M
Municipal Management
Homeless get new lease on life by taking out the trash in Amarillo By NICHOLETTE CARLSON | The Municipal
Three years ago, Amarillo, Texas, implemented a new program called Coming Home to address the increasing homeless population. Using a point in time count, city-coordinated volunteers sought out individuals living in locations not meant for human habitation during a 24-hour period. In January 2019, the count identified 774 individuals struggling with homelessness. When the coming home program initially began, the goal was to serve 25 individuals identified as “chronically homeless,” according to Jason Riddlespurger, Amarillo’s community development director. Since then, Coming Home has served more than 130 homeless individuals and 100 households. Now the program is expanding its services through the new the Peer Reintegration Employment Partnership Academy. “It was our desire to create a work program that mirrored the Coming Home program, particularly the role of the peer support specialist,” Riddlespurger explained. While Coming Home provides temporary emergency assistance for homeless individuals and case managers who help these individuals navigate assistance programs and provide transportation, it also provides peer support services. Clients are provided with mentors to support them and share their own path out of homelessness. “The peer support specialist is committed to teaching and modeling independent living skills, proper housekeeping, job readiness and sound decision making,” he described.
40 THE MUNICIPAL | APRIL 2022
Using this model, Riddlespurger stated: “We believed many of our previously homeless clients were experiencing barriers to maintaining a job. They struggled to be considered due to gaps in work history, criminal history, etc. To overcome these barriers, we wanted to create an atmosphere in which peer support specialists work alongside the clients so they could mentor and teach the characteristics of a successful employee.” The PREP Academy, as part of the Coming Home program, utilizes the same peer support specialists. Those who participate in the academy are given jobs working for the city itself. “To make the PREP Academy possible, we met with our assistant city managers, chief financial officer, human resources director and the parks and recreation director,” Riddlespurger said. “We brainstormed the idea, and everyone worked through the obstacles together.” The idea involved the human resource department creating new policies to help clients in the new program if they struggled along the way. The city shows grace and forgiveness as clients work
