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Guest House RFP# 15-129 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 9 | Page PROVISION OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES Mercy House Living Centers will be the lead services provider for the Guest House project. This lead services provider will deliver high quality supportive services that are designed to help chronically homeless individuals maintain stable housing and generate positive changes in their lives. For over 25 years, Mercy House has provided supportive services and comprehensive case management to homeless, chronically homeless, and disabled individuals in Orange County. Mercy House staff has extensive knowledge of needs and barriers faced by the chronically homeless in our community, and they utilize a variety of resources and service coordination partnerships imperative to their success. SERVICES APPROACH The supportive services provision will be based on Housing First, principles coupled with ongoing education and supportive services that focus on chronically homeless individuals. Harm reduction strategies allow staff to address the individual’s identified needs, allowing for the development of trust and rapport. Regular availability and visibility on-site will reduce the barrier of connecting to a service provider as needed and reduce lengthy time lapses to connecting to services. All services emphasize enhancement of the resident’s quality of life and include community building activities and events to help residents develop a local support network and increase their sense of self-worth. Housing First strategies such as an Eviction Prevention program will be implemented wherein the warning signs of lease violations are identified early, through regular case management meetings, casual observation and interaction, and close coordination with property management staff. If residents are delinquent in rent payments or receive multiple housekeeping notices or other lease violations, services staff will supplement the case management services that the tenants are already receiving. The extra intervention will help clients address the issues that have put them at risk of eviction. Mercy House Housing Stabilization Case Managers and property management staff work together to educate the resident and create a plan to once again become lease compliant. Property management staff will be flexible in negotiating the terms of a ‘‘work out’’ plan. Upon receiving referrals, there will be initial assessments to determine strengths and barriers to housing stabilization before implementation of the Critical Time Intervention (CTI) model. CTI focuses on the 3-19