Transcript The Norfolk Model: Homeless Action Response Team (HART) Presentation by Jill Baker, Norfolk Department of Human Services February 7, 2008

The Norfolk Model:
Homeless Action Response
Team (HART)
Presentation by Jill Baker,
Norfolk Department of Human Services
February 7, 2008
Presentation Overview
 Background
on the HART Team
 Why/How we decided to change
 Review of achievements to date
 Discussion of Norfolk Hotline/Centralized
Intake
 Funding changes and challenges
 Housing Broker Team
 Challenges we face
Norfolk Demographics
 Norfolk
is the urban center of
Southeastern Virginia with a population of
240,000.
 Norfolk has the highest poverty rate of
18% but is in the midst of redevelopment
efforts in both downtown and the bay front.
 Homeless population = 502, a decrease of
25% since implementation of the city’s 10
year plan.
Background on the HART Team

HART was established in 2004 as an initiative of
the Norfolk Department of Human Services.
 Cross-functional team of Benefits (Food Stamps,
Medicaid, etc.) and Child Welfare employees
(Social Workers) whose mission is to develop
processes, collaborations, and strategies
consistent with the City’s plan to end
homelessness.
 As of January 16, 2007, this team serves as a
single point of contact for all homeless families
seeking services in Norfolk.
Systems Integration
 Referrals
are accepted from all internal
program areas within Norfolk’s Child and
Family Services (CPS, Foster Care,
Adoptions, and Family Preservation)
 Work in collaboration with all the
community service providers.
 Developed a Memorandum of
Understanding with our community
partners/shelters.
The Norfolk System PreCentralized Intake
 Norfolk
has had strong homeless service
providers; but fragmented service delivery.
 There were intensive services for families
while they were sheltered but no support
after exit.
 Families generally were connected to
services as a result of abuse/neglect but
no prevention services or collaboration.
Centralized Intake Now

Recent Memorandum of Agreement between
NDHS and several of our community partners
including three shelters, to provide shelter as
well as intensive in-home services to families
(Human Services Grant).
 Establishes a centralized intake (known as the
Norfolk Family Hotline) for homeless families
that coordinates services among all providers
and moves families from homelessness into
permanent housing.
Benefits for NDHS
 Reduced
the number of homeless families
being placed in hotels—now 0!!
 Decreased the number of families turned
away from homeless family shelters
 Ensured homeless families in Norfolk are
rapidly re-housed or maintained in
permanent housing, thereby improving
child well-being.
Benefits for Norfolk Community
Homeless Consortium Members

Shortened the length of shelter stays for
homeless families served;
 Targeted the appropriate families served by the
agency;
 Improved performance outcomes as more
families exit to permanent housing; and
 Decreased the administrative burden of the
intake process while improving the information
available on the housing and service needs of
families served.
Benefits to Norfolk’s Citizens
 Have
a system that has improved access
to services for homeless families in
Norfolk;
 Improved data collection and
communication among participating
entities (HMIS);
 Improved the performance and
coordination of the continuum of care for
homeless families.
HART Achievements To Date
 In
FY07 HART saw 4567 families and
3065 single adult clients.
 Of those, HART assisted 689 families with
permanent housing (Prevention).
 This does not include 306 cases using
Rapid Exit funds (both families and
individuals).
 HART placed 354 families in shelters.
How Needs are Assessed
 HART
utilizes a standardized tool known
as Structured Decision-Making (Pilot).
 What it does: Identifies and structures
critical decision points; Increases
consistency in decision making; Increases
accuracy of decision making; targets
resources to families most at risk
 Risk assessment tool combines structure,
research and clinical judgement.
Staffing
 There
has been no new staff added to
support the HART initiative.
 Realignment of existing staff.
 Volunteers and support from Shelters are
essential to handle volume of demand.
 Shelters rotate responsibility for answering
the hotline after hours.
Newest Development
 Housing
Broker Team--The purpose of the
team is to expand the capacity of the
existing supply of affordable housing to
accommodate families and individuals
leaving the service system or being
diverted from the service system. The
long-term goal is to merge all city-wide
housing resources with all landlord
contacts to be managed by the Housing
Broker Team.
The Housing Broker Team
August 1, 2007.
 Co-located at DHS with HART
 Consists of 2 Housing Specialists with
backgrounds in Property Management,
Community/Social Services, and Resource
building.
 Work in direct support of the HART Team.

Housing Broker Team

Initiated contact with existing Landlords(L/L) and Property
Managers(PM) and outlined the HART program – including
mission and program limitations.

Recruited new LLs/PMs.

Conducted Site visits of properties and assisted in Move-in
inspections.

Reviewed all leases prior to signing.

Continued contact with LLs and PMs after move-ins.

Negotiated security deposits and late fees for HART clients.
Housing Broker Team
Numbers to Date
Since August 2007 The Housing Broker Team
has:

Contacted over 100 new Landlords and/or Property
Managers.

Identified over 2200 affordable rental units in Norfolk.

Placed over 100 families into affordable housing.

Handled over 235 Housing-Related Referrals.

Saved the City of Norfolk over $20,000 in reduced security
deposits and waived or reduced late fees.
Human Service Grants—Local City
Funding ($520,000)
Housing Broker Team:
 one FTE @ $48,000 and
 a landlord contingency fund of $10,000).
 Norfolk Foundation—funded second
position for FY07.
 NDHS In-kind—space, computers,
supplies.
Human Service Grants
 Case
Management Services--$71,500 to
be paid to two shelters who will provide
services to families scoring at moderate or
low risk.
 This includes families in their shelter and
those whom HART was able to prevent
eviction.
 Total = $120,000
HART Expenditures
FY07








CSA*
$601,069.69
Family Pres.
$107,814.84
TANF/VIEW
$98,306.36
PSSF
$139,618.34
Rapid Exit
$160,992.50
General Relief
$6041.76
Other Local
$840.00
Total
$1,114,683.49
*CSA = Comprehensive Services Act
Gaps in Resources
 Affordable
housing
 Day care services for non-TANF families
 Shelter beds
 Available funding streams need to be
strengthened
 Knowledge base needs to be expanded to
include connection between
homelessness and child welfare
Summary

Norfolk HART program will improve services and
outcomes for homeless families.
 We expected to have “growing pains” as we
added volunteers and partners to staff the
hotline.
 Over time, we expect this project will serve as a
national model in aligning child welfare and
homeless/benefits programs (using existing
resources) that improve outcomes for families.