OneHome Asset Map: A Step in Building Regional Partnerships Metro Denver Homeless Initiative March 2017 Last Revised March 29, 2017
Table of Contents Introduction. 3 Asset Map.. 4 Adams... 5 Arapahoe.... 7 Boulder.. 9 Broomfield. 11 Denver... 13 Douglas.. 15 Jefferson 17 Findings... 19 Discussion..... 20 Next Steps.. 23 Appendices. 24 Appendix A 24 Appendix B 25 2
Introduction Metro Denver Homeless Initiative (MDHI) chose asset mapping as the method of assessment as the organization seeks to expand OneHome program capacity. MDHI is the designated lead agency for the Metro Denver Continuum of Care which seeks to prevent and end homelessness through regional partnerships and service coordination, focusing on housing interventions to accomplish this. The metro Denver area includes seven counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson. In 2014, MDHI convened agencies to develop the Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System, which later rebranded to OneHome in 2016. The OneHome program is a system that seeks to streamline the process of assessing individuals, youth, and families experiencing homelessness and matching them to the appropriate housing intervention. This program operates through partnerships with service providers in the community who act as Access Points to people experiencing homelessness. Access Points are agencies who administer the Vulnerability Index Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT). There is a VI-SPDAT for individuals, transition-aged youth, and families. MDHI recognizes the necessity of partnering with a variety of entities to efficiently impact homelessness in the region. While traditionally OneHome has partnered with homeless service providers, there has been effort to expand beyond this scope to other entities such as hospitals, libraries, and faith communities. A map of assets relevant to the homeless population of the metro Denver area was created to determine capacity of the OneHome program and to discover potential partners. An asset map is a strengths-based assessment of a community that offers a visual representation of resources in a specific area. The asset map acts as a preliminary step in expanding partnerships and thoughtfully considering organizations that would be the most beneficial partnerships for people experiencing homelessness, like direct service providers, food banks, hospitals and community health centers, libraries, food banks, housing authorities and active faith communities. The Regional Transportation District (RTD) route map 3
was also used to compare with the location of Access Points to ensure transportation is not a barrier to accessing resources. Various methods were used to discover community assets and complete the OneHome Asset Map. A team of AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) members 1 and the Master of Social Work Intern 2 at MDHI created a spreadsheet of assets. Assets related to homelessness were researched and mapped on Google Earth. The asset mapping team interviewed participating OneHome agencies and OneHome staff to solicit feedback about the program. The following section displays screenshots of the asset map for each of the seven counties. It should be noted that although this is a comprehensive map with many assets, there may be several assets in the region that were not identified during the process. Asset Map The OneHome Asset Map includes a map of each county and the comprehensive spreadsheet, which will be accessible by OneHome stakeholders. In conjunction with the asset map, several data points were used for analysis. Tables 1.1-1.7 outline McKinney Vento data from the 2014-2015 school year for each school district that has access to homeless liaisons. Tables 2.1-2.7 contain data from the 2016 Pointin-Time (PIT) Survey, an annual count and survey of people experiencing homelessness. It should be noted that the PIT Survey is known to be underreported as it is difficult to identify all persons experiencing homelessness at a given time and it is a self-report survey. The population and percentage of the population living below the poverty guideline, taken from the 2014 U.S. Census Bureau data, is also included. 1 Hayley Feldman (Aurora Housing Authority), Candie Madril (Adams County Housing Authority), and Alexa Wood (Metro Community Provider Network) 2 Jenna Espinosa (Metro Denver Homeless Initiative, Baylor University) 4
Adams County Table 1.1 Adams County McKinney-Vento Data, 2014-2015 District Name District Code Shelters, transitional housing, awaiting foster care Doubledup due to economic hardship Unsheltered Hotels/Motels TOTAL Mapleton 1 10 6 219 15 22 262 Adams 12 Five Star Schools 20 97 1488 25 75 1685 Adams County 14 30 36 639 25 44 744 Brighton 27J 40 34 410 8 13 465 Bennett 29J 50 2 30 0 0 32 Strasburg 31J 60 3 0 0 0 3 Westminster 50 70 32 992 18 52 1094 ADAMS TOTALS 210 3778 91 206 4285 Table 2.1 Adams County Point-in-Time Data, 2016 Household Category Households with children Households without children Newly Homeless 39 Chronically Homeless 11 Veterans 11 Unaccompanied Youth 13 Number of Respondent Households 34 (138 total) 56 (62 total) Table 1.1 is McKinney-Vento data from the 2014-2015 school year, displaying the number of youth experiencing homelessness. There are seven school districts under McKinney Vento jurisdiction and a total of 4,285 students currently experiencing or at-risk of experiencing literal homelessness. Table 2.1 to the left is data from the 2016 Point-in-Time Count, showing the various subpopulations of homelessness. The subpopulation with the highest number of respondents is households without children. Population: 441,603 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile Individuals Below Poverty Level: 13.8% Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 5
Map 1: Adams County with Access Points and Asset Points Individuals Access Points (2) Youth Access Points (0) Family Access Points (3) Mobile Assessor Access Points (1) Human Services Organizations (1) Housing Authorities (4) Hospitals (5) Community Health Centers (12) Active Faith Communities (12) Food Banks (8) Libraries (0) Other Direct Service Providers (13) Criminal Justice (12) McKinney Vento School Districts (7) 6
Arapahoe County Table 1.2 Arapahoe County McKinney-Vento Data, 2014-2015 District Name District Code Shelters, transitional housing, awaiting foster care Doubledup due to economic hardship Unsheltered Hotels/Motels TOTAL Englewood Schools- Arapahoe 1 120 28 185 1 26 240 Sheridan 2 123 44 279 1 13 337 Cherry Creek 5 130 24 63 10 34 131 Littleton 6 140 6 173 4 9 192 Deer Trail 26J 170 0 0 0 0 0 Adams-Arapahoe 28J (Aurora 180 111 1244 50 244 1649 Public Schools) Byers 32J 190 0 5 0 0 5 ARAPAHOE TOTALS 213 1949 66 326 2554 Table 2.2 Arapahoe County Point-in-Time Data, 2016 Household Category Number of Respondent Households Households with children 71 (215 total) Households without 229 (241 total) children Newly Homeless 98 Chronically Homeless 52 Veterans 97 Unaccompanied Youth 10 Table 1.2 above is McKinney Vento data from the 2014-2015 school year, displaying the number of youth experiencing homelessness. According to the data, 2554 students in the county are currently or at-risk of experiencing homelessness, with a majority identified in Aurora Public Schools. Table 2.2 to the left is data from the 2016 Point-in- Time Count, showing the various subpopulations of homelessness. The subpopulation with the highest number of respondents are households without children. Population: 572,003 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile Individuals Below Poverty Level: 11.2% Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 7
Map 2: Arapahoe County with Access Points and Asset Points Individuals Access Points (5) Youth Access Points (2) Family Access Points (4) Mobile Assessor Access Points (2) Human Services Organizations (1) Housing Authorities (3) Hospitals (4) Community Health Centers (7) Active Faith Communities (3) Food Banks (5) Libraries (11) Other Direct Service Providers (11) Criminal Justice (13) McKinney Vento School Districts (7) 8
Boulder County Table 1.3 Boulder County McKinney-Vento Data, 2014-2015 District Name District Code Shelters, transitional housing, awaiting foster care Doubledup due to economic hardship Unsheltered Hotels/Motels TOTAL St. Vrain RE 1J 470 198 580 18 45 841 Boulder Valley RE 2 480 203 223 4 18 448 BOULDER TOTALS 401 803 22 63 1289 Table 2.3 Boulder County Point-in-Time Data, 2016 Household Category Households with children Households without children Newly Homeless 123 Chronically Homeless 128 Veterans 38 Unaccompanied Youth 61 Number of Respondent Households 76 (298 total) 408 (428 total) Table 1.3 above is McKinney-Vento data from the 2014-2015 school year, displaying the number of youth experiencing homelessness. In Boulder, 1,289 students were identified as currently or at-risk of experiencing homelessness. Table 2.3 to the left is data from the 2016 Point-in-Time Count, showing the various subpopulations of homelessness. Households without children had the most respondents. Population: 294,567 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile Individuals Below Poverty Level: 14.1% Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 9
Map 3: Boulder County with Access Points and Asset Points Individuals Access Points (5) Youth Access Points (1) Family Access Points (2) Mobile Assessor Access Points (1) Human Services Organizations (3) Housing Authorities (2) Hospitals (1) Community Health Centers (4) Active Faith Communities (11) Food Banks (4) Libraries (4) Other Direct Service Providers (2) Criminal Justice (8) McKinney Vento School Districts (2) 10
Broomfield County Table 2.4 Broomfield County Point-in-Time Data, 2016 Household Category Number of Respondent Households Households with children 0 Households without 11 (13 total) children Newly Homeless 2 Chronically Homeless 4 Veterans 1 Unaccompanied Youth 0 Table 2.4 contains data from the 2016 Point-in- Time Count, showing the various subpopulations of homelessness. Broomfield County has the least amount of respondents experiencing homelessness. No respondents identified as a household with child nor an unaccompanied youth. Population: 55,889 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile Individuals Below Poverty Level: 6.5% Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 11
Map 4: Broomfield County with Access Points and Asset Points Individuals Access Points (1) Youth Access Points (1) Family Access Points (0) Mobile Assessor Access Points (0) Human Services Organizations (1) Housing Authorities (0) Hospitals (1) Community Health Centers (0) Active Faith Communities (0) Food Banks (0) Libraries (1) Other Direct Service Providers (1) Criminal Justice (1) McKinney Vento School Districts (0) 12
Denver County Table 1.5 Denver County McKinney-Vento Data, 2014-2015 District Name District Code Shelters, transitional housing, awaiting foster care Doubledup due to economic hardship Unsheltered Hotels/Motels TOTAL Denver County 1 880 937 1661 52 525 3175 DENVER TOTALS 937 1661 52 525 3175 Table 2.5 Denver County Point-in-Time Data, 2016 Household Category Number of Respondent Households Households with children 2,036 (2,095 total) Households without children 447 (1,536 total) Newly Homeless 402 Chronically Homeless 551 Veterans 551 Unaccompanied Youth 183 Table 1.5 above is McKinney-Vento data from the 2014-2015 school year, displaying the number of youth experiencing homelessness. A total of 3,175 students identified as currently or at-risk of homelessness. Table 2.5 to the left is data from the 2016 Point-in- Time Count, showing the various subpopulations of homelessness. Households with children had the most respondents. Population: 600,158 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile Individuals Below Poverty Level: 17.3% Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 13
Map 5: Denver County with Access Points and Asset Points Individuals Access Points (18) Youth Access Points (5) Family Access Points (5) Mobile Assessor Access Points (3) Human Services Organizations (4) Housing Authorities (2) Hospitals (13) Community Health Centers (36) Active Faith Communities (13) Food Banks (39) Libraries (26) Other Direct Service Providers (19) Criminal Justice (42) McKinney Vento School Districts (1) 14
Douglas County Table 1.6 Douglas County McKinney-Vento Data, 2014-2015 District Name District Code Shelters, transitional housing, awaiting foster care Doubledup due to economic hardship Unsheltered Hotels/Motels TOTAL Douglas County RE 1 900 76 751 15 68 910 DOUGLAS TOTALS 76 751 15 68 910 Table 2.6 Douglas County Point-in-Time Data, 2016 Household Category Households with children Number of Respondent Households 19 (52 total) Households without 13 (13 total) children Newly Homeless 11 Chronically Homeless 5 Veterans 4 Unaccompanied Youth 0 Table 1.6 above is McKinney Vento data from the 2014-2015 school year, displaying the number of youth experiencing homelessness. In Douglas County, consisting of only one school district, 910 students identified as currently r at-risk of homelessness. Table 2.6 to the left is data from the 2016 Point-in- Time Count, showing the various subpopulations of homelessness. Douglas has low counts of respondents experiencing homelessness. Households with children has the largest subpopulation. Population: 285,465 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile Individuals Below Poverty Level: 4.0% Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 15
Map 6: Douglas County with Access Points and Asset Points Individuals Access Points (0) Youth Access Points (0) Family Access Points (1) Mobile Assessor Access Points (0) Human Services Organizations (1) Housing Authorities (1) Hospitals (2) Community Health Centers (1) Active Faith Communities (1) Food Banks (0) Libraries (7) Other Direct Service Providers (0) Criminal Justice (3) McKinney Vento School Districts (1) 16
Jefferson County Table 1.7 Jefferson County McKinney-Vento Data, 2014-2015 District Name District Code Shelters, transitional housing, awaiting foster care Doubledup due to economic hardship Unsheltered Hotels/Motels TOTAL Jefferson County RE-1 1420 272 2079 78 327 2756 JEFFERSON TOTALS 272 2079 78 327 2756 Table 2.7 Jefferson County Point-in-Time Data, 2016 Household Category Number of Respondent Households Households with children 74 (271 total) Households without children 167 (168 total) Newly Homeless 57 Chronically Homeless 50 Veterans 14 Unaccompanied Youth 21 Table 1.7 above is McKinney-Vento data from the 2014-2015 school year, displaying the number of youth experiencing homelessness. In Jefferson s one school district, 2,756 students identified as currently or at-risk for experiencing homelessness. Table 2.7 to the left is data from the 2016 Point-in- Time Count, showing the various subpopulations of homelessness. Households without children were the largest subpopulation of respondents. Population: 534,543 Source: 2010 Demographic Profile Individuals Below Poverty Level: 8.5% Source: 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates 17
Map 7: Jefferson County with Access Points and Asset Points Individuals Access Points (4) Youth Access Points (1) Family Access Points (1) Mobile Assessor Access Points (0) Human Services Organizations (1) Housing Authorities (2) Hospitals (4) Community Health Centers (10) Active Faith Communities (2) Food Banks (5) Libraries (10) Other Direct Service Providers (5) Criminal Justice (17) McKinney Vento School Districts (1) 18
Findings Creating a visual representation of assets in the metro Denver community allowed the asset mapping team to easily identify potentially helpful partners and the current scope of the OneHome program. Access Points The asset map team looked at the general coverage of Access Points throughout the metro Denver area and if these Access Points were accessible to people experiencing homelessness, specifically if they were locations that included services often utilized by people experiencing homelessness and if they were located near public transportation. Although most Access Points were located in Denver, this is appropriate for the number of people experiencing homelessness identified. Broomfield and Douglas counties had two and one Access Point, respectively. It is reflective of the number of people experiencing homelessness identified in these counties. Access Points in Arapahoe and Adams counties were located closer to the Denver County borders, while the eastern areas of these counties were lacking Access Points. Similarly, Jefferson and Boulder counties were lacking Access Points in the western areas of their counties, where the Rocky Mountain range begins. In addition, Douglas County has one Access Point. Although these five identified areas were lacking Access Points, when compared with population data from the US Census Bureau and data on homelessness, there was not high population concentration in these areas. When compared with RTD maps in the metro area, it was determined that Access Points were accessible to people utilizing public transportation as most were located within walking distance from bus stops and Light Rail stations. Most Access Points are direct homeless service 19
providers, such as shelters, drop-in service centers, or housing providers. Some of the Access Points are mental and physical health service providers, such as St. Anthony s Hospital, Denver Health, and Metro Community Provider Network. Potential Partners for OneHome Potential partners in the metro Denver area are numerous. Categories with the most assets are other direct service providers, food banks, and physical health settings like community health centers and hospitals. Assets that had widespread coverage over the region are libraries and McKinney Vento school districts. Similarly to Access Points, potential partners were in areas of higher population concentration, closer to Denver. Some areas lacking Access Points were in the western areas of Jefferson and Boulder counties and eastern areas of Adams and Arapahoe counties. Discussion The OneHome Asset Map should be considered a preliminary step in building partnerships. Areas of involvement for potential partners can include becoming Access Points, referring people experiencing homelessness to Access Points, educating consumers about homelessness, and offering resources to OneHome participants for diversion or housing stability purposes. Prevention and Diversion A significant component in the Coordinated Entry system is prevention and diversion, which are strategies to help individuals and families avoid homelessness and entering the homeless service delivery system. These efforts include services like emergency financial 20
assistance, cross-system collaboration, employment search assistance, and other tactics to prevent and resolve housing crises. Prevention and diversion is not possible without community-based services and communication with cross-system partners. To prevent people from exiting institutions of mental health, physical health, and criminal justice, it is crucial to identify and communicate the risk of homelessness between these systems and the homeless service delivery system. Potential criminal justice partners can act as a prevention partner to identify people exiting jail/prison into homelessness. Faith communities and other direct service providers are potentially helpful partners in financial assistance, employment search, and education services as well as a source of emotional and spiritual support for clients. Common Assessment and Coordinated Access Access Points are locations where people experiencing homelessness have access to housing placement services by taking the common assessment tool. According to data from the OneHome information system, over 50 locations throughout the region have staff trained in administering the VI-SPDAT, however many of them do not administer VI-SPDATs regularly or maintain involvement in the OneHome program. OneHome Youth and OneHome Family pre-test and pilot evaluation reveals issues in process quality and several agencies have expressed obstacles in staff capacity. It could be beneficial for OneHome staff to focus on building and maintaining quality and supporting agencies with low capacity before deciding whether to recruit other Access Points. An evident strength in the OneHome community is the availability of Mobile Assessors. OneHome has increased its number of Access Points and supported agencies with low staff 21
capacity through the Mobile Assessors. These Mobile Assessors could also be valuable if OneHome does seek to recruit Access Points that are not directly a part of the homeless service delivery system. Also in recruiting non-traditional partners, it may be beneficial to seek potential partners that operate within networks. For example, points of contact in the Centura or UC Health networks or public library systems in Denver and Arapahoe could be identified that may offer access through multiple locations within their network. Although Access Points cover the metro Denver area and are accessible via public transportation, ease of access is still an obstacle. It is difficult for organizations and for people experiencing homelessness to identify where they can access housing services. A clear referral guide could be beneficial to potential partners that may not act as Access Points but still regularly interact with people experiencing homelessness. Other Opportunities Data, resources, and public will are important factors in the success of preventing and ending homelessness. OneHome can increase data sharing across systems to creatively portray the magnitude of homelessness. Potential partners can distribute their own data points as well as support MDHI s data efforts like the annual Point-in-Time Survey. Partnerships can also open opportunities to resources and promote creative use of these resources, like housing efforts from faith communities or adding a homeless preference to housing through housing authorities. Creating a diverse continuum of partners could also increase public will to address homelessness. Involving partners that are typically more distant to homelessness could increase education and understanding of homelessness and thus, motivate the community to collectively impact the issue. 22
Next Steps The OneHome Asset Map should be a preliminary step in building diverse partnerships to benefit various components of Coordinated Entry. Below is a list of potential next steps to be considered by OneHome staff and the community: Identify points of contact for potential partners, especially in the library and health networks as some already have trained human service professionals. Build profiles on potential partners that includes points of contact, strengths, level of interest, and capacity to address homelessness. Add new asset categories as needed, such as child welfare agencies, recreation centers, and adding additional assets in existing categories. Solicit feedback from people with lived experience and outreach staff to determine if Access Points are located near encampments and other areas people experiencing homelessness spend time. Create a referral guide to distribute to potential partners and current Access Points with periods of low staff capacity. Develop clear policies and procedures and systematically evaluate the OneHome program. 23
Appendix A OneHome Program Definitions Access Points: locations that administer one of the VI-SPDATS and inputs these assessments into the OneHome system Continuum of Care: geographical areas that receive funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to address homelessness through various housing interventions. There are over 400 CoCs in the nation, one being the seven-county metro Denver area. F-VI-SPDAT: the VI-SPDAT for families, which is at least one adult and at least one minor, under the age of 18 OneHome: Formerly known as the Coordinated Assessment and Housing Placement System (CAHPS), OneHome is a program that coordinates services for people experiencing homelessness by using a common assessment tool. The assessment tool scores their vulnerability and matches them to the appropriate housing intervention. The recipient then works with housing providers to gain and maintain stable housing. TAY-VI-SPDAT: the VI-SPDAT for transition age youth, which is people age 18 to 24 VI-SPDAT: Vulnerability Index-Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool, the common assessment tool that measures vulnerability of people experiencing homelessness and suggests a specific housing intervention based on the vulnerability score 24
Appendix B Assets Definitions Active Faith Communities: congregations that have shown an interest in or have actively addressed homelessness through volunteer opportunities, advocacy, serving meals, etc. Community Health Centers: locations that offer medical and public health services to community members Criminal Justice: locations that interact with people who are arrested, in jail/prison, on probation, or participating in re-entry and correctional services. This was included because people in the criminal justice system have the potential to exit into homelessness and people experiencing homelessness can have criminal backgrounds. Family Access Points: locations that administer the F-VI-SPDAT to an adult with a child under the age of 18 experiencing homelessness Food Banks: locations and programs that exist for the purpose of giving food to people in need Hospitals: locations that offer emergency medical services. This was included because people experiencing homelessness typically use hospitals for any health need and to escape the streets Housing Authorities: city or county entities that facilitate public housing efforts Human Services Organizations: locations that house a city s or county s human services departments. This was included because public benefits are often administered through these locations 25
Individual Access Points: locations that administer the VI-SPDAT with people individuals experiencing homelessness. Locations had to have administered at least five VI-SPDATs to be considered an active Access Point Libraries: This asset was included because people experiencing homelessness often go to libraries to use public computers and escape the streets during the day McKinney Vento School Districts: locations of administrative offices of school districts that have McKinney Vento homeless liaisons who work with students and their families experiencing homelessness Mobile Assessor Access Points: locations that host mobile assessor staff who travel to various locations to administer a VI-, TAY-, or F-VI-SPDAT Other Direct Service Providers: locations that interact regularly with people experiencing homelessness because they offer services beneficial to this population Youth Access Points: locations that administer the TAY-SPDAT to individuals under the age of 24 experiencing homelessness 26