Library & Tools

Increasing income through employment and Social Security disability benefits is critical for maintaining housing stability. However, for individuals utilizing housing vouchers, fear of losing their vouchers often prevents them from exploring employment. To encourage work, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has numerous incentives to protect those returning to work from immediate rent increases and voucher loss.

Here is some guidance to help case workers identify adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness who may be eligible for Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits. While we do not want to discourage anyone from applying for SSA benefits, this guidance can help you identify individuals that most need your assistance with their SSI/SSDI application.

In an effort to better identify appropriate SOAR claimants, identifying claims which are more likely to have a favorable outcome is paramount. Social Security has developed Special Medical Vocational Profiles, which are rare combinations of adversities that combine, along with impairments, to result in a finding of disabled. 

This webinar, held on January 28, 2015, focused on coordinated assessment, also known as coordinated entry or coordinated intake -- a new requirement for all HUD Continuums of Care (CoCs) as established by the HEARTH Act.

This infographic provides a simple flowchart for how to best contact your local SSA office.

You want to be a SOAR provider? That’s great! This infographic shows what to expect.

An evaluation of the SOAR model concluded that better outcomes were achieved when providers used the SOAR model to complete SSI/SSDI applications.

Here are five practical tips that may help SOAR providers establish stronger and more successful working relationships with their state DDS.

Here is some guidance from the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center and the Social Security Administration for gathering information about and documenting Long COVID for SSI/SSDI applications.

The SAMHSA SOAR initiative is intended for individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness. These terms are defined differently by SOAR and the Social Security Administration (SSA). It is important for SOAR providers to understand these differences when determining who meets the housing criteria to be a SOAR applicant and which cases can be expedited at SSA through the use of the “homeless flag.”