Approach
Strong principles build strong communities
South Park Inn blends innovation and evidence-based practice with common sense strategies that have proven effective through forty years of doing the work. We listen to our participants and our staff, and we invite stakeholders like you from across Greater Hartford to work with us toward creating community-wide strategies to address homelessness that are both compassionate and effective.
These are just a few of the principles that guide us in our work:
Housing first
People experiencing homelessness are clear: housing is the solution to homelessness. Everyone’s experience and background is unique, and some people require additional support, like addiction recovery or mental wellness treatment. Everyone does better working toward their goals from the privacy and safety of their home.
Low-barrier shelter
People experience homelessness for different reasons, and every person experiencing homelessness deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. As a low-barrier shelter, South Park Inn does not turn people away from shelter for any reason, addiction, lack of income, HIV status, mental illness, or criminal history. Everyone who stays with us is invited to bring their whole selves to the partnership with their Service Coordinator.
Harm reduction
Not everyone arrives at the shelter ready for recovery. We welcome every participant, regardless of whether they are actively using drugs or alcohol, trying to stay sober, or somewhere in between. We work closely with our partner, the Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance, and with our many partners in the peer recovery and healthcare communities to support every person in reaching their personal goals.
Equity and meaningful inclusion
In 2018, the SPARC Study (Supporting Partnerships for Anti-Racist Communities) analyzed the demographics of, and barriers facing, six homeless communities nationwide. The researchers found that people of color, and specifically Black and Indigenous communities, were dramatically overrepresented among the homeless. This disproportionality could not be explained by differential rates of poverty alone. Inequities among the workforce of homelessness services agencies and incidences of institutionalized racism specific to the homeless were at least partly to blame for disparate representation and outcomes for people of color. We at South Park Inn believe that it is our privilege and responsibility to be active in the fight against racism and its impact on communities of color.
Person-centered care
There is no cookie-cutter approach that works for every person experiencing homelessness. Every person is different, and every household will have different needs.
We meet with each participant upon arrival to determine their specific self-identified strengths and vulnerabilities. We then develop together an individualized housing and case management plan that eliminates the unique set of barriers that have prevented the participant from being stably housed and that reflects goals that matter to that participant.
Trauma-informed care
Homelessness is a trauma. Every person who comes through our doors is experiencing incredible stress, and many have experienced additional trauma, some over the course of a lifetime, like domestic violence, military combat, or childhood abuse. We train our staff to recognize the impact of trauma on each person’s development and on their ability to tolerate stress. Together, we support people with understanding, compassion, and evidence-based strategies to relieve the symptoms of trauma that can prevent people from moving forward with their lives.