Universal Housing App NEW Capacity Building Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System FileShare Funding HMIS Homeless Count Resource Management System Housing Extension LA-HOP Legislative Affairs MyOrg People New Policy Veterans By Name EGMS (LAHSA staff) EGMSAll Apps

The Centralized Training Academy

Direct Service Training Curricula Course Descriptions

OVERVIEW OF THE CENTRALIZED TRAINING ACADEMY

Homeless Health Care Los Angeles’ Training and Education Department will offer three separate curricula through the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s Centralized Training Academy:

  • Curriculum I: Care Coordination and Systems Navigation
    (Intended for Entry Level and Newly Hired Staff)
  • Curriculum II: Applied Care Coordination and Systems Navigation
    (Intended for Mid-Level Direct Service Staff)
  • Curriculum III: Supervisory Training for Homeless Service Providers
    (Intended for Supervisory Staff)

Each curriculum will be comprised of 35 hours of training. Each day will host 7 hours of training. Curriculum I will take place over the span of 5 consecutive business days, while Curricula II and III will meet once every two weeks (holidays providing). Trainees who attend all 5 modules of a curriculum will be awarded a Certificate of Completion unique to that curriculum.

Each curriculum will emphasize the application of, and adherence to, the evidence-based practices of Trauma Informed Care, Cultural Humility, Housing First, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, and Critical Time Intervention, and will address how staff of various skill levels can apply these practices to services tailored toward caring for members of the homeless community from the following subpopulations: Chronically Homeless, Single Adults, Families, Transitional Age Youth (TAY), TAY families, Women, LGBTQ, People with Disabilities, Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence (DV/IPV) Survivors, Human Trafficking Survivors, the Aging and the Elderly, Incarceration/Re-entry, and Veterans.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Curriculum I: Care Coordination and Systems Navigation

Overview: This entry-level course is designed for participants with limited to no professional experience in the homeless services sector. Through lecture-based presentations and interactive exercises, trainees will become familiar with the most current evidence-based practices in the field, and will begin applying these practices
to service provision for various subpopulations within the homeless community. Individuals that complete this program will be able to demonstrate essential skills to effectively assess, navigate and connect people experiencing homelessness to housing and supportive services. A Homeless Services Care Coordination and Systems Navigation Certificate will be awarded to trainees upon completion of the course.


Training Modules

  • Day I – Landscape of Homelessness/Overview of Homeless Services
  • Day II – Evidence-Based Practices: Trauma Informed Care, Self-Care, Harm Reduction, and Substance Use
  • Day III –Boundaries & Ethics, Cultural Humility, and De-escalation
  • Day IV – Housing First, Housing Programs/Subsidies, and Benefits
  • Day V – Core Functions of Case Management: Outreach and Engagement, Assessment, Case Implementation/Systems Navigation, Documentation/Evaluation, and Thriving in the Community

 

Learning Objectives

  • Learn classifications of homelessness and chronic homelessness and apply them to practice situations
  • Describe the subpopulations of homeless residents of Los Angeles County including characteristics, reasons for homelessness, and barriers to ending homelessness
  • Understand safe and effective practices for outreach and engagement
  • Understand the strength-based, client-centered approach of case management
  • Demonstrate the use of effective open-ended assessment questions in practice situations
  • Demonstrate ability to assess client needs in 12 life domains
  • Understand the 5 arenas of case management and use them to write an effective case plan in practice situations
  • Apply the concepts of boundaries and ethics to practice situations
  • Define “culture” and how it affects service provision and client engagement with services
  • Define the need for continual self-assessment and self-reflection as it relates to work with a culturally diverse clientele
  • Demonstrate the ability to use person-centered language in practice situations
  • Identify the types of housing most appropriate to house people from various subpopulations who are experiencing homelessness
  • Identify the types of rental assistance programs appropriate to various clients in practice situations
  • Identify benefits eligibility and appropriate action and documentation needed in practice scenarios
  • Understand the evidence-based principles and practices of Trauma Informed Care, Cultural Humility, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, Housing First, and Critical Time Intervention
  • Describe ways to implement three of the principles or key points of each evidence-based practice in various sectors of homeless services
  • Describe the relationship between Harm Reduction and abstinence
  • Define behavioral health and identify the common behavioral health conditions among people experiencing homelessness
  • Identify which subpopulations are at higher risk for which physical and mental health conditions, and how health and related services can be tailored to address these risk factors and better serve each subpopulation
  • List resources for clients to use when transitioning into the community
  • Prepare an assessment and case plan in a practice situation

Curriculum II: Applied Care Coordination and Systems Navigation

Overview: Designed for direct service staff with some experience in the field, this course offers a more applied approach to engaging the core tenets and practices outlined in Curriculum I. Through minimal lecture and a wealth of interactive exercises, this course draws upon trainees’ situated knowledge and experience in the field to explicate training topics and apply them to actual scenarios that direct service staff have encountered, or may encounter, as they care for members from each of the aforementioned subpopulations within the homeless community. The training modules for this course are arranged in a sequential order such that each day’s topics lend themselves to application in subsequent modules. Over the course of 5 days, trainees will gain a wealth of experience applying topics from each module, as well as the evidence-based practices of Trauma Informed Care, Cultural Humility, Housing First, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, and Critical Time Intervention, to their unique roles within the homeless services sector. A Homeless Services Applied Care Coordination and Systems Navigation Certificate will be awarded to trainees upon completion of the course.

 

Training Modules

  • Day I – The Homeless Services Delivery System, Core Functions of Case Management, and Crisis Management
  • Day II –Boundaries & Ethics, HIPAA, and Cultural Awareness
  • Day III – Physical Health and Mental Health
  • Day IV – Substance Use and Overdose Prevention
  • Day V – The CES, Housing & Retention, Benefits, and Thriving in the Community

 

Learning Objectives

  • Apply classifications of homelessness and chronic homelessness as they are relevant to trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector
  • Apply the evidence based practices of Trauma Informed Care, Cultural Humility, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing, Housing First, and Critical Time Intervention to service provision for various subpopulations of homeless residents, particularly as these services are relevant to trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector
  • Apply safe and effective practices for outreach and engagement as these practices apply to trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector
  • Apply the strength-based, client-centered approach of case management and client empowerment to trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector
  • Demonstrate the use of effective open-ended assessment questions in order to catalyze client empowerment in service provision relevant to trainee’s roles in the homeless services sector
  • Demonstrate the ability to assess client needs in 12 life domains, and tailor services to serve the identified needs
  • Describe how trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector function in relation to the 5 arenas of case management
  • Apply the concepts of boundaries and ethics to trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector
  • Demonstrate effective use of cultural awareness and cultural humility during service provision
  • Demonstrate culturally sensitive techniques for self-assessment and self-reflection in situations applicable to trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector
  • Demonstrate the ability to use person-centered language in situations trainees have encountered, or may encounter, during service provision
  • Identify the types of housing most appropriate to housing people from various subpopulations within the homeless community
  • Identify the types of rental assistance programs appropriate to various clients in practice situations and in trainees’ actual professional scenarios
  • Identify benefits eligibility, appropriate actions and the documentation needed in order to secure benefits for clients from various subpopulations
  • Demonstrate ways to implement the principles of each evidence-based practice during service provision for clients from each of the subpopulations within the homeless community
  • Demonstrate effective practices for providing services for clients with a variety of physical and behavioral health conditions who are experiencing homelessness
  • Identify which subpopulations are at higher risk for which physical and mental health conditions, and how trainees’ services can be tailored to address these subpopulations
  • Identify resources and referral sources for clients to use in transitioning into communities within trainees’ Service Planning Areas
  • Develop an effective case plan in situations wherein trainees’ roles in the homeless services sector serve a significant function in helping clients achieve their stated objectives

Curriculum III: Supervisory Training for Homeless Service Providers

Overview: This course is designed for staff who currently hold, or are transitioning into, supervisory roles within the homeless services sector. The curriculum will involve some lecture format in order to introduce participants to best practices for supervision, but will primarily consist of exercises that encourage trainees to employ evidence-based practices as they oversee staff and coach them on adhering to the core tenets and evidence-based practices emphasized in Curricula I and II. The course divides supervisory roles into three separate, yet sometimes overlapping, spheres: “Leading People,” “Managing Work,” and “Developing Self and Others.” Special emphasis is placed upon preparing trainees and those they supervise to assume higher-level responsibilities and ensure that the homeless services system is constantly developing people to move into expansion slots. A Homeless Services Supervisory Staff Certificate will be awarded to trainees upon completion of the course.

 

Learning Objectives

At the end of this training, participants will be able to:

  • Apply the principles of leading people, managing work, and developing self and others
  • Provide support for staff as they demonstrate effective case management practices
  • Demonstrate effective techniques for ensuring staff are effectively practicing the evidence-based practices of Trauma Informed Care, Cultural Humility, Harm Reduction/Housing First, Motivational Interviewing, and Critical Time Intervention (as practiced in their agencies)
  • Demonstrate effective motivational interviewing practices in coaching situations
  • Design a development plan for self and staff members
  • Design a self-care plan

Homeless Health Care Los Angeles (HHCLA) is the sole proprietor of the Care Coordination and Systems Navigation, the Applied Care Coordination and Systems Navigation, and the Supervisory Training for Homeless Service Providers curricula. The modules can only be presented by HHCLA approved instructors and cannot be replicated nor disseminated without prior approval. These curricula are included as part of LAHSA’s Centralized Training Academy initiative; however, ownership of the developed curricula will remain with HHCLA.