One Roof
Uniting Central Alabama to End Homelessness.
Deep Dives
Deep Dives are free site visits to selected nonprofit organizations that serve critical socioeconomic needs in Alabama. The CEO describes the work of the organization, its history, challenges, and needs. A tour of the facility provides a deeper understanding. Participants may optionally use a provided checklist to make observations and discuss what they observed and learned. Recommendations can be sent to the CEO. This Deep Dive is limited to 20 participants. Please send an email to our Events Chair to reserve your seat and you will receive a confirmation and checklist by reply email: Email John Whitman.
The Organization
One Roof is the lead agency in the local homelessness continuum of care. We have as participating members approximately 45 agencies that all work together to prevent and end homelessness as we know it today. It is the job of One Roof to implement and utilize a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to collect data regarding local homelessness, to interpret that data to identify gaps in services, and to help design programs/services to fill those gaps. The data from this shared system is used to develop various reports to Housing and Urban Development, and other interested stakeholders, on system performance, outcomes of specific programs, etc. The reports are then utilized to compete with like agencies across the US to bring HUD dollars to our continuum. The One Roof coordinated assessment team, including street outreach personnel, evaluates homeless persons for vulnerability to continued homelessness and/or death on the streets and prioritizes those persons for HUD-funded housing placement as it comes available. One Roof works hard to refer less vulnerable people to available community resources and supports in order to prevent homelessness when possible. Members of the coordinated assessment team utilize SOAR, a national best practices program, to assist homeless persons with disabilities to successfully apply for SSI and SSDI funds. One Roof is the only agency in the state with a dedicated SOAR worker. One Roof is the lead agency for the HMIS system, one that is shared by all areas in Alabama except the Florence area, plus two areas in the Panhandle of Florida, and we are in the process of bringing into this Implementation two other Panhandle areas. This shared system allows for better client services, less duplication of services, more agency accountability, and of course more accurate program and system performance.
The Dive Leader
Michelle Farley is Executive Director of One Roof. She has been with One Roof since August 2003. She has utilized the philanthropic nature and collaborative spirit of this community to grow the agency from a single part-time staff member to a strong team of more than 20 diligent and passionate full-time people who put their heart and soul into the One Roof mission of equipping and empowering our community to prevent and end homelessness. Together they have grown the annual allocation of competitive dollars from about $3 million in 2003 to almost $10 million this year. They have decreased the overall number of people experiencing homelessness and have significantly decreased the number of chronically homeless citizens of our area.
Note: Metered street parking is sometimes available, or the parking deck is available for $2.00. Enter the building using the glass doors across from the now-closed Burger King. Turn right as you exit the elevator on the 5th floor and the One Roof front desk is directly ahead.