With the small monthly cash payment and MediCal insurance they provide,
SSI disability benefits make a crucial difference in the lives of homeless
people who suffer severe disabilities. With these benefits, homeless individuals
can obtain stable housing and treatment. With that, they often find the
foothold to establish more secure, satisfying, and, in many cases, economically
independent lives.
However, homeless, disabled individuals who are entitled to SSI are
often unaware of their eligibility. Many are simply unable on their own
to maneuver through the complex, intimidating application process. Homelessness
itself makes it hard to document disability.
In response to this problem, The Hawkins Center has joined a nine-county-wide partnership called Bay Area Region Benefits Access Collaborative (BAYBAC). The mission of this program is to help people who are homeless (or at risk of becoming homeless) to qualify for SSI and obtain additional resources linked with housing and the local continuum of care. The Hawkins Center Homeless Program provides such services specifically to homeless people with disabilities who reside in Contra Costa County.
Since it started last summer, Hawkins Center Homeless Program staff and volunteers have provided free legal services to over 20 such individuals. In the course of receiving legal services, virtually all our homeless clients have entered into regular health care. Some have found subsidized housing. Others have begun vocational rehabilitation or other support programs.
The Hawkins Center seeks volunteer legal advocates and assistants to help sustain its Homeless Program. We train volunteer legal advocates in basic SSI legal advocacy skills, including interviewing, case management and development, and persuasive oral and written argumentation. We then provide support as they handle cases on their own. Volunteer legal assistants help in all phases of case management and preparation, depending on skills and experience.
Hawkins Center Homeless Project staff would also like to speak with representatives of agencies who provide services to people who are homeless or are at risk of becoming so. We would be happy, for instance, to hold an SSI clinic on-site at your facility to help you identify and support homeless individuals who may qualify for SSI. Alternatively, we could train and provide technical assistance to one or more individuals in your facility who could then themselves advocate for homeless clients through the initial stages of the SSI claims process.
For more information about our homeless program, please contact Linda Durston at the Hawkins Center at (510) 232-6611, extension 18 or ldurston@hawkinscenter.org.