Outreach & Peer Support

ACCESS is proud to support Veterans through dedicated outreach and peer support services.

Our Veterans Outreach Team—many of whom are Veterans themselves—works directly with those who have served, offering personalized support and understanding rooted in shared experience. We connect with Veterans throughout Jackson County, including at the VA, shelters, food pantries, and on the streets, providing access to essential resources like housing, medical care, transportation, and mental health services.

Once we connect with local Veterans, we welcome them into our Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program for ongoing peer support. SSVF staff helps Veterans navigate complex systems and receive assistance.

At ACCESS, we believe that everyone deserves to be seen, heard, and supported, no matter their housing status.

Our Outreach Team actively engages with unhoused individuals throughout Jackson County by meeting them where they are: on the greenway, in parks, near encampments, or at shelters and service hubs. We build relationships based on trust, consistency, and compassion, providing a reliable presence in the lives of those who are often overlooked.

Our outreach efforts focus on more than just immediate needs like food, shelter, or hygiene supplies, though we offer those too. We work to connect people with long-term solutions such as mental and physical healthcare, transportation assistance, substance use recovery programs, and housing opportunities. Whether it’s helping someone navigate the system for the first time or following up week after week to build a strong relationship, our team is dedicated to walking alongside people on their path to stability and hope.

Our Outreach Team sets up resource tables throughout Jackson County, connecting face-to-face with individuals who need support.

You’ll find us at resource fairs, cultural celebrations, shelters, food pantries, schools, parks, churches, and community centers – anywhere people gather.

Our team members are highly trained in trauma-informed care and bring both compassion and expertise to every interaction. At these tables, you can receive one-on-one support, learn about ACCESS programs, and get referrals to trusted partner organizations.

ACCESS participates in the annual Point in Time (PIT) Count to help capture a snapshot of homelessness in Jackson County.

The PIT Count is a manual count of all individuals experiencing homelessness. This initiative documents the number of individuals who are unhoused in our county and the challenges they face, providing essential data for local and national efforts to combat homelessness.

Every year in January, the Jackson County Continuum of Care conducts the PIT Count. Together, we collect information on people who are residing in places not meant for human habitation such as tents or cars. The purpose of the count is to provide data, connect people to area resources and support services, and to identify and rectify barriers to housing and services. This data is also essential to report to the State in order to receive grant funding and provide life-changing services for our community.

Through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program, we help Veterans navigate complex systems, advocate in court or at lease signings, and connect with partner organizations such as the VA, ARC, and OnTrack. To our valued service members, we offer connection, dignity, and a path toward stability. Whether it’s offering a ride to a doctor’s appointment, helping someone access treatment, or simply being there with a listening ear, we’re committed to walking beside our fellow Veterans every step of the way.

The SSVF team is committed to helping Veterans become stably housed, with the resources they need to thrive. This often includes helping them recover lost or stolen documents from the VA, DMV, or County records. This can also mean connecting them with other community partners as needed.

If you have questions about your eligibility or need support getting documents from the DMV, VA, or other entities, please connect with ACCESS staff.

ACCESS connects individuals with a wide network of support, including rental and deposit assistance programs, housing navigation teams, and referrals to trusted community partners.

Our goal is to help individuals access the services they need to move toward stability and self-sufficiency.

At our emergency shelter locations — The Roxy and The Merrick — participants receive hands-on support through our team of Peer Support Specialists in Housing Retention. While not case managers in the formal sense, these dedicated team members provide structured, compassionate guidance to help shelter residents stabilize and prepare for permanent housing. With a team of 4–6 Peer Support staff at these sites, participants are supported through every step of the transition from navigating resources to building life skills and making meaningful progress toward long-term housing.

Our outreach efforts focus on more than just immediate needs like food, shelter, or hygiene supplies, though we offer those too. We work to connect people with long-term solutions such as mental and physical healthcare, transportation assistance, substance use recovery programs, and housing opportunities. Whether it’s helping someone navigate the system for the first time or following up week after week to build a strong relationship, our team is dedicated to walking alongside people on their path to stability and hope.

The ACCESS Outreach Emergency Sheltering Program (OESP) provides emergency shelter and wraparound support for individuals living in vehicles, tents, or other unsafe conditions.

With transportation assistance, peer engagement, and connections to long-term resources, OESP has helped hundreds of participants stabilize and transition into permanent housing, including unstably housed families, Veterans, people achieving sobriety, receiving mental health support, and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking.

The OESP program served 263 participants in FY25.

• 78% success rate of those we serve experiencing a positive change in their living conditions or successfully moving into improved housing.
• 35% success rate in transitioning participants into permanent housing.
• In FY25, this program’s participants included 208 adults and 54 children.
• 60 households identified as fleeing domestic violence or human trafficking
• 15 Veterans participated in the OESP program in FY25.

OESP is here to help people stabilize, connect to resources, and transition into long-term housing solutions.

For individuals facing substance-related charges, the Deflection Program offers an alternative to incarceration and an ability to rebuild lives and families.

In partnership with local law enforcement and recovery providers, participants seek treatment and complete structured peer support sessions in place of formal charges. They receive shelter, support, and a chance to begin their recovery journey. In partnership with Jackson County, OnTrack, and ARC (Additions Recovery Center), our Deflection Program offers an alternative to incarceration for individuals arrested for substance-related offenses.

The Deflection program served 43 participants in FY25.

• With a 48.8% success rate, this program is making a difference in helping people change course — starting with shelter, support, and sobriety.

The Jackson County Continuum of Care (CoC) Rapid Rehousing Program helps individuals and families ready to move into independent living.

Through short-term rental assistance and personalized support from the ACCESS Housing Retention Team, we help participants secure safe, stable housing and, just as importantly, provide the tools they need to maintain it.

For people ready to transition into independent living, the Rapid Rehousing program offers dignity, stability, and a fresh start for each family we serve.

The Rapid Rehousing program served 37 participants in FY25.

• This program supported 5 total households, including 21 adults and 16 children.