| Stoughton Area Resource Team (START) - 2023 |
Amount Funded: $5,000.00 |
| In October 2022, START relocated our office to 135 W Main St, Suite 102, within the Anderson Plaza.
The space supports our growth and has allowed START to expand programming to strengthen the ways we serve the community of Stoughton. In 2022, START served 163 households. Between January and August of 2023, 128 households have been provided resources and supportive services.
The relocation and expansion of office space is an imperative step forward to support program growth as we match the increasing needs of our community. While case management has always been a part of START services, we are experiencing an increase of more complex household needs following the pandemic and economic downturn. As we respond to the increase of needs, weve adapted, refined, and boosted our case management services. As mentioned, the work between a case manager and a household is best accomplished through regular in-person meetings. These meetings cover a range of topics including budget planning, assistance with applications for employment housing, Social Security, and more, housing advocacy, and securing basic needs such as food, clothing, and transportation.
Accessibility to our office and case management staff for those seeking services from START is crucial to best support long-term wellness of our neighbors. |
| Case Management Services: START receives ongoing requests for assistance from residents experiencing crisis. Most households contacting START are seeking help because their income does not cover the basic costs of living and they are unable to sustain financial stability.
START is able to provide short term financial support such as rent assistance, however the core of our program is to offer and implement case management services. The overall intent of case management is to guide participants through the barriers of accessing necessary resources and develop skills toward a path of self-sufficiency. Case management offers tools to empower people, draw on their strengths and capabilities, and promote an improved quality of life. Thus reducing the risk of homelessness, the negative impacts of living in poverty, and the cycle of generational poverty for youth. A case manager’s role is to connect households with resources to access and stabilize child care, education, employment, food, health and mental care, housing, transportation, and other areas of basic needs. The work between a case manager and a household is best accomplished through regular in-person meetings. Case management is most often a process of collecting information to assess the needs, responding to priorities or emergency situations, evaluating potential risks, planning (goal setting), implementing strategies to reach goals, following up, and readjusting goals as needed. Each household’s needs are different, therefore case management is individualized and focuses on client identified goals that include short, mid, and long-term ideas for financial independence and well-being.
In October 2022, START relocated our office to 135 W Main St, Suite 102, within the Anderson Plaza.
START is seeking grant donations to support START operations so we may continue to be a vital case management resource in Stoughton as we work to prevent homelessness and overcome the impacts of poverty. |
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