We received feedback on our recommendation from Peter Lombardo, the Director of Community Learning at the Center for the Homeless.
Date: May 2, 2017
Location: LaFortune, University of Notre Dame
Team Participants: Matt McCormick, Paul Cepak, Sarah Riehl, and Yuwei Tu
Takeaways:
- Housing First will require rent, but guests can receive grants
- Toochi is a synthetic marijuana that as become common in South Bend
- Center for Homeless doesn’t allow current drug users, so it will refer them to Life Treatment Center, which has residential options for patients
Recommendations:
- Peter recommends having 2 professional counselors at Housing First, along with interns (possibly from ND’s Psychology Masters and PhD students)
- 2 Steps: Identify those who will stay at Housing First, then connect the appropriate social worker to them
- Prioritize the mentally ill at Housing First, because they are often targeted and taken advantage of on the streets