SOAR Learning Communities:
Funding and Sustainability
SSI/SSDI OUTREACH, ACCESS, AND RECOVERY
SAMHSA SOAR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER
Sponsored by:
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
May 20, 2014
Welcome

Jen Elder, M.Sc.
Senior Project Associate
SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance Center
Policy Research Associates, Inc.
Logistics
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Recording
Downloading materials
Poll questions
Chat questions
Live Q&A
Learning Community Call Agenda
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Creating a Funding Framework
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Federal Funding Streams
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State Funding Opportunities
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Private Foundations
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Local Partnerships
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Questions & Answers
POLL QUESTION #1
Funding SOAR Programs
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There is no dedicated source of federal funding for
SOAR programs
Yet, all 50 states participate!
 Reallocating
existing resources
 Securing funding through federal and state grants and
foundation funding
 Establishing collaborations with hospitals and criminal
justice settings
Create a Funding Framework
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Know your “ask”
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Explore potential resources
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Create a funding action plan
 Who,
what, when, how
 Record

and revisit responses
Market your program
 Show
value for money
 Develop
an elevator pitch
Elevator Pitch
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30-60 second introduction of your program to funders,
new partner agencies, referral sources, etc.
Communicates:
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Who you are
What you do
How you do it
The benefits it brings
Call to action
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Creating an Elevator Speech Worksheet
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Practice!
Elevator Pitch Example
I’m John Smith, SOAR Coordinator at the Downtown Shelter, which
provides homeless services to 1500 individuals a year. We help about 50
people per year obtain Social Security Disability benefits.
What makes our program different is that we have a successful Social
Security advocacy program called SOAR that helps many disabled
individuals quickly access cash benefits and health insurance. We’ve
helped 175 individuals obtain Social Security benefits since we began our
SOAR program in 2011. Applicants in our program access stable housing
and healthcare in an average of 65 days from date of application. We
change lives!
We’re looking for partner community mental health agencies to expand
SOAR efforts in the city. Can we introduce your staff to the SOAR model
at your weekly staff meeting?
QUESTION: What funding resources
are you using, or have you explored for
SOAR in your community?
**Use this tool
at the bottom of your
screen to write answers on the whiteboard
Please don’t use the delete button!
Federal Funding: SAMHSA
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Projects for Assistance in Transition from
Homelessness (PATH)
 Similar
components: Outreach, engagement,
assessment, documentation, recovery
 PATH funds support dedicated SOAR benefits
specialists, SOAR training, and statewide
leadership and coordination in many states
 Encourage your State PATH Contact to include
SOAR activity in PATH contracts
Federal Funding: SAMHSA
Community Mental Health Services Block Grant
(MHBG)
 Cooperative Agreements to Benefit Homeless
Individuals (CABHI)
 Olmstead
 Adult Treatment Drug Courts
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Federal Funding: HUD
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Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
A
flexible program that provides communities with
resources to address unique community development
needs
 Distributes annual grants on a formula basis to local
governments and states
 SOAR programs have used these funds to support
dedicated benefits specialists
Federal Funding: AmeriCorps
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AmeriCorps State
 Provide direct outreach, engagement, and
assistance with SSI/SSDI applications
 A cash or in-kind match is required for program
costs
 Apply for a grant through your governorappointed State Service Commission
 www.nationalservice.gov
Federal Funding: AmeriCorps VISTA

AmeriCorps VISTA
 Can identify potential SOAR collaborations,
organize local SOAR planning meetings, fundraise
for dedicated SOAR staff, collect data, and
coordinate future trainings
 Apply through your state Corporation for National
and Community Service office
 No
required funding match from sponsors, but there is a
cost-share option
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SOAR TA Center issue brief on AmeriCorps
Medicaid and State Health Programs
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Medicaid is a state-operated program, federal and
state share the cost
 State
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creates a plan for what services are billable
Case management services necessary for SOAR
applications may be billable or allowable services
 Tennessee:
Behavioral Health Safety Net providers can
bill for SOAR application assistance
 Georgia:
6 regional positions statewide for Medicaid
Eligibility Specialists
State or County General Assistance
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General assistance (GA) funds offer time-limited
cash benefits to adults without dependents who
have limited or no income
 These
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benefits are not available in every state
Through an Inter-Agency Reimbursement (IAR)
agreement, SSA can reimburse state or local public
assistance funds when individuals begin receiving
SSI/SSDI
Successful Models: Minnesota
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Department of Human Services (DHS) administers the
General Assistance (GA) program
Up to 35% of GA recovery under interim assistance
provisions can be retained by DHS to provide “advocacy,
support and claim processing services”
DHS contracts for SOAR application assistance
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State pays $750 for applications submitted with Medical
Summary Report and Quality Review checklist
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$1750 additional for successful applications at initial and
reconsideration levels
State or County Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF)
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TANF is a block grant from the Department of
Health and Human Services
Provides time-limited assistance to families with
dependent children to help them become selfsufficient through employment
For parents who can not meet the TANF work
requirements, assessment of eligibility for SSI/SSDI
may better meet their needs and save state funds
for others in need
Successful Models: Philadelphia, PA
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Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) contracted with
the State Department of Public Welfare (DPW) to
use SOAR with TANF recipients
 DPW
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The State Department of Behavioral Health (DBH)
identified individuals with severe mental illness
 DBH
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provided contact information for TANF recipients
provided HAP with medical evidence
HAP’s approval rate on initial applications is 99%
in an average of 34 days
State/Local Plans to End Homelessness
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Most plans to end homelessness incorporate increasing
access mainstream benefits
Can fund SOAR leadership, coordination, and
dedicated benefits specialists.
Find your local plan and promote how SOAR helps meet
this goal
Nashville, TN: 10-year plan funds 3 positions in community
mental health center

Since May 2006, 97% of 522 applications approved in an
average of 40 days
Foundation & Other Private Funding
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United Way: funds coordination of SOAR in Trenton,
New Jersey; and staffing of SOAR programs in other
localities
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Pharmaceutical and insurance companies:
GlaxoSmithKline, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Kaiser
Permanente fund SOAR programs in North Carolina
and Oregon
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www.foundationcenter.org
Successful Models: North Carolina
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Combined funding stream from: foundations,
hospitals, local, state, and federal
Focus on helping localities develop and sustain
benefits specialist positions
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22 FTEs and 3 PTEs in 14 communities
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813 applications, 80% approval rate in 85 days
Hospital Collaborations
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Hospitals can recoup payments for previously
uncompensated care when individuals approved for SSI
obtain Medicaid
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SOAR providers may receive funding from hospitals for
dedicated SOAR benefits specialists to help individuals access
SSI/SSDI and health insurance
In 2013, States reported an average $7,417 reimbursed
from Medicaid per SOAR approval
In 2012, Mercy Hospital in Michigan reimbursed
$852,557 after using SOAR to assist with 45
applications
SOAR TA Center issue brief on hospital collaborations
Criminal Justice System Collaborations
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Diversion courts, in-reach initiatives, re-entry planning,
and SOAR trained corrections staff
Reduces recidivism and prevents incarceration, which in
turn saves money for states and communities
In 2009, the Miami-Dade Jail Diversion Program
estimated cost-savings to the state of $7 million
Results leveraged on-going funding for SOAR
SOAR TA Center issue brief on criminal justice
collaborations
Other Partnerships
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Programs serving targeted groups
 Veterans
 Youth

leaving foster care
Local colleges and universities
 Social
work field placements or internships
 Students get experience working with clients and help
grow an agency’s SOAR program
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Peer Support organizations
 SOAR
TA Center issue brief on utilizing peer support
workers with SOAR
Sustaining & Growing SOAR
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Be creative
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Use your outcomes
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Share success stories with the press
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Give presentations to potential funders
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Create linkage with influential leaders—both
private and public
Keep persisting!
Funding and Sustainability Tools
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Funding and Sustainability Worksheet
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Sample SOAR Proposal with Budget
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Sample SOAR Proposal for Jail Collaborations
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Funding and Sustainability Best Practices
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Issue Briefs from the SOAR TA Center
Visit the SOAR Website Often!
http://soarworks.prainc.com
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Connect With Us
SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance Center
http://soarworks.prainc.com
soar@prainc.com
www.facebook.com/soarworks
@SOARWorks