|
This
page offers insights into Innovative Initiatives that are preventing
and ending homelessness. Here you will find a far-ranging set of replicable
efforts focused on our common mission to eliminate homelessness with
especial attention to this Administration's goal of eliminating chronic
homelessness in the next decade.
Whether collaborations between the business community and homeless
providers, housing initiatives supported by managed care organizations,
new housing technologies, research that impacts our country's streets,
or borrowed service methodologies, this page offers the reader innovative
ideas that support our common objective, ending homelessness.
And we won't limit ourselves to these shores. Whenever we discover
an initiative that supports the goal, we'll make that new "technology"
available to you, wherever its origin.
The focus will, of course, be on those initiatives that have documented
outcomes that result in ending homelessness. Independent corroboration
is an important element in any such determination, as are results.
Presenting “20 in 20”. . .
Twenty replicable innovations that are achieving results in preventing or ending homelessness presented one per day throughout the month of May 2008,
beginning May 5.
 Innovation Number 10:
Give Change to Make Change:
Denver's Parking Meter Initiative Fosters Community 10 Year Plan Engagement and Reduces Panhandling
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
Denver's Donation Meter Program has increased public awareness and civic engagement in its 10 Year Plan and reduced panhandling.
Denver prioritized public education and community engagement as essential to the successful implementation of its 10 Year Plan, Denver's Road Home. A Donation Meter Program initiated in the Spring of 2007 has provided an opportunity for individual citizens to participate directly and productively in Denver's Road Home to provide housing, employment, behavioral health treatment, and other services to homeless and at risk individuals and families in the community. The Donation Meter Program is a promising response to citizen and business concerns about panhandling.
Under the Donation Meter Program, parking meters are painted red, redesigned with Denver's Road Home decals, and installed in strategic downtown locations with significant foot traffic and panhandling issues. Coin donations can be made into the meters as a means to engage citizens and redirect money given to panhandlers into local initiatives that provide meals, job training, substance abuse counseling, housing, and other programs.
Local businesses are supporting the initiative by adopting the meters for $1000 each per year. Denver Public Works make collections from the meters, with 100% of the monies collected made available to support Denver's Road Home initiatives.
The collections are turned over to the Mile High United Way which is partnered with the city and county of Denver and is the financial steward for Denver's Road Home. The money is distributed to service providers to address gaps in homeless services including housing, employment, prevention efforts, and medical, mental health, and substance abuse treatment.
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
Homeless and at risk individuals and families benefit from the increased availability of housing, employment, and other services supported with the money collected from the Donation Meters Program.
Denver's Road Home benefits from increased visibility in the community and with that has come:
-
greater awareness among citizens of the scope of homelessness in the community and solutions that end homelessness in their community
-
greater understanding of the cost effectiveness of the investments being made through the Plan and the results being achieved
-
more civic engagement through the act of donating
Residents and businesses in the Downtown Business District and other areas of the city where the meters have reduced the incidence of panhandling, leading to a perceived improvement in the quality of life.
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
36 meters were installed in the spring of 2007 at strategic downtown locations that had significant foot traffic and panhandling issues.
The first increment of meters expanded to 86 meters including 10 at Denver International Airport, and the Donation Meters Program generated $15,000 in coin donations from citizens in this first year.
$86,000 in revenue was generated from the business community where businesses adopted meters at $1000 apiece per year.
City officials say that the revenues collected in the first year totaling nearly $100,000 have "exceeded their expectations" and that the Donation Meters Program will generate over $500,000 in sustained revenue over the next five years to support Denver's Road Home initiatives.
The Downtown Denver Partnership reported an estimated 92% reduction in panhandling in the first year of the Donation Meters Program.
Just as Denver looked to the example of Baltimore's green "Make a Change" meter program in 2006, and Portland, Oregon's Business Alliance initiative called "Real Change, Not Spare Change," Denver's own launch created a new wave of inquiries about replication from more than 20 cities. Denver reported coast to coast interest, as well as inquiries from Dublin, Toronto, and Montreal.
Who is the Innovator?
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has said of his city that: " People choose to come to live in Denver because of Denver . . . the quality of life available here. So we have a population more willing to invest in itself and more demanding of solutions and positive outcomes." In 2005, Mayor Hickenlooper led development of a 10 Year Plan to end homelessness, Denver's Road Home that was concrete about its intention: to invest in cost effective measures that would bring measurable results in ending homelessness in the community.
Mayor Hickenlooper and his public-private partnership in Denver's Road Home team - including former Department of Human Services Director Roxane White and 10 Year Plan Manager Jamie van Leeuwen - have continually sought new ways to engage the broader community in opportunities "to own Denver's Road Home" and be part of solutions. Denver became an early adopter of the Project Homeless Connect innovation and has convened 6 Project Homeless Connect events since December 2005. 250 congregations representing hundreds of volunteers have responded to the Mayor's call on the faith community to mentor at risk and homeless families. Through a combination of innovation and replication, Denver's Road Home achieved an 11% reduction in overall homelessness and a 36% decrease in chronic homelessness in its first two years of implementation.
The Denver Business Improvement District in 2005 helped commission a survey showing that more than $4.5 million was being given directly to panhandlers each year in Denver. The survey also showed that over 42% of Denver adults had given directly to a panhandler in the prior year. City partners were determined to engage the community's good will and redirect it.
The Business Improvement District ensured that over 150,000 brochures about the initiative were distributed to office workers and residents, with posters and education materials in target areas serving as a reminder to the public to give in ways that have long term, positive impacts.
enver Public Works, Denver's Road Home, Leadership Denver, the Downtown Denver Partnership, Mile High United Way, rabble+rouser, and OZ Architecture worked together to coordinate the meter design, decal messaging, printing installation, and meter sponsorships. Mile High United Way and Leadership Denver alumni coordinate annual meter sponsorship.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
To learn more about the Denver Donation Meter Program and other Denver's Road Home initiatives and results, visit www.denversroadhome.org
To read about the "Give Your Change to Make A Change" Baltimore effort, visit the web site
Innovation Number 9:
Ohio's Special Courts:
The courts as leader and partner in preventing and ending chronic homelessness
-
Ohio's Mental Health Court - just one of the Special Courts in Ohio's Supreme Court "Specialized Docket" - is an active leader in seeking better outcomes through policy and practice for persons who are homeless with mental health issues and in the criminal justice system.
-
The Court creates strategic intergovernmental partnerships with state agencies in both the executive and judicial branches and with local agencies seeking to break the costly cycle of random ricocheting for persons with behavioral health issues and histories of homelessness who are in the court system.
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
Ohio's Mental Health Court builds leadership and intergovernmental and community partnership to prevent and end chronic homelessness.
Ohio's Mental Health Court - one of the Special Courts in Ohio's Supreme Court "Specialized Docket" - demonstrates political will in partnerships for better outcomes for persons who are homeless with mental health issues and in the criminal justice system. Ohio judicial leaders have created strategic partnerships with state agencies in both the executive and judicial branches, and with local judicial and service agencies seeking to break the cycle of random ricocheting for persons with behavioral health issues and histories of homelessness who are in the court system.
The result is an active intergovernmental partnership model for the judiciary in pursuit of the goal of preventing and ending chronic homelessness, demonstrated in policy through participation in the Ohio Interagency Council on Homelessness and Affordable Housing and other collaborative interagency venues at the national, state, and local level, and in practice through training events, conferences, and best practice events for judges and their court staffs on issues and resources (including housing, counseling, medication, and employment assistance) for special populations.
Ohio's Mental Health Court is an example of the "problem-solving courts" that Ohio has encouraged statewide. The Specialized Docket model focuses on the "cultivation of community collaborations for a complete systems approach to handle cases with the highest recidivism rates." In practice, Ohio's example shows the importance of the judiciary as a partner in State Interagency Councils and jurisdictional 10 Year Plans.
Supreme Court of Ohio Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, who is a national leader on the strategy of special courts, established the Ohio Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Mental Illness and the Courts (ACMIC) in 2001, which she chairs. The Advisory Committee is made up of over 50 representatives from the Ohio Departments of Mental Health, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, and Rehabilitation and Correction, and the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, Judges, law enforcement, mediation experts, housing and treatment providers, consumer advocacy groups, and other officials from across the state.
Collaborative partnership between the judiciary and executive branches in Ohio is further supported by the inclusion of the Supreme Court on the state Interagency Council on Homelessness and Affordable Housing, created by Executive Order of Governor Ted Strickland last year. Chaired by Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher, the state ICH recently convened its meeting at the Ohio Judicial Center, where they were welcomed by Judge Stratton.
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
Individuals who are homeless or at risk and living with mental illness benefit from a collaborative, holistic, and informed strategy to support and stabilize them in the community, monitor progress and compliance, and address barriers and challenges.
Judicial partners benefit from having a broader network of choices, resources, and experts who can identify critical partners and expand positive outcomes for individuals, while supporting the court's role.
State and local government and service agencies benefit by working together to solve the issues facing their clients, stabilizing individuals, promoting treatment and recovery, and reducing costly recidivism.
The community benefits by increasing stabilization for vulnerable and costly individuals. According to Justice Stratton, in Ohio, the mental health program costs taxpayers $30 a day, versus prison ($60), a mental hospital ($450), and a general hospital ($1,500).
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
The Supreme Court's Advisory Committee has organized numerous trainings and conferences for judges and their court staffs on issues related to mental illness impacting both adults and juveniles. The Advisory Committee has also supported the local creation of mental health courts and jail diversion programs. Over 100 specialized dockets are in operation in Ohio, including over 70 Drug Courts, over 30 Mental Health Courts, and 5 Re-Entry Courts.
Along with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Center of Excellence, the Advisory Committee has fostered the adoption of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training by police academies, departments, and sheriff's offices. Ohio has more courts operating mental health dockets and law enforcement officers trained in crisis intervention than any other state.
The Ohio Specialized Dockets Practitioner Network is another component of the strategy and consists of several sub-networks of specialized docket professionals organized by discipline. These include: Judges and Magistrates, Prosecutors, Defense Counsel, Probation Officers, Mental Health Clinicians, Drug Treatment Counselors, Coordinators, Case Managers, and Children Services Workers. These groups are further divided by jurisdiction - adults or juveniles.
Two Kent State University evaluations of Ohio mental health courts found that those individuals who completed their court process reported an increased quality of life because of reduced stigma about their illness, and that "those who successfully complete MHC experienced fewer incarcerations after program participation when compared to their previous behaviors and in comparison to other consumers of mental health services. We conclude that this indicates that the program has the desired effects in slowing the revolving door of criminalization."
Who is the Innovator?
The Supreme Court of Ohio and Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton have provided national leadership on the strategy of special courts and have sought out partners from all sectors to expand awareness and solutions. Justice Stratton has used her position to foster dialogue on the issues of mental illness and the criminal justice system.
To promote effective judicial efforts nationally on this issue, she became co-founder along with Miami/Dade County Circuit Court Judge Steven Leifman of the national Judges' Criminal Justice/Mental Health Leadership Initiative (JLI) and co-chairs the Returning Home Advisory Commission, which assists with prisoner re-entry to reduce recidivism and its cost to society. The Council of State Governments (CSG) Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project and the Technical Assistance and Policy Analysis (TAPA) Center for Jail Diversion convene JLI.
Some Mental Health Courts are funded federally through the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment and Crime Reduction Act in 2004, spearheaded by then Sen. Mike DeWine and then Rep. Ted Strickland, now Ohio Governor, to advance local efforts to divert mentally ill offenders into community treatment programs.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
To learn more about the Ohio Specialized Dockets Section,
contact the Supreme Court of Ohio:
65 South Front Street, 6th
Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215-3431
Phone: 614-387-9425
E-mail:
specdocs@sconet.state.oh.us or visit the web
site.
To learn more about the Ohio Supreme Court Advisory Committee on
Mental Illness and the Courts and read articles about effectively
dealing with mentally ill offenders in the criminal justice system, visit
the web
site.
To learn more about the Judges' Criminal Justice/Mental Health
Leadership Initiative (JLI), and see resources for Judges, including
sample forms, fact sheets, research on mental health courts, and other
materials for a court's day-to-day operations, visit
http://consensusproject.org/JLI/
Read the new Department of Justice report: Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court
Also available is the report: Strategies for Court Collaboration with Service Communities.
The National GAINS Center has operated since 1995 to collect and disseminate information about effective mental health and substance abuse services for people with co-occurring disorders in the justice system. The TAPA Center for Jail Diversion and the Center for Evidence-Based Programs in the Justice System (funded by the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) in 2001 and 2004 respectively), comprise the National GAINS Center. Read more at: http://gainscenter.samhsa.gov/html/
The Judiciary is an important partner in local and state response to homeless persons with mental illness, joining local and state agencies in seeking solutions to the revolving door of this population in the criminal justice system. Judges have recognized that people with mental illness and co-occurring disorders, who often were also homeless, were significantly over-represented among the defendants appearing before them again and again. In some communities, Courts and Special Courts have convened proceedings at Project Homeless Connect events.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Mental Health Courts typically employ a problem-solving approach to court processing in lieu of more traditional court procedures for certain defendants, with judicially supervised, community-based treatment plans for each defendant participating in the court, which a team of court staff and mental health professionals design and implement. Courts hold regular status hearings at which treatment plans and other conditions are periodically reviewed for appropriateness, incentives are offered to reward adherence to court conditions, and sanctions are imposed on participants who do not adhere to the conditions of participation. Generally there are specific criteria defining a participant's completion of the program.
Innovation Number 8:
Project Re-Connect:
Achieving Successful Reentry
for Ex-Prisoners through
St. Louis' 10 Year Plan
-
In St. Louis, MO a special initiative rooted in the 10 Year Plan
focuses on engaging and supporting re-entering prisoners - those who
have served maximum sentences and are returning to the community with no
requirement for further supervision - to achieve successful reentry.
-
Project Re-Connect is a city-initiated, state- funded partnership of community and faith based agencies with a network of volunteer mentors supporting a high risk population as they re-enter the community
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
Pre-release engagement and post-release services, mentoring, and
supports achieve successful reentry in St. Louis
Through the cooperation of the Superintendents of Missouri's 23
state prisons, St. Louis' Project Re- Connect receives a list each month
of the target population of prisoners who have served maximum sentences
and are scheduled to be released to St. Louis over the coming three
months. Since state law does not require prisons to create a discharge
plan for prisoners who have served their maximum sentences, Project
Re-Connect began with an educational campaign for the Superintendents that
included making a formal presentation at the monthly meeting of
Superintendents convened by the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Each prisoner on the target list is sent a letter describing the
reentry opportunity offered by Project Re-Connect to assist them with
finding a place to live, a job, and connection to mental health and
substance abuse services if needed. Case managers are assigned to
prisoners who express interest and work with them by phone and letters
prior to release to develop an Individual Support Plan that considers
health needs, where they would like to live, any existing family supports,
work interests, and other matters.
Each individual is asked to recognize that "reentry is not just about
individuals coming home; it is also about the homes and communities to
which they return." Returning prisoners are expected to commit to making
responsible choices, making positive changes in their lives, and pursuing
Project Re-Connect goals that they set for themselves.
A partnership of community and faith based organizations including
Center for Women in Transition (CWIT), the Criminal Justice Ministries of
St. Vincent de Paul, Provident Counseling, Employment Connections and the
Peace and Justice Institute then provide support, access to resources, and
mentoring to the released individual.
Project Re-Connect launched in March 2007 with a budget of $3000 per
client that is used to meet a variety of needs including rent,
transportation, food, and clothing during the 6-month post release
program. Most clients live in transitional housing in the community for
the first month or so while they are being assisted to find employment.
After that time, they are able to locate and obtain more permanent housing
with the assistance of Project Re-Connect. Clients receiving outpatient
treatment for substance abuse remain longer in the transitional housing.
Mentoring relationships continue beyond the 6 months.
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
The
reentry population experiences support in coming back into the
community and is able to achieve greater self sufficiency more quickly
with better access to key resources of housing, treatment, and services,
lowering recidivism rates.
Citizens of the City of St. Louis benefit from improved public
safety and thus a better quality of life as fewer new crimes are
committed.
St. Louis and Missouri benefit from lower judicial and
incarceration costs associated with recidivism, law enforcement, and
courts. St. Louis also benefits from achieving progress in a 10 Year Plan
goal to prevent and end chronic homelessness.
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
275
men and women being released from state prison to St. Louis having
served their maximum sentences have participated in the program since
Project Re-Connect launched in March 2007; this number includes 54 who are
still in the pre-release phase.
Only 2.7% of participants have re-offended compared to 23.8 % of
those meeting the same target population definition released between
January 1, 2006 - March 31, 2008 who did not have the opportunity or chose
not to participate in Project Re-Connect.
Less than 1% of participants have dropped out of the program.
Who is the Innovator?
St.
Louis Mayor Francis Slay partnered with St. Louis County Executive Charlie
Dooley in developing a 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in 2005;
the plan identified prisoner re-entry as an "area of emphasis" for housing
and services delivery.
While many 10 Year Plans have identified the reentry population for
prevention resources, Mayor Slay took the lead to develop a city strategy
in partnership with the state prison system. The city and county combined
their focus with the work of the state Department of Corrections in
response to Governor Matt Blunt's 2005 Executive Order creating the
Missouri Re-Entry Process Steering Team.
Working with the state legislature, Mayor Slay secured a $1 million
appropriation in 2006 to focus on prisoners who were returning to the city
after serving out their maximum sentences, "possessed few resources to
support themselves," and historically used the city's emergency shelters.
According to William Siedhoff, Director of the St. Louis Department of
Human Services, Mayor Slay's initiative focuses on a population of
returning ex-offenders with high rates of dual diagnosis who make up a
disproportionate number of persons using the city's emergency shelter
system. A high percentage of ex-offenders were identified among the
homeless population on the streets of the city and in homeless shelters.
This was particularly true for those released from state correctional
facilities on "Director's Release" who had served out their entire
sentences with no time off for good behavior. Since 2006, a total of 809
people maxed out their sentences and found their way to St. Louis,
according to city data. The St. Louis-based Center for Women in Transition (CWIT) was awarded
the contract for Project Re- Connect which is a partnership of community
and faith based organizations including CWIT, the Criminal Justice
Ministries of St. Vincent de Paul, Provident Counseling, Employment
Connections, and the Peace and Justice Institute. Each of these agencies
brought to the table a history of working with special populations and a
"rolodex" of relationships that had been cultivated over the years with
landlords, employers, and mental health and substance abuse service
providers that allows them to offer immediate post release services to the
target population.
CWIT Associate Director Georgia Walker, who manages Project Re-Connect,
says that "mentoring combined with this network of wraparound services"
are the heart of the Project Re-Connect effort : "Mentoring is
indispensable, to have someone from the community willing to welcome you
back, to say let me help you focus on your goals . . let me be the one to
walk with you." CWIT has a network of mentor volunteers who are working
with women ex-prisoners; the men's mentoring program is provided through
the Peace and Justice Institute.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
To learn more about Project Re-Connect, visit the Center for Women in
Transition web site at www.cwitstl.org or contact Associate Director
Georgia Walker at 314-771-5207 .
To learn more about the work of Project Re-Connect partner agencies,
click on each agency name below:
Employment
Connections
St.
Vincent de Paul Criminal Justice Ministry
Provident
Counseling
Peace
and Justice Institute
To learn more about the City and County of St. Louis 10
Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness initiatives, contact St. Louis
Department of Human Services Director William Siedhoff at 314-612-5900.
To read or download a copy of the 2007 Report to the Governor on the
Missouri Re-Entry Process, visit the web
site.
To read about federal prisoner re-entry initiatives, visit the White
House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives re-entry web
page.
To read about the recently enacted federal legislation, Reducing Recidivism and Second Chance Act, signed by the President in April, please see the March 18, 2008 USICH e-newsletter and the April 17, 2008 edition.
Innovation Number 7:
Inter-Faith Ministries'
Kansas Benefit Bank:
A One- Stop Solution to Access Mainstream Resources to Prevent and End Homelessness
-
In Wichita, Kansas, Inter-Faith Ministries is advancing a statewide initiative linking modern technology with the time honored concept of neighborhood assistance to prevent and end homelessness and increase the economic stability of families and individuals by improving access to a wide variety of state and federal benefit programs.
-
Efforts to identify and reduce barriers to accessing state and federal assistance programs produces economic benefits for both at risk families and local and state economies.
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
A statewide network of free community-based sites provides access to an expansive range of mainstream resources that can prevent and end homelessness.
Wichita-based Inter-Faith Ministries, a key partner in the Wichita-Sedgwick County, Kansas 10 Year Plan, has partnered with the National Council of Churches USA and the Philadelphia-based public policy technology company Solutions for Progress to build a strong statewide network of free community-based sites - including permanent supported housing and homeless programs - where consumers, including persons who are homeless, can be screened for and submit applications for an expanded variety of mainstream resources that can prevent and end homelessness.
Using Solutions' Benefit Bank one-stop technology, a proprietary tool, Inter-Faith Ministries has increased both the number of public benefit programs included in the benefit screening and the number of sites at which consumers can access the Benefit Bank. Inter- Faith has targeted both rural and urban areas for the establishment of these key supports to prevent and end homelessness.
There are now more than 17 Kansas Benefit Bank sites open with a goal of having multiple sites within all the counties in the state. Catholic Social Services is a key partner in the expansion.
To maximize accessibility for the consumer, a variety of neighborhood locations serve as access points, including permanent supportive housing sites, homeless shelters, United Way locations, faith congregations, health and social service organizations, food and nutrition organizations, community-based organizations, CDCs, job-training programs, home ownership programs, asset building programs, prisoner reentry programs, employers, food pantries, job training programs, and neighborhood associations. In all cases, the benefits service is free to the consumer, and sites are established with an eye to offering access at convenient times - weekends, before and after worship, evenings, etc.
According to Inter-Faith, in Kansas only 57% of eligible Kansans receive food stamps (average $2,500 per application). 39,000 eligible children who are eligible for "HealthWave" or Medicaid do not receive the benefit (an average of $1,800 per application). Child care subsidies, averaging an estimated $4,000 per application are underused. Stated Inter-Faith's Director, Sam Muyskens, "It only makes sense that if we can increase the income of households we will reduce the number of persons falling into homelessness."
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
Homeless and low income families and individuals who are able to achieve greater financial stability that prevents and ends homelessness benefit by successfully obtaining State and Federal resources for which they are eligible, offering a powerful tool for the Housing First goal to move homeless persons into housing rapidly.
Eligible persons benefit from having a "one stop" centralized process of application for benefits, minimizing time spent on travel, appointments, collecting documentation, and more. Individuals also benefit by having trained counselors complete applications accurately, providing an efficient and time saving strategy for applying and receiving benefits.
Local and state economies benefit as incomes and assets increase, and families have greater economic stability and more disposable income. The increased revenue received by each household strengthens the overall economic health of the community and the State.
The wide range of faith and community based sites increases the breadth of outreach efforts for other resources and supports.
Program staff benefit from increased reliability in making applications successful for clients, given that the counselor-assisted software tool results in greater certainty about eligibility when staffing pressures on local and state agencies make it difficult to keep up with program rules and requirements.
Nearly 500 families and individuals have been served since startup just six months ago.
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
As of April 2008, beneficiaries have received $704,529 creating an economic impact to the state's economy estimated at $1,111,463.
Since Inter-Faith Ministries inaugurated the program six months ago, 17 screening sites throughout Kansas have been established.
Inter-Faith has concentrated on southwestern Kansas, including the cities and rural areas of Dodge City, Garden City, Great Bend, Hays, and Hiawatha. The state's southwest counties where the number of families below the poverty line exceeds the statewide 6.7% average were a priority area for the expansion.
Who is the Innovator?
Wichita's Inter-Faith Ministries (IFM) is leading the Kansas Benefit Bank effort. IFM has a 123-year history in the community and served over 35,000 individuals last year through a variety of programs including its Campaign to End Childhood Hunger. IFM's Housing and Homeless Services includes a 20-bed Safe Haven that assists over 80 chronically homeless persons with mental illness annually, and more recently the development of permanent supportive housing units and case management services.
Inter-Faith Ministries, under the leadership of Executive Director Sam Muyskens, has a history of partnership with business strategies in the community and last year opened Inter- Faith Enrichment Center with the support of Cargill, an international agricultural company. The Enrichment Center is located next to another new construction project called Inter-Faith Villa Courts, 40 new housing units that will include supportive services with a full-time case manager within the building. Within the new project will be Cessna Learning Center supported by Cessna Corporation. Villa Courts is slated for completion this summer, providing 105 housing units with supportive services, a Community Room, the Cargill Enrichment Center, and the Cessna Learning Center.
Inter-Faith Ministries raised approximately $750,000 to expand the number of public benefit programs included in the Kansas Benefit Bank, including Kansas' Child Health Insurance Program (known as HealthWave) and began the statewide expansion in Fall 2007.
The "Benefit Bank" concept was initiated by the National Council of Churches USA which partnered with Solutions for Progress, a public policy technology company to create the web-based software. First introduced in Philadelphia as a pilot program for tax preparation in 2004, The Benefit Bank served just over 400 people and secured almost $800,000 in federal tax refunds and credits. In January 2005, a new, more robust program was released and began to be used in sites in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Kansas. The program has continued to grow expanding beyond tax preparation to include myriad state and Federal benefit programs.
The Benefit Bank is a web-based, counselor- assisted program that simplifies and centralizes in a neighborhood location the process for applying for numerous state and federal programs that can provide families and individuals with the financial resources to meet housing and other needs.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
To learn more about the Kansas Benefit Bank, visit www.ifmnet.org or contact IFM Director Sam Muyskens at the IFM Program Center
829 North Market
Wichita, KS 67214-3519
Phone: 316-264-9303
To read more about the Benefit Bank concept, visit:
www.thebenefitbank.com and www.solutionsforprogress.com
To learn about the more than 70 Federal programs across 11 Federal agencies with the capacity to serve families, read the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness' new program inventory.
Innovation Number 6:
Cost Benefit Analysis and Consumer Satisfaction: Results from Philanthropic Investment
to End Chronic Homelessness in Housing First RI
-
Both cost benefit outcomes and consumer satisfaction of formerly chronically homeless persons are focus of university-led evaluation of Housing First RI initiative with evaluation measures for permanent supported housing pilot recognizing role of consumer- centric analysis in long-term housing retention and cost effectiveness
-
Cost analysis can be strategic tool for sustaining public and private sector investment in permanent supported housing, using United Way of Rhode Island's example of investing both in supportive services for Housing First and results-oriented and client-focused evaluation
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
Cost benefit outcomes and consumer satisfaction of formerly chronically homeless persons are focus of evaluation of Housing First RI initiative
A Housing First evaluation that combines cost benefit analysis with measures of client satisfaction recognizes the key role of consumer choice in achieving long-term housing stability and reduced economic impact on community infrastructure using United Way's investment in Housing First supportive services and a university-led assessment.
The pilot housing project was initiated in late 2005 and consists of both scattered site apartments and congregate housing for 50 chronically homeless individuals at any one time.
Providence College Professor of Sociology Eric Hirsch and Roger Williams University Professor of Anthropology Irene Glasser conducted a preliminary evaluation of Housing First RI. The researchers used client service cost data and both baseline and ongoing followup interviews with consumers to measure consumer satisfaction, noting, "These cost savings can only be realized if clients remain in their new homes. A return to a life in the street or in shelters is destructive to the client's health, mental health, and level of social integration. And it dramatically increases the costs to the government and taxpayers due to increased use of health, mental health, corrections, and shelter facilities."
Areas of consumer satisfaction examined were housing, progress in health, mental health, and social interaction goals, as well as job status.
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
85 formerly chronically homeless individuals - with an average 7.6 years of prior homelessness - who have moved to permanent supported housing through this initiative benefit from stable housing and improved health and well-being.
Rhode Island benefits from the identification of $424,000 in annual savings in health care and public safety costs from the new housing stability of consumers.
United Way of Rhode Island and the HousingWorks RI campaign benefit from having data that demonstrate the cost effectiveness of permanent supported housing as partners pursue more resources to create additional permanent supported housing opportunities.
Communities in the Providence metropolitan area benefit from an improved quality of life for all citizens and reduced economic impact on costly community infrastructure, including health care, treatment, and law enforcement.
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
78% of consumers maintained their housing and overall costs to the community were reduced as individuals were no longer randomly ricocheting between streets, shelters, and expensive health and law enforcement systems.
Total savings of $424,272 in public systems in one year reflect per person annual supportive service costs of $9500 and housing subsidies of $5643 versus the "institutional costs" of the preceding one year of homelessness for 48 individuals.
In the year prior to entering supported housing, the formerly chronically homeless individuals spent a combined total of 534 nights in hospitals, 919 nights in jail, and had 177 emergency room visits. In contrast, the newly housed individuals had a combined total of only 149 nights in hospitals, 149 jail nights, and 75 emergency room visits in the first year of housing.
Overall housing retention was reduced by a higher initial rate of turnover for the congregate housing site.
Who is the Innovator?
Identifying "ending chronic homelessness" as one of its Community Impact Areas, the United Way of Rhode Island committed $250,000 to supportive services for the pilot which leveraged $300,000 for each of two years from the Rhode Island General Assembly for a pilot permanent supported housing initiative in the Providence metropolitan area. The pilot also utilizes 25 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Shelter +Care subsidies and other rental assistance from the state's Neighborhood Opportunity Program.
United Way of Rhode Island partnered with the State of Rhode Island and with HousingWorks RI, a coalition of banks, builders, Chambers of Commerce, colleges, community and faith based agencies, realtors, municipal officials and unions, to initiate the Housing First RI pilot. Other partners for housing and case management services were Riverwood Mental Health Services and House of Hope Community Development Corporation.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
To read the Executive Summary of "Rhode Island's Housing First Program: First Year Evaluation", click here.
To learn more about the Community Impact - Ending Chronic Homelessness efforts of the United Way of Rhode Island, visit http://www.uwri.org
To learn more about the State of Rhode Island's Plan to End Homelessness, contact the Rhode Island Housing Commission, visit http://www.hrc.ri.gov
To learn more about HousingWorks RI, visit http://www.housingworksri.org
To learn more about the evidence-based practice of Housing First at SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidenced-based Programs and Practices, click here.
 Innovation Number 5:
Federal-State Partnership to create the Prince Home as new permanent supported housing for homeless veterans with disabilities
-
Federal-State investment partnership creates new permanent supported housing for homeless and disabled veterans in Illinois at the Prince Home on the Manteno State Veterans' Home campus
-
Illinois' Governor's initiative partners state and federal agencies to maximize use of State Veterans' Home campus and further Governor's commitment to homeless and veterans populations and housing preservation
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
Creating new permanent supported housing for homeless and disabled veterans in a Federal-State partnership on State Veterans Home campus in Illinois
The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Prince Home at Manteno is a permanent supported housing program for homeless and disabled veterans located at the State Veterans' Home in Manteno, Illinois and is a "first" for the state. In 2006, Governor Blagojevich announced his vision for a new pilot program to give homeless Illinois veterans housing and assistance at the State's Manteno Veterans' Home. The newly renovated Prince Home at Manteno provides housing and supportive services for 15 disabled, homeless Illinois veterans, providing a model for how to overcome challenges in financing housing for disabled veterans, including veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Manteno campus is located in rural Kankakee County, Illinois, 40 miles south of Chicago.
The new Illinois resource opens its doors to male and female veterans just as more than 200 new permanent housing vouchers targeted to homeless veterans were also awarded to Illinois communities through the 2008 HUD-VASH program, which is making more than 10,000 newly- funded vouchers available across the country.
Work on the Prince Home began in 2006, and the new site opened in November 2007 to provide permanent housing, advocacy, therapeutic and supportive services for 15 veterans. The new housing facility is wheelchair accessible and provides residential housing for eligible men and women veterans. It offers a community environment within its therapeutic milieu, one of structure, interdependence and care and concern. Volunteer work, employment and treatment are components of the Prince Home model.
New residents are now moving in. The Prince Home is staffed by a program director, a caseworker, two addiction counselors, and one psychiatric nurse. Seventy-five percent of the veterans in the program are homeless individuals referred by federal VA medical centers and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. The additional 25 percent of residents are homeless veterans referred by the Veterans' Assistance Commission and community providers.
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
Illinois veterans who are homeless and living with disabilities benefit from the new single permanent housing units that provide stable housing with services, including semi-private bathrooms, kitchenettes, new carpet, and on-site laundry facilities.
The State of Illinois government benefits by partnering state and federal housing resources in a renovation initiative that maximizes use of a state veterans campus.
The community benefits by ending the homelessness of individuals who have served their country and are living with mental and physical disabilities, making them vulnerable and expensive to community infrastructure and veterans programs.
The community benefits from advancing the implementation of Governor Blagojevich's housing goals for homeless and veterans populations, as called for in the 2007 Annual Comprehensive Housing Plan, which is based on three principles: affordability and choice; creation and preservation; and leadership.
Notes the Housing Plan, which focuses on the needs of both persons who are homeless and veterans: " . . . it is critical for policymakers at all levels of government and in all types of communities to guide and promote housing as fundamental to community and economic health. Leadership requires accountability through identifying priorities, setting goals for the use of resources that reflect these priorities, and reporting on production."
What Results are being Achieved and Reported From the Innovation?
Fifteen formerly homeless veterans living with disabilities are now moving into permanent supported housing at the Prince Home. The housing initiative costs the State less than $7,000 per year, per veteran in operating and supportive service expenses.
The Prince Home tapped into state and federal resources to create new permanent supported housing, renovating and improving a site on the State Veterans Home campus. The new housing adds capacity to state veterans initiatives in health care, income, and employment.
"The Prince Home is an example of the political will and leadership of a Governor who is focused on housing solutions for homeless people and veterans, and state agencies with leaders such as Department of Veterans Affairs Director Tammy Duckworth and Housing Development Authority Director Dibble who are partnered to end the homelessness of their poorest and most vulnerable neighbors," indicated United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano. "Combining state resources with federal investment to create new housing is good for everyone, housed and homeless alike."
Who is the Innovator?
Governor Ron Blagojevich and Illinois state agencies for housing and veterans affairs successfully coupled $1.3 million from state and federal investment for the renovation of the Prince Home. Federal investment included resources awarded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Director L. Tammy Duckworth and Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Executive Director Kelly King Dibble partnered to create the new housing. The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) allocated $816,000 from the State Affordable Housing Trust Fund following on Gov. Blagojevich's 2005 Building for Success: Illinois Comprehensive Housing Plan which identified the homeless community, including homeless war veterans, as one of the priority populations targeted for affordable housing spending. The Illinois Veterans Foundation provided pre- development capital for the initiative.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
To learn more about the Prince Home, contact the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, Homeless and Disabled Program Director Deanna Mackey
Phone: 815- 468-6581
To learn more about Veterans Care, the state's program to provide comprehensive, affordable healthcare to Illinois' uninsured veterans who have the least access to reliable healthcare, cannot currently access Veterans Health Administration's benefits, and who meet specific income requirements, visit their site.
To learn more about Governor Ron Blagojevich's initiatives for veterans, including Veterans Cash, an Illinois lottery ticket where 100 percent of proceeds ($4 million as of Nov. 2007) go to support Illinois veterans, visit their site.
To read the 2007 Illinois Comprehensive Housing Plan, visit the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
To learn more about the federal HUD-VASH permanent housing voucher program for homeless veterans, visit the HUD Veteran Resource Center (HUDVET) or the Department of Veterans Affairs.
To learn more about The State Home Program partnership between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the States to construct or acquire nursing home, domiciliary and/or adult day health care facilities, visit www.va.gov.
Innovation Number 4:
Measuring Local Results in Ending Homelessness
through a State Plan:
Washington State's Intergovernmental Partnership
-
Washington's Counties report their results in ending homelessness from County 10 Year Plans to the Washington State Interagency Council for an Annual Report to the Governor and Legislature on progress in ending homelessness in the state
-
Counties identify to the State Interagency Council recommended state level policy changes that could improve 10 Year Plan outcomes
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
A formal structure for reporting progress, measuring results, and recommending policy change in legislatively-mandated County 10 Year Plans across Washington State was established through the Washington Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development (CTED) as one step in the implementation of Washington's Homeless Housing and Assistance Act passed in 2005. The Act required counties to develop 10 Year Plans and made available targeted new state budget resources to end homelessness. Washington's action is one example of state political will and resources coupled with intergovernmental partnership informed by local strategies.
The Washington State Legislature's action, intended to guide the state's plan and initiatives to end homelessness, charged CTED - which also chairs the State Interagency Council - with the responsibility of establishing a progress report for local governments regarding their 10 Year Plans.
-
CTED created an Annual County Report Form in which counties identify state level changes in policy and law necessary to reduce and end homelessness.
-
Recommendations are categorized as: Policy Changes Only; State Law Changes (no funding increases); and New State Funding.
Counties are also required to report progress to the State in areas including both quantified primary performance measures (such as expenditures for housing and services dedicated to reducing homelessness) and plan implementation measures (such as state, federal and local operating and services costs per homeless person served).
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
Washington State's 10 Year Plan, supported by both the Legislative and Executive branches, benefits from the aggregate identification of issues and challenges faced by counties as they develop and implement their 10 Year Plans.
The State of Washington benefits from local jurisdictional planning and performance reporting that draws on each county's utilization of targeted resources available that are focused on measurable reductions in homelessness; demonstrate government cost savings over time; employ evidence- based models or promising approaches; could be supported after the state's project funding ends using criminal justice, social services, health, and other system resources; are replicable; include a strong performance measurement component (up to 20 percent of a project award can be used to ensure that outcomes are collected using academically rigorous methodology); and are consistent with the state and local homeless plans.
The Executive and Legislative branches benefit from performance reporting on state revenue. The Homeless Grant Assistance Program (HGAP) helps finance programs and projects described in local homeless plans that are intended to achieve a higher level of coordination with criminal justice, social service, health, and other state and local systems that result in positive system changes. Local jurisdictions are expected to propose innovative, cost-effective models that are replicable throughout the state.
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
CTED has compiled the counties' policy change requests and brought recommendations to the State Council for next steps. The Council's other members include the Departments of Corrections (DOC), Employment Security (ESD), Health (DOH), Social and Health Services (DSHS), Veterans Affairs (DVA), and Office of Financial Management (OFM).
The State Council is currently reviewing the first round of recommendations from counties under the new process. Recommendations came from individual county 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness and from county annual reports required by the Homelessness Housing and Assistance Act. Recommendations came from stakeholders, community members, service and housing providers who participated in the development of the plans.
The Council in late 2007 received formal county requests for state policy changes communicated via local plans and annual reports. Recommendations were in the areas of corrections, youth, de-siloing funding, and data and reports. Discharge and reentry issues were most widely identified for state remedies.
The Council then reviewed the recommendations for consistency with the Council's charter and formed four work groups within the Council. The requests for policy action are combined with draft responses from state agency staff for a review currently underway. The recommendations will also be used to inform an update of the State Plan later this year.
Who is the Innovator?
Washington State has effectively designed a comprehensive system of county reporting that combines quantitative progress measures in reducing homelessness with contextual reporting on barriers, challenges, and policy issues. The State's initiative is a product of a legislative strategy for statewide planning and results in ending homelessness.
The innovation in reporting and policy review reflects the larger results-oriented strategy that - from its origins in legislation and gubernatorial Executive Order establishing the State Council - has been mutually reinforcing between levels and branches of government to achieve results. Along with 48 other states and 3 territories, the State Council is partnered with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.
This trajectory can also be seen in the document fee funding structure that was set up with counties automatically receiving a portion of the funding and the state receiving funding that it passes through to promote innovative initiatives at the county level through the homeless grant assistance program (HGAP) administered by CTED.
The reporting process has also resulted in a peer group of the counties who are grantees being established last year to help them communicate best practices, problem solve, and provide support to one other.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
To learn more about the County Report to Washington State, visit the CTED site.
To learn more about the Homeless Housing and Assistance Act sponsored by Rep. Mark Miloscia, visit the State Legislature's web site. For his work on Washington's legislative initiative, Rep. Miloscia was recognized at the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Third Annual National Summit for Jurisdictional Leaders with the 2008 Home for Every American Award to a State Legislator.
To learn more about the Homeless Housing and Assistance Act's targeted resources which are derived from a document recording fee and split between the state and the counties to invest in 10 Year Plans, visit CTED's information site.
Innovation Number 3:
Securing an ID for persons who are homeless -
A Project Homeless Connect innovation from Norfolk and San Francisco
-
Public-private Project Homeless Connect partnership creates increased access to the vital resource of identification for persons who are homeless, bringing benefits, employment, and housing closer
-
One-day, one-stop engagement at Project Homeless Connect is the opportunity to lower barriers, solve problems, and create immediate results for persons who are homeless
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
Securing an ID for persons who are homeless: A Project Homeless Connect innovation from Norfolk and San Francisco
For a person experiencing homelessness, the loss, theft, or damage of identification, personal papers, or discharge documents can mean no longer having vital records that help create a trajectory to end homelessness. Further, lack of a place to receive one's mail, document costs and fees, and often sequential filing requirements for key items (first, you need a document from another state, then you can file for an ID, then you can apply for a benefit) pose extra difficulties.
One place where solutions have emerged to secure ID on-site or on an expedited basis and at no cost is through Project Homeless Connect events and their expansive community partnerships. Securing identification needed for everything from benefits applications to employment and housing gives hope for the future.
Today we profile the innovations of two Project Connect cities in securing ID for homeless guests.
In Norfolk, Virginia, the indispensable feature of the ID innovation at Project Homeless Connect, by which a person walks away from the event with an ID card, is the ability to confirm a person's identity on site using existing data sources. Food stamp records can be accessed on site during the Connect event. City officials have found that most Project Connect guests have a food stamp eligibility record, and that those who don't may have another qualifying record that verifies their identity, such as a corrections record.
As a result, the individual receives a city-sponsored ID card which is accepted for employment assistance, use of homeless programs, and as an accepted second form of ID for the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Project Homeless Connect event is not the only time a person can get a city sponsored ID, but the event offers a one-stop process.
At the Connect event, a worker from the Department of Social Services accesses food stamp records to confirm that identity was established in the food stamp eligibility process and that the file is not more than 5 years old. All documents in the food stamp files have been electronically scanned. A worker from the Department of Human Services prepares the actual ID using the same process as is done for city employees. Background color is changed to distinguish the city-sponsored ID from a city employee ID. The city-sponsored ID which the homeless guest receives that day includes photo, food stamp case number, and an expiration date. The ID is valid for 2 years.
In San Francisco, an individual with a birth certificate or another form of identification can register for an ID at the Project Homeless Connect site. For those who do not have a birth certificate, Project Connect provides a registration process to obtain a new document within the Department of Motor Vehicles station creating ID's at the event. Individuals register at the DMV station and receive a voucher for their new ID. Project Homeless Connect negotiated both a reduction in the $21 fee to $6 and obtained the resources to pay the fee for the client, resulting in free ID. DMV mails the free identification card within two weeks. The agency will use general delivery or a caseworker as the recipient address for an individual's new identification document.
Many Project Homeless Connect events are using a sponsorship approach for needed fees, a strategy which quantifies for a donor that, for example, a specific amount of money will help obtain a birth certificate or driver's license for one individual, which helps donors understand that fairly small sums often stand between an individual and needed outcomes. $50, for example, will secure an out-of-state birth certificate.
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
Individual homeless persons benefit by acquiring needed identification documents that ease their access to apply for needed benefits and entitlements, as well as to complete applications for employment and housing. Further, legal identification helps consumers resolve other outstanding matters that may impede their path out of homelessness, whether legal matters or connections with family and friends. Success in obtaining ID at a Project Homeless Connect event after what may have been multiple failed attempts can provide a new outlook for the future.
The community benefits when individual consumers are able to apply for and receive financial and other resources that help end their homelessness, making them new neighbors in the community with the means to work, rent housing, and conduct other business.
Project Homeless Connect sponsors and partners benefit by knowing that their individual sponsorship of a resource at the event makes a genuine difference in a person's life and future.
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
In Norfolk, which began its ID program at the August 2006 Project Homeless Connect, about 50 IDs were issued at the first event.
At the most recent Project Homeless Connect in February 2008, 175 IDs were issued.
Norfolk Office to End Homelessness Director Katie Kitchin estimated that at least 100 ID's were issued at each Project Connect since the first event, after staff at the inaugural Project Connect found that at least 50% of the homeless guests had no form of ID.
In San Francisco, during all the PHC events in the city in 2007, 970 ID's were issued.
San Francisco's Project Homeless Connect event in February 2008 resulted in 286 DMV identification cards being issued.
The city reports its results on its web site after each Connect event.
San Francisco Project Homeless Connect, the pioneer of the innovative one-day, one-stop model, has created a multi- pronged strategy for securing identification on-site for its guests. San Francisco has now convened more than 20 Connect events since 2004, "breaking the myth that people do not seek assistance and services and would simply prefer to be on the street" and offering community volunteers from the public and private sector an opportunity to welcome their homeless neighbors into the "living room" and life of the community.
Who is the Innovator?
In Norfolk, Mayor Paul Fraim's Office to End Homelessness, directed by Katie Kitchin, worked with the Departments of Human Services and Social Services, as well as the City Attorney to develop its innovation. The City Attorney reviewed and approved the on-site verification using existing data sources with personal identifiers.
San Francisco pioneered Project Homeless Connect as an innovative one-day, one-stop engagement strategy under Mayor Gavin Newsom and 10 Year Plan Community Champion Angela Alioto. Implementation by Mayor's staff Dariush Kayhan and Department of Public Health Project Homeless Connect Director Judith Klain has ensured that Project Homeless Connect's partners and results continue to grow.
Where Can I Learn More About the Innovation?
Norfolk: To learn more about Norfolk's ID innovation, contact the Office to End Homelessness:
Phone: 757-664-4488
Email: homelessness@norfolk.gov
San Francisco: To learn more about San Francisco's ID resources, contact Project Homeless Connect:
Phone: 415- 255-3908
Email: help@projecthomelessconnect.com
Or visit the Project Homeless Connect web site.
With encouragement and technical assistance from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Project Homeless Connect has now been adopted by more than 170 cities across the nation. Project Homeless Connect has another goal besides immediate access to quality of life resources and on-site housing and employment opportunities to end homelessness: Project Homeless Connect is intended to change how business is done in local communities when it comes to expediting outcomes, lowering barriers, removing obstacles, and increasing results.
Consistent with the Council's commitment to the rapid dissemination of what's working, Project Homeless Connect events have brought to light new solutions to old challenges shared across the country.
Project Homeless Connect's "under one roof" offerings for consumers and the "mobile hospitality" of volunteers who act as escorts, shepherds, and conductors for their homeless neighbors help lower their barriers and achieve results. Public and private sector resource providers work side-by- side in a new configuration, with a focus on problem - solving and results.
Innovation Number 2:
Reporting Results in 10-Year Plans – Sacramento’s Scorecard
-
Public accountability is increased through a quantified results "report card' documenting progress toward goals and benchmarks in a city-county 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness
-
Public education and awareness improve by creating an easily-read and understood report on progress in creating visible, measurable and quantifiable change in the lives of everyone in the community, housed and homeless
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
A public press conference in February 2008 and resulting media coverage, including in The Sacramento Bee, achieved the goal of public accountability for Sacramento City and County's 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness created in 2006.
Public reporting and community education were included in the five strategies in Sacramento's Plan, and the new Progress Report provides the future foundation for the public accessibility to outcomes that the Plan called for.
Mayor Heather Fargo, County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, 10 Year Plan point person Bruce Wagstaff, Director of the Sacrament County Department of Human Assistance, and former Plan point person Diane Luther prepared and released a report card on progress, "The First Year: 2007 Progress Report For Sacramento's Ten Year Plan To End Chronic Homelessness."
The report card fulfills two purposes.
First, it quantifies progress in achieving the goal of new housing for persons who are chronically homeless, in preventing homelessness through housing preservation and development, and creating the new Leadership Structure to oversee implementation and measure results. The report also provides illustrated profiles of formerly homeless neighbors who are succeeding in their new housing.
Second, the report card explains key concepts and plan activities in an easily read format, giving the progress report added value in educating the broader community about strategies and goals.
The report card defines the housing and services pipeline ahead in the next phase of action steps, as well as potential barriers and challenges (budget issues, development underway, and funding applications pending).
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
Persons who are chronically homeless benefit by Sacramento's public expression of political will by the Mayor and County officials demonstrating public commitment and accountability for the 10-Year Plan and its goal of ending homelessness for the most disabled and vulnerable persons in the community
Community infrastructure - law enforcement, hospitals, emergency rooms - benefits by seeing the continuing expression of political will of jurisdictional CEO's from the City and County who are committed to ending chronic homelessness.
Residents of Sacramento benefit by learning about what's working to end homelessness for their neighbor, including engagement strategies and housing opportunities organized for results for the most vulnerable, disabled, and expensive.
What Results are being Achieved and Reported?
A public press event for the release of the scorecard and resulting regional media coverage ensure broad community knowledge of the 10-Year Plan and its first year results.
Quantifiable outcomes reported in the scorecard demonstrate that results are being measured, including:
-
Goal: The Plan's 3-year housing goal was the creation of 218 new rental opportunities for persons who are chronically homelessness.
-
Result: 171 persons housed in year 1 and funding for an additional 140 rental units planned for 2008 - 2009.
-
Goal: The Plan called for preventing homelessness through housing preservation and development, with a goal to create 200 new SRO units and preserve 100 SROs for extremely low income people with disabilities.
Results: The 100-unit downtown Berry Hotel has been purchased by a developer who is assembling financing to rehabilitate and preserve the building as very low income housing. Two more projects are in the pipeline to preserve or replace SRO resources; the YWCA has requested funding to preserve an existing 32 SRO units, and a site at the corner of 7th and H Streets may be developed to provide up to 160 replacement units.
Who is the Innovator?
All of the Sacramento 10-Year Plan Committee, Plan Chair Jeanne Reaves, President-CEO of River City Bank, and public and private sector leaders, including Mayor Fargo and County Supervisor Dickinson, committed to the Plan's goal of evaluation and reporting to the community, which resulted in the preparation and release of the report card.
City and County leaders, under the new 10-Year Plan Leadership Structure called for by the Plan and now in place, are implementing the Plan's strategies and measuring and reporting results using a community-oriented report card format.
The new Policy Board, made up of high-level public and private sector community leaders, has the task of providing strategic direction, oversight, and advocacy for the 10-Year Plan and for homeless services. The Board, chaired by Tom Gagen, CEO of Sutter Health Systems, is made up of political and private sector representatives such as Mayor Fargo, County Supervisor Dickinson, Police Chief Rick Braziel and others. The Policy Board provides community accountability, oversight and advocacy for homeless housing and services.
The new Interagency Council, made up of government agencies, service providers, and community stakeholders, is tasked to plan and coordinate service delivery and recommend policies and strategies to the Policy Board. The Council's 30 members represent "the critical housing and services sectors which must come together in new partnerships to end chronic homelessness." The Interagency Council includes more than ten committees which focus on specific issues related to homelessness, such as health care, criminal justice, and Project Homeless Connect. These committees report to the Interagency Council.
Where Can I Learn More about the Innovation?
To read "The First Year: 2007 Progress Report For Sacramento's Ten Year Plan To End Chronic Homelessness," visit http://www.communitycouncil.org/homelessplan
To learn more about Sacramento's Ending Chronic Homelessness Initiative, contact: Tim Brown, Chronic Homelessness Initiative Director at: 916-447-7063.
Additional Resources:
Innovation Number 1:
Virginia CASH Campaign (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope)
What is the Innovation and How Does It Work?
The Virginia CASH Campaign is supported by a Commonwealth of Virginia General Fund appropriation of $230,000 annually to maximize use of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. The targeted state resources incentivize community-based outreach initiatives and free tax preparation services for low income working families and individuals to assist them in receiving all EITC credits to which they are entitled.
Many persons who are homeless need access to both EITC outreach and free tax preparation services if they are to benefit from the tax credit, which also operates retroactively.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine designated Earned Income Tax Credit Kickoff Day in January, launching events around the state to raise awareness of EITC filing resources and tax preparation services and to demonstrate political will in support of the state's consumer-focused initiative. Executive Branch agencies for housing, housing finance, and social services have also partnered to offer Virginia Individual Development Accounts (VIDA) with a 2:1 match of funds (including funds provided through the federal Assets for Independence program of HHS) for purchasing a home, starting a business, or financing post- secondary education, if the EITC filer deposits any refund of up to $2,000 in a VIDA.
The Virginia Community Action Partnership is the lead community agency for the statewide initiative, annually reporting results to the Governor and General Assembly. VACAP re-distributes state resources in mini- grants to local partners who provide education, outreach, financial literacy and free income tax preparation services to eligible EITC recipients.
The Commonwealth of Virginia estimates that Virginia taxpayers are eligible for approximately $1 billion in EITC payments annually and that 91,000 - 114,000 households do not file for a projected $167-209 million in credit refunds.
Who Benefits from the Innovation?
 Low income working people benefit: In tax year 2005, 478,365 Virginia households benefited from EITC; the average credit amount was $1,834 per household. Free tax preparation services also can save low income workers hundreds of dollars and help them better provide for basic needs.
Virginia's residents and economy benefit: In tax year 2005, Virginians received $877,336,397 in EITC refunds. The EITC, 100% federally funded, brings money into the state's economy. Data show the most common uses of EITC refunds include medical care, dental work and car repair and purchase, all accessed through local communities.
What Results Are Being Achieved and Reported from the Innovation?
The Virginia EITC Campaign is achieving quantifiable results for low income working filers and for the Commonwealth.
In the 2007 tax season, through VA EITC, over 860 volunteers partnered with 22 local coalitions provided free tax preparation services to eligible persons, preparing over 11,000 federal returns with refunds of over $10.6 million. Almost $4 million was claimed in EITC refunds in 2,900 returns. Volunteer tax preparation time was valued at $500,000.
According to the VA EITC 2007 annual report to the state, compared to the 2005 tax year, the 2007 outcomes represent:
double the number of tax returns prepared
almost a 50% increase in the number of EITC returns
almost a $1 million increase in EITC refunds
double the savings to taxpayers
one -third more local coalitions partnered to the initiative
Most of the local coalitions use TaxWise to file returns and track data. Volunteers are trained and certified by the IRS. Programs report results to the VACAP EITC Project Manager, including returns prepared, total refunds, tax preparation service savings, number of EITC eligible persons, total EITC refunds, Child Tax Credit refunds, Direct Deposit refunds, Split Refunds, number of press releases and public service announcements generated, financial literacy and IDA programs, and more.
VDSS directly contacts individuals eligible for the credit but not claiming it, using client level data from tax returns where EITC was not claimed. VDSS also helps raise awareness of the EITC by printing notices on TANF and child support enforcement checks from December through April and using AmeriCorps members at the local level to conduct outreach.
Who is the Innovator?
In Virginia, both the Executive and Legislative branches of the Commonwealth's government have supported statewide EITC initiatives and built a strong partnership with the Virginia Community Action Partnership (VACAP), the statewide membership association for Virginia's thirty non-profit private and public community action agencies. Virginia also has a non-refundable state tax credit.
In 2003, the Virginia General Assembly's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission examined EITC participation by clients of the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) and estimated a participation rate of only 13% of those eligible. The State has also estimated unclaimed benefits on a regional basis according to local social service offices.
Upon the recommendation of the Commission, the General Assembly amended the Code of Virginia to add a question to the state tax return form about whether a taxpayer claimed the federal EITC, and to allow the Tax Commissioner to share data with VDSS on whether clients claimed the federal EITC, enabling VDSS to measure EITC utilization and identify eligible persons who did not claim the credit.
 Where Can I Learn More about the Innovation?
Visit the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Social Services web site for EITC: http://www.dss.virginia.gov/community/eitc.cgi
For local DSS Office contact information, visit: http://www.dss.virginia.gov/localagency
Or call toll-free: 800-552-3431 or by email: citizen.services@dss.virginia.gov
Visit the Virginia Community Action Partnership web site for the VAEITC Campaign and also find background information, fliers, asset building information, and more: www.vaeitc.org
Contact VCAP's EITC Project Manager at 804-644-0417.
Virginia Community Action Partnership's office is located at 700 E. Franklin Street, Suite 14T2, Richmond, VA 23219.
Additional Resources:
Innovative Initiatives by Theme
|
