Homelessness 101 2 Day Training [Model 1]

This training is FULL.  Please contact Michele at events@mesh-mn.org to be placed on the wait list.

Our Homelessness 101 model is a series of trainings covering basic content relevant and necessary for all people working in housing and homeless services. This time we will be offering five sessions over the course of two days. Below is a brief description of the covered topics.  Trainings will be presented by:

Steve Carlson: Steve Carlson, Psy. D. is a Clinical Trainer with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Mental and Chemical Health, a Community Faculty member with Metropolitan State University, and provides consultation and training for organizations in a variety of models including the Sanctuary Model for Trauma Informed Organizations.  Topics for training include: Motivational Interviewing and Stage-Wise Treatment, Harm Reduction, Mindfulness and Mental Health, and the History and Psychology of Long-Term Homelessness.  As a Certified Trainer in Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Steve provides training and consultation to various agencies around the state of Minnesota as well as nationally.  He can be reached at carlson561@gmail.com

Geoff Meyer: Geoff has worked in the Human Services Field for the past 17 years and is currently Director of Housing Services at House of Charity. He provides trainings across the Midwest, often for MESH, and is well liked for his easy going and humorous style. He is educated in Film and Theatre in addition to Counseling Psychology.

Danyell Easter: is the manager of three supportive housing programs at Avivo practicing Harm Reduction and Housing First. These programs provide both housing case management to participants utilizing a subsidy, Housing Support(GRH), or are self pay and Targeted Case Management.  Danyell graduated from Augsburg College in 2016 with a MSW in Multicultural Clinical Practice and is currently a License General Social Worker (LGSW). Prior to attending Augsburg College, Danyell graduated from Hamline University with a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice and a Certificate in Paralegal Studies.

John Petroskas is a policy specialist at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.  Before joining DHS, John worked in programs that served homeless families and adults such as Catholic Charities, the Wilder Foundation, HUD and MESH.  John is a frequent MESH presenter with great stories that reveal his compassion and commitment to helping those who find themselves homeless.

Warren Duncan: Warren is the Programs Director at Hearth Connection. Hearth Connection is a Minnesota non-profit that functions as an Intermediary, bringing in funds around support services and rental assistance for large geographic regions across Minnesota. Hearth Connection manages the network of providers and funding resources, reports outcomes to the Federal, State, and County entities, as well as other funding entities, analyzes the outcomes and looks for ways to improve programming for those participating in it. Warren has been with Hearth Connection in various roles, including as a Case Manager on one of the mobile teams working with single adults in the metro area, as a Regional Manager in Southern and Central Minnesota, and now as Programs Director. Prior to working at Hearth Connection, Warren worked with youth in an emergency shelter, a meal program for those living on the streets, adult foster care programs and case management.

Day 1: Thursday, November 7 8:45-3:15

• Trauma informed Care has become a bit of a cliché and many funders are requiring a “Trauma Informed Approach” but what is it really? This workshop takes a look at Trauma Informed Care from the perspective of someone who has experienced a traumatic event and then dives deeper into the psychology of trauma and recovery.
• Client Engagement will cover basic tools and strategies for engagement, including motivational interviewing and the stages of change as this can be one of the most difficult tasks when working with people experiencing homelessness, especially when increasingly program services are voluntary
• Maintaining professionalism and healthy personal boundaries are critical if you want to do good work, avoid burnout, and really help empower your clients to achieve their goals. Boundaries & Ethics will address some of the most common ethical challenges you might face when working with people who experience homelessness, and will use real-life scenarios to challenge your thinking about this topic.

Check in starts at 8:15.

Day 2: Friday, November 8 8:45-12:30

• History of Homelessness will examine the socio-economic and political factors that cause homelessness, as well as attitudes and responses toward people experiencing homelessness through several major periods of history.
• Principles of Housing First & Harm Reduction: Harm Reduction is a best practice approach to quickly and successfully connect individuals and families experiencing homelessness to permanent housing without preconditions and barriers to entry, such as sobriety, treatment or service participation requirements. Housing First is also a philosophy that shapes the crisis response system and Coordinated Entry and is important knowledge for everyone, not just those working in Housing First programs. In this training we discuss the overlapping principles of these two strategies and how they fit into supportive housing programs.

Check in starts at 8:30.

Location – BOTH days
Children’s Home Society: 1605 Eustis St, St Paul 55108

Light breakfast & snacks are provided both days.  Lunch will be provided on Day 1