Columbia at Sylvan Hills provides permanent housing for chronically homeless single women with disabilities. Participants may have a diagnosis of mental health, alcohol/other drug addiction and/or living with HIV/AIDS. If a participant has a diagnosis of alcohol/drug addiction, she must be clean for at least one year prior to entering the program. Participants must be connected to a community or social service agency, however extensive case management is also provided on-site. Participants are supplied life skills training in an attempt to improve their skills, and are required to be employed or enrolled in an approved training program. Case managers assist with referring participants to suitable programs, if necessary. Support provided is designed to enhance quality of life and assist in maintaining permanent housing.

Transitional Housing

The Transitional Housing Program occupies 70 women and children and operates 24 hours a day throughout the entire year. Families are housed in apartments that facilitate an environment closely resembling independent living. Individual Service Plans are developed for each participant that focus on helping participants enhance their skills and/or income and achieve greater self-determination which will assist in successfully maintaining permanent housing after graduating from the program. Services provided to meet these goals include, GED classes, financial management/budgeting, life skills training, parenting enhancement, and job search training.  Services are also provided to the children involved in the program. An Action Plan is created for each child identifying individual needs and a children’s case manager links to necessary resources and provides advocacy. On-site services include homework assistance, etiquette classes, character building, age specific activities and socially significant activities.