Client Perception and Utilization of an
Innovative “One-Stop” Service Center
for People Experiencing Homelessness
A Mixed-Methods Case Study
Tomi Gomory, Jill Gromer, Danielle Groton, Sara Groff,
Monique Ellsworth, Megan Duncan, and Rachel Harris
ABSTRACT
Te provision of multiple services in one-stop centers is a promising but understud-
ied trend in social services for people experiencing homelessness, many of whom also
struggle with mental health issues. One-stop centers theoretically remove many barriers
to care, but the efects of this have not been studied. Tis work describes one innovative
one-stop center for people experiencing homelessness during its frst year of operation.
A pragmatic, mixed-methods approach was used to collect information about those re-
ceiving services at the center, the types of services received, recipients’ level of satisfac-
tion with services, and their subjective experiences of the center. Tree sources of data
were analyzed: client surveys, semistructured client interviews, and de-identifed center
records. Findings from this evaluation suggest that the center is helpful to the people
served, but also revealed problems that are likely to be common to other one-stop centers.
Te article concludes with corresponding implications for practice and research.
KEYWORDS
homelessness, one-stop centers, social service delivery, social work
One-stop centers, or programs that ofer a variety of services at a single
location, are an emerging trend in social services for people experienc-
ing homelessness (e.g., Connections Housing, n.d.; Grace Marketplace,
n.d.; People Assisting the Homeless, n.d.; Te Navigation Center, n.d.).
Although it is a recently developing trend with limited extant literature, it
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