Key Strategies for Connecting People Experiencing Homelessness to SSI and SSDI Benefits

Key Strategies

On July 14, 2015, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), the Social Security Administration (SSA), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released Key Strategies for Connecting People Experiencing Homelessness to SSI/SSDI.

This document provides guidance and best practices for collaborating with community partners and SSA field offices to help individuals experiencing homelessness successfully navigate the SSI/SSDI application process. Guidance also focuses on encouraging individuals to utilize SSA work incentives after approval for SSI/SSDI.

On July 15, 2015, Jen Elder, SOAR TA Center Senior Project Associate, participated on a panel at the National Conference on Ending Homelessness in Washington, D.C. to roll out the Key Strategies document. Jen, along with Lindsay Knotts (USICH), Pamela Fischer (SAMHSA), ML Jordan, Jr. (SSA), and Adrienne Melendez (VA), presented highlights from the document and received enthusiastic feedback from attendees.

We encourage everyone to read through the Key Strategies, and to distribute it to community partners. Most SOAR providers will recognize many of the strategies contained in the document, as they highlight best practices established by SOAR providers over the past 10 years!

You can read the Key Strategies document here.