Lighthouse assistance programs.
Lighthouse, an agency that focuses on solving housing challenges in Anne Arundel County, provides a number of services to low income and homeless residents. The non-profit administers emergency shelter and transitional housing for individuals and families who are homeless. They may also provide a limited amount of rental assistance in an effort to stop evictions from occurring in the first place. Several other resources are also administered.
Housing programs from Lighthouse
The organization provides permanent supportive housing for eligible women, including single moms. Many services are offered including case management, referrals, basic life skills, counseling, wellness and job training. All of these elements help clients on to a path of self-reliance, independence and stability.
There are many other available forms of housing available in Annapolis and the county to individuals and families based on specific needs and assessments. They range from shelter to transitional homes or apartments. A detailed list is noted below.
- Willow House is a low income program that provides permanent, supportive housing for women.
- Anchor House - Transitional housing and apartments for families.
- Emergency Shelter - Free food, shelter and support via various programs is provided to homeless individuals and families with an average length of stay of approximately 3 months.
- Annapolis Winter Shelter operates as a seasonal community effort during severe, harsh winter weather. Guests of the center receive food, clothing and shelter to homeless individuals through the months of November to March.
Career development and self-sufficiency services in Anne Arundel County
The path to self-sufficiency is multi-tiered and faceted. Clients of Lighthouse start working with case managers who advocate and work with them to create transparency and self-awareness as to the root causes of their current circumstances. Action and success plans are established and include clients reaching achievable goals. Most of them will include the objectives of long-term employment and stable housing.
The Employment Resource Center in Anne Arundel County offers many services to clients including career counseling, interviewing skills, assistance with creating resumes, GED preparatory work and free access to computers and various other electronic resources. These services are provided by the center through professionals and volunteers.
BEST, or the Building Employment Success Training Program, covers job skills training to prepare clients for employment in the community. A key objective of this as well is providing access to paid internships in areas like facilities maintenance, the culinary arts, landscaping and data entry jobs. Working with job coaches and employer partners are some of the key elements that lead to a client’s successful transition from homelessness to a life of stability.
There are often so many issues an individual faces when struggling with evictions or homelessness. Through a multi-disciplinary team of case managers and referrals to partner agencies, the Lighthouse organization can offer real, positive and sustainable changes to a client’s life. By addressing specific needs, placing individual's into housing or employment and performing a psychosocial assessment with subsequent referrals to other organizations or professionals, an action plan is established for each client.
With their ongoing attendance at Life Skill Seminars, clients engage in group topics such as resume writing, enhancing communication skills, managing finances, working on job interview skills and repairing credit. These seminars help reduce stress and allow individuals to work through conflicts they haven’t been able to address due to living on the streets or being homeless.
Parenting Groups help enhance and nurture a positive relationship through interactive processes and skill-building strategies. By both fathers and mothers effectively listening and responding to their children in age-appropriate ways, parents learn essential skills to help ensure their child is on the path to a healthy, stable future as an adult.
The EmPOWERment Workshop is available for all clients who have been admitted to the shelter referenced above. It is an intensive sessions that focuses on teaching the importance of self-worth and self-esteem to the clients. They will also learn how those elements are the basis for how they live and how they will achieve their goals for a healthy, stable life in the future.
Additional resources, including financial aid and basic needs in Anne Arundel
Referrals and linkage to medical assistance is available. Working with various community agencies has allowed the Lighthouse to have both formal and informal agreements set in place for its clients. Services through these collaborations include medications, dental care from clinics and emergency hospitalizations for clients as needed.
Individual therapy and counseling is available for clients as a means to gather information and monitor needs related to employment and accessing permanent housing. If any challenges are identified, professional's will address the individual’s specific issues which may not be otherwise appropriate in a group setting.
Direct financial support is an option, but is limited. However, grants for paying expenses such as rent is a key element is preventing homelessness. The Lighthouse offers programs that assist with finances and offers services and access to the basic necessities of daily living.
- Homeless Prevention services work to prevent eviction by offering assistance with payment of utility bills, deposits, rent, transportation and even needs such as purchasing emergency medicine.
- The Food assistance program offers hot or bagged lunches and pantry bags for those in the community in need of food for survival.
- Daily Market also provides people with perishable and non-perishable foods.
- Another option is Career Closet, which offers gently used professional clothing for job interviews and employment.
The Lighthouse is based at 10 Hudson Street in Annapolis, Maryland 21401. More information can be obtained by dialing 410-349-5056.
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