Lessons from Columbus, Ohio

1
Lessons from Columbus, Ohio

• Holly S. Kastan
• Advisory Board
• Community Shelter Board
• Barbara Poppe
• Executive Director
• Community Shelter Board
• bjpoppe_at_csb.org
• 614.221.9195

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Overview

• CSB model
• Initiatives
• Rebuilding Lives
• Prevention
• Managing for results
• Closing thoughts

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The Community Shelter Board

• The Community Shelter Board was created in 1986
  to respond to the growing needs of homelessness
  in Franklin County.
• "It is unacceptable for anyone in our community
  to go without food or shelter for even one
  night."
• Mel Schottenstein, CSB Founder

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CSBs Founders

• Public/Private Partnership
• City of Columbus
• Franklin County Commissioners
• United Way of Franklin County
• Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce
• Metropolitan Area Church Council
• ADAMH Service Board
• Columbus Foundation
• Leo Yassenoff Foundation

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Mission

• CSB, by coordinating community-based efforts,
  fostering collaboration and funding services,
  assists families and individuals in Central Ohio
  to resolve their housing crisis.

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Organizational Methods

• collaboration with other systems
• raise and distribute money
• advocacy
• community education regarding homelessness

• assure accountability
• coordination with partner agencies
• practice fiscal conservancy
• continue research and data analysis for effective
  planning

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Funders

• Public
• City of Columbus (40)
• Franklin County (26)
• Ohio Housing Trust Fund (5)
• Other (2)
• HUD SHP (1)

• Private
• Fundraising (13)
• United Way of Central Ohio (13)

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Framework

• Prevention
• Diversion
• Minimize shelter stay
• Move to appropriate housing quickly
• Create permanent supportive housing
• Measures results and manage for outcomes

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Initiatives

• Rebuilding Lives
• Prevention

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Rebuilding Lives

• A new strategy to end homelessness

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Rebuilding Lives

• Rebuilding Lives has two goals
• To provide long-term, permanent housing solutions
  to end the cycle of long-term homelessness
• To maintain an emergency shelter system for
  people with short-term crises.

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Rebuilding Lives Results

• Improved safety net
• 3 new emergency programs
• Resource centers operational in all adult
  shelters
• Improved coordination among programs
• New housing
• 372 units of permanent supportive housing
• Serves most chronically homeless from
  streets/shelters
• New thinking
• Housing is solution not shelters

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Supportive Housing Tenant Profile
(7/1/02-6/30/03)

• Where did they come from?
• 100 experienced long-term homelessness
• 44 came from emergency shelter
• 35 came directly from streets
• Who are they?
• 95 male
• 78 35-54 years
• 65 black 29 white
• 60 had no income at intake to housing
• 21 Veterans

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Supportive Housing Results (7/1/02-6/30/03)

• Tenants
• 475 housed
• Average cumulative length of stay 397 days
• gt 80 maintained housing for year or more
• Shelters
• Despite economic downturn, shelter utilization
  has not increased

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Supportive housing is cost-effective
Rebuilding Lives Funder Summit, March 2003
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Rebuilding Lives PACT Team Initiative (RLPTI)

• Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic
  Homelessness
• Comprehensive approach multi-agency,
  multi-disciplinary
• Housing First scattered site permanent
  supportive housing
• Access to Health Care and Income replication of
  PACT model and Maryland SSI Outreach project

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RLPTI Target Population

• Experienced chronic homelessness living on
  streets and in shelters
• Serious mental disabilities with co-occurring
  substance abuse disorders and/or physical
  disabilities
• Estimate of annual prevalence of target
  population 410 persons

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RLPTI Local Collaborative

• System
• ADAMH Board
• Community Research Partners
• Community Shelter Board
• Continuum of Care Steering Committee
• County Department of Job/Family Services
• Rebuilding Lives Funder Collaborative

• Providers
• Chalmers P. Wylie VA Outpatient Clinic
• Community Housing Network
• Corporation for Supportive Housing
• Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Neighborhood Health Centers
• Southeast, Inc.

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Replicating Best Practices with a Columbus Twist

• Pathways to Housing
• Low demand, scattered sites rental housing and
  public housing
• Evidence-based practices -- PACT (Program of
  Assertive Community Treatment) multi-disciplinary
  treatment team plus IDDT (Integrated Dual
  Disorder Treatment) for persons with dual
  diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse
• Multi-Agency PACT team services which includes
  VA, Neighborhood Health services, and housing
  provider

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Replicating Best Practices with a Columbus Twist

• Maryland SSI Outreach Project
• Outreach, record collection, application
  completion and advocacy
• SSI/SSDI and/or Veterans benefits
• County Department of Jobs/Family Services SSI
  unit will be benefits coordinator

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Planned RLPTI Client Outcomes

• 156 adults (47 Veterans) participate in
  initiative impact 40 of target pop.
• 80 remain in housing for 12 months
• 90 increased income w/in 12 months
• 60 improved behavioral health w/in 12 months

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Planned RLPTI Community Results

• Reduce chronic homelessness
• Improved transition of target population from
  homeless-specific services systems to mainstream
  systems of support
• Improved collaboration among housing/service
  providers and mainstream agencies

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Homelessness Prevention

• Closing the front door to homelessness

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Prevention

• Coordinated services with centralized fiscal
  agent
• Satellite partners provide housing counseling,
  landlord advocacy, financial planning, and
  assistance with applications
• Client financial assistance to avoid eviction or
  move to more affordable housing

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Prevention Results

• Ends homelessness
• 95 of households receiving financial assistance
  resolve crisis.
• 98 do not subsequently enter shelter
• Cost effective
• 432/hh served

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Managing for Results
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Managing for Results

• Measure progress - HMIS
• Client
• Provider
• Funder
• Community
• Outcomes-based funding
• Leverage community resources
• Communicate the successes

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Benefits of CSB Model

• Public/private partnership
• Increased system planning, service coordination,
  accountability
• Ability to establish community-wide policy
• More effective monitoring of programs to ensure
  high quality services
• More effective communication

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Challenges to ending chronic homelessness

• Permanent Supportive Housing
• Stable operating subsidies
• Stable services funding
• Capital development grants
• Systems Integrations to Prevent Homelessness
• Cooperation among local, state and federal
  agencies
• Re-entry policies that prevent discharge to
  homelessness

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Lessons from Columbus, Ohio

• Holly S. Kastan
• Advisory Board
• Barbara Poppe
• Executive Director