Reversing the Trend

1. Reversing the Trend Repurposing Sonoma County’s Homeless Housing to Reduce Homelessness August 30, 2011

2. Sonoma County’s homeless system of care can’t keep pace About 318 new persons become homeless in Sonoma County every month. In a typical month, 212 people exit from local homeless services programs. Of them an average of 74 (35%) exit to permanent housing. This chart shows what happens over a typical 6-month period. Our system is full, 446 people exit to permanent housing, and 1500 new people are left on the street or otherwise unserved. For several homeless populations, more people are left unserved every month than exit to permanent housing, leaving us with an ever-growing homeless population. The system as designed years ago cannot keep pace with the new wave of homelessness.

3. The local priority on families with children has been a success. About half our homeless housing is dedicated to families with children – 15% of our overall homeless population. About 25 people in families enter our system every month. Over a 6-month period, we are able to place more than 170 people in families in permanent housing, leaving virtually no one on the street and leaving a few empty beds.

4. Since 2007, calculations based on successive Point in Time Counts have indicated no further need for family shelter or transitional housing – yet the remaining family housing was overfull to bursting. We interpreted this situation as a bottleneck in exits to permanent housing. Our interpretation was that a shortage of affordable permanent housing and of permanent supportive housing created a bottleneck that keeps families in transitional housing far longer than 24 months. The calculated need for 17 permanent supportive housing units bears out this interpretation. The priority on families with children has been a success.

5. Past Strategies For the past decade, our overall strategy to reduce homelessness has been to increase homeless-dedicated housing stock. Over 6 months, the additional housing now in the pipeline will permanently house 75 more people in families with children, and 53 more adults with disabilities. The new family housing will create excess capacity totaling ~100 beds, which could be used for other needs. While the housing in development will undoubtedly make a big difference, current economic circumstances dictate new strategies that work only with existing resources.

6. Questions: • How can we break the logjam to get people back into permanent housing more quickly? • How can we impact increased homelessness with fewer resources? • Can we repurpose existing capacity to change the trajectory without new expense? • Can we change the trajectory for youth and single adults without negatively affecting families with children?

7. Possible programs to repurpose • Key criteria: • Flexible funding • Local control • If tied to facility-based housing, service population must be changeable and/or regulatory agreements must allow different use • Programs fitting this description: • Russell family transitional housing • HOME TBA programs • CoC-funded programs (with contract amendment) • Shared family transitional housing programs

8. Changing the use of the Russell facility The County’s Russell Avenue facility is currently being used as family transitional housing. By the end of 6 months, changing Russell’s use to youth transitional housing would increase the number of youth exiting to permanent housing by 21 – while still leaving over 100 beds excess capacity in the family housing system.

9. HOME Tenant Based Assistance The HOME TBA program now provides a second stage of transitional housing while families wait for a Section 8 voucher. Changing HOME TBA’s 84 beds to rapidly re-house (RRH) homeless families with few housing barriers, in addition to the changes in previous slide, would free up 300+ beds for other rental assistance – say, RRH for non-disabled households without children. According to the 2011 Count, about 16% of single adults fit this description, justifying 191 slots of RRH. Over 6 months, 191 RRH beds could permanently house 287 adults without children – including former foster youth or other priority populations – and leave ~100 beds excess capacity in both the family and single adult systems, for other needs.

10. Summary of proposed changes • 24 family PSH units will come on line in the next year – freeing up ~100 beds to be used for other needs. • Change the County’s Russell transitional housing facility to transitional housing for youth – exiting 21 homeless youth to permanent housing and leaving ~100 beds for other needs. • Over the next two years, reshape the HOME Tenant-Based Assistance program to create 84 units of Rapid Re-Housing – freeing ~300 beds for other needs. • Of the 300 beds of rental assistance, create 191 units of Rapid Re-Housing to help adults without disabilities – still leaving ~100 beds for other needs.

11. Repurposing can Reverse the Trend

12. Other changes to consider • CoC-funded transitional housing: • Housing Options – Catholic Charities is considering changing 26 family TH beds to provide TH for another population. • CAP is considering revamping its Caring Communities supportive services only project as Rapid Rehousing – possible service match for a HOME TBA RRH program?

13. Questions & Discussion ? ? ? ? ?