Pine Street Inn: Pathways out of homelessness

Pathways out of Homelessness

LeSans (right) works with a new guest to seek alternatives to shelter.

People often associate the term “triage” with an emergency room, where medical professionals quickly assess the needs of patients to determine next steps of care.

Pine Street’s “Front-Door Triage” program was modeled after this approach. The idea is to engage intensively with new shelter guests as soon as they arrive at our door, quickly calibrating the right level of support needed and expediting their return to housing and stability.

For some, an immediate solution is possible through family reunification, individual counseling and/or assistance with transportation home, where someone awaits their return. For others, the path out of homelessness is more complex, requiring coordination with medical, mental health and/or substance use treatment systems.

“This innovative program is transforming the way we address homelessness,” said Angela Giordano, who directs the Front-Door Triage program. “When a guest walks in the door, we work to get them on a pathway out of homelessness as quickly as possible. We believe shelter should be temporary, and our goal is to prevent chronic homelessness before it sets in.”

Michael’s story illustrates how the program works: He arrived at our Men’s Inn in an agitated state because he had stopped taking his medication. The Triage staff immediately intervened and helped him obtain medication. The next day, when he was more stable, staff learned that Michael was close with his sister and had his own apartment. A Triage team member reached his sister while she was filing a missing person report at the local police station. She was very relieved to learn her brother was safe and agreed to help him seek more intensive psychiatric treatment.

In the past year, Front-Door Triage served 2,861 new shelter guests. Among them, 21% were able to return to housing within 30 days, often through family reunification. Many were able to avoid spending even a single night in shelter.

Thanks to partnerships with government funders and private donors, the program continues to grow and thrive.