Transcript ENDING HOMELESSNESS SOUTH EAST TEXAS 10 YEAR PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS Definition of Homeless.

ENDING HOMELESSNESS
SOUTH EAST TEXAS
10 YEAR PLAN TO END
HOMELESSNESS
Definition of Homeless
Who Are the Homeless
South East Texas
 Average Age 39
 Approximately 65%
male
 55% reported a
current or past
treatment for
substance abuse;
75%reported that they
thought they needed
treatment
 Avg. length of
homelessness was 23
months
Four Steps To Ending
Homelessness
 Planning for
Outcomes
 Close the front
door
 Open the back
door
 Build the
infrastructure
Planning For Outcomes
 Communities must plan to end homelessness
 Communities must include all stake holders in the
planning process including members of the public,
private and faith-based sectors.
 Communities must gather accurate data about the
homeless population and the providers that serve
them.
Close the Front Door
 An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure.
-Communities must work
together to prevent new
entries into the homeless
system
Open the Back Door
 Communities must
commit to re-house
homeless individuals as
quickly as possible
Build the Infrastructure
 We must build the
affordable houses and
the supportive systems
required to house the
homeless
Housing First
 The factors that contributed to a household’s
homelessness can best be remedied once the
household is housed.
Planning for Outcomes
 Clearly accept
the goal of
ending
homelessness
as opposed to
managing the
situation
Planning for Outcomes
 Develop a
comprehensive
planning force to
address chronic
homelessness and
the associated
issues.
 Identify and solicit
participation from a
core group of
stakeholders
 Conduct annual
regional conferences
about local
homelessness and the
issues associated with
homelessness issues.
Planning for Outcomes
 Continuously
gather and
evaluate data
about the local
homeless
population, and the
programs and
service providers
that serve them.
 Conduct semiannual street
counts
 Fully implement
and utilize HMIS
 Conduct point-intime surveys at
local service
providers
Close the Front Door
 Better coordinate and
expand legal
assistance and housing
resources available for
preventing evictions
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Provide legal assistance to
citizens who are fighting
illegal evictions
Prevent evictions through
the establishment of
landlord/tenant mediation
program
Improve coordination and
outreach of emergency
assistance programs like
rent, mortgage, and utility
assistance
Expand programs designed
to rehab occupied
dilapidated homes.
Close the Front Door
 Improve discharge
management.
 Assemble a task
force of
stakeholders to
develop model
principles for
discharge from
institutions such as
mental hospitals,
prisons, foster
homes, etc.
Close the Front Door
 Develop an
awareness
campaign for the
programs
designed to
prevent
homelessness.
 Provide funding for
the development of
advertising
campaigns to raise
public awareness
about available
programs.
Open the Back Door
 Ensure that the
entire homeless
provider system
is directed
toward ending
homelessness
through the
Housing First
approach.
 Encourage
homeless providers
to adopt housing
first policies.
Open the Back Door
 Ensure that there
are adequate
accessible
emergency
shelters in each
area of South
East Texas.
 Encourage and fund
the development of
accessible emergency
shelters and safe
havens in all areas of
South East Texas.
Open the Back Door
 Rapidly re-house
everyone that
becomes homeless.
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Establish the number of
available housing and the
amount of houses needed.
Eliminate barriers to
housing and improve access
to housing and other
programs
Improve information
resources to front-line
service providers.
Develop programs and
advertisements to raise
public awareness about
available programs
Improve aggressive
outreach efforts.
Open the Back Door
 Develop
permanent
supportive
housing for
chronically
homeless
individuals.
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Explore funding streams
for developing long-term
supportive services
Build single-room
occupancy facilities similar
to assisted living facilities,
for those that are
chronically homeless due
to serious persistent
disabilities.
Expand permanent
supportive housing
subsidies for persons with
serious and persistent
disabilities who can live
independently in market
rate housing with
appropriate supportive
services.
Encourage and fund the
development of safe
Open the Back Door
 Improve and
increase aggressive
outreach programs
for persons who
are homeless and
not requesting
services
 Encourage and
fund programs that
seek to increase
the areas
aggressive
outreach capacity
Build the Infrastructure
 Develop a
comprehensive
process to
improve and
expand access to
housing and
essential
supportive
services.
 Examine legal
barriers and issues
facing homeless
people and
homeless service
providers
 Encourage and
fund the
development of
“one stop” service
delivery centers.
Build the Infrastructure
 Increase supply
of quality
affordable
housing.
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Establish partnerships with
the local taxing entities to
identify public lands,
abandoned property and
properties taken for tax debts
to help expand the amount of
property available for the
housing development.
Renovate abandoned,
adjudicated properties for
housing the homeless.
Contact owners of dilapidated
structures to secure
properties for minimal cost.
Build the Infrastructure
 Increase the
availability of
essential
supportive
services.
 Support the development
of health care services
for the homeless.
 Expand job training and
job placement programs
for the homeless
 Improve and expand
access to day-care and
after-school programs for
the homeless.
 Develop transportation
resources for the
homeless
Build the Infrastructure
 Develop a
comprehensive and
coordinated social
services network
 Work with local
housing organizations
to expand permanent
housing opportunities
for the homeless.
 Encourage the use of
HMIS by organizations
and agencies outside
of the normal
homeless provider
network.