guiding philosophies

Basic Human Rights and Homeless Civil Rights

• The Other Place believes that people have a right to shelter and services at all times in a safe, humane, respectful and nondiscriminatory environment.

• The Other Place serves human beings experiencing homelessness regardless of race, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, economic status, behavior pattern or cultural background. Programs, services and our shelter facility itself are designed to meet this rigorous standard. The Other Place staff receives on-going sensitivity, confidentiality and diversity training.

Philosophical and Operating Principles

• People are served along the entire spectrum of homelessness; whenever they are in need, regardless of the number of episodes or length of homelessness. For some, homelessness is quite temporary and for others it is long-term. Therefore, The Other Place must meet clients where they are, literally and figuratively; meaning service is provided to clients in our shelter, within their households or on the street. More importantly, clients choose the level of service in which they are able to participate, and are engaged for further services when possible.

• Client needs and progress are assessed individually, and the guiding philosophy is best interests. Confidentiality is strictly maintained. The Other Place impartially addresses all life areas in which a client is seeking assistance and facilitates appropriate linkage and referral. (Examples of such linkage and referral may include: family planning, birth control, condom distribution, communicable disease STD/HIV and safe sex education, high-risk behavior education, needle exchange, sexual orientation and relationship counseling, religious preference service, culture and language interpretation and legal advice.) Additionally, The Other Place recognizes same-sex partners and families in shelter. Criminal backgrounds, including domestic violence and sexually oriented offenses, do not bar shelter entry.

Administration

• The Other Place strives to achieve its vision and mission, which are clearly defined and consistently presented through multiple mediums. Strategic planning and implementation are on-going. The strategic plan of The Other Place is available to the public. The Other Place enlists active client participation and feedback in programming. A diverse Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and student interns are informed on agency direction and service. Organizational integrity is maintained throughout internal and external communications and in various community forums.

• The Other Place is a relatively young player in the homeless provider arena. We have cultivated many unique, successful, collaborative partnerships by sharing our perspective. We demand of ourselves a willingness to change as specific client needs change, and more importantly, a willingness to effect change on a broader scale. We take pride in a keen ability to identify needed programs and services aimed at ending homelessness and to run them efficiently and cost effectively. Clients and the community at large have taken notice of this effectiveness.  
 
Case Management

• The Other Place provides intensive and comprehensive case management while maintaining thorough documentation and case files. Technology is utilized to the fullest extent. With signed releases of information in place to assure client confidentiality, client care is coordinated among all appropriate community resources.

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