N Street Village 1333 N Street, N.W Washington, DC 20005 http://www.nstreetvillage.org/ Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center Summer 2008 Internship Jessica Coulter ‘10
Dec 30, 2015
N Street Village1333 N Street, N.WWashington, DC 20005http://www.nstreetvillage.org/
Katharine Houghton Hepburn Center Summer 2008 Internship
Jessica Coulter ‘10
Mission Statement
N Street Village empowers homeless and low-income women to claim their highest quality of life by offering a broad spectrum of services and advocacy in an atmosphere of dignity and respect. The Village also provides affordable rental housing for low and moderate-income individuals and families.( NSV website)
Statement of Culture and Community
We are N Street Village. We are a community of respect, recovery, and
hope. We create a safe and welcoming place with our words and actions.
We expect kindness and we value honesty and diversity.
We honor and respect each other for the diversity of our experiences and the
insight we bring to our work. We commit ourselves to grow personally and
professionally. We value spirituality and witness its many forms in our daily work.
Homelessness in the Nation’s Capital
75% of the district’s homeless population are mentally ill. This qualifies as the highest mentally ill homeless population in the country
Homelessness in the Nation’s Capital
Nearly 1 out of 5 of DC residents—or 104,000 people—live at or below the poverty line, making DC the jurisdiction with the 3rd highest poverty rate in the nation. These numbers compare with rates of 8.2% in MD and 10.0% in VA
Washington, D.C was on the top ten list for highest rates of homelessness by state in the US, according to a study released in 2007 by The National Alliance to End Homelessness
Causes of Homelessness
Individual Risks Environmental FactorsHomelessness and chronic homelessness
Mental illness
Addiction
Medical disability
Family crisis
Domestic violence
Abuse, trauma
Eviction, displacement
Criminal involvement
Unemployment
Poverty, Eviction, Displacement
Un/under employment rates
Insufficient labor wages
Inadequate health/mental health care, educational and vocational access
Racism, discrimination
Inadequate supply of affordable, safe, decent and “supportive” housing
A Look Inside N Street Village
A total of 782 women were served by NSV in 2007
The population served at NSV is considered high risk and hard-to-reach.
Population Served at NSV 59% with severe and persistent mental illness
only 12% with addiction only 20% with co-occurrence of mental illness and
addiction 33% with chronic health problems 16% with physical disability 61% who meet the criteria for “chronic
homelessness,” which is homelessness that lasts for 12 or more consecutive months or occurs four or more times in a three year period.(2006 survey)
N Street Village Programs
Bethany’s Women’s CenterCase ManagementWellness CenterLuther Place Night ShelterClinical ServicesGroup HomeTransitional Living HousingRecovery Program Housing (Sarah House and Tubman House)Rehabilitation and Employment Services
N Street Village Programs
The eight different programs withinthe N Street Village continuum serve
different purposes in order to accommodatethe disparate need and levels of ability andfunctioning in the clients and residents, orin some cases to accommodate the samewomen but at different levels of readiness
for change or in different areas of need.(2007 report)
My Role as a Summer Intern
Rehabilitation and Employment Program (RES) Department
clients in all of theNSV programs,spanning disparatelevels of ability providing basicrehabilitationfor some all the wayto mainstreamemploymentplacement for others.(NSV 2007 report)
The primary goal of the (RES) is to support the occupational and vocational needs of the
(right to left) Job Developer, Manager of RES, and Myself
RES Intern Responsibilities
Assist in facilitating a ten week career exploration & skill building seminar (Unit I)
Conduct new client intakes, develop case plans to address the consumers educational /employment goals with follow ups when desired
Supervise adult education classes 2 overnights at the LPNS Put together a binder full of low cost
educational and job training programs offered in DC
A Sample Schedule of My Day
9:15- Morning Meeting10:00-12:00- Supervise Open Lab12:00-12:30-Lunch12:30-1:00- Prepare for Unit I1:00-2:15- Facilitate Unit I(Wednesday’s Staff Clinical Meeting from 1:30-3:00)
2:15-4:45- meet with clients, conduct new client intakes, prepare extra work for a client, paper work, etc
The Structure of RES Program
Objective: Empower women to achieve their highest possible level of self-sufficiency through gained life skills and employment placements (NSV 2007 report)
5 steps to become involved 3 Units that make up the program
RES Statistics for 2007
Total # of referrals to RES in 2007 (from NSV) = 62 74% retention rate (women referred that remain active with RES)
Unit III - mainstream employmentTotal # who have received new employment since Jan 1, 2007 = 25
Unit II - sheltered employment and job training (learning lab, typing class, PLATO adult education, open lab, shelter employment,
skills training, adult education)
Total # graduated since Jan 1, 2007 = 26 graduated
Unit I - "Skill Building" (12-week classroom-based curriculum)14 women graduated during 2007 (= completed 12 weeks of Skill
Building) 50 women graduated since program inception
Job Keepers Dinner Club – Once a MonthAverage of 5 attendees each month
RES Program Steps and Units
Steps Step 1
Client Interest Step 2
Staff Referral (Only for Unit II and III)
Step 3 RES Intake
Step 4 Placement
Units Unit I “Career
Exploration and Job Readiness”
Unit II “Training, Education or Volunteering”
Unit III “Supported Employment Program”
Important Skills I Learned
How to write case notes How to facilitate a group/class to best target the
need of the audience How to conduct client intakes and make case
plans Became a better observer Broadened my understanding of psychiatric
disorders beyond textbook definitions especially regarding Axis II Disorders
Learned much about social policy and government aid such as welfare and social security
And MUCH MUCH more…….