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12 <br />of basic life skills. Ideas for addressing barriers included not thinking less of people who are not <br />ready for help, developing peer leaders or mentors who can provide assistance in accessing services <br />without judgment, trust building, and meeting people where they are at. <br />• “To address the barriers, you can offer to be there when they want to change.” <br />• “Trust-building has to be implemented because either these people have been through <br />tough situations and have trauma, or they have tried to go through the system and there’s <br />limited availability….Some people need to be taught basic life skills because they don’t <br />understand or have experience with them.” <br />• “I think if we can incorporate that peer work more in what we do, that would be <br />beneficial. We need to meet where they are, with non-judgment, approaching them as <br />individuals who are where they are.” <br />• “Meet people where they’re at an in the trauma they brought with them.” <br />Law Enforcement/Local Government: Participants discussed a variety of ways to address these <br />barriers. One participant suggested using the behavioral health court as a model for getting people <br />to access services. Another participant expressed that sometimes it takes several tries for someone <br />to be willing to access services. The multiple steps people have to go through to access services is <br />a barrier as well and there was a suggestion to have people available to walk people through the <br />process with them. <br />• “Maybe it’s that fifth time they say they will do it.” <br />• “I think the limited availability of services is a big obstacle.” <br />Community Members: Participant ideas for addressing barriers included people having on ongoing <br />support system (a personal advocate to help them access services), increased availability and <br />accessibility of mental health services for people who are unhoused, levels of support similar to what <br />people with developmental disabilities receive, letting people know what resources are available, <br />and education about how the system works. <br />• “I feel like the challenge is being able to support them as they go along. You get them a <br />house, and they can’t manage that on their own without support. So an ongoing support <br />system for people who have these challenges would be good.” <br />• “I see less around mental health and mental illness. That’s a big barrier….it’s traditional <br />in that you come into their office. Not everyone who is unhoused is available to do that or <br />they don’t sit well in a waiting room. So there is not a variety of approaches to make that <br />available to folks who are unhoused.” <br />• “I strongly support the idea of some of these people having a personal advocate.” <br />• “I don’t think they know what’s available.” <br />Central Washington University: Some participants felt that there is an unwillingness to provide <br />services more than an unwillingness to participate. Other barriers brought up included lack of <br />transportation, judgement and stigma, and lack of trust. Ideas to address barriers included letting <br />people know what is and isn’t needed to access services (i.e., identification, social security <br />number), ensuring services are discrete and welcoming, having someone to help guide people <br />through processes, and asking people what their priorities are and what their barriers are. <br />• “Not having a vehicle is a major, major issue…counting on the bus to come around the <br />area wasn’t enough…” <br />• “They want to blame the victim. It’s easier. It gets them off the hook.”