Transcript Development and Implementation of a Jurisdictional

Development and Implementation
of a
Jurisdictional Homelessness Plan
KNOXVILLE-KNOX COUNTY, TENNESSEE
Overview
Background
Plan Development
Plan Strategies
Key Successes
Critical Challenges
Moving Forward
Background
 Knoxville-Knox County Homeless Coalition formed
in mid 1980’s
 Coalition, with support from City and County
Community Development has coordinated HUD’s
Continuum of Care process.
 As USICH began advocating for jurisdictional
homelessness plans, Coalition asked City and County
Mayors to look into creating a local TYP.
 2004 – Task force appointed by City and County
Mayors to develop a TYP.
Plan Development
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Task force included representatives from City and County
government, law enforcement, emergency services, HUD,
Homeless service and shelter providers, business community,
a downtown resident, philanthropic community.
Task Force was charged to
Review extent of homelessness and available services
 Solicit input from community stakeholders
 Define problems specific to chronic homelessness
 Review national best practices
 Identify strategies and models that will work locally
 Produce a plan to end chronic homelessness with action steps and
timelines
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Plan Development
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Task force divided into subject area working groups and examined
the problems, best practices, and brought in other stakeholders to
participate.
Task force established guiding principles for plan development
Focus on chronic homelessness
 Identify leadership and accountability to assure plan implementation
 Focus on coordination of efforts
 Focus on permanent housing
 Look at the issue as a community-wide problem
 Focus on measurable outcomes that end homelessness
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Leadership and accountability
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Plan called for accountability that went directly to the city and county
mayors. The TYP office would not be assigned to an existing office as
an added task that would ultimately get lost in the bureaucratic
shuffle.
Knoxville-Knox County Ten Year Plan
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Key strategies (adopted in 2005)
‘Housing First’
 Stop institutional discharging to the streets
 Increase coordination and effectiveness
 Increase access to economic opportunities
 Implement HMIS
 Shift from emergency response focus to permanent solutions
 Strengthen partnerships with faith-based organizations
 Increase community ownership
 Prevent homelessness
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Key Successes
 Established
TYP office accountable to Mayors
 Project Homeless Connect
 Vastly improved HMIS implementation
 Several hundred permanent supportive housing
placements using existing housing resources
 Opened 57-unit Minvilla Manor, PSH in historic
building, housing first for formerly chronically
homeless
 Began development of Flenniken Housing, 48-unit
PSH, housing first for formerly chronically homeless,
opening late 2011.
Key Successes
Implemented
homelessness prevention
program in public housing apartments for
disabled and elderly, providing case
management for those identified as at-risk for
eviction.
Implemented Circles of Support, a faith-based
mentoring program for formerly homeless
individuals now living in PSH.
Raised over $1.5 million in private funds to
support start-up initiatives
Critical Challenges
 Attempted
start-up of employment training/placement
program specifically for current and formerly
chronically homeless just as economy went off a cliff
 Fiscal complexity of developing new PSH units
 Access to federal supportive services resources
 Weak/nonexistent state ICH
 Difficulty shifting from private start-up financing of
programming to ongoing public financial support
 Sustaining political will in the face of NIMBY and
transition in elected offices
 Public communications to build and maintain public
support
Moving Forward
 Suspended new housing development
 New public input process
 Continue smaller TYP office to maintain
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coordination efforts
Seek SAMHSA and other supportive services dollars
Publish PSH Cost-Benefit study
Move forward with new “systems design” process
Seek support from next City administration
Contact Info
Michael Dunthorn
Project Manager
Knoxville-Knox County Ten Year Plan Office
400 Main Street, Rm. 512
Knoxville, TN 37902
(865) 215-3103
[email protected]