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OUR IMPACT

There are many ways to measure impact and we're constantly trying to find methods that capture the value of our work in the most accurate way.

​Take a look at some of our data and research.

JUST THE NUMBERS

GOALS

IMPROVE HEALTH &
WELLNESS

Housing is a key social

determinant of health. 

UNITE
FAMILIES

Families adequately supported and brought together create a reduction in state custody and foster care costs

REDUCE
COSTS

Smart policies create system-wide cost savings in emergency services, shelter, and healthcare costs

ACHIEVE DIVERSITY 
EQUITY & INCLUSION

Everyone deserves to be part of their community.

INCREASE SELF ESTEEM & SELF WORTH

People feel secure, healthy, and feel best when they belong, and have a safe and stable place to call home

GENERATE
ACCESS

People thrive when we remove barriers and create access to jobs, social interaction, and education

RECOVERY RESIDENCES

CHOM also focuses on creating recovery residences. This type of supportive housing offers a balance of comprehensive support, structure, accountability, and real-world flexibility in encountering relapse.

 

CHOM’s recovery residences are MARR certified and include MAT.  These very structured programs help people successfully rebuild their lives.

CHOM helps individuals integrate into mainstream society, obtain employment, establish more permanent residences, and live life to their optimal potential.

We present here some raw data from

two of our recovery residences. 

ULTRA-LOW BARRIER PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING

CHOM has worked in tandem with community organizations throughout Maine to create an innovative ultra-low barrier model of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). Ultra-Low Barrier PSH adapts the Housing First evidenced-based best practice model for populations that have not been successful in traditional Housing First supportive housing models.

CHOM's 1st Ultra-Low Barrier PSH Program: Ashlea’s Place

  • 20 organizations decide weekly on priority candidates from by a name list of long-term stayers.

  • There is no lease and only two rules: no smoking & no guests

  • People simply walk right in and live there.

  • The program is funded like a shelter to remove all barriers to entry, but actually is PSH.


Click here for more information on Ultra-Low Barrier PSH

ESAC LTS INITIATIVE

CHOM has worked in tandem with community organizations throughout Maine to end and prevent homelessness for people experiencing chronic and long-term homelessness since April 2015 through the Emergency Shelter Assessment Committee (ESAC) Long Term Stayer (LTS) Sub Committee.  

The ESAC LTS Committee is focused on a by-name list effort to house and keep housed the longest stayers in homelessness (Long Term Stayers – LTS) in Portland.  The group of more than 20 organizations has been at this for almost eight years and has now housed more than 430 LTS, and they have more than a 92% success rate in their housing.

The by-name list data tracks and analyzes  jail and hospital utilization, comparing jail and hospital utilization for people who were unhoused versus people who had been housed through the initiative.  This analysis demonstrates that LTS who are unhoused are up to 57 times more likely to be in jail, and more than 29 times more likely to be in the hospital versus the same group of LTS when housed.

SYSTEM-WIDE COST SAVINGS

There is sufficient international research which has found that permanent supportive housing lowers overall system-wide costs.  When not supported, certain people tend to ricochet through emergency rooms, hospitals, homeless shelters, jails, and police and rescue systems.  Permanent supportive housing stabilizes lives and stops this pattern of expensive crises.

CHOM's Inclusive Housing Model embeds permanent supportive housing into larger, multi-family housing projects.  This allows housing to effectively include people with the longest histories of homelessness - our Long Term Stayers. 

 

The data below, from a research study conducted in 2015, demonstrates the efficacy of this housing model, pioneered at CHOM's Danforth on High project in Portland.

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