Florida s Children and Youth Cabinet Child Welfare Indicator Workgroup Report. Homeless Children and Youth

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1 Florida s Children and Youth Cabinet Child Welfare Indicator Workgroup Report Homeless Children and Youth Workgroup Members: Jack Ahearn, Department of Juvenile Justice Lorraine Husum Allen, Department of Education Jeannie Becker-Powell, Department of Juvenile Justice Cathy Bishop, Department of Education Lorena Fulcher, Agency for People with Disabilities Stacy Howard, Agency for Workforce Innovation Carol McNally, Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida Vicki McCrary, Agency for People with Disabilities Tom Pierce, Department of Children and Families Tom Rankin, Department of Children and Families Judy Taylor-Fischer, Agency for Health Care Administration Patricia Trom, Department of Health March 11,

2 Number DRAFT TURN THE CURVE EXERCISE 2/23/10 Result: Every child has a home. Indicator Baseline Homeless Children Projected Number of Homeless Children If No Changes-2010 forward 6000 Projected Benchmarks for Number of Homeless Children if Initiatives Implemented forward Year Story Behind the Baseline Economic downturn, including job loss and foreclosures Lack of affordable and accessible housing Partners Supportive housing Domestic violence shelters Legislators Faith-based community organizations Local homeless education liaisons at school districts Data from 2006 through 2009 is from the Headline Indicators-Florida Cabinet for Children and Youth. Data from 2010 forward are projections. Please see pages 3-4 for information on other data sources. Family factors, including substance abuse, divorce, domestic violence, mental illness, and health care access External factors, including natural disasters Community-Based Care (CBC) City/County Commissioners Runaway shelters Guardian ad litem Homelessness organizations Migrant worker organizations Best Ideas (What Works) 1. Prevention - Enhancing front line staff knowledge of other social services to help connect individuals to services that may reduce, intervene, and prevent homelessness. 2. Establish a competition (such as a Governor s Award) to incentivize local communities to institute innovative practices to decrease homelessness. 3. Partner local homelessness coalitions with local banks to utilize foreclosed homes or vacant properties to house homeless people with a rent-to-buy option. 4. Utilize vacant state and federal land to provide housing while people transition into permanent residences. 5. Off the Wall Option - Implement tax incentive for snowbirds to allow people without homes to live/maintain their Florida homes when they are out of state as a mechanism for increasing jobs and providing shelter.

3 Introduction The Florida s Children and Youth Cabinet strives to improve the well-being of children in Florida and their families. The Cabinet established a focus on 13 child well-being indicators to improve the lives and outcomes of children in Florida. One goal is that Every Florida child lives in a safe and supportive community, with Homeless Children being an indicator of that goal. The information contained in this report will focus on identifying strategies to decrease the number of children who are homeless in Florida. Homelessness can cause long-term problems with children. It affects their health, development, emotions, social lives, and academic achievement. Children who are homeless are often faced with a lack of security, interruptions in their schooling, lack of privacy, and decreased community involvement. The workgroup discussed various options to assist with decreasing the number of homeless children in Florida. The workgroup emphasized adopting several solutions that include community-partners to implement, rather than government. The workgroup strived to identify solutions not previously identified, as well as solutions that use existing resources or are low cost. Headline Indicator Data The data reported in the Headline Indicators document, from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) show a decrease in the number of homeless children from 2006 through The data reflect the former state definition of homelessness, which was revised during the 2009 legislative session. This includes people who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence, or whose primary residence is: A public or private shelter or transitional housing; A place not meant for human habitation, including parks, the street, or a vehicle; A temporary residence for persons intended to be in an institution. Explanation of Other Data Sources The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) also collects data on the number of homeless students who enroll in Florida public schools. These data are cumulative. If a student was homeless at any time during the school year, the student will appear in the number total. The FLDOE uses the federal McKinney-Vento Act definition, which is broader than the former state definition. The federal definition includes homeless children and youth who are sharing the housing of others due to the loss of housing or similar hardship and those living in hotels and motels. The FLDOE data show an increase in the number of homeless children for the same time. In school years , , and , there were 29,545; 30,878; and 34,375 identified respectively, as homeless in Florida schools. The number identified in was 41,286, a 20% increase from the previous year. The FDOE staff shared that because of the earthquake disaster in Haiti, there are more than 2,000-plus additional displaced homeless children enrolled in Florida public schools at this time. This will cause a spike in data considerations for March 11,

4 It should be noted that variances in data from different sources could be attributed to the different definitions and times of collection used by agencies and organizations, which identify homelessness. Some agencies such as the state and local educational agencies use a broader definition. Additionally, some state, national, and local homeless coalitions are encouraging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to adopt a definition for homelessness that better aligns with the federal McKinney-Vento definition. Florida was identified as one of the top states in the nation leading in home foreclosures. Some believe that the economic situation will not recover quickly. The cumulative effects could lead to an increase in the number of homeless families, unless remedial actions are taken. Therefore, the workgroup projects that the rate of homelessness in children may increase over the next several years, unless the state adopts new measures. Data on Trend Line Projections Based on review of the DCF data, consideration of economic changes, and knowledge of new children who are homeless because of natural disasters, the workgroup projects that the number of homeless children, on any given day in Florida, will increase over the next several years as follows: Projected , 200 homeless children Projected ,430 homeless children Projected ,373 homeless children Projected ,410 homeless children Projected ,551 homeless children If the state can continue current programs and adopt new initiatives to prevent homelessness in children, there could be decreases in the numbers of children who are homeless in Florida. The workgroup identified the following benchmark goals for improvement if identified initiatives are implemented: Projected ,000 homeless children Projected ,500 homeless children Projected ,500 homeless children Projected ,000 homeless children Projected ,500 homeless children Partners Utilizing community and public partners with this initiative ensures participation and buyin from varied resources. The workgroup identified the following community partners: Supportive housing Domestic violence shelters Legislators March 11,

5 Faith-based community organizations Local homeless education liaisons at school districts Local homeless shelters Community Based Care (CBC) City/County Commissioners Runaway shelters Guardian ad litem Homelessness organizations Migrant worker organizations Story Behind the Baseline The workgroup identified the following items as causal factors for homelessness in children: Economic downturn, including job loss and foreclosures Lack of affordable and accessible housing Family factors, including substance abuse, divorce, domestic violence, mental illness, health care access External factors, including natural disasters The workgroup identified the following items as current practices that have been successful in helping with homelessness. Some of these factors may be attributed to the decreased occurrences of homelessness in children the past several years. Current programs implemented by the Department of Children and Families, Office of Homelessness Outreach from faith-based organizations to provide support for food and clothing Department of Children and Families ACCESS Florida online system A local homeless education liaison in every school district tasked with identifying homeless students and ensuring they are immediately enrolled and provided the educational and other services for which they are entitled and need to stay in school Community volunteer efforts, including both grassroots and organized support Domestic violence shelters Benefits for some individuals from the stimulus tax credits, which have a positive impact on helping people make living arrangements Local homeless coalitions carrying out continuum of care plans as defined by statute Discussion on solutions The workgroup strived to identify new solutions by maximizing existing resources and community partnerships. The workgroup recommends that maintaining funds for existing initiatives and programs should remain along with these options. The top solutions on the Turn the Curve Summary are as follows: March 11,

6 Focus on prevention by increasing knowledge of staff entry points of other social services to help connect individuals to services that may reduce, intervene, and prevent homelessness. Establish a competition (such as a Governor s Award) as an incentive to local communities to institute innovative practices to decrease homelessness. Partner local homelessness coalitions with local banks to use foreclosed homes to house homeless people with a rent-to-buy option. Utilize vacant state and federal (e.g., closed military bases) land to provide housing. Off the Wall Option - Implement tax incentives for snowbirds who allow people without homes to live in/maintain their Florida homes when they are out of state. The workgroup also identified additional solutions for consideration: Encourage the Florida State Employees Charitable Campaign (FSECC) to highlight/emphasize giving to charities that help the homeless during the FSEC Campaign Increase child support enforcement for parents who are in default Improve transportation issues in rural areas, including coordinated carpooling systems Provide incentives for contractors to build in lower-cost areas, closer to industry Continue emphasis on prevention by teaching children employability skills, money management, and other life skills Generate revenue through utility bills for homeless people to use as deposits to turn on utilities in a home Focus efforts on job development and matching individuals who are homeless to jobs Ensure that people who are homeless are knowledgeable and take advantage of available resources, such as child care Encourage the use and procurement of grants to promote effort March 11,