History & Shelter Service Overview

NHHR’s first program in 1990, CareWays Shelter, began by providing basic shelter to homeless women and children: simply a bed and a safe place to lay a head.  In the early years, the program did not include many of the intensive services that are now available.  CareWays is a critical entry point into a solution-oriented process designed to help women and children move beyond homelessness by reclaiming and rebuilding their lives.

Care Ways provides shelter to women and their children forced to leave permanent housing due to lead paint poisoning, domestic violence, legal eviction, family eviction, fire, new residency in state, and/or any other cause of homelessness. We provide families with a clean, safe place to stay while they put the pieces of their lives back together.

CareWays Shelter

Client Services

All adult residents receive intensive case management services throughout their stay. Each resident is assigned a case manager upon admission and the case manager assists them on a variety of social and life issues including: housing, employment, problems with medical insurance, DSS, financial assistance, budgeting and money management, and their own personal issues or concerns that may include but are not limited to mental health or substance abuse. 

            CareWays Residents receive the following educational, vocational and supportive services:    

• Housing Location and Advocacy
• Case Management Services
• Children's Services
• Bio-psychosocial assessment administered by the Clinical Coordinator
• Weekly access to an APRN from Hill Health Center
• Weekly access to a representative from APT Vocational Services to assist them in resume writing, job leads, interview skills training, and job search techniques
• Access to the computer lab for internet use, word processing, printing, and recreational use
• Free assistance for filing their IRS Tax Returns
• Free Dental Care with the Dental Van
• Craft Groups
• Relaxation Groups
• Weekly House Meetings
• All residents have access to food, toiletries, hygiene essentials, diapers, and access to TFC for clothing and furniture

Additional services include: stocking the kitchen and distributing food bags as needed, monthly dinners, access to the SEARCH program and activities for their children, access to the Diaper Bank and Pajama Bank, educational advocacy through CEP, HPP-case management for clients that have been housed, and use of The Furniture Co-op to furnish apartments when housed.

 

Understanding the Need According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, 84% of homeless families are headed by women, and 42% of the children are under the age of 6. An astounding 92% have experienced severe physical and/or sexual abuse in their lifetimes; 63% of those assaults were commited by an intimate partner.

The Institute of Children and Poverty finds that even though most homeless families are headed by a single parent, families in 36 of the 50 states must work at least two full-time jobs in order to afford Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom apartment. The National Coalition for the Homeless found that the number of homeless families has risen dramatically over the last decade, most notably among working families. While the number of homeless families continues to rise, the availability of affordable housing continues to decrease.

Eligibility

Single women 18 years of age and older with dependent children.

Application Process

If you are a single mother with children and need immediate shelter, call us at 203.492.4873.

Women currently receiving treatment must be referred to CareWays by their service provider using this form: NHHR Initial Referral Form

Community Partners

The Community Health Van

Yale-New Haven Hospital Digital Mobile Mammography Van

services

If you are a single mother with children and need immediate shelter, call us at 203.492.4873.

If you are a service provider and wish to refer a client to us, please download the referral form.  Complete and fax back to the fax number provided on the form.

NHHR Initial Referral Form