Agenda Packet 5-13-19 Joint Work Session

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While increasing emergency shelter beds will help respond to the immediate crisis of unsheltered single adults in the community, without expansion of other system components as well as policy alignment, training, and implementation of best practices across the CoC, the county will be unable to make a significant impact on single adult homelessness. Below, TAC provides a number of system-wide strategic recommendations in addition to the recommendation of increasing low-barrier shelter beds. TAC created a modeling tool in order to determine the “size” of the various recommendations, including the additional number of units or increased staffing. Information about this modeling tool is available in Appendix C. 1.SYSTEM-WIDE RECOMMENDATIONS A. Expand and Better Coordinate Outreach Outreach services – proactively engaging people who are on the streets or living in places not meant for human habitation (cars, tents, abandoned buildings, etc.) and connecting them to services – are a key part of ending homelessness in any community. This is especially true in Lane County, given the diverse geography of the CoC and the high number and significant vulnerabilities of unsheltered homeless adults throughout the county. As described above, Lane County does have some outreach activities, but they tend to be for specific populations or are not clearly defined in terms of geographic coverage and linkages to services. TAC’s outreach recommendations rely on the principle that outreach should be fully coordinated and have linkages back to emergency shelter and permanent housing opportunities. Lane County’s outreach priorities should focus on those individuals who have been homeless the longest and present with the most significant barriers so as to connect those individuals to the limited permanent housing assistance (both RRH and PSH) available through Coordinated Entry. The county should also ensure that outreach workers are trained in administering the CoC’s common assessment tool and such assessments are done in accordance with the Coordinated Entry protocol (as discussed below). Further, outreach within the county should be mapped to ensure no gaps in coverage. TAC recommends an actual mapping process where all outreach and coordinated entry personnel work together to identify on paper (a map) where outreach coverages exist and where gaps remain. A focused effort should be made to convene all outreach partners on a periodic basis to engage in coverage discussions as well as case conferencing to strategize around difficult to engage households who may need to be prioritized for service linkages. Outreach workers targeting specific and/or general populations should have a clear communication protocol back to the coordinated entry system and amongst shelter and other outreach teams so that all parts of the crisis response system are working in concert, without gaps or duplication in efforts. As part of this recommendation, TAC recommends, among other direct outreach personnel, one full-time equivalent (FTE) county Outreach Coordinator/Manager who would be responsible for coordinating outreach efforts and implementing streamlined communication and service linkage protocols. This position would help outreach teams for both general and specific populations cross-coordinate efforts, as well as support data collection processes and linkages to the Common Assessment and Coordinated Entry process. This position would also coordinate with the coordinated entry staff for case conferencing and other strategy meetings. The 1 FTE takes into account that this individual may also play the role of a direct outreach worker and supervisor of all outreach workers and activities. The role of Outreach Coordinator/Manager should be responsible for ensuring that outreach and coordinated entry communication and referral protocol are consistent with the larger system of care. Specific Outreach Recommendations 1. TAC recommends expanding street outreach to include a minimum of five FTE outreach workers and one FTE County Outreach Coordinator/Manager. 2. TAC recommends expanding/redesigning street outreach to become a coordinated system-wide approach, connected to coordinated entry, emergency shelters, and other housing opportunities. 3. TAC recommends ongoing and increased use of mobile technology (tablets) with HMIS embedded. This would allow for entries into an “Outreach” project in HMIS before a common assessment is complete, so that there is real-time accounting of all individuals or families living in unsheltered situations. 4. TAC recommends a small annual ‘barrier buster’/flexible fund of $50,000 in financial assistance for those engaged by outreach. This assistance should be used only when funds can assist a household in reconnecting to permanent housing. For instance, a small car repair to allow an individual to access employment opportunities, or reconnecting a family’s cell phone service so they can coordinate housing and education needs. This fund would operate similarly to the diversion fund noted below, and may in fact cover many of the same types of costs, particularly when a household has an opportunity to reconnect with family or friends on a temporary or permanent basis. Emergency supplies and crisis goods may be paid for using this fund if and when no other community resources are available to meet that need. STRATEGIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 12 May 13, 2019, Joint Work Session – Item 1