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Medicaid, employment and training opportunities, and applications
<br />to entitlement benefits for which the clients are eligible. In many
<br />navigation centers, kitchens are available 24/7, and meals are made
<br />available through partnerships with local food pantries as well as
<br />the Meals on Wheels program.
<br />In addition to housing-focused intensive case management, the
<br />likelihood of positive outcomes, (i.e., people exiting to permanent
<br />housing), is greater when there are affordable housing resources
<br />available. Earlier in this report, TAC recommended making rapid
<br />re-housing resources available to help people exit the shelter to
<br />permanent housing, both as a flexible fund and for short- and
<br />medium-term rental assistance. Lane County should be realistic
<br />about how ‘rapidly’ people can leave the shelter. Based on initial
<br />evaluations from current navigation centers, the process to house
<br />people (with PH/PSH resources) takes an average of two months,
<br />and even longer if there are no back-end PSH resource for each
<br />bed at the center and for clients with more significant individual or
<br />systemic barriers. The average length of stay in a navigation center
<br />is 48 days, and clients being serviced by “diversion/rapid exit”
<br />should have an average length of stay of two days.
<br />TAC suggests Lane County incorporate an additional $500,000 in
<br />rapid re-housing/flexible housing funds per year, for two years,
<br />to be phased in as a resource to assist clients in the shelter with
<br />housing resources. After the initial two years, if the $500,000
<br />resource is still available, it is suggested that the funds become a
<br />part of the CE system as a whole.
<br />Staffing Structure: TAC also recommends a staffing structure
<br />based on other navigation models’ best practices and lessons
<br />learned. As mentioned above, TAC recommends that Lane County
<br />RFP the oversight of the center to a non-profit agency to run day-
<br />to-day operations, including the on-site staffing. In order to provide
<br />the intensive case management, the case manager caseload should
<br />be roughly 20:1, client to case manager ratio. There should also be
<br />at least three case managers on-site at all times.
<br />
<br />Case management staff will work to connect clients to housing
<br />options and assist clients in overcoming housing barriers.
<br />This includes collection of government-issued documents
<br />(e.g., identification, birth certificates), working to resolve more
<br />complicated housing barriers (e.g., cleaning up warrants, accessing
<br />resources for utility arrears), as well as connecting clients to outside
<br />health care services (e.g., general health care, mental health and/
<br />or substance abuse services). In addition to case managers being
<br />on-site, TAC also recommends that mainstream benefit eligibility
<br />workers are invited on-site to help clients apply for Medicaid
<br />and health care benefits. A licensed medical professional should
<br />also be on-site – during established times/days of the week – to
<br />provide basic health care services (e.g., wound care, medication
<br />management). The following full time equivalent (FTE) positions
<br />would “right size” staffing needs for a 75 bed shelter in
<br />Lane County:
<br />TABLE 7: SHELTER STAFF
<br />1 FTE Project Manager On-site to oversee shelter
<br />operations and staff
<br />12 FTE Case Managers On-site case managers and
<br />service coordinators
<br />.5 FTE Licensed Mental
<br />Health case manager
<br />On-site mental health services
<br />provided
<br />.5 FTE Licensed Substance
<br />Abuse case manager
<br />On-site substance abuse
<br />services provided
<br />2 FTE On-call case managers On-call case managers and
<br />service coordinator
<br />3 FTE Janitorial staff On-site janitorial duties
<br />1 FTE Facilities supervision Oversees maintenance and
<br />janitorial staff
<br />1 FTE Maintenance staff Performs day-to-day
<br />maintenance at the shelter
<br />Based on average case manager and employment rates in Lane
<br />County, when fully operational the shelter staffing costs would be
<br />between $650,000 -$790,000 annually.
<br />Evaluation and performance measurements: As with any new
<br />initiative, the continued success of the shelter will be based on
<br />performance outcomes and evaluation. TAC recommends that
<br />Lane County establish initial and continued robust data collection
<br />procedures of center clients, services, and outcomes. Performance
<br />outcomes should be established and made clear to all partners.
<br />Performance measurements should include length of stay,
<br />number of exits to permanent housing, and number of returns
<br />to homelessness. Lane County should also continuously evaluate
<br />the number and characteristics of those served and compare it
<br />to PIT data to ensure the shelter is serving the most high-need
<br />unsheltered populations. Data on length of stay (LOS) should
<br />also be reviewed closely. LOS evaluations should be reviewed to
<br />determine if specific resources or services offered impact the LOS
<br />(e.g., LOS is shorter for people who received a PSH resource upon
<br />entering the shelter). The LOS evaluation can help Lane County
<br />understand the factors that contribute to longer client shelter
<br />stays, and also help the shelter identify and address any barriers
<br />to housing or understand what populations are best served by the
<br />shelter’s model. Data on race and ethnicity should also be collected
<br />and evaluated, in order to ensure equal access to this critical
<br />resource.
<br />STRATEGIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
<br />PAGE 21
<br />May 13, 2019, Joint Work Session – Item 1
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