A non-profit, community-based organization providing permanent affordable housing.

The goal of Housing Support Services (a program of Catholic Social Services) is to assist Avalon Housing tenants to maintain stable housing and enhance their quality of life. The basic principles of Avalon’s Supportive Housing Services Program include:

• Housing-First Philosophy
  Housing is a basic human need that must be met in order for someone to successfully make a major change in his/her life. The primary focus of Avalon's supportive housing program is to help tenants address issues that threaten housing stability.
  
  
• Separation of Property Management and Service Provider Roles
  Avalon contracts for supportive housing services with an outside agency, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, to ensure tenant's rights and emphasize their status as leaseholders and not program participants.
  
  
• Services are Voluntary
  Participation in support services is voluntary and is not a condition of tenancy, unless it is negotiated and agreed to by the tenant as an alternative to eviction.
  
  
• Services are Provided On-Site
  Supportive Housing Services staff work out of offices located at two of Avalon's 13 properties, frequently visit tenants' apartments, and meet with tenants in the community.
  
  
• Services are Ongoing
  Tenant participation in services is not time limited. Long-term connections are encouraged.
  
  
• Services are Flexible and Individualized
  Services can vary in intensity based on tenant need and are designed so that tenants may move in and out of service participation as needed. Individualized service plans are developed by each tenant as they relate to both housing permanency and quality of life.
  
  
• Community Building
  Building community among tenants and helping reconnect tenants with family, friends, and the community at large are key to overcoming the stigma and isolation of homelessness, disability and poverty.
  

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Last Updated: June 29, 2004