Greater Hartford CAN Meeting 12/30/15

In Attendance:

Natasha Baldwin - Salvation Army Marshall House
Cordelia Brady - The Open Hearth
Gail Budrejko - Tabor House
Traci Burdick - Community Health Network
Marcel Cicero - CRT / East Hartford Shelter
Roger Clark - ImmaCare
Stephanie Corbin - Community Health Network
Catherine Damato - Community Renewal Team
Jacqueline Farmer - Veteran's Inc.
Amanda Girardin - Journey Home
Tenesha Grant - Mercy Housing
Mollie Greenwood - Journey Home
Mark Jenkins - Blue Hills Civic Association
Aaron Jones - U.S. V.A.
Brittany King - The Open Hearth
Gerilyn Maciel - Salvation Army Marshall House
Philomena McGee - Community Health Resources
Matt Morgan - Journey Home
Malika Nelson - Community Health Network / PATH
Roxan Noble - Chrysalis Center / Soromundi Commons
Yolanda Ortiz - CRT / SSVF
Heather Pilarcik - South Park Inn
Cathy Shanley - Columbus House
Chris Robinson - Chrysalis Center
Jessica Russell - Town of Enfield Social Services
Rob Soderberg - Community Health Resources - Supportive Housing
Sandra Terry - CRT / Supportive Housing
Ymonne Wilson - CRT
Tamara Womack - My Sisters' Place

1. Welcome and Introductions - At our last Greater Hartford CAN meeting of 2015, we have a really exciting announcement.  At the beginning of our 100 Day Campaign, our goal was to house 100 chronically homeless households.  As of this week, we have finally reached that goal, and currently 102 chronically homeless households have been housed through the Greater Hartford CAN.  This has been a long and busy year, but this is a huge achievement for our whole community.
2. Housing Referral Group - 
1. We discussed two 3-bedroom openings that have been open for awhile with Shelter Plus Care out in Manchester.  A couple of past referrals have fallen through for these openings, and we need to fill them quickly.  Right now, no chronically homeless families have been identified in our region, and so we are seeking literally homeless families with high service needs (as indicated by the VI-SPDAT).  For Permanent Supportive Housing a family member must have a disability.  At this point, we have not identified families who meet this criteria and are document ready, and so case managers working with the top families should do everything they are able to assist these families in obtaining necessary documentation for all family members.
1. Because there are no chronically homeless families that have been identified in our region at this point, it is essential that shelters are working with literally homeless families can assist them to become document ready.  
2. Right now, in order to gather as complete of a registry as possible, Journey Home pulls data from VI-SPDAT assessments and CAN assessments in HMIS, and from the Universal Housing Application in an effort to quickly identify and add households to our registry.  However, if staff are completing paper copies that are not going into HMIS, or if this information is being put in immediately before a CAN meeting, it will not be possible for Journey Home to identify households for possible prioritization and/or referral.  For this reason, we urge all agencies to enter data as quickly and accurately as possible into these databases.  
3. Concerns were raised that not all agencies are HMIS users, or Universal Housing Application users, and so there are some agencies who feel they are being held responsible for more data entry than others.  In coming months, we will be working with the Corporation for Supportive Housing to develop by-laws and participation agreements, so that there will be clear guidelines about what it means to participate in Coordinated Access, and to work with housing referrals through our CAN system.
2. In order to try and clarify the document readiness process, the Initial Document Checklist has been updated.  This form now reads more like a checklist, so when staff are working towards document readiness with a household they can use this form to guide what pieces are still needed for each household.  The new form is available at www.journeyhomect.org/provider-resources 
3. We also discussed two chronically homeless veterans who are currently on our registry, and identified possible housing resources for each of them.
4. Finally, we discussed current openings in supportive housing programs for individuals.
3. Future Meeting Structure -
1. Journey Home has received some feedback that the current meeting structure, particularly sections in which we spend time reviewing lists, or getting by-name updates of each particular case.  While we do plan to continue using CAN meetings as an opportunity for case conferencing, we will be modifying the structure in future meetings.
2. Starting next meeting, January 13th, we will be having a little time for full-group announcements, but will be splitting into smaller action groups for sections of the meeting.  Housing providers will have the opportunity to discuss specific housing-related issues, shelter providers can discuss specific shelter access or data related challenges or improvements.  In this way, we hope to have more productive and efficient meetings, where we can address a wider array of discussions.
4. Zero: 2016
1. Goals and Progress- 
1. Chris Robinson announced the Landlord Breakfast we were hoping to host in the next few weeks, and asked that any contact info for landlords that we would want to invite should be sent to himself and Jamie Randolph, who will be coordinating RSVP's for this event.  We are still tentatively exploring different locations, and working to plan programming for this event.  We hope that this will be a good step to increasing landlord engagement, explaining the process for some of our supportive housing programs, and increasing the number of landlords willing to work with our community.
2. The Zero:2016 Team is also working to increase outreach coordination by having regular monthly meetings, and anyone wishing to participate in those outreach meetings should contact Janet Bermudez at jbermudez@handsonhartford.org
5. VI-SPDAT 2.0 Training - Register on www.cceh.org
1. For the past year, the whole state of Connecticut has been using the VI-SPDAT triage tool as a preliminary needs assessment.  We have been using version 1, the original version of the tool.  Since then, OrgCode, the developers of the VI-SPDAT have made some modifications to the VI-SPDAT, making it shorter, clearer, and easier to convert between the full SPDAT assessment.  These changes are reflected in an updated version of the tool- VI-SPDAT 2.0.  Connecticut will be switching over to utilizing VI-SPDAT 2.0 in the coming months, and HMIS will implement version 2.0 as well.  In preparation for these changes, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness is offering a variety of trainings.
2. Currently, CCEH has a couple of in-person trainings being offered on the VI-SPDAT version 2.0 in New Haven and Middletown.  A representative from CCEH also offered to make a training option for the city of Hartford if there was interest.  A raise of hands showed 23 interested staff (with a couple of people raising hands on behalf of their coworkers).  Mollie will follow up with CCEH staff, and share information about any additional training times and locations.
3. In addition to the in-person training option, CCEH currently has one webinar training planned for Friday, January 8th at 11:00 AM.  To register for this webinar, visit www.cceh.org.
6. Announcements:
1. The Navigator RFP is due to Amanda Girardin by email, or hand-delivered by Tuesday, January 5th at 4:00 PM.
2. The Partnership for Strong Communities is seeking consumers to particcpate in their Reaching Home Advisory Committee.  You can contact Amanda Girardin for more information.
3. The next GH CAN meeting will return to our regular location at Sue Ann Shay Place Apartment,s 76 Pliny St., Hartford.  Thanks, CRT, for hosting our December meetings!
4. Tenesha Grant said that Mercy's Catherine's Place Transitional Living Program on Church Street currently has openings for women with substance use who are willing and able to work.
5. Happy New Year!