Service Description

RISE’s SOAR program increases access to Social Security disability benefits for eligible children and adults who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness and have a serious mental illness, medical impairment, and/or co-occurring substance use disorder. It can be a challenge for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness to gain access to Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSI/SSDI) benefits. For those individuals who also have serious mental illness, medical impairments, and/or a co-occurring substance use disorder, the challenge can be even greater. SAMHSA’s SOAR Technical Assistance Center helps states and communities end homelessness and promote recovery by increasing access to SSI/SSDI for individuals with disabling conditions. The SOAR model is designed to assist children and adults in applying for Social Security disability benefits, including those returning to their communities from jails and hospitals. Youth aging out of the foster care system may apply 180 days before their foster care eligibility will end due to age. Since 2005, the SOAR program has helped more than 45,137 people obtain SSI/SSDI benefits–often the critical first step in recovery. All 50 states and Washington D.C. participate in SOAR. The program brings case managers and other state and local stakeholders together to coordinate the implementation of state and local-level SOAR programs. SAMHSA’s SOAR Technical Assistance Center provides training and technical assistance to help stakeholders develop action plans and track outcomes. SOAR-trained case managers provide comprehensive SSI/SSDI application assistance for eligible individuals who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. During this process, they also keep in contact with the applicant, the Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices, and state agencies, which are usually called Disability Determination Services (DDS)–federally funded state agencies that work with SSI.

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