Services

The Supportive Services Project is a collaborative program with three other local providers of homeless services in the area. This project provides comprehensive case management and supportive services to those living on the streets and in the shelters.  This project is aimed to work with individuals where they are and provide services that will support them as they become self-sufficient. 

The PATH Project supports individuals with a mental illness and/or substance abuse issues gain access to treatment, achieve psychiatric stabilization and acquire housing.  This project supports individuals by offering supportive counseling to those living in all RSLC programs and those receiving aftercare services. This program provides for a more specialized focus for individuals in need of specific mental health and substance services.

This program supports individuals with a mental illness and/or substance abuse issues as they gain independence in the community. As individuals move out of our programs into the community, an Aftercare Specialist assists individuals with budgeting, medication monitoring, grocery shopping, transportation and maintaining social connections and resources to prevent isolation. This program has proven successful year after year in reducing the recidivism rate of individuals returning back to the shelter.

RSLC’s Healthcare Program employees Nursing Staff on-site to assist individuals with medication monitoring, health education, basic health screenings, health promotion and maintenance to hundreds of individuals a year. This project not only serves individuals within RSLC facilities, but also serves individuals through extensive street and community outreach to other areas in which individuals experiencing homelessness are known to frequent. 

This project uses peer specialists who are formerly homeless individuals in recovery from substance abuse and/or mental health issues and have gone through intensive training to engage residents to face their own obstacles. This project is a huge success, as the specialists can truly say “I understand” and assist those  that the RSLC provides services for in an approach that other staff may not be able to deliver given their own experience. 

SHAPE is a SAMHSA grant in which RSLC partners with Prestera Center for Mental Health Services. This program provides supportive services to individuals and families in Charleston and Huntington who are chronically homeless. A team of four support staff in each city offers supportive housing services to assist individuals served with obtaining and maintaining safe affordable housing. Additional services consist of case management, in home therapy, housing support services, peer support, transportation, employment assistance and help with activities of daily living.

Many individuals that are served by RSLC are Veterans that are experiencing homelessness. The RSLC Veterans Program provides a Service Center component that focuses on Veteran specific issues. The Veterans Administration is on-site providing benefit assistance, eligibility, etc. to any Veteran in the community in need of services.  Many other services are available to Veterans such as: individual and group sessions, case management, transportation, mental health and substance abuse support services and on-site therapy provided by a Clinical Therapist, as well as, a variety of community organizations that provide additional on-site services to our Veterans.

RSLC maintains a coordinated outreach effort in the Kanawha Valley. Outreach occurs on a routine basis with teams of staff frequenting local soup kitchens, bridges and other areas where individuals are known to reside that have no permanent residence. Information is given to individuals as well as food, beverages, etc. Given the weather (hot or cold), other items of need may be handed out. Individuals are offered shelter and transported if necessary.

RSLC, across all programs, understands the importance of not only just providing a safe place to lay your head at night and a warm meal, but the importance of providing quality classes geared to assist individuals to move to self-sufficiency and into the community.  A central part of RSLC programming is life skills groups that are offered at all sites. These are groups that occur throughout the week during the day and evening that assist individuals in the following areas: Money Management, Employment Education, Addiction and Recovery Issues, Healthcare 101, IMR (Illness Management and Recovery Groups), Community Supports and Veterans Computer Classes.