GH CAN Leadership 1/25/17

GH CAN Leadership 1/25/17 Notes

In Attendance:

(sign-in sheet was not returned at end of meeting.  Contact Mollie Greenwood to add your name!)

1. PIT Updates
1. City of Hartford – Cat Damato – 25 folks found in Hartford. 1 veteran, 2 youth.
2. GH CAN Suburbs – CHR Volunteer, InterCommunity, Town of Enfield, Cornerstone, Crane. Went to all surrounding towns. Did not find anyone in any towns except for Enfield. 2 were veterans. 2 youth. Can call Theresa for housing for those vets. Youth PIT is beginning today. For all programs, please get your data in by deadline of COB Friday. Nutmeg is offering live support for Hartford every day from 8am-4pm. Send Cat/Crane email with questions if they don’t want to go through Nutmeg.
3. We know we have many more folks reporting being unsheltered than the 25 + 9 folks we found today. Consistent of 200+ a month of folks being unsheltered. Really high number of folks reporting being unsheltered but we couldn’t find them all. No Freeze are still listed as unsheltered in data. We are bringing the information to our outreach meetings monthly but even they can’t wrap their head around the 200 folks reporting being unsheltered. Theresa said we captured 38% since we found 25 and there are 50 in no freeze so that’s 75. Crane believes it’s a survival strategy. If you hear something that works you start using it. For the past 2/3 months we have been calling to purge and we reach about half the unsheltered folks. Even when we reach them, only half still report needing shelter. Crane suggested comparing this data to past data. Most reliable data starts in August so this could be baseline for us because previously it was the binders.
4. Shelter Waitlist Data - Lou said Roger is having issues filling shelters since they don’t want to come in early for curfew of 7 so they go to no freeze since it’s until 8:30. Having issue with getting clients to come downstairs. We have 9 weeks left. No Freeze used to open around 4/5 not 8:30 according to Lou. We don’t want the shelter beds empty and no freeze full. Clients have refused when Roger has offered them to go from no freeze to ImmaCare but they refused. Open Hearth was full yesterday. E. Hartford has been pretty full. McKinney is sort of full but not using overflow.
2. Section 8 HCV – Request to review again what the process is for HCVP. Page 4-6 of agenda packet, distributed 6 months ago. A chart on page 4 is process for clients who are staying in place vs. clients who are moving. Contact person is Leana Ruiz at Journey Home. Page 5 is service expectations. Review packet with staff in case they weren’t sure about the process. Amanda and Leana have gone out to answer questions. Issue with security deposits. Not eligible since they’re no longer homeless, has proven to be difficult. Theresa said we weren’t educated enough to educate clients on the lengthiness of the process. If they had one thing missing such as a birth certificate from PR, that could delay it for 2 months. Chrysalis has one point of contact for HCV and she communicates with Leana.
1. Discrepancy from last CAN agenda to this agenda. Have broken up clients housed by year. Last week stated 17 people were housed in 2017 so far but those folks were housed on new year’s eve so they have been brought over to 2016. Good news is we continue to match folks to housing as they become verified so we don’t have any chronic verified unmatched. Crane asked if there is an estimate on the 62 folks who are not verified on getting doc ready. Matt said 8-10 a week, Mollie said some weeks it fluctuates. We have a grant of 9 more units becoming available in Hartford, part of reallocation last year. All through the CAN. Theresa asked if she’s looking for services, Crane said yes. Zero:2016 is over, what do we call it now. Crane suggested Functional Zero. Next goal could be USICH benchmark. When you’re verified, matched and housed within 90 days.
3. Coordinated Entry Checklist issued from HUD. One suggestion is to have subgroup work on this and bring it to this group. Deadline is January 2018. Crane will take a look and see what applies to us. Based on notice, what are the tasks we need to, what we already have, and that will help us form the subgroup. A lot checklist is COC, good portion is coordinated entry which is what HUD is calling our CAN. Definitely areas we can vamp up, such as policies and procedures and we can get blasted to everyone. Lots of things we already do. Helpful to have checkboxes to know what we’re doing.
4. HOPWA Aids Housing – Coming from statewide level. Other HIV/HOPWA providers have already been in conversation with their funders. State of CT wants us to start integrated process for HIV/AIDS HOPWA housing. Need to discuss how to implement since there are different rules with HOPWA. Not a done deal yet. Little bit of HOPWA money that comes to DOH may be integrated but not the city yet. Mixed DOH/DMHAS and HOPWA funding, if there’s a drop of HOPWA money, a person or unit, cannot use prioritization. Must be first come first served, doesn’t even need to be homeless or at risk. HOPWA funding is providing either services or housing subsidy or both – if you have a drop of money you have to take it from the CAN. They were questioning it and they wondered if it’s just housing subsidy dollars not services dollars. Only have 7 units that have actual housing assistance dollars. Other 20 is service dollars.
1. Hands on Hartford said since CAN started, bulk of their referrals come from health care providers or medical providers and no longer from the shelters. She fears there are folks out there who don’t know how to get involved. Right now we are posing all the questions. How do we get to the next step? If the exit meeting, if they can identity if there are people who are positive on the list. Security deposit can be paid through HOPWA dollars so anyone who is moving on who is HIV+ can be referred to those programs to get assistance. If someone came in to diversion center and reported being positive, is there any way they can get on the first come first served list. The way to apply right now is to apply at individual agencies. Theresa has to ask questions before she can answer questions about next steps. If we can figure out who we can direct people to for the time being. Need to help folks a better way to talk to folks. There are specific criteria and forms that are required for this program and clients will have to be willing to go through the process.
5. Sarah DiMaio – RRH program through DMHAS. Realized contract is very vague. Doesn’t specify who we serve outside of families. Doesn’t have VI-SPDAT score or anything. DMHAS suggested best thing is to have leadership vote on what the best RRH. Only has $42,000 a year not including admin fee that has to come out of that and we have to serve 15 families. Instead of restarting the wheel, they would just copy CHR Enfield’s ST RRH contract. Have to build HUD contracts in half and bill DMHAS later. Probably is transition of leadership at office of commissioner and salvation army. Intention was ST RRH in original application through COC. Bring to leadership to have agree on VI scores. Not to put cap of 3-5, just anything above 3. We’ll start from 3 and go up as long as client has sufficient income. If we don’t have any families at all, would you be willing to do individual woman? Application and contract says 2 different things. HUD field office made error. Made all forms for PSH. Created RRH and used same forms. Fred from DMHAS is trying to work with HUD to fix it but it’s about having enough money to make it work. If no families qualify for ST with scores 3 and up, if a single were to need it, we could expand it.  Sarah and Crane will work on it. Legion Court is full. Have 4 homeless veterans and other 7 were homeless families. One client was in Florida fleeing domestic violence, lived in her car for 3 days and then shelter for 4 days and now she’s housed with her kids.
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6. Theresa asked if any of those folks housed in 100-day campaign returned to homelessness. Housed 52 in that campaign, about 40 were matched at the end. Will check that data.
7. Announcements
1. Crane – HMIS – letter went out today to 79 agencies to indicate a fee for HMIS since it’s not fully funded. 70% of bills are $500. Every agency is getting a bill based on a number of users and number of programs that you have. One-time annual fee starting in July. Letter went out today to let folks know it will go out. Total amount of agency contribution is less than 7% of the total HMIS budget. If agencies want to use this for EHR It won’t happen because the more users, you have the more you will pay. Highest bill – CRT is $1,500 bill. 5 agencies with much bigger bill. Columbus house bill is $8,000. About 1/3 of price when they had another platform (Provide). Theresa said she didn’t have heads up and feels blindsided about the fee. There was nothing in the minutes. Crane thinks it was already sent out. Theresa said she’s not complaining about the fee, just the process. Do we also pay dues to CCEH if we’re members?  Folks said yes. Dave said they’ve been footing the bill for years. Someone said they were doing the best to pay and that’s why agencies are now being billed.
2. CT BOS – if you have HUD funding, any COC funding – big deadline is Monday. 
3. The Navigator Grant for February -June has been awarded to CRT
4. Salvation Army is getting a new Human Trafficking program started, folks interested in training should contact Sarah DiMaio.
1. Crane would like to organize something maybe with auditorium so that all CAN staff can attend. Human Trafficking program ran by Crystal. Wants to train other CAN staff. Stay close to the youth and youth count as that age group is vulnerable and will traffic or prostitute for a place to stay.
5. There is a survey for part participants in 100 Day Campaigns being circulated, deadline for feedback is 2/3
6. The Youth Count is happening this week!