Understanding Outreach Coordination in Chicago: Importance and Benefits

1. OUTREACH COORDINATION IN CHICAGO

2. What is Outreach Coordination and why is it important?

3. What is Outreach Coordination • A referral is sent if a Housing Provider cannot locate the person pulled from the Central Referral System (CRS) • The referral is assigned to a variety of outreach team based on the individuals criteria • The mobile Outreach Teams check their own resources and make physical visits to locate the person • If the Outreach Teams locate the participant, they assist with the Housing Provider until the participant is officially housed

4. Benefits of Mobile Outreach Team • Have the ability to physically look for participants in the streets/shelters • Engagement and relationship building with participants • Can assist participants with documentation gathering and transportation, if necessary • Give a warm handoff to the housing provider

5. Coordinated Access • HUD HEARTH Act Mandate • No Wrong Door • Access and direction to all homeless services • Common Assessment

6. Coordinated Access – Mobile Outreach Role • Identify and accompany most vulnerable • Initial Assessment • Assist in access to other services • Housing

7. Central Referral System (CRS) and Housing Focused Outreach

8. Elements of CRS • Part of Coordinated Access, specifically for PSH • After an assessment, a vulnerability ranking is assigned • All enrollees prioritized based on vulnerability • Vulnerability for singles based on medical conditions leading to mortality. Vulnerability for families based on interaction with DCFS, time homeless and household disabilities.

9. CRS Needs Outreach • Outreach for CRS in an integral part of Coordinated Access • Interaction between housing providers and outreach providers • Silos in the system • Close communication • Outreach Coordination • Without outreach, highly vulnerable people won’t make it to PSH • Participants are more transient • Contact information is sparse to non-existent • Need assistance with documentation gathering and keeping appointments

10. Referral Process

11. Mobile Outreach Teams Currently Participating in OCP • Heartland Health Outreach • Thresholds (CTA) • DFSS • Featherfist • Beacon Therapeutic • Polish American • Salvation Army

12. Rapid Re-Housing Bridge Units • Temporary bridge between homelessness and permanent supportive housing • Eligibility: HUD defined homeless and acceptance into a PSH program • Goal: To have participants moved out in less than 3 months • 15 units in Uptown and 5 south and west, overseen by 2 HHO Outreach Workers and Thresholds

13. Evaluation and Survey Findings

14. What Was Evaluated? • Models: There were two outreach models implemented. • Housing: How many participants that were served by Outreach Coordinated reached housing? • Outreach: How effective were the outreach teams at locating and engaging referrals?

15. 2013 Totals

16. Total Housed in 2013 129

17. Housed in 2013

18. COLLABORATION Between Agencies • # of Different Agencies in 2013: 16 • SIT meetings: Twice a month • Outreach Coordination Meetings: Every month in 2014 • Working together: ONE TEAM! • I pity the fool not using Coordinated Outreach

19. Qualitative Findings: Program Integration • Outreach Providers: • Outreach Providers felt that program integration helped them locate landlords, helped participants communicate with landlords, made the project more organized and provided a smoother transition for the participant. • Housing Providers: • Housing Providers felt that working with OPs helped them with locating/engaging clients, building rapport with clients, and transporting clients to appointments. • Sometimes the roles of the HPs vs. OPs is not clear to clients

20. Qualitative Findings:SIT Meetings • Outreach Providers • Meetings offer safe and supportive space where members can discuss/process challenges together • Meetings help staff know where participants are in the housing process and allow face time with the program coordinator • Housing Providers • Meetings allowed them to build stronger relationships with other HPs. • Meetings provide structure, information, and space to ask questions; allow you to express concerns about a client; and connect you with the program coordinator on a regular basis

21. Qualitative Findings:Recommendations • Programs should have a medical provider available and willing to sign medical letters • Mandatory cultural competence trainings for Outreach Providers and Housing Providers would help in effectively assisting participants of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds • Reduction of paperwork through condensing pre-intake and intake process.

22. Recommendations continued… • Create communication protocol • When clients are enrolled into CRS additional questions geared towards assisting the Outreach Team locate participants would be helpful • The CRS managing entity could create a time limit for how long a participant’s file can remain inactive before he/she is housed or their file is returned to the CRS.

23. Challenges • Highly vulnerable have sporadic contact information • Information on CRS printout can be sparse • Funding may dictate the participants an outreach agency can work with • Limited capacity for new referrals • Learning curve for new housing providers pulling from the CRS

24. Challenges continued… • Limited authority with Outreach Providers • Inconsistent communication between partnering agencies • Limited authority with OBP Housing Providers • Documentation needed to enter a PSH unit • Housing clients with criminal records

25. Discussion Questions • What are some characteristics of a successful outreach team? • How could you see outreach coordination improving your work? • What are some of the biggest challenges for outreach today? • How does a CRS application directly affect the chances of a participant reaching housing?