Homeless Outreach Support Team (HOST)

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

The Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) Homeless Outreach Support Team (HOST) and Housing and Employment Programs, in collaboration with the Housing Authority of the County of San Bernardino (HACSB), receive funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist homeless individuals with mental illness and their families into permanent supportive housing under the Homeless Assistance Shelter Plus Care grant. HACSB is the primary recipient of the HUD funding and provides the housing vouchers. DBH staff provides service match in the form of wrap around case management services. HOST is an outreach based program providing services in the field to engage those chronically homeless individuals with mental illness into permanent supportive housing. HOST collaborates with the Sheriff’s Homeless Outreach Proactive Enforcement (HOPE) team to conduct outreach events, go out into the field, and engage the most difficult and hard to reach clients. HOST staff works with qualified individuals to complete the necessary applications and assessments in the field and, upon receipt of housing voucher, will assist the individual to locate and move into housing. HOST continues to offer recovery-based wrap around case management services to the individual to assist them to recover, gain wellness, and reintegrate into the community with the ultimate goal of independence and self-sufficiency.