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Diversion

What is Diversion?

Our Diversion team works directly with families and the Continuum of Care to provide diversion and housing problem solving strategies to increase rapid-exit solutions. The Team focuses on improving system flow for families on the doorstep of homelessness and who are currently experiencing literal homelessness. They have created a coordinated, front-door to the homelessness services system for families experiencing a housing crisis and imminently in need of shelter, including researching best-practices to coordinate work in partnership with shelter staff, problem-solve with families in crisis to help them avoid the system all together or rapidly exit as quickly as possible.

Family with Tablet

Desired Outcomes

Providing diversion and housing problem solving will allow us to:

  • Optimize the relationship with external street outreach organizations to assist in the creation of a family referral

  • Utilize collective impact concepts to operationalize family services 

  • Coordinate with eviction prevention programs for problem-solving training.

  • Link families to Direct-Services through entry-point Housing Problem Solving and housing stability planning by phone for referred families needing connection to the system.

  • Focus on unclogging the shelter system by highlighting opportunities to increase flow in shelter through the Coordinated Entry System

What is Housing Problem Solving?

HPS is a crisis response strategy that is widely recognized as a promising practice. It uses a person-centered approach, providing:

 

  • Rapid triaging and intervention,

  • a focus on personal safety as a priority

  • de-escalation of a person’s emotional reaction to help them focus on next steps, and

  • definitive action steps the individual can successfully achieve.

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The strategy helps clients return to a position of control over their own problem-solving and prevents literal homelessness by helping them identify immediate alternate housing arrangement or mediating with landlords, family, or friends to negotiate longer stays in current housing arrangements.

 

If necessary and available, households are connected to supportive services and flexible financial assistance to support a return to stable housing. Housing Problem Solving encourages creative and cost-effective solutions outside of the crisis response system before more costly and long-term interventions are necessary – like Emergency Department, criminal justice, and shelter responses.

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Our Programs

Day 1 Family Fund

Family

The Day 1 Family Fund through the Bezos Foundation provides flexible funding to support housing crisis solutions and can provide families experiencing housing instability with fast and simple access to funds so they can secure a safe and stable place to live.

 

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Household MUST reside in Marion County

  • The household must have at least one minor child under 18 years old.

  • The household seeking assistance may be either literally homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, meaning they are at risk of literally homelessness within 14 days.

  • Head of Household (HH) income must be under 50% of the AMI. HH will be asked to provide proof of income (2 most recent paystubs, benefit letter, or other income documentation).

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How to Connect to Day 1: Please fill out the JotForm below and a Diversion Specialist will reach out to the family to provide an initial Housing Problem Solving conversation within 3 days of the referral.

 

RDOOR will enroll eligible clients as capacity allows.

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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Diversion Programs

Family Using a Tablet

HomeNow Indy’s TANF Eviction Diversion Program is designed to provide Homelessness Prevention services and financial assistance to families in Marion County that are actively facing eviction. This Program aligns with the statutory purpose of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which is to assist needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or the homes of relatives.


Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the TANF RRH Program, participants must meet the following criteria:

  • Residency: Participants must be U.S. citizens or legal U.S. residents and reside in Marion County.

  • Family Composition: The household must be a family with children under the age of 18 (or up to age 19 if still in school).

  • Income: The household income must be at or below 200% of the current Federal Poverty Level (FPL), as verified by the most recent 30 days of income documentation.

  • Housing: Must be actively facing eviction

HomeNow Indy’s TANF Rapid-Rehousing (RRH) Program aligns with the statutory purpose of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which is to assist needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or the homes of relatives. This program offers a Housing First approach, combining Housing Problem Solving and financial support to help families achieve housing stability.

 

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for the TANF RRH Program, participants must meet the following criteria:

  • Must be U.S. citizens or legal U.S. residents and reside in Marion County.

  • The household must be a family with children under the age of 18 (or up to age 19 if still in school).

  • The household income must be at or below 200% of the current Federal Poverty Level (FPL), as verified by the most recent 30 days of income documentation.

  • Must be experiencing literal homelessness (living in an emergency shelter or in a place not meant for human habitation, or must be fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, have no other resources, and lack the support networks to obtain permanent housing

Mother and Daughter

Quality of Life Elevation Housing

Lawyers

Participant Eligibility

Participants enrolled in QOL must:

  • be 18 years of age or older

  • Be at imminent risk of homelessness or experiencing literal homelessness.

  • Have a recent or unresolved non-violent misdemeanor offense, a Level 6 criminal offense (exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis), or be participating in electronic monitoring.

  • Actively participate in programming. If a possible housing solution is identified through an initial Housing Problem Solving conversation, Participants must actively participate in Housing Stability Plan steps identified to achieve housing.

Enrollment is currently open, however, there is limited space available.

The Quality of Life (“QoL”) Elevation Housing Problem Solving Program provides housing stability support for justice-involved clients participating in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office QoL program or who have recent, qualifying justice-involvement. With an Elevation Grant through the Central Indiana Community Foundation, partners in the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, Horizon House, and RDOOR Housing Corporation are working together to establish housing pathways for Elevation Housing Program participants who are experiencing housing instability. Recent justice involvement can be a big barrier to stable housing and ongoing efforts to maintain well-being. The QoL Elevation Housing Program hopes to support participants experiencing a housing crisis to identify, secure, and sustain stable housing, improving the ability to maintain self-sufficiency and avoid further justice-involvement.

 

What to Expect in the Elevation Housing Problem Solving Program?

  • Diversion Specialist Support: Eligible participants will work with an RDOOR Diversion Specialist to identify housing barriers and possible solutions through a Housing Problem Solving conversation.

  • Housing Stability Plan Unique to You: If an achievable housing solution is identified, participants will receive support to develop a Housing Stability Plan that includes steps needed to achieve stable housing.

  • Resource and Service Connection: Diversion staff will connect Participants with resources, housing search and placement support, and housing sustainability planning to secure and maintain housing.

  • Flexible Financial Assistance: Limited flexible financial assistance may be paired with housing solutions to overcome immediate housing barriers. Examples include: application fees, move-in costs like security deposit or first month rent, utility bill arrears, vital documentation fees.

 

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How to connect a family?

Below is the JotForm link to refer families with children who may be experiencing a housing crisis or housing insecurity and who are interested in a housing problem solving conversation with the RDOOR HomeNow Indy Diversion team. Families can also self-refer by filling out the form themselves. Problem-solving will help to identify housing barriers, possible solutions, and resources to support stability.


If you are unsure if a family would be a good fit for program enrollment or believe the family needs help connecting to resources in the homelessness services system, we recommend filling out the JotForm and a HomeNow Diversion team member will provide a housing problem solving conversation with the family. Referring a family and providing a housing problem solving conversation does not guarantee financial assistance or enrollment in HomeNow Diversion programming, but it may identify important next steps to work toward housing stability or important information about how families secure shelter when needed.

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