are tax deductible. Tax forms are available upon request.
For more information, contact:
Coordinator for Housing Initiatives
Telephone: 601.266.5163
Toll Free and TTY: 1.888.671.0051
Miss Mahaffey celebrates her move to her own apartment.
