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Shelter Operations Considerations
<br />Shelter operational policies and practices, the design and cost of
<br />staffing, shelter hours, populations served, services being provided,
<br />and tracking data for performance and evaluation must all be
<br />carefully considered in order to ensure the navigation center is
<br />effective. Consistent with other navigation center models, TAC
<br />recommends that Lane County issue a request for proposals to
<br />outsource the shelter operations to either a single local non-profit
<br />partner agency, or a partnership of non-profits with a single agency
<br />as a distinctive lead.
<br />Shelter principles and practices: Based on emerging best
<br />practices for emergency shelters, TAC recommends that the
<br />shelter be low-barrier and low-threshold to entry and throughout
<br />shelter stays. This theory encompasses the following three “P’s”:
<br />pets, partners, and possessions. Clients arriving with pets should
<br />be able to enter and stay at the shelter with their pets. The pets
<br />should be permitted to stay in the dormitories with their owners,
<br />and should also have outdoor space; case managers shall help
<br />connect owners with pet services (e.g., veterinary services, support
<br />animal certificates, etc.). Partners are allowed to enter together as
<br />clients. Since TAC is recommending that the dormitories are mixed
<br />gender, clients may request beds next to a partner of any gender.
<br />When a couple presents, the practice should be to provide case
<br />management individually to each person, not as a couple. However,
<br />if both partners consent, housing plans can be coordinated. The
<br />third “P” stands for possessions. The shelter should have lockers/
<br />cubbies with locks in each dormitory for small possessions, and
<br />also have a storage area on-site for larger possessions. In addition,
<br />consistent with best practice low-barrier principles, the shelter
<br />should not have any preconditions to entry such as sobriety,
<br />required participation in mental health treatment, or requirements
<br />for service participation. As a safety and legal issue, most
<br />navigation centers do not allow substance use on-site.
<br />Shelter Hours: Immediate and easy access to the shelter is
<br />another key principle of shelter operations. The shelter should be
<br />accessible 24/7, allowing clients to come and go freely throughout
<br />the day. Policies and expectations should include that clients do
<br />not “lose” a bed unless they do not check in with the center for
<br />72 hours and cannot be located by the case manager. TAC does
<br />not recommend an arbitrary length of stay, as past navigation
<br />centers have found this is not an effective practice. The length of
<br />stay should be flexible, with clear expectations that the shelter is a
<br />temporary resource that connects people to permanent housing.
<br />The shelter should never discharge people into a continued
<br />homeless situation, except where the continued presence of a
<br />guest threatens the safety of other guests or staff.
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<br />Population to be served: TAC recommends that the shelter have
<br />a clear definition of the target population to be served in the
<br />shelter, (e.g., people who are unsheltered – living on the streets
<br />or in places not meant for human habitation including tents,
<br />encampments, and under bridges) – who have barriers to using
<br />traditional shelters, and have the greatest length of time homeless
<br />and are extremely vulnerable. TAC recommends that the shelter
<br />adopt a guiding principle that names the target population. For
<br />example, “Lane County’s emergency shelter’s goals are to assist
<br />people who are unsheltered in obtaining permanent housing as
<br />rapidly as possible, and to increase the capacity of providers to
<br />provide tailored services utilizing an intensive service model based
<br />on flexible, housing first practices.”
<br />Shelter admittance should be only by referral. Referrals should
<br />be made by an outreach team (as discussed earlier as a system-
<br />wide recommendation) that includes outreach workers (their
<br />service partners) and first responders’/police officers. Lane County
<br />should develop referral policies and procedures including clearly
<br />identifying referral access points, referral agencies, and referral
<br />eligibility requirements. Lane County and its partners should create
<br />a By-Name list of the high-needs, longest stayers on the streets for
<br />referrals to the new shelter beds. Once a person is referred to the
<br />shelter and has accepted a bed, a coordinated entry assessment
<br />can be administered at the shelter, and the person will be added
<br />to the central waitlist. While this model supports active outreach
<br />for clients to be referred to the shelter, there should also be staff
<br />at the shelter with diversion skills who can work with people who
<br />show up at the shelter without an outreach team referral.
<br />Pilot program for Veterans: TAC recommends that Lane County
<br />carve out beds within the 75 new shelter beds as a pilot for
<br />Veterans who meet the eligibility criteria for the shelter. The pilot
<br />should set aside five beds for Veteran referrals. Case managers will
<br />work to quickly connect the Veterans to available and underutilized
<br />VASH vouchers through the housing authority. An evaluation of
<br />the pilot could include a comparison of the length of shelter stay
<br />for pilot participants and other guests. TAC expects the length of
<br />stay will be shorter for those who have access to readily available
<br />permanent housing resources. This may help inform future
<br />planning for housing resources in Lane County.
<br />Services to be provided and resources available: Providing
<br />access to both services and housing resources will be key to the
<br />shelter’s success. Staff at the shelter must be able to provide
<br />intense housing-focused services. Case management is organized
<br />to quickly route clients into housing or to other long-term
<br />placements. The practice should be to provide intensive housing
<br />search assistance to each guest residing at the shelter, including
<br />but not limited to: assistance in applying for affordable housing
<br />lists; assistance with enrollment in any rapid re-housing or
<br />permanent supportive housing opportunities to which guests may
<br />be matched through the coordinated entry system; advocacy on
<br />behalf of clients; identification of roommates for shared housing
<br />opportunities; and exploring relocation to other communities
<br />and/or reunification with family in accordance with client choice.
<br />Additional resources at the shelter should include access to
<br />showers, laundry, food and meals, secure and accessible storage,
<br />connections to other mainstream benefits including health care/
<br />STRATEGIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
<br />PAGE 20
<br />May 13, 2019, Joint Work Session – Item 1
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