FROM THE H.E.A.R.T.: SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THROUGH MULTI-AGENCY COLLABORATION

BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA Stephen Ferrante, M.S.W.

Group Victory, LLC (954-249-2323) March 28, 2014

Project Intent Address Increasing

•Child Welfare & Child Protective Services Involvement

•Family Homelessness

•Family Economic Instability

•Family Recidivism

Target Population (Families) • Extremely Low Income: 30% of area median income • Inadequate Housing / Housing Instability

oHUD Definition for Homelessness • Child Welfare Involvement

oVerified Maltreatment oChild Removal Risk / Child Removal oHistory of Family Child Welfare Recidivism o Legal Sufficiency for Judicial Involvement / Judicial Involvement oReunification Family: Housing one of Remaining Barriers

• At-Risk & Multiple High Needs oMental Health oSubstance Abuse oDomestic Violence oDevelopment &/or Physical Disabilities oYoung Children oMany Children oHousehold Trauma

Project Goals 50 High Risk / High Need Families Achieve the Following:

Primary Goals • Reduce the number of child welfare contacts • Reduce the incidents of child maltreatment • Reduce the number of child removals • Reduce the number of foster care placements • Increase housing stability • Decrease costs associated with child welfare involvement & homelessness

Secondary Goals • Increase healthy parenting skills • Increase emotional coping strategies among family members • Increase family employment • Increase family financial management and stability • Increase legal self-advocacy • Increase attainment of permanent affordable housing

Project Approach • Highest Need Families oKey “Gatekeeper” Collaboration oHomeless Continuum of Care oChild Welfare Lead Agencies

• Affordable Housing Access oHousing First & Rapid Re-Housing (Scattered Site) oEmergency & Transitional Housing oPublic Housing Authority Collaboration oPublic Housing Choice Vouchers oHousing Coordinator oHousing Liaison oPermanent Supportive Housing

Project Approach • Intensive Supportive Service Infrastructure

oCentralized Case Management oCollaboration with Service Agencies aligned with Family Needs & Success

oMainstream Resource & Benefit Linkage oEvidence-based Treatment Interventions oIn-Home & Community-based Service Delivery oSingle System of Care Model

Project Partners PARTNER ROLE

KID, Inc. (Kids in Distress) Lead Community Youth & Family Services Provider: Project Lead Agency; Clinical Case Management

ChildNet Lead Child Welfare Agency: Referral & Triage Housing Coordinator

Broward Sheriff’s Office Lead Child Protection Agency: Referral & Triage

5 Public Housing Authorities Housing Choice Voucher Provider & Liaison (50 Vouchers)

HOPE South Florida Emergency & Transitional Housing

Urban League of Broward County Economic Self-Sufficiency Provider

Legal Aid of Broward County Legal Counsel & Guidance

Broward Health Health Access, Education & Screening

Broward Addiction Recovery Center Substance Abuse & Behavioral Health Support

Women in Distress Domestic Violence Prevention

Broward County Homeless Initiative CoC Lead Agency; CoC Access

Barry University Local Evaluation

Group Victory, LLC Planning, Implementation & Sustainability Support

Project Planning: Pre-Application • Gathering Key Stakeholders o Gathering Key Stakeholders

• Facilitated Dialogue o Need & Priorities o Ideal System of Care o Resource & Service Leveraging o Gaps & Capacity Building

• Community Consensus

Project Planning: Committees • Advisory & Steering Council o Leadership / Champions o Governance / Experts o Sustainability

• Program (with Monthly Partner Briefing) o Readiness Assessment o Implementation Planning / Work Plan o Targeting o Housing Coordination o Support System of Care Coordination o Program Protocols, Manual & Training

• Communication o Public Marketing & Relations o Resource Acquisition & Development

• Evaluation: Design & Methodology

Project Implementation: Committees • Advisory & Steering Council

o Leadership / Champions o Governance / Experts o Sustainability

• Management o Operations & Policies o Utilization o Training & Development Evaluation & Continuous Quality Improvement Team Monthly Partner Briefing

• Clinical Multi-Agency Staffing (Minimum Weekly) o Clinical Care o Service Coordination

• Communication o Public Marketing & Relations o Resource Acquisition & Development o Sustainability

Primary Direct Service Team PARTNER ROLE

KID, Inc. Project Director 5 Clinical Intensive Case Managers (10:1 Ratio)

ChildNet Housing Coordinator

Urban League of Broward County

2 Family Life Coaches

Legal Aid of Broward County

1 Family Attorney

Family Selection APPLICATION

(ChildNet & BSO)

ELIGIBILITY AND VERIFICATION (KID, ChildNet, BSO & PHA)

RANDOMIZATION (Urban Institute)

ENROLLMENT (KID, ChildNet & BSO)

ENGAGEMENT (HEART Partners & Barry University)

Housing Coordination • Seamless Access to Emergency Sheltering • Consolidated Housing Voucher Commitment • Prompt Housing Voucher Appointments • Combined Housing Voucher Certification & Orientation • Follow-up Legal Aid Housing Briefing • Landlord Engagement & Inventory Building • Leasing & Inspection Process Communication • Household Donation & Storage Acquisition • Household Moving Donation Acquisition • Project “Fit” within Housing Authority Structure

Supportive Service Coordination • Single Project Identification • Unified Interagency Staff • Shared Mission, Priorities & Values • Role Clarification & Compliment • Shared Tasks & Responsibility • Strong Interagency Communication • Consistent Family Communication • Effective Interagency Collaboration • Resource Sharing • Mutual Support • Celebrations of Success & Each Other

Ongoing Initiatives • Re-enforcing Distinction between Housing Coordinator & Housing Liaison

• Defining HEART’s Role in Homeless CoC • Increasing Lead Child Welfare Agency Referrals • Maintaining Family Engagement Beyond Housing • Distinguishing Clinical Case Manager & Child Advocate Roles

• Project Director Collaborative Operational Management & Clinical Responsibilities

• Staff Self-Care Management

24 Families to Date • 20 Diversion / Prevention Families • 4 Reunification Families • 6 Families Living on the Street at Intake • 23 Single Parent Households • 14 Families with 2-3 Children / 5 Families with 1 Child • 4 Families with 4-5 Children / 1 Family with 7 Children • 12 Parents 18-25 Years Old / 19 Parents Under 32 / Oldest Parent 43 • 13 Families Employed • 19 Parents High School Diploma / 5 Parents High School Dropout • 12 Families Prior Eviction(s) • 11 Families Criminal Background • 15 Families SNAP Recipients • 15 Families Leased within 45 days • 17 Families in Apartments / 7 Families Single Family Homes

Families’ Experiences • 2 Families had New Babies / 1 Mother got Pregnant • 4 Families Celebrated Thanksgiving in their Own Homes with

Complete Holiday Dinners • 12 Families Celebrated the Holidays in their Own Homes with

Christmas Trees & Presents • 2 Families Reunified • 1 Family had a Reported Incident of Neglect • 1 Family Obtained Employment / 1 Family Lost Employment • 2 Parents Enrolled in School • 1 Family had a Car Repossessed • 1 Parent had Reported Alcohol Use • 1 Family got a Puppy

“Mommy say ‘thank you’ for me, I’m the one who wished for a home”

HEART Alliance for Sustainable Families

READINESS ASSESSMENT

PROJECT KNOWLEDGE

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

My organization is knowledgeable about the project

COMMENTS:

Key community stakeholders are knowledgeable about the project

COMMENTS:

LEADERSHIP, MANAGERIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

Leadership in my organization are knowledgeable about the project

COMMENTS:

Leadership in my organization fully support the project

COMMENTS:

Leadership in all partner organizations are knowledgeable about the project

COMMENTS:

Leadership in all partner organizations fully support the project

COMMENTS:

Required project managerial and administrative support is in place

COMMENTS:

The project has a designated budget and fiscal procedures

COMMENTS:

PROJECT GUIDANCE

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

An active project advisory council is in place

COMMENTS:

A system of ongoing project planning, oversight, and technical support is in place

COMMENTS:

A continuous quality improvement system is in place

COMMENTS:

PROJECT COMMUNICATION

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

The Child Welfare System and other key stakeholders are engaged in the project

COMMENTS:

The project is known within the community

COMMENTS:

Buy-in associated with the project’s importance and value exists within the community

COMMENTS:

An on-going project outreach, marketing, communication and information dissemination plan exists

COMMENTS:

STAFFING

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

All project staff are identified and hired

COMMENTS:

All project staff possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies to fulfill their project responsibilities

COMMENTS:

Strategies exist to develop and retain a consistent talented workforce

COMMENTS (Include Strategies you would recommend):

EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION & PRACTICES

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

My organization is knowledgeable about core project components and interventions

COMMENTS:

Project partners are knowledgeable about core project components and interventions

COMMENTS:

An coordinated intake and triage system is in place

COMMENTS:

An interdisciplinary case management team is in place

COMMENTS:

A comprehensive array of supportive services are in place

COMMENTS:

Family strengthening practices and procedures exists

COMMENTS (Include Strategies you would recommend):

TRAINING

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

My organization has been fully trained on project practices

COMMENTS:

All project staff and partners have been fully trained on project practices

COMMENTS:

An ongoing training and development plan is in place

COMMENTS (Include Training you would recommend):

PROJECT MATERIALS

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

A project program, policy and procedure manual exists

COMMENTS:

My organization has been oriented to program policies and procedures

COMMENTS:

All project staff and partners have been oriented to program policies and procedure

COMMENTS:

Project staff have necessary supplies

COMMENTS (Include Materials you would recommend):

FACILITIES & EQUIPMENT

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

Project staff have a central office

COMMENTS:

Project staff are co-located

COMMENTS:

RECORD KEEPING & DOCUMENTATION

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

Record keeping and documentation policies, procedures, and practices are in place

COMMENTS:

My organization has been trained on record keeping and documentation practices

COMMENTS:

All project staff and partners have been trained on record keeping and documentation practices

COMMENTS:

Adequate information technology resources and supports are in place

COMMENTS:

TARGET POPULATION ACCESS

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

The project target population is clearly defined

COMMENTS:

Project eligibility criteria is documented and disseminated

COMMENTS:

A clear plan exists to generate and process project referrals

COMMENTS (Include Strategies you would recommend):

Do you have families to refer to the project? YES NO DON’T KNOW

If yes, how many families do you have to refer to the project

COMMENTS:

FORMALIZED COORDINATION & PARTNERSHIP

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

Partnerships exist with key stakeholder organizations to operationalize the project

COMMENTS:

Partner Agreements and/or Memoranda of Understanding are in place to formalize collaborative roles, responsibilities, and expectations

COMMENTS:

A unified sense of cohesion exists among all partners for system of care ownership and accountability

COMMENTS:

Partners are involved in multiple aspects of project planning, development, and implementation

COMMENTS:

Strategies are in place to enhance and maintain project partnerships

COMMENTS (Include Strategies you would recommend):

HOUSING

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

Housing vouchers have been identified, committed and are available for the project

COMMENTS:

Clear procedures are in place to access housing vouchers

COMMENTS:

Clear procedures are in place to assist families locate housing

COMMENTS:

Clear procedures are in place to facilitate moving families into housing

COMMENTS:

Strategies are in place to aid families in maintaining affordable housing

COMMENTS (Include Strategies you would recommend):

EVALUATION

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

A project evaluation plan is in place

COMMENTS:

Data collection and analysis procedures exist

COMMENTS:

A procedure exist to translate evaluation findings into practice enhancements

COMMENTS:

My organization has been oriented to the evaluation plan and methodology

COMMENTS:

Project staff are trained on the evaluation plan and methodology

COMMENTS:

LONG-TERM PLANNING

NOT YET PREPARED

MODERATELY PREPARED

HIGHLY PREPARED

DON’T KNOW

Formal strategies are developed for long-term project sustainability

COMMENTS:

SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGIES

What sustainability strategies do you recommend:

STRENGTHS

What project and/or system of care strengths exist:

WEAKNESSES

What project challenges and/or limitations exists:

OPPORTUNITIES

What project opportunities exists:

THREATS

What threats and/or barriers to the project exist:

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: