Opening Doors Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness

GOAL Retool the homeless response system by transforming homeless services to crisis

response systems that prevent homelessness and rapidly return people who experience

homelessness to stable housing.

Crisis Response System Designing the System

• We need entire communities to embrace this philosophy and restructure their systems around it. If the old model was emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent housing, the new model is based on the three “A’s”: 1) Access; 2)Assessment; and 3) Assignment of Intervention.

Designing a Crisis Response System

Coordinated Assessment

• Definition: – Process for matching and prioritizing consumers for

different homelessness interventions through the use of standardized assessment tools and referral procedures • Assess- Risk of Becoming or Remaining Homeless; Housing

Options, and Vulnerability to Homelessness• Assessment Tier Prevention/Diversion (100%) Housing Barrier Assessment

(75%) Vulnerability Assessment (25%)

Crisis Housing and Services

• Definition: – Temporary short term housing system to alleviate a

consumer’s immediate housing crisis as a first step to being re-housed that includes emergency shelter, street outreach, and emergency health and other crisis services

• Best Practice Crisis Shelter- strong links to permanent housing, low barrier, accessible 24/7, linked to coordinated assessment, street outreach

Rapid Re-Housing

• Definition:– A permanent housing intervention designed to

return households to permanent housing quickly through the use of temporary rental assistance, voluntary home-based case management, and connection to mainstream resources

– RR-H is an intervention/tool not a program

Permanent Supportive Housing

• Definition: – Housing units (scattered-site or congregate) used in

concert with housing vouchers and intensive wraparound services to successfully house a community’s most vulnerable people with the housing first approach

– Targets and prioritizes chronically homeless based on local data

ROLE OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE GOVERNANCE

Collective Impact and Responsibilities

Collective Impact

• Collective Impact is created through:– Common Agenda– Shared Measurement Systems– Mutually Reinforcing Activities– Continuous Communications– Backbone Support Organizations

Governance

• The CoC Steering Committee is the membership approved lead decision-making body and board responsible for planning for the use of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) HEARTH CoC resources and coordinating these funds with other relevant resources in the jurisdiction.

CoC Governance Responsibilities1. Hold meetings at least semiannually2. Invite members publicly3. Adopt a written process to select a Board4. Appoint committees, subcommittees, and workgroups5. Adopt a governance charter6. Establish systemic performance targets and monitor performance

(and take action against poor performers)7. Evaluate CoC and ESG projects8. Establish and Operate a Coordinated Assessment9. Establish written standards for providing assistance