The Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center A Shared Project between the County of Bergen and the Housing Authority of Bergen County

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The Bergen County Housing, Health and Human
Services CenterA Shared Project between the
County of Bergen and the Housing Authority of
Bergen County A Collaborative Approach to
Meeting Human Services Needs  

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• Bergen County Ten Year Plan to End Chronic
  Homelessness 2008

Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services
Center
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HISTORY 1985-95

• Focus Provide Emergency Shelter
• Background
• Kansas Street, churches
• Overnight only
• Exclusionary and fragmented
• Temporary location

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HISTORY 1995-2005

• Focus Modify the Existing System
• The One Stop idea
• Build a permanent shelter

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HISTORY 2005-10

• Focus Change the System
• Federal requirements
• Develop 10 year plan to end homelessness
• Coordinate and integrate service delivery
• Local direction
• Identify and use best practices
• Develop a collaborative model

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MISSION

• To place individuals who are homeless in
  permanent housing and provide the support
  services needed to ensure success in the
  community.
• To serve as a one-stop location and single point
  of entry for individuals to receive information,
  care management, health and human services, and
  financial assistance.
• To prevent homelessness using Homelessness
  Prevention Rapid-Re-Housing stimulus funds.

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KEY DESIGN CONCEPTS

• Objective End chronic homelessness
• Approach The Housing First Model
• Process Engagement, Collaboration, Integration

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KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS

• 1. Develop a one stop service and support
  platform, not a shelter
• 2. Provide the services needed to accelerate
  housing placement, independence
• 3. Engage community decision makers during the
  design phase
• 4. Pilot test the concept
• 5. Create resource based contractual operating
  partnerships

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KEY DESIGN ELEMENTS contd

• 6. Offer aggressive daytime programming
• 7. Provide incentives to encourage onsite agency
  involvement
• 8. Provide direct client centered support
  following placement
• 9. Partner with community resources police,
  hospitals, corrections, business and government
• 10. Market the program both to its guests and to
  the community 

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BUILDING AMENITIES/SERVICES

• 27,516 square feet new construction including
• Nutrition site
• Shelter space for up to 90 15 individuals
• Drop-in Program 365 Days
• Wellness Services
• Showers, bathrooms and laundry facility
• Computers, mail service and telephones

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CONTRACTED PARTNERS

• Housing Authority of Bergen County
• Christ Church CDC
• Care Plus, NJ
• Friendship House

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HABC Under Shared Services

• EA billing and interface with BCBSS
• Housing specialist to determine eligibility,
  review documentation and provide voucher
  issuance 
• Administer HPRP, ESG, ESG funds including
  security deposits

• Management and
• Administration of
• Center
• Provide Clinical
• oversight and care
• management services
• Facility Management
• Back Office Support

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HOUSING PLACEMENT AND SUPPORT 

• Efforts to place clients in permanent rental
  housing begin immediately following client
  assessment. The Center maintains relationships
  with real estate agents and landlords for
  placement.
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• When a housing placement is arranged a
  neighborhood based team provides service
  coordination and follow-up.
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• The Center is establishing relationships with
  health and human service agencies to provide
  financial resources necessary to support housing
  placement or emergency financial assistance to
  individuals and families in proximate danger of
  becoming homeless.
•  

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COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS

• Bergen County United Way
• Advance Housing
• Vantage Health Systems
• Northeast NJ Legal Services
• Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare
• Family Promise (formerly IRF)
• Board of Social Services
• Hackensack Social Services (GA)
• WIB

• AA / NA
• Bergen Community College
• Bergen County One-Stop
• NJ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services
• Veterans Services
• Rape Crisis Center
• HOPE Ex-Offenders
• BCCAP
• Jewish Family Services

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SOURCES OF FUNDING

• Federal Stimulus Funds (HPRP)
• BC DHS State SSH Funding
• NJ DHS Funding
• Federal Funding (CDBG, ESG, ESG, HOME and FEMA)
• Bergen County United Way

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OUTCOMES TO DATE (2/1/2013)

• 410 individuals have been place in permanent
  housing
• 286, 170 meals have been served
• 4,500 individual have made 100,074 visits to Next
  Step
• 105, 912 bed-nights of shelter have been provided
  at the Center
• 440 families and individuals in danger losing
  their homes were provided prevention and /or
  rapid re-housing assistance
• Less than 5 recidivism rate

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RECOGNITION

• NAHRO 2012 National Merit Award for Program
  Innovation Residents Client Services
• MARC-NAHRO 2012 Award for Outstanding Achievement
• Leading nationally in the 100K Homes Campaign