Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition

SSI/SSDI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) program was developed by Policy Research Associates (PRA) to address the common barrier that homeless people who have disabilities have as they try to gain benefit entitlements such as Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance.    PRA reports that the national success rate on initial applications for SSI and SSDI for all applicants is 37% but only 11% of the homeless population is estimated to receive SSI.  SOAR is a training program for direct service workers who, once trained, understand Disability Determination Services and Social Security Administration’s requirements and the need for appropriate documentation, decreasing the time to issue determinations and reducing the need for appeals.    

The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services’ Division of Disability and Behavioral Health Services-Mental Health in partnership with the Division of Human Services of Sedgwick County, COMCARE of Sedgwick County and Wyandot Center for Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. are holding SSI/SSDSI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR) direct service worker trainings to increase access to SSI/SSDI for people with disabilities, especially persons who are homeless. The trainings are free. The trainings will be from 8:30-4:30 each day and they will be:

• August 23-24, 2010 – Area Mental Health Center, 3000 N. 14th Street, Dodge City, KS
• September 27-28, 2010 - North Central Chapter of the American Red Cross, 145 S. Broadway Boulevard, Salina, KS
• October 20-21, 2010 – Ramada Inn, 3603 Vine St. (I-70 at Exit 159), Hays, KS
• October 25-26, 2010 – Sedgwick County Division of Human Services, 635 Main St., Wichita, KS
• February 3-4, 2011 – Wyandot Center for Community Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., 1301 N. 47th St., Kansas City, KS 66101
• April 7-8, 2011 – Manhattan, KS (location to be determined)

Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition will notify you of other SOAR trainings scheduled throughout the year. View the 2010-2011 trainings here!!

Registration form will be on this site soon!

Please review and comment on the newly written HMIS Data Quality Assurance Plan (BHOC) – 2010-07-19 for the Balance of State HMIS users.  e-mail feedback to LaTonia at lwright@kshomeless.com by August 2, 2010. Thank you!

Save October 20-22, 2010 for the 11th Annual Summit on Homelessness and Housing to be held at the Ramada Conference Center in Hays, Kansas!  Watch our website for more details!

Click here to read our latest newsletter, with updates from SRS, USICH, and the Balance of State Stakeholders meeting!

Please join the McKinney Appropriations Campaign by the National Alliance to End Homelessness.  The campaign is advocating for $2.4 billion in FY 2011 to provide communities with more funding for prevention, assistance to families,  and rural programs.

Please contact Senator Brownback (on the Senate appropriatons subcommittee that funds HUD) and Congressman Moore (on the committee that passed the Hearth Act). 

For Senator Brownback, send an email to LaRochelle Young at LaRochelle.Young@brownback.senate.gov

For Congressman Moore, send an email to Glen Sears at glen.sears@mail.house.gov

Click here for a sample letter to use.

Thanks for all you accomplish toward ending homelessness in Kansas!

The South Central Region Quarterly Continuum of Care Meeting will be held on March 11, 2010 in Newton Kansas from 12-2:00 p.m.  The meeting will be held in the West Meeting Room at the Harvey County Court House .  Thank you to Jan Jones for hosting this meeting.  The meeting agenda is attached below.  Please invite a colleague to attend the meeting .

SC Region Continuum of Care Quarterly Meeting

Click here for the February 15, 2010 Newsletter!

You will find valuable information on our National Partners’ websites at

National Low Income Housing Coalition and National Alliance to End Homelessness