Freedom House of Portage County
Freedom House of Portage County
The Freedom House program was established in 2004 by Family & Community Services, Inc. Freedom House is a fourteen bed, transitional housing facility funded through the Department of Veterans Affairs Capital Grant and Per Diem Program.
Operations are guided by a diverse advisory council comprised of those individuals and groups concerned with meeting the needs of homeless veterans. The facility is staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Program participants and staff work cooperatively to develop a plan to end the veteran’s homelessness. The facility holds open weekly Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings and has a chemical dependency counseling assistant on-site.
The resident advocate meets regularly with the shelter residents to establish a case plan that will focus on goal such as: housing, income, job training, education, counseling, financial planning and other goals.
Housing Specialists are available around the clock to answer the support line, admit new residents, and provide a supportive environment to the homeless veterans staying at the shelter.
The VA provides a liaison to work with staff and participants in order to ensure the veteran is receiving the best care possible. Participants share rooms and are assigned basic work details to keep the building clean. During its first two years of operation, the Department of Veteran Affairs reported the facility successfully provided housing for over 75% of the veterans who exited.