Increase Income
Strategies to increase the income of homeless families and individuals
are critical to ensure they can ultimately pay for their own housing. For many, this can be achieved through employment;
those who are disabled or have special needs may be able to access federal
disability benefits.
Increasing Access to Disability Benefits
Countywide Benefits Entitlement Services Teams (CBEST) (Strategies C4/C5/C6) assist
disabled homeless individuals with their applications for federal benefits,
such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Veterans Benefits, with the goal
of increasing their income, which can be used for housing.
The benefits application process is lengthy and complex, but
enrollment in the CBEST program provides people experiencing homelessness with
assistance to navigate the process and access benefits. 11,499 individuals are currently enrolled.
In fiscal year 2018-2019, 1,382 applications for SSI and Veterans benefits have
been submitted, with 349 approved. Although there is often a long process of
gathering documentation prior to submission of these benefits applications, and
approval processes can take more than a year, many participants are able to
receive critical services while they are waiting; in fiscal year 2018-2019,
nearly 2,314 CBEST participants were connected to mental health services
and more than 4,000 were connected to health services.