Transcript Alternatives To Shelter Ending Homelessness for Women A Collaborative Model In Portland National Alliance to End Homelessness Annual conference July 17-19, 2006 Liora Berry, City.

Alternatives To Shelter
Ending Homelessness for Women
A Collaborative Model In Portland
National Alliance to End Homelessness
Annual conference July 17-19, 2006
Liora Berry, City of Portland, Oregon
Bureau of Housing & Community Development
Home Again
A 10-year plan to end homelessness in
Portland and Multnomah County
Three Principles
Focus on the most chronically homeless
populations;
Streamline access to existing services to prevent
and reduce other homelessness;
Concentrate resources on programs that offer
measurable results.
Key Action Steps
In the 10 Year Plan
•
•
•
•
•
•
Move People into Housing First
Stop Discharging People into Homelessness
Improve Outreach to Homeless People
Emphasize Permanent Solutions
Create Innovative New Partnerships
Make the Rent Assistance System More Effective
“Downsizing Shelters”
What to Consider
 What are the resources in the community?
 Are the shelters effective? All of them?
 What do people want and need who use the
shelter?
 What can be fixed? Will it be enough?
 What is the cost?
 What is possible? Is this the right thing to do?
The Women’s Shelter
 34 Bunks
 Night “wet” shelter
 Toilets, showers + coin washer/dryer
 No linens, no storage
 No services offered
 1 night at a time rule
Question: What are the
resources in the community?
A)
Homelessness in Portland
…women
B)
Funding for Homeless Services in
Portland
…women
Homelessness in Portland
17,000-18,500 served in FY 04-05:
 11,224 adults without children
 7,442 persons in families:
- 4,316 children under 18
- 2,456 persons served in
domestic violence system
 436 unaccompanied youth
(under 18)
 1/3 of those living on the street
are women
2%
39%
59%
Homeless Funding
Total FY 02-03 funding: $32 million from federal, state,
local and private resources*
26%
30%
12%
8%
24%
Client Assistance
Shelter Operations
Transitional Housing
Permanent Housing
Case Management
*An additional $16 million was allocated in FY 02-03 for the construction of
transitional and permanent housing for homeless persons.
Question: What are the
resources/services in our
community?
 Is the shelter meeting the goals in the 10 Year
Plan?
 What do the women want and need who use
the shelter?
 What do the women want who don’t use the
shelter but are living on the street?
 What can be fixed?
Evaluating the Shelter
• Serves approximately 500 women per year
• Uneven occupancy rates & outside queuing
• Majority had been living at the shelter: 18
for over a full year & one for over 4 years
• High rates of untreated mental health &
chemical dependency
• Listening to the women - a shared vision
1st Year Trying A Fix
1) Provision of Technical Assistance
2) Changes to Operations at the Shelter Site
3) Adding in Services - Partners with an array
of services and housing
Improvements
2004-05 Outcomes...
 494 Women Stayed in the Shelter
 Uneven Occupancy (74 to115 per month)
 251 of the Women Served via New Partners
 67 women placed into stable housing
 19 into transitional & 48 into permanent housing
Is this good enough?
• Half of the women connecting
…and half are not
• 19% of the women who connect with the
partner agencies are placed into housing
…and 81% are not
• 10% of the shelter women are placed into
permanent housing…and 90% are still are on
the street or in unstable short-term housing
More Improvements Are Needed
 Addressing Philosophical Differences
 Evaluating the Outcomes
 Exploring the Options
 Bringing People Together
 Making the Decision
 Cutting the Funding - Bumpy Roads
 Implementing the New Model
WESC: Women’s Emergency
Services Collaborative
 4 Experienced High Performing Partners
 Transition Projects - Shelter & Services
 Cascadia - Behavioral Health & Housing
 JOIN - Street Outreach/Housing First
 Northwest Pilot Project - Homeless Seniors
 Funding & Support- City of Portland
The Model
 15 SRO Units of Wet Housing Within a
Mental Health Transitional Housing Site
 On-Site & Community Services
 Focus on Permanent Housing Placement
 1 Year of Retention Services
 Flexible Client Assistance Funds
 Harm-Reduction Relationship Focused
What is possible? Make it happen!
• Emergency Housing
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
• Individualized Support
– Housing Placement &
Private SRO Unit
Retention Support
2 Meals Per Day
– Client Assistance
Transportation Assistance
Mental Health Assessments – Flexible Rent Assistance
– Help Applying for
& Services
Benefits/SSD
Medication Support
• & More...
Groups
– Support in Employment
Social Activities
Efforts
On-site 24-Hour Staffing
– Family Reunification
Coordination with Partners
– Furnishings/Supplies
Back to the Shelter …
A Housing Placement Blitz





Leveraging Community Resources
Agreement on Low-Barrier High Tolerance
Telling the 34 Women: August 29th 2005
Lucky vs. Unlucky
Successful Engagement
WESC Is Born
Oct. 1 2005
WESC - Outcomes For Year 1
 192 Women Households Served
 210 people; partners, family members and 16 children
 78 met the definition of chronically homeless
 We planned on serving 200 women (a year)
 31 Women Provided Emergency Housing at SRO’s
 19 exits (12 into PH, 6 into transitional, 1 to Psych facility)
 We planned on serving 65-75
 90 Women Households Placed into Permanent Housing
 110 people; partners, family members and those 16 children
 89% Remain Stable in Permanent Housing (6 months+)
 Tracking outcomes at 3, 6 and 12 months after placement
What About the Women Who
Were At the Shelter?
OF THE 34 BEDS AT THE DORM….
 30 women engaged
 30 placed into housing
 27 into permanent housing
 including 3 of 6 placed into transitional housing
 89% remain in permanent housing (24)
 & continued efforts at engaging all of the women
Profiles
•
•
•
•
40% Chronically Homeless
60% Mental Health Issues
46% Substance Abuse
18% Had Children Under Age 18
– Only 1 out of 5 were eligible to regain custody
• Of Those Entering SRO Units
– 65% Chronically Homeless; 84% Mental
Health Issues; 90% Substance Abuse
Personal Profiles- JOIN
– Psychiatric hospital, denied state MH referral, placed
into Cascadia MH transitional housing.
– In permanent housing since September. Linked with
workforce agency and received subsidized housing
via CDN Partner.
– In permanent housing since September. Attending
school and has a new job. 6 months clean & sober.
Reconnected with her mother.
– In permanent housing since September. Working
full-time & working towards renewing teachers
license.
Personal Profiles - Cascadia
• 26 year old zero income chronically
homeless mentally ill, mother of young
daughter. 5 1/2 months in emergency SRO.
• Assistance: Linkage with MH Services;
restraining order related to a DV assault;
applications for benefits, securing of PSH
unit; reestablishing relationship with
daughter and coordinating with DHS.
WESC: Overall Outcomes
1st Year
 Fewer women
served with
emergency housing
1st Year Outcomes
 Big increase in the
rate of success for
all “touched”
 47% of households,
and 52% of people
assisted are in
permanent housing
 None return to the
street: 63% to
permanent housing
What is the cost?
 2003-04 Original Program $164,000
 2004-05 The “Fix”
 + .75 FTE Case Manager via Reunited Partner
 + .50 FTE Mental Health Case Manager Leveraged
 2005-06 “Closing the Dorm, WESC Born”
 Transfer the 1.25 FTE to WESC
 2.25 NEW FTE Using Existing Funds
 Almost $60,000 for Client/Rent Assistance (1/2
for relocation of the women in the dorm)
…and the good news continues
 $75,000 of County funds added for Safety off
the Streets program for women + more
funds for rent assistance for WESC
 $1.4 Million awarded for KNAC programs
 $284,000 KNAC program for CH women
 Outcomes demonstrate “Housing First”
works
 240 formerly homeless women (258 people)
 34% Reduction in adult shelter wait list
WAS IT THE RIGHT THING TO DO?
…the
outcomes
say
yes
Thank you
Copies of the 10 Year Plan and outcome
reports are available online at:
www.portlandonline.com/bhcd
Liora Berry, Ending Homelessness Team
City of Portland, Oregon
Bureau of Housing & Community Development
[email protected] 503-823-2391