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Understanding all aspects of the homeless system for single
<br />adults, from outreach to permanent supportive housing, and
<br />how these are accessed by clients, is critical to developing shelter
<br />recommendations.
<br />1. OUTREACH
<br />Outreach is an extremely important activity designed to help
<br />establish supportive relationships, give people advice and support,
<br />and provide access to the services and supports that will help
<br />them move off the streets to permanent housing. Outreach is a
<br />necessary system component to access hard-to-reach individuals
<br />and should be connected to an overall concerted effort to end
<br />homelessness. Best practice in outreach requires moving outside
<br />the walls of agencies to engage people experiencing homelessness
<br />where they are physically located and to connect with those
<br />who may be disconnected and alienated from both mainstream
<br />services and supports and services targeting people experiencing
<br />homelessness. The best practice in outreach is housing-focused.
<br />TAC identified several gaps and barriers within the current
<br />outreach system. Currently, there are limited outreach programs
<br />focused on connecting unsheltered single adults to permanent
<br />housing. Within Lane County, there are four outreach programs
<br />that “touch” single adults. These include the White Bird SAMHSA
<br />PATH program, the Shankle program, ShelterCare’s FUSE Program,
<br />and the Looking Glass street outreach project that serves youth
<br />who are predominantly 18 and older. Although these programs
<br />provide essential services to those they serve, the staff capacity
<br />across these programs is insufficient to effectively engage the
<br />number of unsheltered single adults who currently live on the
<br />streets and in places not meant for human habitation. A review of
<br />the number of persons served with outreach services showed that
<br />approximately 1,000 persons receive outreach services annually.7
<br />With over 1,000 single adults living in unsheltered locations on
<br />any given night during the year, it is clear that additional outreach
<br />efforts are needed.
<br />In addition to insufficient staffing, the Lane County outreach
<br />services design does not allow for system-wide engagement
<br />strategies. Currently, each program operates independently and
<br />is focused only on its specific target population, (e.g., SMI). Finally,
<br />outreach services and case management are not always housing-
<br />focused nor housing placement oriented.
<br />2. DIVERSION
<br />Diversion, or rapid exit, is a best practice strategy that communities
<br />incorporate into their homeless crisis response system to prevent
<br />homelessness for people seeking shelter by helping them identify
<br />immediate alternate housing arrangements and, if necessary,
<br />connecting them with services and financial assistance to help
<br />them return to permanent housing quickly. Diversion services
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<br />7 Based on 2017 Outreach APR.
<br />can reduce the number of households becoming homeless,
<br />the demand for shelter beds, and the size of program waitlists.
<br />Diversion services can also help communities achieve better
<br />outcomes and be more competitive when applying for federal
<br />funding. Diversion services are offered immediately prior to, or
<br />immediately after, a household becomes literally homeless. In
<br />general, diversion practices are emerging and communities are
<br />working to identify the best way to implement diversion services
<br />and resources locally.
<br />There are currently no robust diversion programs in Lane County,
<br />nor distinct diversion efforts at points of shelter entry; TAC
<br />considers this to be a gap in the overall homelessness system.
<br />Based on a review of the data available on lengths of stays in
<br />emergency shelters, it is likely that a number of people enter
<br />shelter in Lane County who – if diversion were provided – could
<br />either be diverted prior to shelter entry or within a short period of
<br />time after shelter intake.
<br />3. EMERGENCY SHELTER
<br />Emergency shelters are a facility or type of crisis housing (e.g.,
<br />crisis beds, motel vouchers) with the primary purpose of providing
<br />safe temporary shelter for people experiencing a housing crisis.
<br />Emergency shelters provide a temporary place for people to stay,
<br />meet basic needs such as food, safety, and hygiene, and offer some
<br />level of support to seek and obtain housing. Emergency shelters
<br />and other types of crisis housing play a critical role in a system’s
<br />response to homelessness, as people in a housing crisis will always
<br />need a safe and decent place to go that is immediately available.
<br />Low-barrier orientation is considered best practice for emergency
<br />shelters. Low-barrier shelters have a housing-first orientation and
<br />few, if any, barriers to entry, such as sobriety requirements or
<br />background checks.
<br />Within Lane County, there are currently 364 year-round emergency
<br />shelter beds dedicated for single adults. During stakeholder
<br />interviews, it was noted that current shelter providers face staffing
<br />challenges, as well as physical design layouts, that limit options
<br />on how many people can be served on any given night. These
<br />emergency shelters do not use a low-barrier model. In turn, some
<br />of the most vulnerable people continue to sleep on the streets and
<br />in places not meant for human habitation around Lane County,
<br />primarily in the City of Eugene. In addition, there does not seem to
<br />be a strong focus on housing-related case management to quickly
<br />exit individuals from shelter into permanent housing.
<br />
<br />A review of the emergency shelter data8 shows that most people
<br />entering the shelter system are coming directly from homeless
<br />situations. Eighty percent of those coming from homeless
<br />situations were coming from unsheltered locations (See Chart 4 &
<br />Chart 5).
<br />8 Data from 2017 Emergency Shelter APR.
<br />CURRENT HOMELESS SYSTEM FOR SINGLE ADULTS PAGE 6
<br />May 13, 2019, Joint Work Session – Item 1
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