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Solutions to Homelessness
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Funders Together to End Homelessness • 220 Newbury Street, 2nd Floor, Boston MA 02116 • 617.236.2244 • www.FundersTogether.org
Issue Explorer #3Solutions to Homelessness
Funders Together to End Homelessness • 220 Newbury Street, 2nd Floor, Boston MA 02116 • 617.236.2244 • www.FundersTogether.org
Setting the Stage
• Housing First• Planning and Data Collection• Collaboration and Partnership
Housing First
• Housing is a right not a reward• Housing is necessary for health and stability• Evidence-based success
Planning and Data Collection
• Data drives policy and planning• Identify frequent users of systems • Identify appropriate services mix• HMIS
– Not yet used enough but effective client tracker
Collaboration & Partnership
• Continuum of Care– Community based organizer
• Funding Collaboration• Collaboration across systems at local level• Collaboration across Federal Gov’t agencies
(HHS, HUD, VA, etc.) USICH• Public private partnerships
– Washington State MOU
Prevention
• Most effective method for ending homelessness is to prevent it from happening– Case management– Rapid re-housing– Discharge planning
Case management
• Budgeting assistance• Job skills training• Resolve issues that are barriers to housing
stability• Goal: keep families housed
Rapid re-housing
• Landlord mediation & outreach• Legal assistance• Rental assistance• Individualized assistance to locate and secure
new housing when required• Goal: re-house families as quickly as possible
when they experience a housing crisis
Discharge Planning
• Hospitals• Jails and prisons• Foster care• Goal: ensure that individuals discharged from
these systems have option for safe, stable housing
Interventions
• Increasing access to available benefits• Permanent supportive housing• Case management and stabilizing services• Employment and job training
Increasing access to benefits
• Accessing disability benefits• Legal aid programs• Goal: ensure that individuals and families have
access to income and resources they need, and to which they are entitled
Permanent Supportive Housing
• For hardest to serve: chronically homeless individuals and families
• Repeat users of homeless system• Support services matched to needs of client• Goal: provide stable housing and services for
most vulnerable, with dramatic reduction in use of costly public systems (ER, jails, detox, etc.)
Support services
• Health care• Mental health services• Addiction services• Education• Employment• Goal: preparing formerly homeless individuals and
families for independent living in the community
Employment and Job Training
• Employment training programs for those with multiple barriers to employment
• Social enterprise that employs and trains homeless
• Programs to promote asset building• Goal: preparing formerly homeless individuals
and families for independent living in the community
Obstacles to Success
• Part of solving the problem is recognizing & overcoming major obstacles:– Defining eligibility & targeting support services– Legal issues– NIMBYism– Status quo– Lack of resources
Summary
• Solutions to homelessness require:– Adequate supply of affordable housing– Preparation and planning– Prevention strategies (for those at risk)– Intervention strategies (for those currently homeless)– Understanding obstacles to success
• Additional resources– How to End Homelessness: The Ten Essentials – Repairing Lives, Preparing Futures– Ending Homelessness: A Guide for Northwest
Grantmakers– Ending Homelessness: The Philanthropic Role