A Housing Support Specialist will meet with a person served and discuss their current situation, housing goals, and preferences. For people who are currently experiencing homelessness, Vinfen will help the individual apply for housing subsidies and voucher programs and register them for housing lists. This process involves gathering necessary documentation and identifying and mitigating any barriers to housing an individual mace face. Vinfen also works to prevent homelessness by working with people who are at risk of being evicted. We provide support services, home modifications, and/or consultation with courts and landlords in efforts to maintain tenancy.   

For more information on eligibility, contact Flexserviceshousing@template.vinfen.org. 

Three Safe Havens located in Boston use a Housing First philosophy to help people who have experienced long-term homelessness to access “low barrier” housing with supportive services, with the goal of eventually working toward permanent housing. This gentle form of engagement presents no conditions for being housed, such as commitment to services or sobriety. Safe Havens offer help with entitlements, daily living skill support, and housing search services. Vinfen Safe Havens are recognized as a best practice by the  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and by homeless policy organizations throughout the United States.

Vinfen’s Homeless Outreach and Engagement Team (HOET) serves people with mental health conditions who experience homelessness living on Cape Cod. Our goal is to utilize our staff as a “human bridge” to help connect people in need with the supports they want. We accomplish this through outreach, needs assessment, and establishing individualized community connections for each person served. Staff include a licensed social worker, substance use counselor, and two outreach workers. They help people obtain benefits, coordinate medical and mental health services, search for housing options, and get help in treatment programs for substance use challenges. 

Vinfen’s Aggressive Treatment and Relapse Prevention program (ATRPP) serves 11 households using the Housing First service model. ATRPP is a supportive housing program for people experiencing homelessness or chronic homelessness who have a dual diagnosis of a serious mental health condition and a co-occurring substance use challenge. ATRPP provides intensive clinical outreach services designed to provide these individuals and, where applicable, their families with housing and support in the community. ATRPP also promotes housing retention and assistance in accessing treatment and other supportive resources so that the individual can achieve recovery. Individuals enrolled in ATRPP receive lease management and supportive services.