Leveraging Resources: Cross Systems Partnerships for Rapid Re-Housing

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Leveraging ResourcesCross Systems Partnerships
for Rapid Re-Housing

• Washington Low Income Housing Alliance
• 24th Annual Conference on Ending Homelessness
• Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

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Ending Family Homeless Project

• Goal The intent of the Ending Family
  Homelessness is to reduce homeless for households
  with children who are unsheltered or living in
  shelters and motels by 50 percent by 2015
• Rapid re-housing targeted for TANF households
  with immediate needs
• Progressive engagement - matching resources to
  need through ongoing needs assessment
• Active coordination with DSHS and WorkSource

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INRODUCTION

• Presentation in 5 Segments
• Roles in Partnership
• Project Partnership
• Integrating into agencys service delivery
• What we have learned
• Case Studies
• Time for Clarifying Questions between segments
  and QA at the end of the presentation

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How Families Access HFCA
All entry points provide
Rapid Re-housing provider
Rural Outreach

• Screening
• Diversion
• Assessment
• Referral to rapid re-housing
• RRH for all populations
• SSVF
• RRH for specific geographic areas
• Referral to prevention
• Housing placement waitlist

HFCA- The Salvation Army Phone Walk-In Email
VOA- youth provider families with hh under 18
DV provider
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Housing Placement

• HFCA
• Maintains Waitlist for Family Housing Programs
• Using Assessment Tool places families into
  appropriate housing
• Works with all providers in placement process

Various scattered site rental assistance programs
Interim Housing Programs 155 units
PSH units for families 91 units
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Panelist

• Marci Sweet, Rapid Re-housing and Vocational
  Program Coordinator
• St. Margarets Shelter Catholic Charities of
  Spokane.
• Lori Hunley, Spokane WorkFirst Supervisor
• Washington State Department of Social and Health
  Services
• Shannon Booth, WorkFirst Supervisor
• WorkSource Spokane

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Roles in the Ending Family Homelessness Project
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Catholic Charities

• St. Margarets ShelterWe aim to embody an
  environment where families have the physical,
  emotional, and spiritual resources they need, to
  create beneficial changes in their lives in order
  to find and maintain stable housing in the larger
  community
• Services Provided Housing Focus-Emergency
  Shelter-Transitional Housing-Permanent
  Supportive Housing-Rapid Re-Housing Ending
  Family Homelessness Pilot Project

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Catholic Charities

• Receive all EFH referrals via HFCA and eJAS
• Conduct secondary screening over the phone
• -TANF eligible
• -Engaged in WorkFirst activities
• -Literally Homeless
• Complete eligibility paperwork
• Provide housing search resources and assistance
• Progressive engagement housing stabilization
  services and financial assistance
• Connect with DSHS case worker, and employment
  service provider assist in developing a joint
  case plan

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DSHS

• Case managers complete Comprehensive Evaluation
  on TANF clients
• Develop Individual Responsibility Plan (IRP) for
  each TANF client
• Identify barriers for barrier resolution
• Social workers complete Pregnancy to Employment
  Assessment and Barrier Assessments on clients
• Case managers Social workers refer clients to
  Salvation Army co-located staff or clients can go
  directly to Salvation Army

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WorkSource

• Assessment, employment preparation and job search
  activities
• Generally a 12 week Program
• Individualized coaching and mentoring services
• Barrier resolution
• Coach provides job referrals and job leads
  connecting parents with employers

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Project Partnership
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Goals

• All partners have the same basic goal eliminate
  homelessness, and secure income
• We had to learn that each partner agency has
  agency specific goals as well
• DSHS Provide benefits, and monitor WorkFirst
  compliancy
• ESD Provide employment support services and
  secure employment
• St. Margarets Find permanent affordable
  housing
• Once we had an understanding of each agencys
  individual goals, it was easier to partner
  knowing the parameters we could all work within

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Learning about the Partners

• Met with partners individually to learn about
  each of partners role
• Building collaboration
• Partners met on a monthly basis, rotating
  locations
• Educated staff about partner roles and services

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Partner Coordination Communication

• Partners met on a monthly basis at different
  sites to learn more about each of partners
  service delivery
• Within the monthly meeting Case Staffing took
  place as well as on-going review of joint
  customers being served
• We all shared staff directories
• Providers received E-Jas

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Integration
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St. Margarets Integration between the Partners

• Educated our staff about the pilot program,
  including goals, outcomes, and model of service
• Amended our EFH Case Plans to include making
  verbal contact with DSHS case manger
• Amended our Case Plans to include copies of
  clients IRP in each file

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DSHS - Integration between the Partners

• Co-location of Salvation Army housing provider in
  DSHS local CSO
• Having housing provider at DSHS, clients and
  staff have more knowledge of housing
  opportunities and communication with each other.
  Clients are being serviced quickly first contact

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WorkSource - Integration between the Partners

• Providers attend the Monthly WorkFirst Meeting
• Co-location of Housing Provider in DSHS

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Moving Forward
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Communication between Partners

• What are we learning about communication between
  Partners?
• It takes building rapport and connections
• Education about each agency culture
• Job descriptions and responsibilities
• Partners specialties
• Partners resources

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How to keep buy-in

• Continue to communicate with Housing agencies
• Keep staff informed with updated housing outcomes
• We all have same goal for our clients

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Trust in each Partners expertise

• Each of know that we can pick up the phone or
  e-mail at anytime for partner expertise and or
  information that will help our mutual customer
• We all have a very collaborative attitude towards
  our goal to help the parent succeed

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Outcomes Benefits

• Outcomes based on May 2013 - April 2014 data.

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Client Benefits

• Barriers reduced
• All client providers communicating
• Wrap around services and support

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Case Study 1

• Single father parenting twins
• On TANF 7 months, exited TANF with full-time
  employment
• CPS case closed and full-participation in all his
  required activities
• Found housing and was enrolled in the EFH program
  in November 2013, currently has received 7 months
  of subsidized rent, and was able to contribute
  over half his rent for May 2014
• Worked with Career Path Services and secured
  full-time employment in April 2014 at a
  convenience store
• On track to exit the EFH program in July 2014

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Case Study 2

• Single mother parenting four children
• On TANF 20 months, exited TANF with full-time
  employment
• Found housing and was enrolled in the EFH program
  in May 2013, was exited in April 2014.  Received
  a total of 11 months of subsidized rent
• Worked with DSHS case worker, social worker, and
  housing case manager closely to tailor her IRP
  requirements regarding her specific mental health
  barriers
• Secured full-time employment in March 2014 as a
  receptionist at a local health care provider

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Case Study 3

• Single mother parenting three children
• On TANF 4 months, exited TANF with employment
• Found housing in December 2013, and was exited in
  January 2014, stating she had secured full-time
  employment and was no longer in need of
  assistance
• Worked with ESD, and WorkSource and secured
  employment as an in-home health care provider

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Questions or Comments?