Homeless Action Plan: Lets Get This Party Started

1
Homeless Action PlanLets Get This Party
Started!

• March 2009

2
Welcome
3
Agenda

• Origins and Evolution of the Homeless Action Plan
• Qualities of Successful Plans national
  perspective
• Overview of Work Group Process
• Lunch and Work Group Orientation
• Work Group Meetings
• Closing and Next Steps

4
Goals for the Day

• Meet the stakeholders
• Review a sample of Best Practices Plans
• Establish planning approach and work group
  membership
• Initiate Work Group tasks
• Review existing materials
• Schedule future work group meetings
• Start brainstorming!

5
Coming soon

• New Website for the Homeless Action Plan planning
  process
• relevant data and background materials
• Agendas and minutes of Work Group meetings
• Schedule of Work Group meetings
• And more!

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Qualities of Successful Homeless Plans
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The Financial Benefits

• Closely considers areas where homelessness
  creates cost
• Identifies savings brought about by solutions to
  homelessness

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Homeless Planning Common Principles

• End not manage homelessness
• Reduce reliance on shelter
• Open the back door
• Close front door

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Homeless Planning Common Principles (contd)

• Build on housing as primary solution
• Offer housing first
• Lower thresholds to services
• Tailor for chronic homelessness

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Homeless Planning Common Principles (contd)

• Create mainstream resource accountability
• Identify various financing options
• Use national research
• Integrate need for income

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Qualities of a Good Homeless Action Plan

• Exhausts possibilities
• Seeks to be both ambitious and feasible
• Echoes national themes
• Meets unique local needs
• Maintains an inherent flexibility

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Qualities of a Good Homeless Action Plan

• Identifies specific funding sources
• Specifies quantity and cost
• Has specifics on implementation (who, what,
  where, when and how)
• Identifies performance measures
• Specifies timeline

13
Work Group Process and Leader Introductions
14
Planning Groups
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Funders Group

• Mayor Frank Cownie
• City Council Person Christine Hensley
• City Council Person Chris Colman
• County Board Supervisor Robert Brownell
• County Board Supervisor Angela Connolly
• State Senator Jack Hatch
• State Senator Matt Mc Coy
• Ron Olson , Polk County Manager
• Sheila Lumley, Polk County Housing Trust Fund
• Shannon Cofield, United Way of Central Iowa
• Kristi Knous, Greater Des Moines Community
  Foundation

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Overall Plan Concepts

• Has support from Funders Group
• For all of Polk County
• For all homeless subpopulations
• Not just chronically homeless
• BUT, cant be everything to everyone
• Build off of progress made in existing chronic
  homeless plan
• Leverage all available funding opportunities and
  other planning processes

17
Work Group Composition

• Staffed by City employees
• Guided by TAC
• Chaired by key community representatives with
  experience and knowledge
• Composed of housing and service providers,
  advocacy groups, government agencies, funders and
  other relevant community members

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Work Group Leaders

• Permanent Housing
• Kristin Saddoris, Conlin Properties
• Prevention and Emergency Services
• Deirdre Henriquez, Primary Health Care
• Behavioral Health and Support Services
• Lynn Ferrell, Polk County Health Services
• Economic Support and Income
• Jane Fogg, United Way of Central Iowa

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Permanent Housing - Scope

• Affordable housing
• Permanent supportive housing
• Transitional housing

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Behavioral Health and Support Services - Scope

• Housing stabilization
• Housing search
• Support services in housing

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Prevention and Emergency Services - Scope

• Discharge planning
• Homelessness Prevention
• Diversion from shelter
• Assessment and triage
• Emergency shelter
• Street and shelter outreach
• Food pantries, drop-in centers, soup kitchens,
  etc.

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Economic Support and Income - Scope

• Employment
• Job training
• Supported employment
• Benefits
• Entitlements
• Vocational rehabilitation

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Overall Workgroup Tasks

• Understand problem
• Inventory resources and availability
• Review existing policies
• Review Best Practices
• Develop key strategies
• Prioritize recommendations
• Identify funding sources/policy changes
• Establish time line, accountable parties and
  outcomes

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Planning Timeline

• Today 1st work group meeting
• April 2nd and 3rd work group meetings
• May 4th and 5th work group meetings
• June 6th work group meeting (if needed)
• June draft Plan available
• July Final Plan

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Goals for First Work Group Meeting Today

• Get to know members
• Appoint minute taker
• Review composition and identify missing members
• Establish any needed subgroups
• Review scope and make any needed changes
• Schedule next 5 meetings

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Goals (continued)

• Clarify overall goals establish strategies and
  implementation action steps
• Review local data
• Solidify guiding principles
• Brainstorm
• What is working
• What isnt working
• What additional information is needed

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• 1130 1200
• Lunch for
• Permanent Housing
• Behavioral Health/Support Svcs
• Orientation for
• Prevention/Emerg. Svcs.
• Economic Support/Income

• 1200 1230
• Lunch for
• Prevention/Emerg. Svcs.
• Economic Support/Income
• Orientation for
• Permanent Housing
• Behavioral Health/Support Svcs

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Next Steps

• Share information via the website
• Work group meetings 2-5
• Conference calls with TAC
• Work group leaders
• Regular work group meetings

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Contacts

• Merlie Crowley
• Polk County Housing Continuum Coordinator
• mcrowley_at_pchtf.org
• 515.282.3233 x 4
• Emily Cooper/Marie Herb
• Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.
• ecooper_at_tacinc.org or mherb_at_tacinc.org
• 617.266.5657