Disability: SSD & SSI

  A Quick Overview

For more information on Social Security benefits:

visit our Resource Page or the Social Security Administration

SOAR is a national program focused on helping people who have severe disabilities and are homeless or at risk of being homeless access disability benefits they may be entitled to receive, like Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

The program was created by SAMSHA: Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.

     •     it is a national program

     •     operated by the federal government

     •     to increase access to disability income benefits

     •     administered by the Social Security Administration

     •     for eligible adults who are homeless, or at-risk of homelessness, and;

     •     have a serious mental illness or medical impairment, with/without co-occurring substance use disorders

Housing First Umpqua trains volunteers to become Income Advocates, who help those eligible disabled homeless in our community access Social Security benefits, and/or General Assistance benefits funded by the State of Oregon.

Housing Access & Stability with SOAR

Without stable income, accessing and/or keeping housing is very challenging and people can become chronically homeless. This is especially true for people who have severe and persistent mental or physical illnesses.

Housing First Umpqua’s SOAR (SSDI/SSI Outreach Access & Recovery) program assists eligible applicants with obtaining SSI and/or SSDI benefits, providing a stable source of income that helps access and maintain housing.

Housing First Umpqua focuses on accessing permanent housing as quickly as possible and then arranging for the services necessary to retain that housing. SOAR can play a crucial role in the success of our Housing First model.  

Having SOAR-trained advocates within Housing First Umpqua will facilitate expedited access to both income and housing. 

Applying for Social Security disability income through the SOAR program offered by Housing First Umpqua, can shorten the wait time to be approved from 2-years to as few as 3-months!

In addition to Social Security disability related income, there is another program, called General Assistance (GA) funded by the State of Oregon, available while waiting for an SSI case to be approved.

Oregon’s General Assistance Program

Oregon’s General Assistance (GA) program helps those who are disabled and homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. It provides temporary income to help pay rent and other living expenses, while one waits for a Social Security SSI case to be decided.

This program is new and is inspired by the Housing First model that focuses on helping people access permanent housing as quickly as possible. Oregon’s GA program helps pay for housing and incidental living expenses as follows: up to $545 per month for housing assistance, $90 for utilities and $60 in cash assistance per month.

This program is operated by Oregon’s Department of Human Services (DHS), which can also assist with the Social Security application and appeals process. Housing First Umpqua (HFU) can help you with both.  

SOAR Volunteers are special!

To become an Income Advocate you will receive training on how to interview disabled folks to collect the information needed to apply online for SSI. We use forms designed to take the guesswork out of which documentation is necessary to be approved for disability income. We will train you on how to successfully research and obtain medical and educational records necessary to document a person’s disability status.

Client confidentiality is crucial at Housing First Umpqua.

We exist to serve our clients and what we learn about them to do so, is not our information to share without clear authorization from the client. Everyone working with Housing First Umpqua must adhere to a strict confidentiality policy. We will be dealing with highly sensitive medical, mental health and other personal private records. It is expected that everyone will respect the privacy of clients and maintain their personal and financial information as confidential.