Project Homeless Connect

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Project Homeless Connect

• February 8, 2007
• Lane County Fairgrounds
• Eugene, Oregon

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It is very much ingrained in me that you do
not manage a social wrong. You should be ending
it.
Phillip Mangano Executive Director United States
Interagency Council on Homelessness
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Homelessness in our Community

• 94 of our communitys homeless population are
  from Lane County.
• (Of 6,374 homeless program participants who
  sought services in Calendar Year 2006, OPUS/HMIS
  data).

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Homelessness in our Community?

• Individuals, including children and youth, who
  lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime
  residence.

• It is only fair that everyone has a safe, decent
  place to live.

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Who is Homeless?

• On any given night in Lane County
• 2,296 people are homeless
• Lane Countys One Night Shelter Street Count
• January 25, 2007

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Who is Homeless?

• 6,374 Individuals in 4,154 Households sought
  services in Calendar Year 2006
• An additional 1,292 homeless individuals
  requested health services from our Community
  Health Clinic in Calendar Year 2006
• (Homeless and receiving services at some point
  during the year) (OPUS/HMIS data)

Unduplicated count. Data collected from program
enrollment day. Data collected from 14 Agencies
providing 45 programs.
3,745 Individuals Who Were Homeless Sought
Services in the 2006 Calendar Year
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Who is Homeless?

• Households
• 4,154 homeless households sought services
• Children and Youth
• 1,906 homeless children in Lane County Schools
• (Oregon Dept. of Education, 2005-06)
• 1,100 homeless and runaway youth
• (Looking Glass)

Household can be a single person, a couple,
roommates, or a family of 5.
1,906 homeless children in Lane County Schools
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Who is Homeless?
One Night Shelter Count - January 25, 2007

• 2,296 people were homeless
• on that night
• 184 turned away due to lack of space

59 of the 2,296 individuals reported being
chronically homeless
2,296 people were homeless on that night
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Homelessness in our Community?

• Single Chronically Homeless Adults
• 16 of homeless individuals are chronically
  homeless.
• Veterans
• 12 (4,560 of the 38,000) Veterans in Lane County
  are homeless.
• (VA estimates)

12 of Veterans in Lane County are homeless
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Homelessness
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Why does this matter to you ? We all pay for the
consequences!

• 362
• 858
• 189
• 359

• Cost of an average emergency room visit
• Daily cost at Johnson Unit (Psychiatric)
• 8 days is average
• Daily cost at Buckley detox
• 3-4 days for alcohol, 4-5 days for heroin
• Daily cost at Lane County Jail
• 126 for housing plus 233 for arrest
• booking

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Why does this matter to you ? We all pay for the
consequences!

• 833
• 67

• OR
• MONTHLY COST of Permanent
  Supportive Housing
• Per person, per day local subsidy for
  low-income housing over the life of the
  project

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Why Does this Matter to you?

• If we address chronic homelessness
• We will reduce unsanitary transient camps
• No human waste in public places
• Jails can house more serious violent criminals

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Why Does this Matter to you?

• People who can work will support themselves and
  contribute to the community
• Our most vulnerable community members will be off
  the streets and in safe and secure housing
• We will are all paying more now because 10 of
  the homeless population are overtaxing our
  services

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Poverty
Homelessness and poverty are linked.

• People experiencing poverty are frequently unable
  to pay for housing, food, health care,
  transportation and childcare.

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Project Homeless Connect

• Began in San Francisco in 2004
• Over 100 jurisdictions in the U.S. have a Project
  Homeless Connect event annually
• Increase access to services for people who are
  homeless or at risk
• Raise awareness about homelessness
• Lane County Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic
  Homelessness
• Engage the community in finding a solution for
  homelessness
• Get community input and support!

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Project Homeless Connect for Lane County

• Project Homeless Connect for Lane County was
  conceived by local community leaders and private
  service providers
• Lane County Human Services Commission
• City of Eugene
• City of Springfield
• United Way of Lane County
• Project Homeless Connect 2007
• First Annual Event

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Project Homeless Connect for Lane County

• Offers one day and one location to address basic
  needs and access critical services
• Engage and increases involvement of individual
  volunteers, the business and non-profit community
  
• Leverages private, corporate and foundation money
  and in-kind support

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How it Works

• Initial Planning
• Secure a location Lane Events Center
• Establish steering committee and 12 task teams
• Weekly team leader meetings

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PHC Task Teams
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How it Works

• Outreach
• 7,000 flyers, posters and bus posters
• Each flyer became a LTD bus pass
• Tear-off LTD vouchers for travel to the Lane
  County Events Center
• City of Eugene shuttle service from shelters to
  Lane County Events Center
• LTD coupons for transport to follow-up
  appointments

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How it Works

• Event Day
• Set up the day before pipe and drape, services
  ready to go!
• Hospitality be sure the guests feel welcome
• Hot Food an important draw
• Services Provided
• Benefits, health, vision, dental, confidential,
  well-being, veterinary, haircuts, legal, housing,
  information, plus more!

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Outreach

• Flyers at service programs
• Local non-profits pass the word
• Advertising in the right places

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Event Day

• Pre-event guest estimates 300-400 people
• Actual

1,007
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Lane Events Center Exhibit Hall
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Reception

• Greet each guest
• Share information about services offered
• Connect guests to their highest priorities
• Fill out a brief intake form
• Form helped data collection
• Volunteers help each guest get connected to
  services

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Reception

• Assistance with needs identification in reception
  area

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Services Provided Basic Needs

• Coffee and muffins in the hallway waiting area
• Hot breakfast and lunch in the Café
• Parting gifts at exit
• Hygiene kits
• Food boxes
• Blankets and coats
• T-shirts and socks

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Services Provided Basic Needs

• Services to meet basic needs like sleeping bags,
  gas, clothing, Id cards

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Major Services Provided

• 599 Housing contacts
• 428 Contacts for Basic Needs
• 362 Vital signs checked
• 150 Contacts for health insurance
• 131 Vision and hearing tests
• 121 Clothing vouchers
• 112 Legal contacts
• 110 Vouchers for medical and dental follow-up
• 104 Physician and nurse consultations
• 63 Flu Shots
• 62 DMV contacts

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High Demand Services

• Benefits
• 84 contacts Department of Human Services
• 54 Social Security contacts
• 49 contacts Senior Disabled Services
• 42 contacts Social Security
• 33 food stamps applications
• 32 contacts regarding tax help
• 28 contacts AARP Tax-Aide
• 18 information about the Oregon Health Plan
• 9 follow-up appointments with Social Security
• 8 contacts League of Women Voters
• 5 registered to vote, 4 updated voter
  registration
• 106 contacts Eugene Human Rights Commission

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Hospitality ServicesShows the community cares

• 6 hours of entertainment
• 240 hair cuts
• 100 bikes repaired, 40 new bike trailers
• 80 bike helmets, 70 bike strobe lights, 50 bike
  maps
• 175 visited the pet care area
• 35 people/45 pets received veterinary
  consultation
• 17 people/29 cats received kennels
• 21 people/22 dogs received kennels
• 22 dogs kenneled during event
• 40 free spay/neuter vouchers distributed for use
  at Greenhill Humane Society
• Recycling
• 3,450 lbs of recycling diverted from landfill

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Services Provided Hospitality

• Bikes repaired
• New bike helmets provided
• Bike lights
• New bike trailers
• Bike safety information

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Services Provided Hospitality

• Exit Hospitality

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Services Provided Housing

• Housing

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Services Provided Medical

• Medical and Dental

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Services Provided Benefits

• Benefits medical, disability and social security
  and voter registration

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Services Provided Confidential

• 19 contacts Addiction counseling
• 35 contacts Mental Health
• 5 contacts Family Support
• 36 contacts Domestic violence
• Legal assistance
• 85 contacts Lane County Legal Aid Service
• 27 contacts Public Defenders Office
• 37 contacts HIV related services

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Services Provided Confidential

• Information about counseling and support networks

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Services Provided Employment

• Total Contacts/Employment 104
• 5 contacts Employment Department
• 11 contacts St. Vincent dePaul Vocational
  Services
• 88 contacts The Workforce Network

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Services Provided Employment
Need photos of this

• Employment assistance

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Services Provided Families

• 15 Head Start applications
• 103 Lane County school information and face
  painting
• 50 child care referrals through Lane Family
  Connections
• 12 housing information through Lane Family
  Connections
• 32 contacts Birth to Three
• 6 contacts The Child Center
• 26 contacts Direction Service
• 7 contacts ECCares
• 48 contacts Eugene Public Library
• 4 contacts First Way
• 38 contacts Head Start of Lane County
• 129 contacts Lane County Public Schools
• 87 contacts Lane Family Connections
• 31 contacts Relief Nursery
• 14 contacts Willamette Family Treatment
• Total Contacts/Services to Families with
  Children 422

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Services Provided Families

• Help for families with children through support
  networks, schools, and counseling centers

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Services Provided Food

• 322 volunteers, and hundreds of service providers
  visited the café
• menu omelets, pastries, organic breakfast
  cereal, burgers, veggie burgers, ham beans,
  pizza, sub sandwiches, bread, butter, chips, side
  salad, fresh fruit, cookies, milk, water, and
  coffee

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Services Provided Food

• Guests received hospitality services at the cafe

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Services Provided

• Veterans
• 19 homeless veteran intakes by the Dept. of
  Veterans Affairs
• 37 received eligibility information and
  applications from the Dept. of Veterans Affairs
• 7 follow-up appointments with Lane County
  Veterans Services
• 8 claims with Lane County Veterans Services
• 58 contacts U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
• 33 contacts Lane County Veterans Services
• 13 contacts St. Vincent de Paul/Vet LIFT
• Total Contacts/Veterans 104

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Services Provided Hospitality

• Haircuts

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Services Provided Hospitality

• Pet care area

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Sponsors and Donors

• 122 Cash and In-kind Donors including
• United Way
• Local Governments
• Eugene, Springfield, Lane County
• Lane County Event Center
• PeaceHealth
• Hynix
• Umbrella Properties
• EWEB
• LaneCare
• 95 Local organizations offered free services
• 322 Community Volunteers made the event possible

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Budget

• 60,000 Cash Revenue
• In-Kind Donations
• Pre-Event
• Printing
• Advertising
• Signs
• T-Shirts for volunteers
• Part-time Staff

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Budget

• Day of Event Costs
• Set up
• Pipe and drape
• Electrical
• Office Supplies
• Polaroid Film
• Direct Services
• Medical and Dental Follow-up Appointment Vouchers
• Rental Assistance
• Food

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Next steps

• Create permanent affordable housing
• Increase the number of homeless persons staying
  in permanent housing
• Increase the number of homeless persons moving
  from transitional housing to permanent housing
• Increase the number of homeless persons becoming
  employed
• Keep collecting data to identify people that are
  homeless and plan services to end homelessness

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• As a community member, I was proud of how much
  respect, acceptance and dignity was shown to all
  by all. From those who were there to get help and
  those who gave it, everyone was at their best. As
  an elected official, I once again realized how
  women and men who choose service work are the
  real heroes. I saw many employees from both Lane
  County and the Cities of Eugene and Springfield
  working side by side to realize the challenge
  before us. We are out to change a culture and
  change the norm. We will no longer accept
  homelessness in our community.

Andrea Ortiz, Councilor, City of Eugene
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• This event was probably the most important
  single good deed performed by the community for
  our neighbors who struggle to meet basic needs.
  As organizers and providers, your incredible
  conviction, perseverance, and advocacy shine a
  light of hope. I cannot put into words my
  gratitude to you.
• Steve Manela, Lane County Human Services
  Commission Program Manager

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If you dream alone, its just a dream. If you
dream together, its reality.Brazilian Proverb
If we dream together as a community, we can end
homelessness.