Welcome  To  CST
 


The Consumer Satisfaction Team of Montgomery County, Inc. (CST)
Executive Summary for
Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center (CHOC) and
One Night At A Time (ONAT)
June, 2006


1001 Sterigere Street Bldg. 6
Norristown, PA 19401
(610) 270-3685

The Consumer Satisfaction Team of Montgomery County, Inc. (CST) went to the Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center (CHOC) and One Night At A Time (ONAT) located at Building 53 on the grounds of the Norristown State Hospital, Norristown, PA. CHOC and ONAT are services provided by the Mental Health Association of Pennsylvania.

The survey tool was developed with input from users of services, program directors and the CST staff.

The CST presented to the consumers on May 25th, 2006 and invited people to participate in the survey.

The CST interviewed 76 people within a two day period.

There were 38 multiple choice questions and 14 open-ended questions about CHOC and 16 multiple choice questions and 6 open-ended questions about ONAT.




Demographics

(totals reported are percentages of the 76 people surveyed)












**This question regarding the respondent’s ideal place to live listed the following options:

  1. Live in a house, apartment or room by yourself
  2. Live in a house, apartment or room with family
  3. Live in a house, apartment or room with roommates
  4. Live in a transitional rehabilitation group setting with other individuals and 24/7 staff support on-site
  5. Live in a permanent group setting with other individuals and 24/7 staff support on-site
  6. Live in a nursing home because of severe medical problems


“Strengths and Concerns” are highlighted, based on responses with the highest percentage of responses. The open-ended question responses are also included based upon a majority themed response.

The entire report will be posted on the CST website www.cstmont.com and will also be sent out by request.

The reports will be disseminated to users of CHOC/ONAT services, staff and directors of CHOC/ONAT services, the County office and the CST staff and board.

Meetings will be arranged with all of the stakeholders for a discussion of the “Strengths and Concerns”. The purpose will be to provide a forum for problem solving and for sharing concerns.




Coordinated Homeless Outreach Center (CHOC)


Strengths

Concerns

Majority of respondents (80%) stated that staff treated them with respect.

Lack of Shower Access 49%
Food 53%
Laundry Access 71%
Storage of Belongings 50%
Access to lunch all of the time 10.5%

Stealing 47%
Persons under the influence of
drugs/alcohol 51%
Violence witnessed 59%

Access to computers – 74%

Low % for safety at CHOC, outside CHOC and in the vans

 

Waiting to get into CHOC 70%


Overall rating for CHOC:

Good 46.1%
Poor 11.8%
Fair 42.1%



One Night At A Time (ONAT)

Strengths

Concerns

Safety in van 65%

Cleanliness of sleeping mats 71%

Place to sleep 66%

Hygiene of passengers in van 61%

Case management services 72%

Leaving churches too early, not enough

sleep 80%

 

Violence witnessed 40%

 

Length of time to get case management services



Overall rating for ONAT:

Good 34.2%
Fair 48.8%
Poor 15.8%




Summary of Open-ended Responses


Majority Opinions


Q12. How is the situation handled by staff if people are under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol?

44% of people who responded said that “People are put out”.


Q14. Have you witnessed violence at CHOC?

57.9% of respondents reported witnessing some kind of violence.


Q3. Is there enough staff at CHOC?

34.2% of respondents felt that there was not enough staff at night and 26.3% of respondents felt that there was not enough staff on the weekend.


Q16. How can services at CHOC be improved?

See attached list of responses. 94.7% of respondents answered this question.


Q31. & Q32. What time do you leave CHOC to get to a place to sleep? What time do you have to get up and leave the church?

People reported that they leave CHOC in shifts from 8:30pm to midnight. The majority of people had to get up between 4:00am and 5:00am.


Q33. If you don’t get enough sleep, how does it affect you?

The majority of respondents (80.3%) stated that they did not get enough sleep and that it had a negative effect on their physical and mental health.

Q39. How long did it take for you to get case management services at CHOC?

The average amount of time reported to get case management services was 13 days, and three respondents reported that they were still waiting for a case manager.


Q45a. Where do you get breakfast?

There were varied responses as to where people got breakfast. 31 of 76 respondents stated that they do not have breakfast.


Q45b. Where do you get lunch?

2 out of 76 respondents stated that they do not have lunch.


Q45c. Where do you get dinner?

22 out of 76 respondents stated that they do not eat dinner.


Q7b. If you are at CHOC and it is not lunch time, and you do not have access to food, what do you do?

32 people responded to this question, and four of them responded “I starve”.

The majority of others stated that they “go without”.


Q58. Is there anything else you would like us to know?

See attached list of responses.


Majority Issues



Please call 610-270-3685 to request a complete report of all responses.


Thank you.