Supplemental Security Income and Homeless Individuals
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| The "homeless" status of an individual does not affect his eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Homeless individuals have the same right to apply for SSI benefits as anyone else. To obtain his benefits, a homeless individual may pick up his payments at a local Social Security office, have the payments mailed to a third party, have the funds automatically deposited into a personal bank account, or have the payments sent to a representative payee who will act in the individual's best interests.
The amount of SSI benefits that an individual receives can be affected by his residence in a correctional facility or medical treatment facility. The benefits of a homeless individual may also be affected if he lives in a shelter. However, a homeless individual who takes shelter in a "safe haven" will not have his SSI benefits reduced based on the care and support he receives there. "Safe havens" are institutions that are given grants by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide low-cost housing and support to homeless individuals who will not or cannot participate in mental health treatment programs.
In April 2004, the Social Security Administration (SSA) provided funding for a Homeless Outreach Projects and Evaluation (HOPE) program to assist homeless individuals with applying for SSI and Social Security Disability Income benefits. Through the HOPE program, the SSA seeks to aid in the eradication of chronic homelessness by targeting high risk groups and helping them obtain the benefits for which they are eligible. These high-risk groups include homeless individuals who have a severe mental illness, HIV, limited proficiency with the English language, and veterans with disabilities. Copyright 2010 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. |