Anyone is Nassau County or Suffolk County that is experiencing homelessness on the street, in shelter, is fleeing domestic violence or facing imminent risk of becoming homeless can connect with LICH to be assessed for housing needs and receive help identifying available housing or support service resources.
If you are facing imminent risk of becoming homeless, please see the community resource pages on this website or call 631-464-4314 x 118 if you are having trouble navigating those resources.
If you are residing in a shelter, your situation is automatically reviewed to see if you would be prioritized for housing opportunities (based on length of time homeless and vulnerability).
If you are actively fleeing domestic violence, please refer to the domestic violence resource page, and if fleeing and in shelter or on the street, contract The Safe Center of Long Island.
If you are living on the street, please see guidance on accessing shelter on this website, visit any homeless drop-in center listed below, call 631-464-4314 x 118, or submit a referral for direct street outreach support.
Know someone living on the street?
LICH has a messaging system for reporting anyone that is observed to be living on the street: 631-464-4314 x 118.
People living on the street, outreach workers, advocates and community members should utilize this line to ensure that someone living on the street is known to the LICH Street Outreach Team.
LICH has a small street outreach team that goes out into the community in both Suffolk and Nassau- working directly with people that are living on the street for the longest lengths of time. Our team provides permanent housing-focused case management, which often requires that we engage the same people frequently and over long periods of time until stably and permanently housed. This is achieved through fully understanding someone’s living situation, their resources, their eligibility for various programs, their housing preferences and goals, and then assisting with applying for housing programs based on the person’s preferences.
Due to the significant increase in people experiencing street homelessness, LICH is no longer able to provide a direct ongoing case management support to each person living unsheltered. Referrals will be prioritized based on the length of time people have been experiencing homelessness. This means some people will be referred to other street outreach and existing resources.
LICH does not operate emergency shelter and does not have funds to pay for things like arrears and other expenses. All year-round emergency housing requires that people apply through DSS. There are winter shelter programs, drop-in centers, and warming centers that become available to the public during freezing temperatures.
LICH is not able to provide services including distribution of food/items or transportation for everyone on the street, due to staff capacity challenges and a low inventory of supplies based only on donations. LICH can only provide essential items and transportation to clients that are enrolled in the street outreach program.
Types of Community Response Street Outreach:
Minimizing Criminalization and Encampment Sweeps:
LICH strongly advocates against all forms of criminalization of homelessness. LICH Street Outreach staff coordinate directly with police, emergency services, local officials, and businesses to conduct outreach and reduce interaction with enforcement that can lead to further trauma.
Inclement Weather Outreach:
LICH will conduct outreach ahead of any known serious weather patterns, such as extreme temperatures, hurricanes, storms, and other dangerous situations.
Missing Persons Outreach:
LICH is regularly following up with those homeless on the street longest and the most vulnerable. It is common that people go missing because they need to move around to remain safe, may not have a working phone, or otherwise relocate. If a client that is missing is reported, it will help us reconnect and continue working on housing.
Problem Solving and Resource Sharing:
All other community referrals will be added to our known locations list that outreach teams follow and check on when in that area, coordinate referrals to other outreach teams that exist in the community and share available resources with people over the phone when able, such as how to access shelter, where drop-in centers are located, and information about other housing and support services programs.
Partner Agency Outreach:
The LICH Team will join other outreach teams, in a joint effort to engage groups. This is done to achieve warm handoffs and connections to other or additional support, and to establish consistency in best practices and approaches in doing street outreach (cross training).
https://www.lihomeless.org/living-on-the-street
Transportation:
Transportation is available only to LICH clients due to limited staffing and vehicles.
Nassau Able Ride: https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/3228/Special-Transportation
Nassau: https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/2620/Transportation
Distribution of Food and other Essential Items:
Distribution of items is only available to LICH clients, due to limited staffing and supplies, unless we can identify volunteers to help gather and distribute more items. LICH does have a Boutique located at the Amityville Resource Center, that can be accessed by referral but requires that items be picked up. Other community drop-in centers, faith-based entities, and local community members also help distribute needed items.
Access Food or Clothing
https://sway.cloud.microsoft/1XR3TGM2BE05sCrm?ref=Link
Find a Drop-In Center Near You
https://sway.cloud.microsoft/3ACwtGEPzcp0bEAT?ref=Link
LICH Boutique at Amityville Community Resource Center Referral: https://www.addressthehomeless.org/community
How does someone living in an emergency shelter have their situation automatically reviewed for housing opportunities?
Anyone residing in an emergency shelter (non-DV) has their information entered into a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database. LICH is the administrative agency of the database and all clients entered into the system are reviewed based on the length of time they are experiencing homelessness. LICH also cross-references that information with DSS rosters to ensure accuracy.
All households that are currently homeless are identified on a “By-Name List” in order of their length of time homeless. LICH staff work down the ordered By-Name List and reach out to households to be assessed for housing needs. Currently, LICH staff are contacting households that have been living in shelter continuously for greater than one year.
Because this information is being regularly reviewed for accuracy, and coordinated directly with DSS, there is no need to place a referral to LICH for a person living in shelter unless that household has a documented disability and has been homeless for greater than one year. In this situation, LICH may not have all the information to verify someone’s eligibility for permanent supportive housing beds, which can be submitted to LICH by shelter staff and/or cases can be discussed in regional shelter case conferencing meetings available to all shelters. If your shelter is not participating in Coordinated Entry case conferencing meetings, please encourage them to do so.
Single adults and families that are identified as being homeless in shelter and/or any the street for greater than one year and also have a disability will be connected and assigned to a LICH Housing Navigator, as available. Only chronically homeless single adults and families are provided with additional direct housing support from LICH Housing Navigators.
For households experiencing homelessness for less than one year, please utilize 2-1-1, NYCONNECTS, or visit the Need Help? page on the CoC website.
How can someone that is actively fleeing domestic violence with nowhere to go able to access Coordinated Entry?
The Safe Center of Long Island manages a Coordinated Entry System specifically designed to meet the needs of people experiencing domestic violence. Someone should contact The Safe Center directly at 516-542-0404 for safety planning, connection to resources, and an assessment for housing opportunities.
How can someone that is at imminent risk of becoming homeless access Coordinated Entry?
LICH has a Homeless Diversion staff that can provide problem solving support and linkages to available resources. Diversion strategies include, but are not limited to, temporary stays with family or friends, family re-unification, relocation (including out of state) and budgeting/credit score training.
