Transitional Housing

LARS works under a HUD grant to provide transitional housing for ten families for up to twenty-four months.  Participants who are selected into the LARS Transitional Housing Program are required to adhere to the rules and regulations of the program for the full 2 years. 

LARS utilizes a competitive screening process to select appropriate families for the Transitional Housing Program.  Selected families participate in budgeting and life-skills workshops and receive employment assistance and referral services.  Graduates of the program will be linked to mainstream resources such as medical assistance and purchase of day care vouchers to enable them to remain self-sufficient.

Transitional Housing Eligibility Requirements:

• Individual must be considered chronically homeless (living on the streets or in a shelter)
• Individual must have a case manager from a shelter refer them to Transitional Housing Program by completing a referral application. (please call 301-776-0442 to request an application for referral). 
• Individual must have a family and is required to file for child support for all minor children prior to their interview with LARS, through the court system.
• Individual must be able to work and/or go to school full time.
• Individual can have a substance abuse history, but must be clean from all substances at least 3-6 months and will have to pass a drug screening prior to their acceptance in program. 

If you have questions please call Emily Kleeman directly at 301-776-0442 ext 37.

Permanent Housing

LARS has a HUD grant to provide permanent housing for 7 chronically homeless, disabled individuals. HUD’s definition of a chronically homeless person is “an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more OR has had at least four (4) episodes of homelessness in the last three (3) years. A disabling condition is defined as “a diagnosable substance use disorder, serious mental illness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illness or disability, including the co-occurrence of two or more of these conditions.” In defining the chronically homeless, the term “homeless means as follows:

The program applicant is homeless based on the following criteria:

• Sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation: car, park, woods, on the sidewalks or abandoned building.
• Sleeping in an emergency shelter.

• As part of the permanent housing program, clients are connected with benefits and resources including referrals. 

• When participants relapse they are referred to appropriate substance abuse treatment programs.
• The individuals receive referral services and mental health counseling.
• Clients are linked to mainstream resources such as medical assistance, food stamps, Social Security benefits and clothing vouchers to enable them to become more self-sufficient.

If you have questions please call Lauren Cohen directly at 301-776-0442 ext 31.