Leadership Committee Agenda
Wednesday, April
3rd, 2019
In Attendance:
Steve Bigler – CRT
Sonia Brown – CRT
Crane Cesario – DMHAS
Stephanie Corbin – Mercy Housing and Shelter
Sarah DiMaio – Salvation Army Marshall House
Mollie Greenwood – Journey Home
Andrea Hakian – CHR
Lauren Fair – Salvation Army
Matt Morgan – Journey Home
Lisa Quach – Journey Home
Lionel Rigler – City of Hartford
Amy Robinson – US Dept of Veteran Affairs
Zoe Schwartz – CRT
Barbara Shaw – Hands On Hartford
Elijah McFolley – The Open Hearth
Ymonne Wilson - CRT
1. Human Trafficking
Program Letter of Support – Lauren Fair
a. Salvation Army is
applying for victims of crime funding.
The clinical component would include partnering with The Village for
EMDR-focused therapy. This is an
application for VOCA funding. Salvation
Army is seeking support from the CAN in recognition that many households being
served by shelters are often similar populations to those being victimized or
exploited. The only other organization
who is doing this in Hartford is CIRI, and their work is focused on refugee and
immigrant populations.
b. The GH CAN will
provide a letter of support for this program.
2. ESG Diversion/Prevention
Follow up – Lionel wants to draft some questions which will be sent out to
folks throughout the CAN, and request responses. Then Lionel will compile the responses at the
meeting two weeks from today and determine what about the program we may want
to change. Lionel is hoping to get it
out this Monday or Tuesday.
3. Coordinated
Exit:
a.
Longest Stayers in Greater Hartford CAN – Lisa
Quach, Matt Morgan
i. We have
compiled this data in hopes of helping us work on a plan for ending chronic
homelessness as a community. It looks as
though if we could identify a way to stop people from aging into chronic
homelessness we could really impact ending chronic homelessness.
ii. The
dramatic majority of households in our community are aging into chronic
homelessness.
iii. DMHAS has
discussed (although hasn’t yet identified a process to implement this) using
legacy shelter plus care households without services and helping them
transition into Section 8 vacancies. We
can talk about piloting this process here, but this would all really be reliant
upon the Section 8 Process.
iv. The
committee divided up into four smaller discussion groups to identify possible
systems solutions:
1.
Barbara Shaw’s group suggestions: our
community needs need education, connections, help with job hunting, how do we
incentivize shared housing? Maybe more
essentially – we really need to think about the narratives that we’re all
using. Perhaps we can help change the
narrative at the state and city levels, and change the narrative among the
providers.
a.
We need to change how we talk to folks. Barbara has never seen such a stressed system
of care. And we’re passing that onto the
people we’re serving. We need to talk about
what these blockages are about. Some are
certainly folks hanging in there waiting for PSH or Section 8. We need to come together to change a
dialogue.
b.
Policy changes are also important.
c.
And we need some additional funding! There was a session for HFPG yesterday, and
there was a speaker about nonprofits right now.
We’re being asked to solve serious societal problems. There’s only so much we can do. We need to think about policy changes and
think about funding.
d.
We pass all the pressure to solve these issues
onto the frontline staff. They think it’s
their responsibility to solve homelessness.
2.
Amy’s group –
a.
We do agree that staff are burning out. We talked about holding a resource fair for
case managers.
b.
We talked about doing a workshop to allow the
case managers to come together and talk about best practices.
i. A lot of
folks put their hats all in one basket with apartments. You need to keep on putting applications out,
because you can’t count on getting a response.
We need to make sure staff are messaging this.
c.
We talked about getting DOH to adjust
expectation about some shelter discharge policy.
d.
We talked about creating move-in kits, trying
to get a friendly competition to get shelters to be more housing focused.
e.
We talked about workshops and shelters for
formerly homeless clients. Amy is going
to have a veteran come to a meeting. He
wants to be able to explain his story.
i. It would
be great to have an advisory board.
Peer-to-peer workshopping would be great.
ii. If you
come and run a group, can the CAN pay towards an electric bill. Problem solving groups that involve clients
could also lead to roommate matching.
f.
Andrea’s group
i. Advocacy
for more RRH resources and more of all resources
ii. Need more
robust involvement from mental health system.
iii. If people
have social security income, the only way the supportive housing team has been
able to break that cycle is to get them conserved. Is there a way that we could get physicians
to help assess for conservatorship and identification of a rep-payee? Is there a way to recruit people to do these
assessments on a volunteer basis? How
long have those people been homeless.
Conservatorship is through probate court. There’s also a $200 fee if the
conservatorship is involuntary. CO-17
gets the fee paid to a conservator.
Probate courts won’t waive the petitioner fee.
iv. We also
talked about maybe wanting to get some help from DOH around clients with income
who aren’t chronic and doing a better job messaging to people that just because
you’re in shelter for a long time, they aren’t chronic. For people who have income, maybe having a
more robust conversation about saving their money.
g.
Matt’s group
i. Shared
housing was also a highlight here
ii. Moving
along people with income is another area for focus
iii. Housing
search – have a workshop for sharing best practices on finding homes. One of Sarah’s staff spends about 50% of her
time in the community looking for landlords and helping advocate to get people
into apartments.
iv. There’s a
big unknown under income. There’s no
requirement to enter income at intake, and you collect at discharge. There’s not an incentive to continually
collect income information. Because
there’s not a middle assessment for shelters.
The people doing intakes are frontline staff. We don’t know how many people on this list
truly have income. Andrea’s group also
discussed. Housing programs are required
to capture income and do income verification.
At some point, after some period in shelter, begin requiring the
collecting of income information.
v. Talked
also about trying to expand Rapid Exit as an assistance type. Sometimes not having Rapid ReHousing programs
available in an ongoing way, because just having a security deposit program
helps.
vi. We also
need to get better referrals to the residential treatment facilities and
nursing homes.
vii. Use
interns to work ono employment goals.
Marshall House is using Springfield College interns.
h.
Not all warming center clients with income
self-resolved. Several spent the winter
in the Warming Center.
i.
There’s a ready-to-roommate session. What if we did like once a month a mixer,
where clients are in control of their own programs?
i. Can we
generate incentives, like rapid exit covering two months of funding.
ii. We will
revisit this discussion at the next GH Leadership Committee meeting.
b.
Progressive Engagement – Mollie Greenwood, Crane
Cesario
i. We’re in a
bit of a holding period. Some efforts to
structure Rapid ReHousing were not as successful as had been intended.
1.
We are seeing the consequences of only providing
RRH to higher need folks and we’re able to serve less.
2.
Some of this is that the RRH programs vary
across the state. The conflict has been
helping us see a deficit.
3.
We think we need to really re-think
things. Richard Cho of CCEH showed us
that we need to really look at our trends.
How do we do more with less? But
also, what do we need more of?
4.
Also discussed a re-evaluation of the role of
the VI-SPDAT in our system.
5.
We also want to look at whether a subsidy-only
program could be productive.
4. Sub-COC
Updates – Crane Cesario, Zoe Schwartz
a.
Point in Time Count – Zoe Schwartz
i. DMHAS has
taken the planning grant back from CRT, Zoe will be leaving CRT to begin a new
position with CT Nonprofit Alliance. PIT
count is going out to RFP this year anyway.
b.
Dedicated Plus – Zoe Schwartz
i. Kara has a
lot to say about Dedicated Plus, so we will add this as a future discussion
item.
c.
Rating and Ranking – Zoe Schwartz
i. The COC
said we don’t need to do letters of support for applications. Last meeting we distributed the dedicated
plus documents.
ii. Next BOS
COC meeting is April 26th at The Connection 1-3PM.
5. Advocacy
Days – Matt Morgan
a.
Rebekah and Sarah volunteered to speak for
Advocacy Days.
b.
Rebekah will talk about DMHAS funding
c.
We don’t have anyone on for preserving the
housing and homelessness dollars. So
that’s a big one.
d.
Matt will talk about youth homelessness.
e.
Sarah will talk about 211 CIA funding.
f.
We don’t have anyone on to talk about Rapid
ReHousing
g.
We also need someone to speak about
identifying students about homelessness.
h.
There is 0 bonding for affordable
housing. Barbara will talk about bond
funding.
6. GH CAN
Shelter and Housing Data
a.
GH CAN Housed Data (see p.2)
b.
GH CAN Waitlist Data (see p.2)
7. Future
Agenda Items?
a.
Goals established today
b.
ESG Prevention Program
c.
Shared Housing and possible shared housing
event.
d.
COC Application Rating and Ranking
e.
Affordable and Supportive Units
f.
YHDP – working with families ONLY if request
assistance
g.
YHDP – asking adult shelters to add to shelter
intakes and upload it so YHDP can do enrollment.
8. Announcements
a. CAN Data Dashboards are available at www.CTCANData.org . Please check out your organization’s data and
work on cleaning up any incorrect data so that we can start using these
dashboards to inform our system work.
b. South Park Inn is recruiting for an Executive
Director- information about the position is available on www.tsne.org
c. Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness will
be hosting their Annual Training Institute (ATI) on Thursday, May 16th. Register at www.cceh.org
d. THE Grant and Per Diem (GPD) National Program
office announced a NOFA for time-limited case management services to improve
housing retention for veterans.
Information about the NOFA, the link to the application and
various technical assistance products can be found on the GPD website www.va.gov/homeless/gpd.asp
e. The Warming Center has closed, Salvation Army
and the Diversion Center are working to create a temporary outreach position to
assist with engaging Warming Center clients and unsheltered individuals.
f. CCEH has
funding available for victims of Hurricane Maria- if you are working with
anyone who was a hurricane evacuee please contact Joanne Vitarelli at jvitarelli@cceh.org
g. CCEH has
funding available for childcare for families in shelter!
h. Family
Shelter Check-In will be taking place immediately after today’s meeting from
3:30-4:00PM
GH CAN Housing Data
|
Chronically
homeless individuals housed in 2015
|
102
|
This
includes clients housed through GH CAN programs
as well as through other subsidies or independent housing
|
|
Chronically
homeless individuals housed in 2016
|
211
|
This
includes clients housed through GH CAN programs
as well as through other subsidies or independent housing
|
|
Chronically
homeless individuals housed in 2017
|
179
|
This
includes clients housed through GH CAN programs
as well as through other subsidies or independent housing
|
|
Chronically
homeless/potentially chronic individuals housed in 2018
|
151
|
This
includes clients housed through GH CAN programs
and bridges to PSH as well as through other subsidies or independent
housing
|
|
Chronically
homeless/potentially chronic individuals housed in 2019
|
42
|
This
includes clients housed through GH CAN programs and bridges to PSH as well as
through other subsidies or independent housing
|
|
Total
Chronically homeless individuals housed in GH CAN
|
685
|
|
|
Verified
Chronic Matched
|
23
|
|
|
Verified
Chronic Not Yet Matched
|
33
|
We
currently have 33 chronic verified clients who have not yet been matched to
housing.
|
|
Potentially
Chronic Refusers
|
1
|
|
|
Verified
Chronic Refusers
|
2
|
|
|
Not
Chronic (Verified) Refuser
|
1
|
|
|
Potentially
Chronic Matched
|
3
|
These
households did not disclose a disabling condition, and are matched to various
programs.
|
|
Not
Chronic Matched
|
26
|
|
|
Potentially
Chronic Not Yet Matched
|
34
|
Right
now we believe 33 households have the chronic length of homeless
history, but none of these individuals have their homeless and disability
verifications completed.
|
|
Individuals
- Active – Not Matched
|
319
|
This is
Enrolled in CAN, Enrolled in TH, and In an
Institution
|
|
Families
– Active – Not Matched
|
38
|
This is
Enrolled in CAN and Enrolled in TH
|
|
Families
- Verified Chronic – Not Matched
|
1
|
|
|
Families
– Potentially Chronic – Matched
|
1
|
|
|
Families
– Potentially Chronic – Not Matched
|
0
|
|
|
Families
– Not Chronic (Verified) – Matched
|
11
|
This
includes RRH bridges
|
|
Families
– Verified Chronic – Matched
|
3
|
|
SmartSheet Shelter Priority List Data
|
Individual Men
|
Individual Women
|
Family Stabilization List
|
|
86 unsheltered
|
91 unsheltered
|
18 families on Stabilization List
|
|
104 total
|
109 total
|
|
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