SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery) is a highly effective process that works within the system to assist disabled individuals in obtaining Social Security benefits. SOAR has proven to be a successful addition to the array of strategies in the prevention and alleviation of homelessness.
Bridgeway's Introduction to SOAR
Donna Morgan, the PATH Coordinator for Bridgeway Center, Inc. attended a SOAR "Train the Trainer" seminar in Orlando in April 2007. She found the training to be extremely valuable and was eager to share her knowledge with Bridgeway associates and members of the public who serve the homeless in Okaloosa County.
To date, Ms. Morgan has provided SOAR training to six Bridgeway Center employees and four individuals from other community agencies.
Plans are underway to provide another training for Bridgeway Center employees in May 2008. Homeless advocates, volunteers, members of the Homeless Continuum of Care and providers from other agencies will be welcomed and encouraged to participate. Please call Ms. Morgan at 833-3975 to obtain more information about attending this training.
How SOAR Works
As the PATH Coordinator, Ms. Morgan has utilized SOAR in assisting homeless individuals and those at risk of homelessness. SOAR is a time intensive process in the short term, both for the client and the SOAR provider. However, it can speed up the application process for Social Security benefits from 3 years to 3 months.
The key to SOAR is in preparing the client's narrative and fostering partnerships with clinics, hospitals and doctor's officers, but most of all with the local Social Security Office. 
Using SOAR, the provider becomes the client's advocate and representative. In this role, the provider can receive and respond to letters and documents, coordinate appointments and provide support to the client throughout the application process.
Those that work with the homeless know that a significant barrier to providing services is the difficulty in maintaining contact with a client who is constantly on the move from one night stays in hotel rooms, to cold night shelters or to homeless camps in the woods on the outskirts of town. SOAR trains the provider on strategies to maintain contact, what questions to ask of clients, and what information should be recorded in the narrative. Ms. Morgan would recommend the program to all providers who assist in clients in the process of applying for Social Security benefits.
SOAR in Action
"Jack" had exhibited emotional and behavioral problems since childhood; anger, mood swings, inability to hold a job, and difficulties completing tasks of daily living. Growing up, his mother would get so frustrated with him she threw him out of the home many times.
On one of these occasions he was introduced to alcohol and realized that it made the voices in his head go away. Jack did not like being on the street so he would beg his mother to let him come back home. When Jack was found wandering the streets extremely drunk at age 16 he was taken to a hospital and admitted under a Baker Act. Jack stayed in the hospital until he was 18, then he was released to his mother, stabilized on medication.
This living arrangement lasted for around 6 months before again he was on the streets. This pattern continued for six years, in and out of hospital, staying with his mother, becoming homeless and back to hospital, until his mother passed away. Then Jack had no place to go; he truly was homeless. He stopped taking his medication and began to use street drugs. At 25 he was arrested for possession of drugs, and then hospitalized again.
Jack had no place to go; he was truly homeless. He stopped taking his medication and began to use street drugs.
When he was released and admitted to a group home, his Bridgeway Center Case Manager, Donna Morgan took him to apply for Social Security Insurance. He was denied. Ms. Morgan attempted to assist him in the appeal process but by that time Jack had left the group home. Ms. Morgan then had difficulty maintaining contact with Jack to complete the process. The Social Security Office would not provide her with information on Jack's appointments schedule, doctor's visits or paperwork requirements since she was not Jack's representative. Jack was denied Social Security benefits three times in one year, without proper documentation, and with no one to stand up for him they would not consider his application.
Three years after the last unsuccessful application, Ms. Morgan ran into Jack again. She was now the PATH Coordinator and had recently completed the SOAR training. Jack was 30 years old. Once again, Ms. Morgan began the process of helping Jack to apply for Social Security benefits. This time she used the SOAR strategies. Ms. Morgan became Jacks representative, completed the narrative and obtained reports from the many doctors Jack had seen over the years. After compiling all of the evidence as directed in the SOAR training, she submitted the documentation to the Social Security Office. Jack received full benefits within 3 months following application including benefits retroactive for the previous one and a half years.
Once again, Ms. Morgan began the process of helping Jack to apply for Social Security benefits. This time she used SOAR strategies.
With Ms. Morgan's assistance, he was able to enter a treatment facility and re-stabilize on his medications. Jack has now completed treatment, is living alone in an apartment, working part time and is volunteering to help other homeless people.
This true example highlights the effectiveness of the SOAR process when applied by a dedicated provider within a supportive organization. SOAR is a valuable strategy and when used correctly can speed up the Social Security application process with an estimated 85% success rate. The SOAR providers with Bridgeway Center have developed an effective partnership with the Director at the local Social Security Office who has attended SOAR training to provide insight from the point of view of the Social Security Office and answer trainee's questions. With the next SOAR training to be hosted by Bridgeway Center Inc. in May 2008, Ms. Morgan hopes to continue the effort to promote the SOAR program within the homeless provider community of Okaloosa County.
