Services
Supportive Services
Supportive Services is the primary program offering of Better Choices.
In partnership with The King’s Community Center, we offer the following support services:
· Individualized Support: Every veteran is unique, and their journey to self-sufficiency is personal. We offer tailored support - via individual development and goal planning - and programs to address the specific needs and challenges of each individual.
· Health and Wellness: We prioritize veterans' physical and mental well-being by offering access to healthcare services, including mental health counseling, addiction recovery programs, and trauma-informed care.
· Employment and Skills Development: Our programs focus on empowering veterans to secure sustainable employment by providing job training, resume building, and job placement services.
· Financial Education: We promote financial literacy and responsibility by offering education on budgeting, saving, and managing personal finances.
· Community and Family Reintegration: We believe in the importance of reconnecting veterans with their families and the community. We provide resources and support to rebuild these vital connections.
· Substance Abuse Recovery: We address addiction issues by offering rehabilitation programs and counseling, supporting veterans in overcoming their challenges.
· Life Skills Training: Veterans are equipped with essential life skills, ensuring they can live independently, manage their homes, and make informed decisions.
· Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency: We foster self-esteem, self-reliance, and informed decision-making through counseling and mentorship programs.
Transitional Housing
Purpose: The Veterans Transitional Housing Program is a residential housing program that is designed to facilitate a process of social, mental, and financial increase for US Veterans. Veterans of this program will receive services that are integrated to help them achieve a foundation of stability and self-sufficiency. The wrap-around services we provide for holistic development are strength-based and trauma informed. The structure and standards of the program are applied corporately for our participants as a collective, and yet each person receives a level of customization within the process in order to best serve his individual needs.
Housing:
A property, owned by Lewis Dickson LLC, is designated as the first transitional housing site, located in McKeesport, PA. The capacity is suitable for five (5) participants at any given timeframe; as it provides a private room for each resident, along with a common lounge room, kitchen, and restroom. An office will also be on site for program administration.
Program Goals:
The program consists of multiple infusions that work together to holistically prepare our Veteran residents for self-sufficiency and permanent housing, within a two-year timeframe. The program components will be provided by The King's Community Center and will include Individual Development Planning, Counseling and Empowerment Sessions (Individual and Group), Career Exploration and Development, Life Skills and Leadership Meetings, and weekly Case Management Check-Ins.
Residents also encouraged to prioritized community involvement of their choice, actively partake in family development activities, and managed shared housing upkeep responsibilities.
Permanent Housing
This component is a pipeline to achieving long-term housing goals and a continuum of care to Veterans who would like extended services.
Upon completion of the Transitional Housing Program, residents become eligible for Permanent Housing support. Permanent Housing offers units that are available for 5+ years, through rental and for-sale options. Case managers help to facilitate the selection and movement into a permanent housing accommodation.
A continuum of care is offered as a longer-term supportive system for Veterans who have achieved their goals and see the value in retaining the assistance and support offered by Better Choices.
Permanent housing units will be provided by our partner Lewis Dickson LLC, a real estate firm in Pittsburgh.
The Continuum of Services offered here are:
Safe and Supportive Housing
Individualized Support
Health and Wellness
Career Development
Financial Education
Community and Family Development
Substance Abuse Recovery
Life Mastery and/or Bible Study
Empowerment and Counseling
Permanent Housing is not exclusive to Transitional Housing graduates. Veterans who have completed a previous transitional process -OR- can demonstrate a readiness is eligible for this program.