Homeless Recovery Services (HRS)
NSO Outreach, Tumaini Center, Bridges Supportive Housing and Shelter Plus Care, PATH and the NSO Bell Building all lead HOME. These programs make NSO and its people one of the largest forces in the City of Detroit for alleviating and resolving the chronic issue of homelessness in our community. Through all of our homeless programs, NSO housed hundreds of homeless individuals. In facilitating the dream of finding a safe haven and a place to call home for as many in need as possible, NSO staff, families and volunteers understand that there is no one solution or approach for each individual. Sometimes, the cry for help is violent or irrational. Sometimes, it is a quiet or reluctant plea. Regardless, we are listening and responding with our compassion, our skills and our experience, making a difference for individuals and our community.
Outreach
NSO understands the bitter reality of life on the streets. NSO's dedicated mobile outreach program makes direct contact with chronically homeless individuals often afflicted with both mental health and substance abuse issues. We seek out the most vulnerable of Detroit’s homeless population: those without any kind of roof over their heads, those with frail health, those most likely to die on the streets without NSO’s intervention.
NSO outreach teams rely on calls from the community and canvassing known havens for the homeless. Our first goal is to build strong relationships with those who would not use the shelter system. After assessing needs, the teams work to find barrier-free housing for these individuals. This support includes accessing and obtaining housing vouchers and providing additional services right from the streets.
NSO outreach teams provide their services in partnership with Street Medicine Detroit, a nonprofit organization based at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine that provides medical student-based, health professional-led care for homeless men and women in a compassionate and judgment-free manner.
Tumaini Center
In Swahili, the word “Tumaini” means “hope.” Established in 1975, the Tumaini Center is NSO’s crisis support center for the chronically homeless. The Tumaini Center is the only 24-hour walk-in center in the city of Detroit. It serves among the most vulnerable individuals in our community, including those with behavioral issues that would make it unlikely for them to be accepted in traditional shelters. While following a low- to no-barrier approach toward entry, Tumaini Center staff provides services to all who enter our doors, including mental health assessment and referral, substance abuse treatment, case management, primary health care, emergency food, showers, laundry, and clothing storage.
The Tumaini Center Clinic, in partnership with Street Medicine Detroit, is the approved clinical site for the WSU School of Medicine fourth-year elective course (MD4 8046) in community medicine. The majority of the course’s clinical portion, which includes guest lecturers, is overseen by Tumaini’s Nurse Practitioner, Dean Carpenter.
In 2015, the Tumaini Center provided services to more than 1,400 consumers. More than 220 homeless individuals have found secure homes within the community. Our goal is to facilitate the dream - to end, not just manage, homelessness.
Bridges And Shelter Plus Care
The Bridges Program is a scattered-site supportive housing program for chronically homeless persons struggling with at least one of the following conditions: substance use disorder; serious persistent mental illness; cognitive impairment; or a chronic physical condition. Shelter Plus Care is designed to provide housing and support services to homeless individuals with disabilities including mental illness and chronic addiction. Program case managers help with accessing community-based services based on individualized service plans, coordinate care with service providers and teach daily living skills to help ensure the client successfully sustains housing. Nearly 100 adults were housed and supported through Bridges.
Projects For Assistance In Transition From Homelessness (PATH)
The PATH outreach program assists homeless individuals with mental illness, which may be accompanied by substance abuse. NSO services include case management and housing placement. In the last year, NSO PATH provided permanent supportive housing for 70 individuals; in addition to SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) services to 32 PATH-enrolled individuals. Our SOAR services are an essential component in ending homelessness, long-term, for our targeted population.
NSO Bell Building
In 2012, NSO opened the largest supportive housing apartment complex for homeless individuals in the city of Detroit. The historic Michigan Bell Building was transformed into 155 one-bedroom apartments, providing homes for formerly homeless adults. The program provides all necessary services to empower residents to take charge of their life by connecting them to life skills groups, substance abuse services, basic computer skills, employment services, and primary health care at the on-site, Federally Qualified Health Center and Mobile Dental service.
Contact:
Jamie Wojahn, Director of Homeless Recovery Services
wojahn@nso-mi.org
NSO Homeless Recovery Services
882 Oakman Blvd., Ste. B
Detroit, MI 48238
(313) 961-4890
NSO understands the bitter reality of life on the streets. NSO's dedicated mobile outreach program makes direct contact with chronically homeless individuals often afflicted with both mental health and substance abuse issues. We seek out the most vulnerable of Detroit’s homeless population: those without any kind of roof over their heads, those with frail health, those most likely to die on the streets without NSO’s intervention.
NSO outreach teams rely on calls from the community and canvassing known havens for the homeless. Our first goal is to build strong relationships with those who would not use the shelter system. After assessing needs, the teams work to find barrier-free housing for these individuals. This support includes accessing and obtaining housing vouchers and providing additional services right from the streets.
NSO outreach teams provide their services in partnership with Street Medicine Detroit, a nonprofit organization based at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine that provides medical student-based, health professional-led care for homeless men and women in a compassionate and judgment-free manner.
Tumaini Center
In Swahili, the word “Tumaini” means “hope.” Established in 1975, the Tumaini Center is NSO’s crisis support center for the chronically homeless. The Tumaini Center is the only 24-hour walk-in center in the city of Detroit. It serves among the most vulnerable individuals in our community, including those with behavioral issues that would make it unlikely for them to be accepted in traditional shelters. While following a low- to no-barrier approach toward entry, Tumaini Center staff provides services to all who enter our doors, including mental health assessment and referral, substance abuse treatment, case management, primary health care, emergency food, showers, laundry, and clothing storage.
The Tumaini Center Clinic, in partnership with Street Medicine Detroit, is the approved clinical site for the WSU School of Medicine fourth-year elective course (MD4 8046) in community medicine. The majority of the course’s clinical portion, which includes guest lecturers, is overseen by Tumaini’s Nurse Practitioner, Dean Carpenter.
In 2015, the Tumaini Center provided services to more than 1,400 consumers. More than 220 homeless individuals have found secure homes within the community. Our goal is to facilitate the dream - to end, not just manage, homelessness.
Bridges And Shelter Plus Care
The Bridges Program is a scattered-site supportive housing program for chronically homeless persons struggling with at least one of the following conditions: substance use disorder; serious persistent mental illness; cognitive impairment; or a chronic physical condition. Shelter Plus Care is designed to provide housing and support services to homeless individuals with disabilities including mental illness and chronic addiction. Program case managers help with accessing community-based services based on individualized service plans, coordinate care with service providers and teach daily living skills to help ensure the client successfully sustains housing. Nearly 100 adults were housed and supported through Bridges.
Projects For Assistance In Transition From Homelessness (PATH)
The PATH outreach program assists homeless individuals with mental illness, which may be accompanied by substance abuse. NSO services include case management and housing placement. In the last year, NSO PATH provided permanent supportive housing for 70 individuals; in addition to SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) services to 32 PATH-enrolled individuals. Our SOAR services are an essential component in ending homelessness, long-term, for our targeted population.
NSO Bell Building
In 2012, NSO opened the largest supportive housing apartment complex for homeless individuals in the city of Detroit. The historic Michigan Bell Building was transformed into 155 one-bedroom apartments, providing homes for formerly homeless adults. The program provides all necessary services to empower residents to take charge of their life by connecting them to life skills groups, substance abuse services, basic computer skills, employment services, and primary health care at the on-site, Federally Qualified Health Center and Mobile Dental service.
Contact:
Jamie Wojahn, Director of Homeless Recovery Services
wojahn@nso-mi.org
NSO Homeless Recovery Services
882 Oakman Blvd., Ste. B
Detroit, MI 48238
(313) 961-4890
