Homelessness and Crisis: Who Will Answer the Call?

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Online Only

Presenters: Florentina Mendoza Jimenez and Hayley Garnick, CA START North Bay                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

All live Q&A events are held via Zoom from 1:00-2:00 ET / 12:00-1:00 CT / 11:00-12:00 MT / 10:00-11:00 PT.

This was the winning poster at the 2024 START National Training Institute (SNTI) from California START North Bay. Click to view poster or view the 2024 SNTI webpage.  

Description: 

This research aims to complete data analysis on crisis calls among sheltered and unsheltered persons receiving START services in the CA region. According to the 2022 Solano County Point-in-Time Count, 1,179 people were living in shelters or on the streets in Solano County, 454 of whom live in Vallejo. This is significant as North Bay START covers the region of Solano County, which includes the city limits of Vallejo, CA. Of the 1,179 counted as living in shelters or on the streets in Solano County, 12% experience mental health or physical disabilities. These numbers are even more staggering across the state of California. A crisis can be defined as “an upset in a person’s baseline level of functioning- a disruption in homeostasis. In a crisis, a person’s usual coping methods are insufficient; there is a marked increase in anxiety and tension or depression and defeat; the person does not function at his or her normal level, and he or she searches for new methods or strategies to deal with the situation (Callahan, 1994)”. During the search for methods or strategies, who will answer the call of sheltered and unsheltered persons?

Objectives:

  1. Analyze trends of rising homelessness and its effect on mental health outcomes.
  2. Explain 2 benefits of START crisis services versus community mental health crisis services (access to resources and disposition planning)
  3. Evaluate the impact of limited research relating to IDD and homelessness.

 

Florentina is a woman with dark hair

Florentina Mendoza Jimenez is the Clinical Director at North Bay START joining in September of 2023 as a Clinical Team Lead. She graduated from the University of Southern California with her master’s in social work in 2020. Prior to that she did her undergraduate studies at Sacramento State studying psychology. Florentina has experience working in children’s group homes, psychiatric inpatient facilities, and outpatient mental health programs. Florentina enjoys trying new teas, Muay Thai, traveling, and being a foster mom to her nieces she will be adopting. Florentina is also an identical twin who also used to work for North Bay START program. 

 

 

Hayley is a woman with light hair

Hayley Garnick is a START Coordinator at North Bay START. She joined the START team in December of 2023 after graduating from the University of Massachusetts with her MBA in Healthcare Administration. Before this, Hayley also studied sociology and psychology at Washington State University. Hayley also has experience working at various programs within the field of mental healthcare, including psychiatric inpatient facilities and outpatient community mental health programs. Hayley enjoys finding new coffee shops, hiking, and spending time with family and friends during her free time.

 

How to subscribe: Many individuals can access the NOTS for free by partnering with their local START program. If you or your agency are interested in enrolling in the National Online Training Series (NOTS), please fill out this NOTS interest survey. A member of our training department will connect with you for next steps. 

Accommodation Requests: It is our goal to make the NOTS live Q&A accessible for all. CART services will be provided for every live Q&A and does not require an accommodation request. Should you have additional accommodation requests, please complete this form and we will make every reasonable effort to meet that request. Someone from NCSS will contact you about the status of your request. 

Disclaimer: Speakers and presenters participating in sessions are encouraged to express their findings, experiences, and conclusions on specific topics. They are selected for their areas of expertise and personal and professional knowledge. Therefore, points of view or opinions of our speakers and presenters do not officially represent the National Center for START Services®, the Institute on Disability, or the University of New Hampshire.