5.04 IMPROVING SYSTEMS IN BALANCE OF STATE AND … · TIMELINE OF COORDINATED ENTRY IN WEST VIRGINIA History of receiving TA from the NAEH HEARTH Clinics, SAMHSA, and bringing in

5.04 IMPROVING SYSTEMS IN BALANCE OF STATE AND REGIONAL COCS

THE WV BALANCE OF STATE CONTINUUM OF CARE

Zach Brown, Executive DirectorTwitter: @zthomasbrown @wvceh

IMPROVING SYSTEMS IN BALANCE OF STATE AND REGIONAL COCS

WHO WE ARE▸ State Coalition

▸ Balance of State CoC

▸ HMIS for Balance of State CoC

▸ SOAR State Lead

▸ ESG Rapid Re-housing and PATH Street Outreach in 22 counties

▸ Believers in Being Cool, Housing First, Failing, and Improving

WHAT WE BELIEVE

• Homelessness is incredibly costly and housing is much less so.

• Anyone can be housed.

• Limited resources must be focused on those who require it the most.

• Homelessness is not a punishment and housing is not a reward.

• The only solution to homelessness is housing.


ADVANTAGES TO A RURAL SYSTEM▸ In smaller communities, homeless populations may be

low, or even non-existent.

▸ Although most communities have limited resources, they usually collaborate, or at least know what each other does.

▸ HUD and others have began to identify the needs of rural systems.

▸ Rural areas have a sense of community.


RURAL WHINING WE HEAR▸ There are no homeless people in rural areas.

▸ There’s not enough affordable housing.

▸ Housing people is more challenging in rural areas.

▸ We need more shelters.

▸ Case management is hard.

▸ It’s harder to find people.

▸ “I don’t want to set them up for failure”

▸ They’re coming here for all our groovy services.


GOALS OF A RURAL COORDINATED ENTRY SYSTEM & PRIORITIZATION LIST▸ A simple and effective process & tools to identify and

triage clients into housing.

▸ A way to know, by name, those experiencing homelessness in any given community.

▸ A way to see the same on a CoC Level.

▸ Not some stupid waiting list.

▸ A living, working process that allows active housing placement of people (not a report)


TIMELINE OF COORDINATED ENTRY IN WEST VIRGINIA▸ History of receiving TA from the NAEH HEARTH Clinics,

SAMHSA, and bringing in OrgCode Consulting. November 2012 – December 2013.

▸ Dedication from ¾ CoCs to use the VI-SPDAT in August 2013.

▸ Kicked off in January 2014 with the PIT Count in the 100K Homes Communities. Registry Weeks are Prioritization via a decentralized intake. Right?

▸ Started using VI-SPDAT on everyone entering HMIS and entering programs.

▸ Collected data, starting using our own process with RRH and PATH Street Outreach.


THE CURRENT PROCESS – WV BALANCE OF STATE

Individual, family, or youth presents for shelter, or encountered during outreach.

Individual VI-SPDAT, Family VI-SPDAT or TAY Youth VI-SPDAT is performed (in HMIS)

A CoC-wide prioritization list is sent out to all users in HMIS on Monday. Users can then drill down to their community. Family and Individual Scores are together, Youth will be separate.

A CoC-wide prioritization list is sent out to all users in HMIS on Monday. Users can then drill down to their community. Family and Individual Scores are together, Youth will be separate.

Based on client choice, client is then placed into housing based on VI-SPDAT Acuity (V.2)

Single 0-3: Diversion4-7: RRH 9+: PSH/Housing First

Family0-3: Diversion4-8: RRH 9+: PSH/Housing First

Youth0-3: Diversion4-7: Time-Limited, Moderate Intensity 8+: Long-Term housing w/ High Service Intensity

1. Referral. 2. Move-In.3. Back to List.

1 2

34

5

6


OUR HOUSING PRIORITIZATION LISTIMPROVING SYSTEMS IN BALANCE OF STATE AND REGIONAL COCS

WHAT WE FOUND AT THE BEGINNING▸ A lot more mid-acuity (think Rapid Re-housing folks) than

first anticipated.

▸ We had a lot of low acuity folks in PSH.

▸ End Users loved using the VI-SPDAT! So much that they sometime prescreen the same people several times per day!

▸ A single community can’t have a “list-keeper”.

▸ Coordinated Access policies needed to wait until the process was flushed out.

▸ The list brought community providers together, whether they liked it or not. Even the non-funded.


FROM WHINING TO WINNING“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” -Benjamin Franklin

▸ Give direction and mentorship. Be an example.▸ Move some ass- The woods aren’t going to spit people into your office.▸ Budget for Travel.▸ Have a schedule.▸ Be a trusted part of communities.▸ Show success “The pudding”. ▸ Train your providers. Train them again.▸ “By any means necessary” ▸ Rapid Re-Housing ▸ Housing First


AND THAT IS HOW WE ENDED HOMELESS IN WEST VIRGINIAIMPROVING SYSTEMS IN BALANCE OF STATE AND REGIONAL COCS

AHHHH…DISTRACTIONS WERE (AND ARE) EVERYWHERE▸ “They took my money”

▸ “They don’t play nice”▸ “This is hard”

▸ “But, they are really good-hearted”

▸ “I’d like a face-to-face meeting ASAP”

▸ “We should meet about that”

▸ “We can’t find apartments” ▸ “Well, he drinks”

▸ “We lack resources”

▸ “The VI-SPDATs/SPDATs aren’t trauma-informed enough”

▸ “HIPAA!, HIPAA!, HIPAA!”


THE BIG PROBLEM(S) WITH OUR SYSTEMIMPROVING SYSTEMS IN BALANCE OF STATE AND REGIONAL COCS

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDSShelters Other Service

Providers ??PATHHotline

List

Diversion

WVUCentral

WVUNorth

WVU South

ES

RRHTH/Bridge Interim

Hotel/Motel Voucher

PSH

Program Monitor

Program Monitor


WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

Street Outreach -Complete

appropriate VI-SPDAT

Shelters -Complete

appropriate VI-SPDAT

Step 6

Step 3

Step 5

Step 2

VI-SPDAT acuity score

populates Prioritization

List. Categorized by

tab into:-Individual

-Family-Veteran-Youth

-Diversion

Centralized Intake Staff willassign beds through HMIS and

phone contact by VI-SPDAT acuity and geography for:

-Shelter/Hotel/Motel Triage, -CoC PSH,

-HUD VASH, -CoC, ESG, and SSVF RRH,

-CoC and VA TH OR

make appropriate referral for diversion or other services.

If eligibility criteria are met, Centralized intake staff will facilitate “warm transfer” or care of the client to program

case manager.

Housing Placement and Case Management Begin

The CoC Coordinated Services Director will provide process

oversight and measurement to assure system effectiveness.

Centralized Intake will address the needs of the next highest

acuity case via the Prioritization List to assure efficient delivery

of services.

Public and other Agencies -

Contact Centralized

Intake Hotline. Hotline Staff

complete appropriate VI-SPDAT based on

Call Point recommendation

Step 1

Step 4


ARROWS IN THE QUIVER“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”― Stephen King

▸ The right tools for the job:

▸ People.

▸ Processes.

▸ Purpose

▸ Direction.

▸ Discipline.

▸ Definition.

▸ Data.


CONTACT US:

Zach Brown, Executive DirectorWV Coalition to End Homelessness, Inc.

PO Box 4697Bridgeport, WV 26330

[email protected]

wvceh.org


Documents

5.04 IMPROVING SYSTEMS IN BALANCE OF STATE AND … · TIMELINE OF COORDINATED ENTRY IN WEST VIRGINIA History of receiving TA from the NAEH HEARTH Clinics, SAMHSA, and bringing in