The National Center for Excellence in Homeless Services is working in partnership with the SAMHSA SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) Technical Assistance Center. Three of the National Center’s partner schools launched SOAR initiatives last fall, which were featured in the August issue of CSWE’s Full Circle newsletter and in an accompanying blog post. Following are progress updates from each school.
University of Texas at Austin
Beginning last August, three MSW students from the University of Texas at Austin were placed in agencies serving the homeless as part of a SOAR internship pilot. The students completed the SOAR Online Course and received certification early in the placement and began working on applications under the supervision of the Travis County SOAR lead. As of March, the students had completed and submitted for review a total of eight applications. Feedback from the agencies has been positive and the school is looking for ways to expand the pilot during the next academic year. One of the students, Josh Kivlovitz, wrote a blog post for the SOAR Voices Blog about his experience with SOAR as an intern at Austin Travis County Integral Care.
Catholic University of America
Linda Plitt Donaldson, Associate Professor at the CUA National Catholic School of Social Service, participated in a series of meetings this past fall with SOAR providers and leadership in Washington, D.C. Following that, they asked her to facilitate a strategic planning process to identify priorities for the next year. Linda facilitated this process in February and the following goals emerged: 1) expand SOAR capacity by offering additional online trainings and collaborating with D.C.’s Interagency Council to engage additional agencies; 2) develop a SOAR sustainability plan, including identifying new funding to support implementation; and 3) improve communication with the Social Security Administration and the Department on Disability Services. SOAR leaders may invite CUA to support one or more of these initiatives.
California State University at Long Beach
CSULB developed an advanced practice elective in their MSW program that covers best practices working with clients who are at-risk of or currently experiencing homelessness. As part of the course, students completed the SOAR certification and gained experience using the tool. In the fall of 2016, 13 MSW students completed this certification and will be graduating in May. Additionally, the school is continuing to collaborate with social work programs in Los Angeles County as well as surrounding
counties to develop a plan to provide SOAR training to all interns who are placed in 
agencies serving homeless or at-
risk of homelessness populations.
These three projects are excellent examples of integrating homelessness content and related skills into social work curriculum. If you’re interested in other ways to do this, check out the on-demand webinar series on homelessness in social work education produced by CSWE in partnership with the National Center.
Other Examples of SOAR Implementation
SOAR has been successfully integrated into the learning curriculum of social work interns at the University of Montana School of Social Work. BSW and MSW students preparing for a field placement in the Missoula County’s Jail Diversion Program take the SOAR Online Course. They then complete SOAR applications as part of their placement in a program at the jail that provides mental health and case management services to individuals experiencing incarceration and severe disabling mental illness. Once approved for Social Security disability benefits, the benefits help to stabilize individuals in the community through housing and other necessary services. Through SOAR implementation, recidivism has dropped and applicants with severe and persistent mental illness are able to be served in their community.
If you’re interested in learning more about how communities are implementing SOAR, check out the SOAR Voices Blog. It features stories of successful and creative implementations of SOAR in communities across the U.S. For example, we enjoyed reading this post on the use of SOAR integrated with supportive housing services to help individuals balance paid employment with disability benefits, and this one on a program that provides SOAR services to Veterans, in addition to connecting them with VA benefits and other community resources.
Where to Go to Learn More
Interested in learning more about SOAR implementation in your community? Each state has a SOAR team lead and SOAR TA Center Liaison who are available to contact for more information or for any questions you might have. Click here for details about your state.
Blog Post Authors: Amanda Aykanian, Research and Project Lead & Kelsey Whittington, Graduate Assistant. Special thanks to Cal Streeter (UT-Austin), Linda Plitt Donaldson (CUA), Nancy Meyer-Adams (CSULB), and Kristin Lupfer and Abigail Lemon (SOAR TA Center) for providing content.
Like this post?
Check out this one about other ways the UT-Austin School of Social Work partners with local agencies to create community-based learning opportunities for students.
Want more info?
Visit our website to learn more about us and our National Homelessness Social Work Initiative. And, join our mailing list to receive our newsletter.
The National Center for Excellence in Homeless Services 