Housing

We believe in the dignity of choice

Our Approach |  Our Programs | Our Results

Our Approach

Every person that we interact with has a unique set of circumstances that inform our approach to stable housing. Regardless of each person’s needs, the Housing First Model guides PCHO by first assisting with housing so we can focus on employment, recovery, and services after. 

A family struggling with financial hardship and unemployment requires a different set of solutions for stability than an individual burdened with medical diagnoses and who has been homeless for many months.

Our teams of outreach and housing specialists have tools at their disposal to compassionately connect the housing insecure with a home, including:

  • Permanent Independent Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing placements;
  • Temporary emergency shelter at mission-aligned partner agencies, including:  House of Mercy, Dimitri House, Catholic Charities, REACH, YWCA, the Open Door Mission, VOA, Salvation Army, Center For Youth and so many more;
  • Short-term and Long-term financial support to cover direct housing costs.

And, when a suitable home is found, our partnerships with local organizations and associations enable us to provide comfortable quality home furnishings and essentials as each family finds their way.

 

Regardless of a person or family’s housing status, we provide:

Connections to support services to ensure housing security and the meeting of basic needs:

  • Assistance obtaining birth certificates and social security cards required to secure a job or housing;
  • Referrals and application assistance for benefits from: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP);
  • Support obtaining food and basic needs that can increase disposable income and lead to independence;
  • Preventative healthcare that reduces emergency hospital visits and improves long term health outcomes.

Our responsiveness, and our rapport with the people we serve are the reason why doctors, clinicians, therapists, and city/county officials seeking placements for individuals call us first.

Our Programs

Rapid Re-Housing

Rapid Re-Housing coordinates assistance and provides short-term financial support to those experiencing homelessness.

Individuals and families get the assistance they need to access housing, including housing case management. This program often is for those who need a short-term helping hand to get back on their feet and typically serves 45 individuals/families each month.

 

Permanent Supportive Housing

These services vary based on location and need, but are an essential element to building self-sufficiency. PCHO, in collaboration with other like-minded nonprofit partners, make a number of PSH referrals – engaging with provision of supportive services. 

PCHO provides two types of Permanent Supportive Housing: scattered-site and site-based.

Permanent Supportive Housing, or PSH, provides rental assistance and supportive services to households struggling to achieve housing stability. 

Site-Based Housing provides on-site staffing and intensive services to those seeking supportive housing and in need of on-going assistance.

Site-Based Housing

Cecilia’s Place Apartments (Opening January 2024)

PCHO is eager for the opening of “Cecilia’s Place” – a permanent supportive housing project in partnership with Home Leasing that will include 15 units of permanent rental housing for formerly homeless people.  This project is the rehabilitation of the historic Polvino Building on Central Park and is largely funded by New York State’s Homeless Housing and Assistance program and Historic Tax Credits through Five Star Bank. 

Flower City Apartments

PCHO is currently providing supportive housing through another Home Leasing project called “Flower City.” PCHO provides on-site support services to 35 residents at Flower City.  

PCHO’s site-base programs will collectively provide 50 households with the both supportive and financial services annually as each person seeks to improve their life.

 

Scattered-Site Housing

“Going Home” and “Housing First” are PCHO’s first HUD programs. These two programs provide 160 individuals and families with housing vouchers that allow each family to live in their own apartment appropriate for their family size anywhere in Monroe County. These programs provide supportive housing stability, security deposit, rental subsidies, and any services necessary to remain in housing. From furniture and support accessing medical appointments to budgeting and assistance with food, PCHO supports each household with different resources, each tailored to the family’s goals and needs as they successfully transition back into housing. 

Scattered-Site Housing provides rental vouchers along with supportive services in affordable apartments anywhere in Monroe County.

Our Results

Every year PCHO…

Provides

individuals with the solutions that empower them to stay housed

Transitions

individuals from homelessness into housing

Connects

street homeless persons with access to emergency shelters

Links

households with quality health care and supportive services