Norfolk, VAs Blueprint to End Homelessness: Progress Notes

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Norfolk, VAsBlueprint to End Homelessness
Progress Notes

• Paul D. Fraim, Mayor

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Overview

• Norfolks Blueprint in brief
• Innovations regional solutions, rapid
  re-housing, housing first, permanent housing for
  ex-offenders and Project Homeless Connect
• Investments and Partnerships
• Results

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The Norfolk Blueprint

• Norfolk serves as the urban core for Southeastern
  Virginia (population of Norfolk 230,000,
  population of region 1.2 million)
• Norfolk has high poverty (17), but improving
  (down from 20.)
• Annual homeless population estimate 3,000
  (Norfolk, 11,000 (region.)
• Blueprint launched in Sept. 2005 7 elements,
  focus on housing first, central intake for
  families, Rapid Exit/Hennepin replication.

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Innovations

• Regional 10-Year Plan commitment announced 2/08.
• Regional projects underway (Gosnold Apartments,
  Cloverleaf Apartments, affordable housing
  database) which require investment from Va Beach,
  Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Chesapeake.

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Innovations - Families Initiative

• Central Intake, Prevention and Rapid Rehousing
  launched January 2007.
• Foundation Food Stamps, Medicaid, TANF, Child
  Welfare program staff/funding Family shelter
  programs, volunteers.
• 700 families/month seek help most receive
  counseling only 888/year receive financial
  help/ongoing case management.
• So far, only 12 families have required shelter
  placement after receiving help.

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Innovations - Housing First

• Modeled on the Pathways initiative 85 units
  planned with ACT team support. 18 now housed
  average homeless episode of pilot participants
  10 years.
• Funding CDBG, Continuum of Care, Section 8,
  local GF, and private funds (1.8 M/year.)
• After 18 months, 11 of 12 housed continually 1
  required higher level of care total number of
  shelter days 3.
• 30 of current participants are veterans.

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Innovations - Ex-Offenders, Project Homeless
Connect

• 16-bed Permanent Housing initiative focused on
  non-violent ex-offenders opened 12/06.
• 5 Project Homeless Connect events since 12/05
  172 approved for permanent housing nearly 3,000
  community volunteers including hundreds of US
  Navy personnel.

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Investments and Partnerships

• Political leadership locally and regionally which
  led to local investments (3M Norfolk GF, 1.5M
  Virginia Beach GF) and brought private partners
  to the table.
• Dragas Companies gift of 1.5M for regional
  families initiative 300k from Landmark
  Foundation.
• Blueprint is now basis for funding eligibility.
• Approximately 70 different organizations involved
  in Project Homeless Connect and other Blueprint
  activities.
• Departments of Labor, HUD, Veterans Affairs,
  Health and Human Services, Social Security all
  engaged in significant partnerships.

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The Results

• 25 decrease overall in homelessness.
• Nearly 40 decrease in chronic homelessness.
• Permanent Supportive Housing Capacity will double
  by 12/08.

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Challenges For the Future

• Regional initiative for homeless families
• Public Housing reinvention
• Transitional Housings continued popularity
• Return of current war veterans