National Alliance to End Homelessness NATIONAL CONFERENCE JULY 17 TH -JULY 19 TH WASHINGTON D.C.

Transcription

1 National Alliance to End Homelessness NATIONAL CONFERENCE JULY 17 TH -JULY 19 TH WASHINGTON D.C.

2 Overview of the conference Workshops presented on best practices Provided opportunities to connect and learn from colleagues nationwide Organized a day on the hill to advocate for: Increased funding for HUD Housing programs FY2018, Protection of Medicaid funding, Funding for Affordable housing to preserve and increase capacity, To preserve and fully fund US Interagency Council on Homelessness

3 Organizations in attendance Funders Together to End Homelessness Father Joe s Villages Catholic Charities Interfaith Community Services San Diego Housing Commission County of San Diego BFT Equity Partners Veteran s Village of San Diego LeSar Development

4 Dr. Ben Carson keynote address highlights Expressed clear support of Housing First strategies; A man will not beat addiction from a gutter, he will not get psychiatric help underneath a bridge, and he will not find a steady job without a steady address Cited the need for data-driven decision-making when considering other housing strategies

5 What are we doing well? We have a diverse Governance Board of leaders in the community. We have landlord engagement groups who are looking for housing. Our Coordinated Entry System is built into our HMIS Collaboration between organizations has tremendously improved We have a Veteran By-Name List We have recognized the Importance of creating a regional homeless crisis response system (rather than a series of programs and initiatives )- reflected in the Community Plan Hiring Focus Strategies to create a community and implementation plan for San Diego Merging of RTFH and CoC Involvement in CoC from both public and private funders

6 COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM We are not the only community struggling with CES! In CoCs where major changes have occurred in homelessness: 1) CES is a driving force, leading (not policing) 2) CES administers a 'flexible fund' (back rent, upfront rent payments, transportation) 3) Youth who are referred to RRH programs have dedicated 'mobile advocates' who cooperate with the youth and landlord(s) to problem-solve and provide support. Simplify: Access, Assessment, Prioritization and Referral (Look into HUD s new guidance and CES toolkit)

7 PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Improve support to shelters to better equip them to provide diversion, fully implement housing first principles and support clients in gathering documents. Shelters are an important component of the crisis response system. Our CoC must build a strong partnership with faith-based shelters. Their values are the same as ours: High value on relationships All people should be helped Practice hospitality and charity Work for peace and justice Don t make shelters so comfortable with many services and amenities that people want to return often (or never leave) and that are better than one can provide for him/her self in their own. Is your shelter a process or a destination?

8 PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Incorporate more diversion (it's a conversation not an assessment) Implement shared housing/roommate matching initiative Weave employment or income generation throughout every RRH program, just as you weave housing into it. Recognize that for projects that are targeting highly vulnerable people, the staff to client ratio is low: Youth 1 to Adults with 0 Income in a RRH program - 1 staff to 12 Include Critical Time Intervention and eviction prevention into programs

9 Community/Systems San Diego RTFH should consider a ballot measure for homelessness in Nov 2018 Addressing encampments: Speakers advocated for having an organized approach with a dedicated team to work with residents of encampments. San Francisco has a team of 4 that work for 4 weeks in one encampment with the goal of move-out/close encampment in week 4. DC Mayor created Know your rights cards; described what is/not acceptable with encampments and sleeping outside. Also emphasized the importance of balancing work on the streets/encampments with housing and being responsive to the public on their concerns, public safety and health. Develop a coordinated outreach effort Work to ensure that Landlord engagement efforts are available in all of San Diego

10 Community/Systems Begin talking about race in our community WOMEN should be considered their own category ( like youth and chronic) instead of being lumped with men. Need to consider their unique needs. Publish project level data to the public with names of agencies attached. Often, this is the way an agency determines that their data is not in the HMIS system accurately. Improve educational opportunities for the board and provide opportunities to engage more in discussion and debates around the issues. Offer more cross-training to bring DV and housing and mental health providers together. This collaborative approach appears to eliminate the 'silo' approach to DV wherein only those providers see themselves as advocates for this special population.

11 Community/Systems Systemic planning for youth in homelessness is needed. The most critical piece (along with trauma-informed services) is a path to employment and independence. Establish criminal justice partnerships to end homelessness Progressive Engagement:..providing the lightest touch needed for stabilization. Developing a move on strategy for persons living in PSH (this is the most expensive intervention and should be reserved for those who need it the most). Strategies target those who no longer need services but just need an affordable unit or housing choice voucher.