OUTREACH COORDINATION

IN CHICAGO

What is Outreach Coordination and why is it important?

What is Outreach Coordination

• A referral is sent if a Housing Provider cannot locate the person pulled from the Central Referral System (CRS)• The referral is assigned to a variety of outreach team based on the

individuals criteria• The mobile Outreach Teams check their own resources and make

physical visits to locate the person• If the Outreach Teams locate the participant, they assist with the

Housing Provider until the participant is officially housed

Benefits of Mobile Outreach Team

• Have the ability to physically look for participants in the streets/shelters• Engagement and relationship building with participants• Can assist participants with documentation gathering and

transportation, if necessary• Give a warm handoff to the housing provider

Coordinated Access

• HUD HEARTH Act Mandate

• No Wrong Door

• Access and direction to all homeless services

• Common Assessment

Coordinated Access – Mobile Outreach Role• Identify and accompany most vulnerable

• Initial Assessment

• Assist in access to other services• Housing

Central Referral System (CRS) and Housing Focused Outreach

Elements of CRS• Part of Coordinated Access, specifically for PSH

• After an assessment, a vulnerability ranking is assigned

• All enrollees prioritized based on vulnerability

• Vulnerability for singles based on medical conditions leading to mortality. Vulnerability for families based on interaction with DCFS, time homeless and household disabilities.

CRS Needs Outreach• Outreach for CRS in an integral part of Coordinated Access

• Interaction between housing providers and outreach providers• Silos in the system• Close communication• Outreach Coordination

• Without outreach, highly vulnerable people won’t make it to PSH• Participants are more transient • Contact information is sparse to non-existent • Need assistance with documentation gathering and keeping appointments

Referral Process

Did Housing

Providers Engage Client?

Homeless Individuals & Families

on CRS

YES Was Client Housed? YES

Did Outreach Coordinator

Enlist Outreach

Providers To Engage Client?

YES

Did Outreach Providers Engage Client?

NO

YES Was Client Housed?

NO

YES

END

END

NO NO

Referral Process for the Other 2013 HUD Bonus Programs Outreach Coordination Model

NO

Mobile Outreach Teams Currently Participating in OCP

• Heartland Health Outreach• Thresholds (CTA)• DFSS• Featherfist• Beacon Therapeutic• Polish American• Salvation Army

Rapid Re-Housing Bridge Units• Temporary bridge between homelessness and permanent supportive

housing• Eligibility: HUD defined homeless and acceptance into a PSH program• Goal: To have participants moved out in less than 3 months

• 15 units in Uptown and 5 south and west, overseen by 2 HHO Outreach Workers and Thresholds

Evaluation and Survey Findings

What Was Evaluated?

• Models: There were two outreach models implemented.

• Housing: How many participants that were served by Outreach Coordinated reached housing?

• Outreach: How effective were the outreach teams at locating and engaging referrals?

2013 Totals

HHO Chicago House

Thresholds CHH* DFSS Featherfist Beacon Salvation Army

177

22 21 21 205

151

156

2211 14 8 3 7

0

108

9 5 1 1 1 4 0

Outreach Referrals Received (282)

Clients Engaged via Outreach Coordination (221)

Clients Housed via Outreach Coordination (129)

*Although the CHH Outreach Coordinator engaged clients directly, CHH is not considered an outreach team.

Outreach Coordination Services - By Outreach Provider

Total Housed in 2013

129

Housed in 2013

Northsid

e: 21

Thres

holds: 22

Deborah

's Plac

e: 13

Chicago

House: 9

Alexian

Brother: 9

Trilogy

: 1

Renais

sance

: 1

Heartl

and Human

Care Se

rvice

s: 3

Catholic

Charities:

1

*Non-CRS P

rovider:

9

**Dire

ctly C

ontacted

Outre

ach: 4

00

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45Client's Housed by Housing Provider

Client's Housed, By Housing Provider (129)

COLLABORATION Between Agencies

• # of Different Agencies in 2013: 16

• SIT meetings: Twice a month

• Outreach Coordination Meetings: Every month in 2014

• Working together: ONE TEAM!• I pity the fool not using Coordinated Outreach

Qualitative Findings: Program Integration

• Outreach Providers:• Outreach Providers felt that program integration helped them locate

landlords, helped participants communicate with landlords, made the project more organized and provided a smoother transition for the participant.

• Housing Providers:• Housing Providers felt that working with OPs helped them with

locating/engaging clients, building rapport with clients, and transporting clients to appointments.• Sometimes the roles of the HPs vs. OPs is not clear to clients

Qualitative Findings:SIT Meetings

• Outreach Providers• Meetings offer safe and supportive space where members can discuss/process

challenges together• Meetings help staff know where participants are in the housing process and

allow face time with the program coordinator

• Housing Providers• Meetings allowed them to build stronger relationships with other HPs.• Meetings provide structure, information, and space to ask questions; allow you

to express concerns about a client; and connect you with the program coordinator on a regular basis

Qualitative Findings:Recommendations

• Programs should have a medical provider available and willing to sign medical letters

• Mandatory cultural competence trainings for Outreach Providers and Housing Providers would help in effectively assisting participants of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds

• Reduction of paperwork through condensing pre-intake and intake process.

Recommendations continued…• Create communication protocol

• When clients are enrolled into CRS additional questions geared towards assisting the Outreach Team locate participants would be helpful

• The CRS managing entity could create a time limit for how long a participant’s file can remain inactive before he/she is housed or their file is returned to the CRS.

Challenges• Highly vulnerable have sporadic contact information

• Information on CRS printout can be sparse• Funding may dictate the participants an outreach agency can work with

• Limited capacity for new referrals

• Learning curve for new housing providers pulling from the CRS

Challenges continued…

• Limited authority with Outreach Providers

• Inconsistent communication between partnering agencies

• Limited authority with OBP Housing Providers

• Documentation needed to enter a PSH unit

• Housing clients with criminal records

Discussion Questions

• What are some characteristics of a successful outreach team?

• How could you see outreach coordination improving your work?

• What are some of the biggest challenges for outreach today?

• How does a CRS application directly affect the chances of a participant reaching housing?