GH CAN Operations 10/5/2016

Greater Hartford Coordinated Access Network
Operations Agenda
Wednesday, October 5th, 2016

In attendance:
Janet Bermudez - Hands On Hartford
Cordelia Brady - The Open Hearth
Manuel Cadena - Catholic Charities
Roger Clark - ImmaCare
Stephanie Corbin - CHN
Tylon Crump - CRT / McKinney Shelter
Rochelle Currie - The Connection
Cat Damato - CRT
Angel Fernandez - The Open Hearth
Valorie Gaines - CHR
Kelly Gonzalez - CRT
Kaylon Griffith - Capitol Region Mental Health Center
Amber Higgins - CHR / Rapid ReHousing
Je'Naya King - CHR / PATH
John Lawlor - The Connection
Kyren McCrorey - The Open Hearth
Nicole Milton - CHR Enfield
Matt Morgan - Journey Home
Malika Nelson - CHR / PATH
Lorrie O'Brien - Hartford Hospital
Heather Pilarcik - South Park Inn
Rob Soderberg- CHR Manchester
Sandra Terry - CRT
Wendy Walker - CRT / McKinney Shelter
Ymonne Wilson - CRT
Tamara Womack - My Sisters' Place
Kelanda Santos - My Sisters' Place
Sarah DiMaio - Salvation Army Marshall House

1. Zero: 2016 Progresss:
1. Recently Housed Households - there have been 12 recently housed chronically homeless households, bringing us to a regional total of 248 chronically homeless households that have been housed in the GH CAN since March of 2015!
2. The Zero: 2016 Team recently held a housing brainstorm session with representatives from shelters, rapid rehousing, and supportive housing.  At this session we discussed some of the major barriers that we are still facing in our work to house chronically homeless households, as well as some of the big successes we've seen.  Many of our providers pointed to issues in communication with clients due to lack of phones, and limited communication between all the different staff that work with clients.  Some of the successes we have seen include increased coordination between all CAN agencies, as well as the Diversion Center, and some big progress with different immigration agencies like the Polish Consulate.  This group hopes to meet every few months to check in, and is looking forward to holding a Landlord Engagement Breakfast at some point.
2. Cold Weather Planning
1. ImmaCare will not be hosting a No-Freeze shelter in Greater Hartford this year, but Center Church is working on planning for Cold Weather Season.  Center Church's team is pursuing a couple of locations for a No-Freeze shelter, as well as working with some local churches to create pop-up warming centers for the coldest nights of the winter season.
3. Client Communications 
1. At our last Operations meeting we discussed the fact that many of our clients are hearing different things, and we need a tool to improve communications so that clients are clear about the chronically homeless requirements. 
1. A handful of staff in the community worked together to develop a document which the operations committee reviewed.   This document outlined the definition of chronic homelessness, and the requirements to document chronic homelessness.
2. We discussed some changes to the form, including documenting the CAN 
2. The Committee determined that rather than having this form as a handout to clients, each agency should get a copy of it so that all communications with clients can be consistent, relying on the same language. 
4. Shelter Waiting List
1. We discussed the Doubled-Up Unsafe option, and this committee voted that this option should only be selected on the waiting list for households who are in physically unsafe situations, and not in instances where they are jeopardizing the housing security of others (for example, it shouldn't be used for households doubled up with someone staying in a subsidized unit, as that doesn't pose a physical safety threat).
1. Examples of unsafe situations are: domestic violence situations, living in a home where drugs are sold, engaging in survival sex to remain where you're staying.
2. The committee also discussed the extensive length of the waitlist, and the fact that folks are on this list for a very long time.
1. The committee requested that staff at Journey Home make phone calls to all households who are unsheltered and staying in cars to try and remove all possible households from the shelter waiting list who are no longer seeking shelter. 
2. Journey Home will attempt to do this on a monthly basis.
5. Disability Verification Attachment Form
1. Because housing programs often need to know the type of disabiling condition that a chronically homeless household has at intake, the current disability verification form is not sufficient information for all of our housing programs.  To try and gather the level of detail needed by housing programs, Journey Home presented a draft document that can be sent to a provider alongside the Disability Verification form to clarify disabling condition type (specific diagnoses are still not a requirement on this form).  
2. You can download and print this attachment form at www.journeyhomect.org/provider-resources 
6. Announcements:
1. There is currently $15,069 available in the Be Homeful Diversion fund through CCEH.  $156 is available for the general fund, and $14,913 is available for utility-related expenses.
2. There will be a Security Deposit Guarantee Training tomorrow, 10/6, from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM at CRT's Lumsden Center, 555 Windsor St., Hartford.