Home Again A 10-year plan to end homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County 10-year planning, Housing First, and homeless encampments COSCDA Conference September 17, 2007
Jan 21, 2016
Home AgainA 10-year plan to end
homelessness in Portland and Multnomah
County10-year planning, Housing First, and
homeless encampmentsCOSCDA Conference
September 17, 2007
Portland Demographics
513,627 in Portland
2,063,277 in Metro Area
Median age - 36.4
Median household income - $42,287
Percent below poverty level – 17.8 (compared to 13.3 nationally).
Fair Market Rent for 1 BR - $638/month
Portland’s Homeless Demographics
Annual
19,200 served in FY 05-06:
10,936 adults w/out children (4% less than 04-05)
7,865 persons in families (5% more than 04-05)
384 homeless youth (12% less than 04-05)
Point in time 1,438 unduplicated
“street count”
3,018 unduplicated in “shelter count” (inc. vouchers, rent assistance, trans. hsg.) 48.5% individuals in families with children
Culhane research supported PSH as a response to adult chronic homelessness
We have invested millions of dollars, but have not ended homelessness
To end homelessness, we need to do business differently
Facing facts...
Determination/preparation
Hit the trifecta of awards - $9.8 million $625,000 from CSH for Taking Health
Care Home $3,430,440 ICH collaborative $5,741,900 HUD/DOL
Money and projects spurred planning based in actual activities and outcomes
10-year plan: 3 principles
Focus on the most chronically homeless populations
Streamline access to existing services to prevent and reduce other homelessness
Concentrate resources on programs that offer measurable results
Nine Action Steps Move people into housing first Stop discharging people into
homelessness Improve outreach to homeless
people Emphasize permanent solutions Increase supply of permanent
supportive housing
Nine Action Steps, cont. Create innovative new partnerships
to end homelessness Make rent assistance system more
effective Increase economic opportunity for
homeless people Implement new data collection
technology
One of the most successful tools to end and prevent homelessness:
Short and long-term rent assistance
New programs, shifted resources
• Women’s Emergency Housing: Shifted use of $164k/year from a women’s night shelter to a new 4 agency housing collaborative
• Key Not a Card: City general funds ($2.4 M) to move people from the street housing
• Short-term Rent Assistance (STRA) combines funds from City, County, PHA into one fund
Goals/outcomes: After 2 years
Outcome 2 Year Goal
Cum.
% achiev
edChronically
homeless who have homes
565 1,039
184%
Families housed 500 717 143% (high resource
using families)150 342 228%
Permanent supportive housing opened
260 480 185%
(added to pipeline)
420 379 90%
Street Count OutcomesJanuary 23, 2007
1284
2355
386
1438
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
Overall Chronic
2005
2007-39%
-70%
Reduced Use of Emergency Systems
(Central City Concern’s Community Engagement Program)
0
20
40
60
80
1 2
Jail/ Arrests Hospitalizations
Utiliz
atio
n in
Day
s
Pre CEP
Post CEP
CEP saves 35.7% ($15,006 per person) in resources for chronically homeless people.
What makes a 10YP successful
Identify your community’s challenges & opportunities
Seek commitment and creativity at the political, bureaucratic, and provider level
Hire dedicated staff to lead the planning and implementation effort
Follow a clearly defined goal of ending and preventing various types of homelessness
What makes a 10YP successful, cont.
Replicate best practices from other Cities and Jurisdictions
Engage the most vocal critics Simplicity and flexibility allow
for change down the road Celebrate successes!
Short & long-term problems:
•What if you don’t have enough emergency shelter or housing?
•While your state/community implements a long-term housing and service plan, how do you solve immediate needs of people sleeping outside?
Short & long-term solutions
• Build affordable housing and permanent supportive housing
• Locally funded short-term rent assistance
• Purchase a motel/apartments, operated by nonprofit (ex. Seattle’s Aloha Inn, Alaska’s Safe Harbor Inn)
• Identify “low-impact” camping areas
Portland’s Dignity Village
• Formed in 2002• State statute permits a
jurisdiction to designate emergency camps if housing emergency exists
• On City land, with management agreement
• Became nonprofit org.• 60-person capacity
Remote location, few neighbors
Semi-permanent structures, recycled materials: cob,
straw bale, wood
Why residents like living at Dignity Village: pets…
…a sense of community
…safety, security…
Resources• Portland’s 10-year plan and outcome reports:
www.portlandonline.com/bhcd• Nonprofit motel: Safe Harbor Inn, Alaska
www.safeharborinn.org
• Homeless-run communities:– Dignity Village, Portland, OR: www.dignityvillage.org– Aloha Inn, Seattle, WA: www.alohainn.org
Sally Erickson, Ending Homelessness TeamCity of Portland, Oregon, Bureau of Housing & Community
[email protected] 503-823-0883