Overcoming Organizational Challenges to Housing First

1
Overcoming Organizational Challenges to Housing
First

• Making the Transition from a
• Housing Ready
• to a
• Housing First Approach

2
Agenda

• St Clair County Housing Climate
• Internal Philosophical Shift
• Housing Ready
• Housing First
• Organizational Infrastructure Changes
• Community Support/ Involvement

3
St. Clair County, MI

• Rental Vacancy rates are at a level considered
  unhealthy by housing industry standards
• Approximately 20 of rental households in county
  live with worst case housing needs
• Approximately 55 of rental households and 30 of
  owner occupied households spend over 50 of their
  income on housing
• Approximately 60 of workers in county are
  employed in industries that have not managed to
  increase wages at the pace of inflation
• Since 2005, unemployment rate for St. Clair
  County has fluctuated between 5.9 - 9.7. In
  the city of Port Huron, the rate has fluctuated
  between 8.5 - 13.7.
• According to the Center for Geographic
  Information, the highest academic degree attained
  by almost 80 of St. Clair County residents was a
  High School Diploma.
• As population of county continues to grow,
  population of Port Huron sees steady decrease.
• Approximately 17 of people in Port Huron live
  below federal poverty level

4
Safe Horizons

• Two Emergency Shelters (homeless shelter and
  domestic violence shelter)
• 658 adults and children sheltered
• Pathway 26 bed facility
• Shelter and supportive services
• 16 identified as chronically homeless (down from
  22)
• 63 of homeless clients stayed in shelter 7 days
  or less (up from 44)
• 18 of total population families
• 18 diagnosed as severely/persistently mentally
  ill (40 to 24 to 18)
• 22 self identify as having physical or
  developmental disability
• 4 of adult population came to shelter from
  correctional facility (down from 22)
• 28 of adults disclose substance abuse as primary
  issue affecting housing (35)

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Safe Horizons, cont.

• Supportive Housing Program
• 83 units currently filled 125 by end of
  calendar year
• Three Case Managers/ One program Director
• 150 growth over last year
• TBRA (except DV project)
• Programs for individuals/families with issues
  related to poverty, domestic violence, substance
  abuse, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, physical
  disability
• 850,000 rental assistance into community (six
  different programs)

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Internal Philosophical Change

• Empowerment Based Service Delivery
• Assumptions
• Provide education, support, resources, options
• Eliminate power differentials
• Trust clients are in best position to make
  decisions for self and family
• No one wants to be homeless, battered or addicted
• Recovery is a process

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Reaffirm/Redefine

• Series of internal trainings/discussions on
  empowerment based service delivery
• Code of Ethics/ Service Delivery Philosophy
• Strategic Planning Process (all community
  stakeholders)
• Updated Vision and Mission statement (collective
  vision for agency)
• Organizational Values and Guiding Principles
• Strategic Goals for each department
• Annual Work Plans with defined outcomes for each
  department
• Accountability Structure
• Personnel Policies/ Grievance Procedure
• Performance Based Compensation

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Organizational Values/ Guiding Principles

• Respect for Individuals
• Safe Horizons believes in the idea that treating
  people well with dignity, respect, and with
  expectations of growth and development is
  fundamental to the achievement of a satisfying
  work experience and essential to assuring
  consumers are treated with the highest degree of
  professionalism.

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• The Importance of Innovation
• Safe Horizons believes that it can demonstrate
  new, creative, and innovative ways of supporting,
  serving, and assisting people. Innovation,
  creativity, and inherent risks involved in doing
  things differently, but responsibly, are the
  hallmark values of Safe Horizons.
• The Importance of Teamwork
• Everyone affiliated with the agency can offer
  perspective, insight, and input into improving
  what we do, how we serve and support people, and
  the quality of our efforts. To that end,
  important and creative ideas may originate at any
  level within Safe Horizons.

10

• Continuous Improvement
• Excellence is grounded in the quality of our
  efforts to serve, support, encourage, and
  recognize one another as important contributors
  to the overall success of Safe Horizons.
  Improvement requires continual work in monitoring
  and, as necessary, modifying our policies,
  procedures, and practices.
• Community Commitment
• Safe Horizons sees itself as a valued and
  integral part of the community it serves. Safe
  Horizons seeks meaningful ways to provide human
  services in response to under-met or unmet
  community needs. Safe Horizons believes that
  accountability to and responsibility for the
  local community is essential.

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Summary

• Putting them into practice offers a challenge to
  all of us. Putting our values them into practice
  helps position Safe Horizons for durability and
  competitiveness in a rapidly changing human
  services environment.
• These values must fuel the work of Safe Horizons,
  its activities, services, and programs.
• They should guide our interactions with one
  another.
• They should guide our staff development and
  training programs.
• They offer a way to evaluate the services,
  supports, and opportunities which are offered to
  our consumers.
• They serve as a means of holding ourselves
  accountable.

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Simultaneously

• Community Services Coordinating Body 10-Year Plan
• Commissioners Task Force on Homelessness/ Metro
  Planning Affordable Housing Study

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Internal/Infrastructure Changes

• Shift in discretionary spending fill in gaps
• 45,000 donations/fundraising
• Department Created (shared management)
• Staff added to program piece by piece

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SAFE HORIZONS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairperson
Elizabeth Regan Vice-Chairperson Janice
Littlefield Treasurer Juanita Gittings Secretary
Laura Newsome Directors Thermond Kirkland Roy
Churchill Melinda Johnson Lt. James
Jones Monica Briggins Tim
Galloday Jacqueline Hanton
Executive Director FT (40 DVPTB) (5.5 RPS)
(10 STOP) (3.7 CVDV) (40.8 Misc.) Jenny
Schultz, JD(2005)
Agency Administrator Human Resources FT (25
DVPTB) (5.5 RPS) (69.5 Misc)
Financial Director FT (25 DVPTB) (5.5 RPS) (7
MSHDA)(62.5 Misc.)
Carolyns Place Program Manager FT(33.8 DVPTB)
(25 RPS) (41.2 Misc)
Pathway Shelter Program Manager FT (100
Misc.) Steven Lindsay(1995)
Supportive Housing Program Manager FT (80
DHS/Rapid Rehousing, 20donations/fundraising) Ste
ven Lindsay (1995) (P2005)
Counselor for Children Domestic Violence (100
CYDV)
Court Advocacy FT (92 STOP) (8 Misc)
Supportive Housing Case Manager FT (87DCH/
13CLS)
Senior Case Manager FT (100 Misc)
Senior DV Case Manager FT (100 VOCA)
DV Counselor FT (28.3 STOP) (12.7 Misc.) 59
VOCA Match
Full Time Case Managers (80 MSHDA) (20
Misc)
Housing Coordinator FT (100 MSHDA)
HARP Case Manager FT (100 United Way)
(PT) Case Manager / Advocate (40 DVPTB) (12
RPS) (48 Misc)
Part Time Case Managers (100 Misc)
Sexual Assault Counselor FT (75 VOCA) (25
Misc.)
Housing Resource Assistant FT (54 DHS/Rapid
Rehousing/ 46 Donations/CLS)
Volunteers Office / Fundraising
Volunteers Shelter Aide Volunteers
First Response Volunteers
Part Time Maintenance FT (100 Donations/Fundraisi
ng)
Nov-07
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Case Management Resources

• United Way of St. Clair County
• Community Foundation St Clair County
• St Clair County Community Mental Health
• Port Huron Rotary
• Gannett Foundation
• DHS Rapid Re-housing
• ATT Foundation

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Case Management Philosophy

• Focus Groups/ Experimentation
• Flexible
• Individually crafted
• Voluntary
• Empowering/ Client Directed (budget)
• Focused on Community Involvement
• Special interest groups
• Volunteer opportunities (internal and external)
• Staff facilitation
• Drop-In Computer Lab

17
Community Support for Housing First

• Stakeholder involvement in strategic planning
• Simultaneous development of 10 Year Plan to End
  Homelessness
• Speak Out Series
• Landlord Network
• Editorials and Articles

18
Focus on Results!

• Focus on both social and economic results
• Strategic use of case stories
• 850,000 into community
• Changing rental market
• Focus on how local money is spent