Working Together for Housing Stability

Alison Gerbig and the HAV team use an approach called Rapid Resolution to help veterans envision their future.

The first thing that Alison Gerbig does when she meets with a homeless veteran is to listen. Really listen.

As the Colorado Springs-based program manager for Homes for All Veterans (HAV), she is focused on figuring out the shape and the depth of the problems faced by individual veterans instead of simply trying to place them on list for shelters or other housing programs.

Alison encourages veterans to reach out to their own resources – often family and friends – to see how those options could be supported or leveraged to achieve housing stability.

This approach, called “Rapid Resolution,” was the focus of a two-day community training that Alison’s local HAV groups and others put on last month for 60 people in Colorado Springs.

Focusing on individuals and their needs is certainly an RMHS value, but it’s also a way to be flexible and agile in a tight housing market.

“It’s so difficult to get people into a one-bedroom apartment, we really have to be looking for an alternative places for people,” Alison says.

The way that plays out is that Alison and her staff will try to figure out if there is an alternative housing option, even a temporary one, and determine the supports or assistance can make that happen.

The training, which occurred at the Penrose Library in Colorado Springs, featured other segments including one on conflict resolution and a presentation by Sarah Serrar, an RMHS training specialist, on person-centered care.

While HAV uses Rapid Resolution to work with veterans, the approach is designed as a system-wide intervention that can be used with many populations and housing problems.