1 / 24

Maximizing Transitional Housing Resources

Maximizing Transitional Housing Resources . The Lancaster County Pennsylvania Experience Kay Moshier McDivitt Community Homeless Advisor for Lancaster County 150 North Queen Street, Suite 602  Lancaster PA. 17603 Tele: 717-735-8485    KMcDivitt@co.lancaster.pa.us. Our Community.

derron
Télécharger la présentation

Maximizing Transitional Housing Resources

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Maximizing Transitional Housing Resources The Lancaster County Pennsylvania Experience Kay Moshier McDivittCommunity Homeless Advisor for Lancaster County150 North Queen Street, Suite 602 Lancaster PA. 17603Tele: 717-735-8485    KMcDivitt@co.lancaster.pa.us

  2. Our Community • County of 500,000 • City of Lancaster: 56,000 person situated in the middle of Lancaster County • Very diversified population (from very rural Mennonite/Amish communities to a large concentration of Latino’s in the city) • Historically, neither the city nor county government has taken ownership of homelessness, shelters or ending homelessness

  3. Tabor Community Services • Established in 1968 • Our Mission: To rebuild communities by helping families find housing and financial solutions • HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency since 1971 • A Member of the National Foundation of Consumer Credit Counseling Agencies since 1988 • Accredited through the Council on Accreditation since 1996.

  4. Tabor Community Services • Financial Counseling Services • Consumer Credit Counseling Services • Matched Savings Accounts Programs • Foreclosure Prevention Counseling Initiatives • Housing Counseling Programs • Rental Counseling/Prevention Programs • First Time Homebuyer Programs • Family Self Sufficiency/HOV Program • Rapid Re-Housing • Supportive Housing Programs • Permanent Supportive Housing • Transitional Housing

  5. Tabor’s Transitional Housing Models • Jubilee House opened in July 2000 in response to Continuum of Care request • Transitional Living Center merged with Tabor in July 2004; Originally started as “Harb-Adult” in 1988 in a 54 room hotel serving single adults, added families in the mid 90’s • Beth Shalom merged with Tabor July 2006; originally started as a transitional housing program for “unwed” young mothers

  6. Our Issue: What is our role in meeting the community’s goal of ending homelessness? • Strategic Planning Process • Identifies clear steps and goals • Identifies key players in the process • Redefined who we are • Requires an “open mind” for ANY suggested changes • Requires retraining, new resources and internal cultural shifts • Communicated our Role to the Community at Large • Funders/supporters • Homeless Provider and Social Services system • Clientele

  7. Strategic Planning Process for Shaping Tabor’s Transitional Housing Programs • Steps we took • Revisited our program mission statements (Does the goal of the program ultimately end homelessness) • Critical review of outcomes, indicators, targets (are we successful in ending homelessness?) • Feedback from Lancaster County’s Continuum of Care committee (what are the gaps/community needs) • Established a Community Review Committee

  8. Strategic Planning Process for Shaping Tabor’s Transitional Housing Programs • Identifies Clear Goals • To review current mission and clientele and make recommendations regarding goals and direction • Analyze outcome data • Final Goal: to ensure program is meeting a community need and is ending homelessness

  9. Strategic Planning Process for Shaping Tabor’s Transitional Housing Programs • Identified issues to be considered • Current role, populations served, transitional vs permanent, future funding, outcomes • Identified possible options • Continue as is, target populations, provided combined transitional/permanent, full permanent • Identified questions we wanted answered • Gaps that exist, solution to fill that gap, feasibility for plan, what does “program mean”, what does “transitional” mean

  10. Strategic Planning Process for Shaping Tabor’s Transitional Housing Programs • Identify Key Players in the Process: Developed a Study Group • City government • Funders • Mainstream Providers • Board Member (current and former board members) • Neighbors • Homeless Providers • United Way • Staff, direct service and management • Former clientele

  11. Redefining Who We Are • Requires an open mind • Any suggested change is worth reviewing; this is about ending homelessness • Winning teams are those that come up with new plays • “Its not the letting go that hurts, it’s the holding on” • We are here not for ourselves, but for the community • Ultimately, going out of business can be a good thing! • Retraining, new resources, internal cultural shifts • Identify what training will be needed • Identify resources, both funding and services • Develop a plan to shift organizational culture • Identify strategic service providers to partner with

  12. Communicating to the Community at Large • Funders/Supporters: Make them believers, involve them in the process • Get feedback from the providers, utilize them to get the message out • Get the word on the streets • Most difficult for long established programs

  13. What Transitional Housing is for Tabor: The Outcome • Prioritized and now serve Targeted Populations • Redefined length of stay: • Service provision is through external program/sources rather than internal • Redefined staff role to that of a supportive service coordinator • Coordinated case management inclusive of all external providers • Shared outcomes and indicators with major focus on moving to permanent affordable housing • Established community partnerships • Reductions in costs

  14. Targeted Populations • Jubilee House: Women completed treatment programs who are homeless and have children (family reunification) • Beth Shalom: Women released from prison who are homeless and have children • TLC: Set asides • Two Floors for Veterans (all referred through the VA) • Single Men and Women coming from Prison (working with pre-release unit and drug court) • Two Parent Homeless Families, • Single Male Headed Households

  15. Length of Stay • Not Program Driven • Determined by individual plan to find permanent housing, not by program “requirements” • Focus on shortest length according the individual needs • Average for TLC dropped from 8-12 months to 3-4 months • Jubilee from 18 months to 6-8 months • Beth Shalom just started accepting residents, still developing targets

  16. Services provided externally • Partner with community providers • Less dependence on the program • Ensures an ongoing sustaining support system within the larger community • Mental Health, Recovery, parenting services, life skills etc. are all external providers • Service participation is not mandated, • Referrals made if identified as part of the barriers to housing plan (better participation because it is client driven, not program driven)

  17. Redefined Staff Role:Supportive Service Coordinator • Shift from “what you need to do to stay here successfully, to what you need to leave here successfully” • Role is not to counsel or “fix” but to connect residents with the services identified on the case management and permanent housing plans

  18. Coordinated Case Management • Ensures seamless case management so that all providers are on the same page • Releases of information to obtain case management plans from other providers • Reduces duplication of services and ensures successful housing procurement

  19. Shared Outcomes and Indicators • All transitional housing providers in the community have shared outcome measurements • Program success is measured by households successfully leaving the homeless system and maintaining their permanent housing • Funders are using the shared outcome measurements

  20. Strategic Community Partnerships • Treatment Programs • Lancaster County MH/MR and D&A • Children and Youth • VA • RMO (Re-entry Management Organization) • Emergency Shelter Providers • Food and Clothing Banks • Other Tabor Programs (Financial Literacy, Budgeting, Matched Savings) • Job Readiness and Employment Programs (WIB, Career Link)

  21. Cost Effective • Reduced the TLC budget by 25% • Reduced the Beth Shalom Budget by 60% • Cost per household served reduced by 42%

  22. Results • 74% of households in the Transitional Living Center moved to permanent housing in an average of 3.4 months • 82% of households in Jubilee House moved to permanent housing in an average of 7.2 months • 94% maintained permanent housing for six months, 82% for a year

  23. Final Thoughts • Re-defining the role of transitional housing for your community requires a culture that embraces change • Clear goals are imperative • Community involvement is key to success • Prepare a communication plan • Remember, “its not the letting go that hurts, it’s the holding on”.

  24. Kay Moshier McDivittCommunity Homeless Advisor for Lancaster County150 North Queen Street, Suite 602 Lancaster PA. 17603Tele: 717-735-8485    Fax: 717-295-3680 KMcDivitt@co.lancaster.pa.us

More Related