HomelessToHomes_FINAL_MedRez

shelter and services todaystability tomorrow

Homeless To Homes Shelter Collaborative

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HOMELESS TO HOMES SHELTER COLLABORATIVE

The Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative works to improve the

local emergency shelter system for single individuals.

The Collaborative formed in 2009 to implement the emergency

shelter strategy for the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County in the

Homeless to Homes comprehensive plan to serve homeless individuals.

Five human services organizations—City Gospel Mission, Drop Inn

Center, Lighthouse Youth Services, Talbert House, and YWCA of

Greater Cincinnati—partnered with Strategies to End Homelessness,

Inc. and Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC)

to build a better system and help ensure homeless people receive

the high-quality emergency shelter and services designed to

assist them out of homelessness.

This combination of shelter and services provided by a collaborative

of partners is believed to be an unprecedented approach to ending

homelessness for single individuals in the state of Ohio. The

Collaborative will transform how men and women are served resulting

in greater stability for them and for the entire community

mission

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the needHomeless individuals are frequently out of options: they lack the financial, emotional, and family resources to support themselves. Many experience trauma or struggle with physical and emotional challenges. Physical disabilities, mental illness, substance abuse are not uncommon. Limited resources and space constraints in existing facilities have proved to be obstacles in meeting the needs of the homeless. Until now.

community responseThe Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative has been called ‘first of its kind’ in the state of Ohio—an unprecedented approach to combine improved shelter facilities and evidence-based services proven effective in moving homeless people toward greater stability in their lives. The goal is not simply to provide a safe haven in an emergency shelter, but rather to enable homeless individuals to assume greater responsibility for their own lives.

paradigm-changing strategy to end homelessness— Daytime services capability will enable people to come in off the streets at night and

not force shelter providers to turn residents on to the streets during the day.— During the day, various services will be offered including drug and alcohol treatment,

mental health services, and job search and training— Increased case management support will afford residents the assistance they need

to navigate complex systems effectively

measurable outcomes that will improve quality of lifeThe Shelter Collaborative pledges to hold itself accountable for achieving measurable results through a coordinated, community-wide system:— Shorter duration of homelessness— Increased employment and income for clients— More efficient return to permanent housing— More efficient and targeted use of current shelter capacity— Increased level and ease of connectivity to medication, and substance abuse and

mental health services

financial snapshotCollaborative Total Capital Investment: $37.2 millionInvested to Date: $28.7 millionCapital Needed: $8.5 millionCollaborative Total Operating Budget: Combined, approximately $3 million annually

(when all five shelters are fully operational)Committed to Date: Approximately $500,000 annually 2013-15

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The Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative will follow a step-up model, incentivizing residents to engage in the services that will assist them out of homelessness.

— Decrease the number of people sleeping on the streets, under bridges, in doorways or parks— Decrease the length of time that people are homeless— Increase the number of individuals who successfully move from shelter to housing— Increase the number of individuals who obtain additional income while in shelter— Deconcentrate the 296 homeless shelter beds currently located in the center city— Establish a coordinated, community-wide system with opportunities for volunteers and community

groups to support the mission of ending homelessness— Continue to improve the urban culture and livability of the downtown Cincinnati area

strategies to end homelessness and homeless to homes plan

stability tomorrow

The Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative combines new facilities and systemic service im-provements to help move people to stability and greater self-reliance.

In 2008, Cincinnati City Council requested by or-dinance a plan to ensure that “homeless individuals have safe, appropriate shelter facilities that provide comprehensive services necessary for homeless indi-viduals to obtain and maintain houising.” Strate-gies to End Homelessness, Inc. then facilitated an inclusive community planning process which result-ed in the Homeless to Homes Plan. Since its adop-tion by the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County in 2009, the Homeless to Homes Plan has sough to ensure that single homeless individuals have access to not only appropriate shelter facilities but also the comprehensive services which facilitate movement from shelter to permanent housing. The Homeless

to Homes Shelter Collaborative includes Strategies to End Homelessness, Inc., City Gospel Mission, Drop Inn Center, Lighthouse Youth Services, Talbert House, YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, and its devel-opment partner Cincinnati Center City Develop-ment Corporation (3CDC).

The Shelter Collaborative is building a better sys-tem to serve those in need of emergency shelter. Plans do not call for an increase in shelter capacity, but rather reconfiguring existing shelter capacity to better meet the needs of homeless people by providing:

— Specialized shelter for single women— Specialized shelter for young adults— Expanded faith-based shelter capacity for men— Expanded substance abuse treatment capacity— Safe shelter to ensure that no one is forced to

sleep on the streets.

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City Gospel Mission (CGM) empowers individuals to break the cycle of poverty and despair, and collabo-rates with local churches to offer a variety of one-to-one relationship-focused programs and services to equip those in need with the spiritual, emotional and physical skills and resources to achieve life transfor-mation. CGM provides hot meals and a safe environ-ment to the homeless and hurting, as well as com-prehensive recovery programs including transitional and supportive housing and aftercare. As a part of this collaborative, a new 118-bed (74 shelter beds, 36 Exodus Program beds), 62,680 SF facility will be built in Queensgate to serve homeless individuals seeking a faith-based, service-enriched shelter.

city gospel mission

“The collaborative will help City Gospel Mission serve more people by providing much-needed space for case managers and day programming—both of which will increase our long-term success in breaking the cycle of poverty and despair among the homeless and hurting,” according to Roger Howell, President/CEO.

Rodney D. Swope, Board chair, comments: “Our city is being transformed through the Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative, which provides the homeless and hurting their most essential needs like food and shelter. As we work together to break the cycle of poverty and despair, we foster increased employment and contribute to the growth and inclusiveness of the local economy.”

Roger Howell, President/CEO (left) and Rodney D. Swope, Board chair (right).

118 beds in 62,680 square foot facilityFocused on serving emergency and transitional housing needs of individuals. Full day services and programming eliminates forced exit during daytime hours; increased ratio of case workers to residents, opportunity for increased volunteer and staff one-to-one interaction with residents, co-located with the Jobs Plus employment program and partner or-ganization, Lord’s Gym. In addition, improved sleep-ing arrangements offer a better environment and re-duce health concerns.Site: QueensgateStatus: Site secured, building permit issued Total Capital Investment: $13.5 millionRaised to date: $10.9 millionNeeded to complete: $2.6 million

The Drop Inn Center is a community of residents, staff and volunteers working together to provide ba-sic human services for people of the Greater Cincin-nati area experiencing homelessness. The Center’s primary commitment is to offer a place to stay for those in need now, and to help residents find and maintain a permanent place of residence in the fu-ture. For those who find themselves hungry, alone, frightened, or homeless, the Drop Inn Center is a place to turn for hope and for help. The Drop Inn Center has identified a need for a 54,000 square foot facility with 150 beds, and is currently in the site- se-lection process.

drop inn center

According to Arlene Nolan, Executive Director: “The Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative will enhance the lives of homeless people in Hamilton County by providing a higher level of coordinated care and services, with the goal of helping residents quickly obtain and then maintain housing.”

Drop Inn Center Board member Kent Cashell: “The net gain for Greater Cincinnati from the Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative will be fewer homeless people living on the streets, which means a vital quality of life, an improvement to the entire community.”

150 beds in a 54,000 square foot facilityA newly constructed facility for men will include ex-panded and more efficient sleeping quarters, added parking and security along with full day services and programming for issues relating to mental health and substance use disorders; an increased number of expe-rienced case managers providing intensive services to residents, assisting residents to negotiate complicated systems and return to housing; updated kitchen to provide three daily meals, updated laundry.Site: To be determined Status: Site search underwayTotal Capital Investment: $13.3 millionRaised to date: $7.5 millionNeeded to complete: $5.8 million

Arlene Nolan, Executive Director (left) and Kent Cashell, Board member (right).

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Lighthouse Youth Services is a multiservice agency providing social services to children, youth and fam-ilies in southwestern Ohio. Operating since 1969, Lighthouse is nationally recognized as an innovator in services for families in crisis, for homeless youth and young adults, for youth learning to become self-suffi-cient, and in foster care for abused or neglected chil-dren. Representing the first success of the Collabora-tive, the Sheakley Center for Youth, a 12,000 square foot facility with 30 beds for young adults (age 18-24), has been operating on Highland Avenue since January 2012.

sheakley center for youth

Bob Mecum, President/CEO: “Ending homelessness requires the full participation of the community. Working with the Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative will enable each of us to more fully engage in this effort.”

Tim Timmel, LYS Board chair: “The Board of Trustees of Lighthouse Youth Services have approved a strategic plan that calls for Lighthouse to end youth homelessness in Cincinnati by 2020. Our participation in this Collaborative is a perfectly leveraged strategy in our efforts to end youth homelessness in our city.”

30 beds for youth (18-24 years old) in a 12,000 square foot facilityComprehensive day services, increased number of case workers to provide intensive case management and support; 24-hour staffing and programmingSite: 2522 Highland AvenueStatus: Construction completed; program operat-ingTotal Capital Investment: $2.3 millionRaised to date: $2.3 millionNeeded to complete: 0

Tim Timmel, Board chair (left) and Bob Mecum, President/CEO (right).

Talbert House operates a community-wide network of social services with over 36 proven programs fo-cusing on prevention, assessment, treatment and reintegration. Through the collaborative, in July 2012 Talbert House opened the Parkway Center, a 60-bed facility for homeless men with substance abuse issues, providing emergency shelter and so-cial services to help solve the problems that have left them homeless.

talbert house parkway center

Neil F. Tilow, President/CEO: “We value our partnership with Strategies to End Homelessness and our peers who provide quality shelter and services in our community. This is a great example of how the human services industry works together and collaborates to solve problems and make a difference.”

Paul Brunner, Board chair: “Everyone should have access to safe, affordable housing in our community. Bringing the corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit community together to improve the quality of life for homeless individuals is an effort Talbert House wants to get behind.”

60 beds for men in 25,000 square foot facility/Parkway CenterOffers transitional housing for homeless men with a focus on sobriety and independent living. Intensive substance abuse treatment provided on-site daily, including counseling, case management, and treat-ment groups.Site: Central ParkwayStatus: OperatingTotal Capital Investment: $3.8 million Raised to date: $2.8 millionNeeded to complete: $1 million

Neil F. Tilow, President/CEO (left) and Paul Brunner, Board chair (right).

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The YWCA of Greater Cincinnati is dedicated to elim-inating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Program areas include anti-violence, shelter and housing, ra-cial justice, workforce development, education and literacy, youth and teens, women’s leadership and development, health and wellness, and emergency food assistance. As a part of the collaborative, sin-gle homeless women will soon be served in a new 20,000 SF, 60-bed facility on Reading Road, which will be designed to meet the unique needs of home-less single women. For the first time locally, single women will be served in their own facility

ywca of greater cincinnati

Digi Schueler, Board chair: “Homeless women will have a safe, welcoming and holistic place to live while they heal and eventually become self-sufficient.”

Charlene Ventura, President/CEO: “This seven-agency coordinated approach is an unprecedented response to the problem of adult homelessness in our community. It will become a national model.”

60 beds for women in a 20,000 square foot facilityIn addition to immediately meeting basic needs for food, shelter and safety this specialized women’s fa-cility will focus on reducing trauma and optimizing health including full day-treatment services tailored to each woman’s specific needs with high quality individualized case management. Site: Reading Road and Kinsey AvenueStatus: Site preparation completedTotal Capital Investment: $8.1 millionRaised to date: $5.4 millionNeeded to complete: $2.7 million

Digi Schueler, Board chair (left) and Charlene Ventura, President/CEO (right).

Q: What will the Shelter Collaborative accomplish?A: The Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative combines new facilities and sys-

temic service improvements to help move people to stability and greater self-reli-ance. Strategies to End Homelessness, Inc., the five shelter operators, and devel-opment partner Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) have been working together to upgrade our community’s shelter facilities and services, which are lacking due to limited resources and space constraints in existing facili-ties. The planned changes would significantly improve the quality of the current shelter capacity, and better meet the needs of homeless individuals by providing day services such as drug and alcohol treatment, mental health services, and job search and training. The availability of such services encourages homeless people to come in off the streets, and eliminates the need for shelter providers to turn residents onto the streets during the day. Higher quality and increased case management services will ensure that residents are helped to negotiate complex systems, and receive the assistance they need to exit homelessness. The improved shelters follow a step-up model, incentivizing residents to engage in the services that will assist them out of homelessness.

Q: Why no new beds?A: Our system does not need more shelter capacity. Instead we need to provide

people with better, more targeted services, which will help residents exit our shel-ters more quickly, reducing demand on the shelter system.

Q: Why is this a ‘better system’?A: This system will provide high-quality shelters

that include comprehensive, outcome-driven services on site, so that homeless people are being helped back to housing and stability. In the past our system “warehoused” people in homelessness--provided them with a place to stay but little help in getting out of homelessness.

frequently asked questions

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Q: What outcomes can the community expect?

A: Fewer people will be sleeping on the streets. The length of time people are homeless will be reduced. A higher percentage of people will move on to permanent housing, increase their income and achieve stable employment.

Q: Why these five shelters?A: There is no “one size fits all” solution to homelessness. Different people and

groups (women, youth, men with substance abuse issues, etc.) need different services which are targeted toward meeting their unique needs. The Shelter Col-laborative will provide the comprehensive and customized services needed to end homelessness for those who enter the shelters.

Q: Will the Collaborative share services beyond this housing and services program?A: As the collaborative continues to implement the changes

called for in the Homeless to Homes Plan, the partners are looking for every op-portunity to improve services while decreasing operating costs by sharing services such as case management, transportation resources, food service, etc.

Q: What role does Strategies to End Homelessness play in the Collaborative?A: Strategies to End Homelessness coordinates

street outreach, emergency shelter, transitional and permanent housing resources toward the goal of ending homelessness. For the Shelter Collaborative, Strate-gies to End Homelessness is coordinating joint fundraising for operating dollars going forward, while 3CDC is coordinating capital fundraising until construction is complete.

Q: What is 3CDC’s role?A: 3CDC is the development partner for new shelter construction

(City Gospel Mission, Drop Inn Center, YWCA of Greater Cincinnati) and capital fundraising for the Collaborative.

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Q: What level of community support has the Shelter Col-laborative secured to date? A: The Funding Advisors Committee provides financial support for capital and operating expenses for the Homeless to Homes Shelter Collaborative. In addition, the Committee counsels Strategies to End Homelessness and the shelter directors on development efforts that will support system improvements to end homelessness through significant capital gifts for new construction, as well as multi-year pledges for operating support. Members of the Funding Advisors Committee include Damon Allen, Federal Home Loan Bank; Ann Barnum, Impact for Health; Chris Bochenek, Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation; Dwen Chester, City of Cincinnati; Penny Friedman, philanthropy consultant; Barbara Hauser, Procter & Gamble; Mary Alice Koch, PNC; Donna Markham, Catholic Health Partners; Helen Mattheis, Greater Cincinnati Foundation; Ross Meyer, United Way of Greater Cincinnati; Anastasia Mileham, 3CDC.

Q: And for more information?A: For more information or to pledge support, contact: Kevin Finn, Executive Director Strategies to End Homelessness 2368 Victory Parkway, Suite 600 Cincinnati OH 45206 (513) 263-2780 [email protected] http://www.strategiestoendhomelessness.org

HomelessToHomes_FINAL_MedRez

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