Some of the language used on the site may be new to you, especially when it comes to language used around shelter for our Unhoused Neighbors. In an attempt to clarify what some of these terms mean, we've put together a short list of terms we'll be using frequently.
Below, you will find some common terms used on this site and their definitions.
People are housed in close quarters. Rooms for sleeping may be oriented differently (bunk beds, mats on the floor, or cubicles with capped walls in a single large room). In each case, there is a lack of a single bedroom per person and sleeping quarters are not private.
The Department of Health & Human Services (DHS) will not pay for a stay in emergency shelter. A sanction may be imposed in one of four DHS program areas
Emergency Housing sanctions may be imposed when a public benefit program recipient failed to comply with a required element of the benefit program rules. A sanction may be “until compliance” is met, or durational for a set period of time. Sanctions are imposed for many reasons, including failing to ‘accept’ permanent housing (because a client deems it unsafe, for instance) or calling the DHS AfterHours line for placement too often and not signing up for DHS the following day.
See https://www.monroecounty.gov/files/hs/DHS 101 Jan 2020.pdf at page 23-28 for more information about each sanction
A shelter has agreed to accept a client for placement in the emergency shelter for a night or a set period of time even though the client is sanctioned and the shelter will not be reimbursed for the bed-night by DHS.
These are based on reports from persons staying in emergency shelters. For example, when one emergency shelter guest missed the dinner hour, the shelter withheld all food for the rest of the evening and night. In another case, a guest reported that they were required to attend group meetings and case management meetings despite employment at the same time. In another case, a guest said the 9PM curfew was always required without exception.
Example of restrictive rules:
“Expectations [The shelter] is a sober living program based on personal goals towards self-sufficiency. We expect you to WANT to be in your own private home; we expect you to set attainable goals; and we expect you to do everything in your power to meet these goals. We expect you to attend individual meetings for case management. These should be every other week at a minimum. We expect you to attend house meetings. These will be monthly, and everyone living in the house is expected to attend. House meetings are group meetings. We expect you to attend self-sufficiency workshops, either at the house or at another agency. We expect you to attend activities scheduled to enhance your quality of life. Workshops and life enrichment are group events. YOU must be willing to work these into your schedule, and doing so requires flexibility on your part. We expect you to stay in contact, via text, phone, or email, with program staff. We expect that if we text you a question regarding your schedule, your goals, your availability, that you answer within a reasonable amount of time. Even if you are working, you will have a break; you WILL have time to respond. We expect you to arrange ALL your own transportation as needed; there is no “staff car” and staff is not to be expected to transport you. There is a public transportation for your use if you cannot walk. This applies to moving in, moving out, attending your medical appointments, and more. …. We expect you to follow our house rules. For example, we require you to provide a weekly schedule to program staff by 9:00 Monday mornings, no exceptions. It’s best if you bring it to the office, but in certain circumstances you may be permitted to leave it in the proper place at the house. We expect that if our residents have an ongoing personal conflict, they will attend mediation at Community Dispute Resolution Center. We exist on the generosity of the community; we expect you to pay that generosity forward via volunteering. You can volunteer with us in our clothing closet, or at any of a number of agencies throughout town. We will give you 30 days from the time you move in to do so…”.