Benefits Retention, Coordinated Activities, and Stabilizing Supports for Shelter and Supported Housing Residents

• In Event: Unsheltered Homelessness, Shelter Attributes, and Housing Stability: Evidence from Policy, Practice, and Lived Experience

Abstract

This paper presents findings and recommendations from a Resident Steward Program pilot implemented by Saint Francis Challenge in collaboration with the City of Santa Fe Community Services Department, four shelter and supported housing providers, 34 residents, and representatives from New Mexico Workforce Solutions, the New Mexico Health Care Authority, and SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP E&T). The pilot was developed in response to concern that residents of shelter and supported housing—particularly Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) transitioning from unsheltered homelessness to greater stability—may face increasing difficulty retaining public benefits if they cannot access, complete, and document qualifying work, training, and volunteer activities under current and forthcoming SNAP and Medicaid participation requirements.

The project built on prior Resident Steward pilots of Saint Francis Challenge and combined research, curriculum development, and program implementation. Data collection included resident surveys, interviews with providers and case managers across four sites, and consultation with state workforce and benefits partners. The pilot also produced an updated curriculum emphasizing pro-social values, self-regulation, interpersonal communication, and practical stewardship activities designed to support individual stabilization and community functioning. Participants engaged in a flexible mix of supervised and self-directed on-site and off-site activities, including on-site group training, online training, creative projects, workforce-related activities, off-site volunteer opportunities, and site-based stewardship tasks. The mix of training and stewardship activities was personalized so that participants could engage in the combination of supports, responsibilities, and skill-building opportunities most appropriate to their needs and stage of stabilization.

Findings indicate substantial resident interest (24 of 34) and strong implementation feasibility when participation pathways are structured with flexibility, coaching, and multiple activity options. Survey findings included 17 residents identified as ABAWDs and 7 actively applying for disability benefits. Among pilot participants, 12 of 13 engaged in Resident Steward activities, 11 of 13 completed approximately 20 hours of online training, and 11 of 13 contributed to on-site stewardship activities. In addition, 9 of 13 participated in job, education, or training-related activities, including orientation and engagement through America’s Job Center. Pilot participants achieved a 100 percent completion rate of 80 cumulative activity hours over a 6- to 8-week period. Preliminary outcomes also suggest broader stabilization effects: two participants entered inpatient recovery during the pilot period, and one participant obtained a SNAP E&T referral and subsequently secured full-time employment after more than a year of independently seeking work.

The paper concludes that public benefits retention policy cannot be meaningfully addressed without parallel investment in practical participation infrastructure within shelter and supported housing settings. Findings point to an opportunity to build partnerships among housing providers, property management entities, and local and state government to develop and sustain an interdependent participation pathway for ABAWDs stabilizing from chronic homelessness, particularly those not yet able to obtain or maintain employment without intensive support or better served initially through structured community-based participation. Recommendations include on-site facilitation of Resident Steward programming, tracking and verification systems, online curriculum tools, and exploration of tax-, benefits-, and recovery-friendly Essential Needs Spending Accounts as a structured support mechanism.

Author

• Amy Farah Weiss, Saint Francis Challenge
  Presenting Author