Introduction
This case study describes Solutions for Change (Solutions), a nonprofit organization serving San Diego County families experiencing homelessness. Solutions provides housing, work readiness training, and support services for resident-participants, the majority of whom enter the program in recovery from substance use disorders. Participants progress through Solutions’ three-phase, 1,000-day program, which was known as Solutions University. (The name has recently changed to Solutions Academy.) This sequence includes dedicated case management; on-site mental health services; 12-step support groups, unpaid work experience; and a series of life skills, parenting, and employment readiness training (ERT) classes. The highly structured program supplies participants with daily schedules that map out the steps they must complete to progress through program phases.
This case study is part of the State TANF Case Studies project, which is designed to expand the knowledge base on innovative approaches to help people with low incomes, including TANF recipients, prepare for and engage in work and increase their overall stability. Mathematica and its subcontractor, MEF Associates, were contracted by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to develop descriptive case studies of nine innovative state and local programs. The programs were chosen through a scan of the field and discussions with stakeholders. TANF practitioners and staff of other programs can learn about innovative practices through the case studies. The studies also can expand policymakers’ and researchers’ understanding of programs that support people’s success in work and highlight innovative practices to explore in future research.
Purpose
The purpose of this case study is to describe Solutions in detail and highlight its key features: where it operates; its background and approach, whom it serves; what services Solutions provides; how it is organized, staffed, and funded; how it measures participant progress; and its accomplishments and challenges.
Key Findings and Highlights
- Solution’s main approach to serving people with low incomes is to offer full-family transitional housing and supports.
- This case study focuses on Solution’s 1,000-day program, Solutions University, which includes transitional and permanent housing; intensive case management; unpaid work experience; classes about life skills, parenting, and employment readiness; on-site mental health services; and recovery support services for individuals with substance use disorders.
- Key program practices include providing housing in conjunction with other services; structuring program phases with progressively relaxed rules and increasingly independent housing; and promoting participant accountability through program rules and daily schedules, frequent contact with case managers, and a zero-tolerance substance use policy.
Methods
To select programs for case studies, the study team, in collaboration with ACF, first identified approaches that showed promise in providing employment-related services to individuals and linking them to wraparound supports, such as child care and transportation. The next step was to hold initial discussions with program leaders to learn more about their programs and gauge their interest in being one of the case studies. Once the list of programs was narrowed, the project team, in collaboration with ACF, selected the final set of programs to reflect diversity in geography and focus population.
Two members of the research team visited the Solutions for Change main campus and the Solutions Farm. The two-and-a-half day visit took place in January 2020. The team conducted semi-structured interviews with seven Solutions staff, including the program founder, other program leaders, case managers, and other program staff. In addition, the team conducted in-depth interviews with two participants and observed a Solutions University class and two morning meetings in which participants received employment readiness training. The team followed up by telephone with a program leader in July 2020 to learn how Solutions responded to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Citation
Gaffney, A., and A. Glosser (2021). “Case study of a program serving families experiencing homelessness: Solutions for Change.” OPRE Report #2021-67, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.