Funders Together to End Homelessness • 220 Newbury Street, 2nd Floor, Boston MA 02116 • 617.236.2244 • www.FundersTogether.org

Issue Explorer #3Solutions to Homelessness

Funders Together to End Homelessness • 220 Newbury Street, 2nd Floor, Boston MA 02116 • 617.236.2244 • www.FundersTogether.org

Setting the Stage

• Housing First• Planning and Data Collection• Collaboration and Partnership

Housing First

• Housing is a right not a reward• Housing is necessary for health and stability• Evidence-based success

Planning and Data Collection

• Data drives policy and planning• Identify frequent users of systems • Identify appropriate services mix• HMIS

– Not yet used enough but effective client tracker

Collaboration & Partnership

• Continuum of Care– Community based organizer

• Funding Collaboration• Collaboration across systems at local level• Collaboration across Federal Gov’t agencies

(HHS, HUD, VA, etc.) USICH• Public private partnerships

– Washington State MOU

Prevention

• Most effective method for ending homelessness is to prevent it from happening– Case management– Rapid re-housing– Discharge planning

Case management

• Budgeting assistance• Job skills training• Resolve issues that are barriers to housing

stability• Goal: keep families housed

Rapid re-housing

• Landlord mediation & outreach• Legal assistance• Rental assistance• Individualized assistance to locate and secure

new housing when required• Goal: re-house families as quickly as possible

when they experience a housing crisis

Discharge Planning

• Hospitals• Jails and prisons• Foster care• Goal: ensure that individuals discharged from

these systems have option for safe, stable housing

Interventions

• Increasing access to available benefits• Permanent supportive housing• Case management and stabilizing services• Employment and job training

Increasing access to benefits

• Accessing disability benefits• Legal aid programs• Goal: ensure that individuals and families have

access to income and resources they need, and to which they are entitled

Permanent Supportive Housing

• For hardest to serve: chronically homeless individuals and families

• Repeat users of homeless system• Support services matched to needs of client• Goal: provide stable housing and services for

most vulnerable, with dramatic reduction in use of costly public systems (ER, jails, detox, etc.)

Support services

• Health care• Mental health services• Addiction services• Education• Employment• Goal: preparing formerly homeless individuals and

families for independent living in the community

Employment and Job Training

• Employment training programs for those with multiple barriers to employment

• Social enterprise that employs and trains homeless

• Programs to promote asset building• Goal: preparing formerly homeless individuals

and families for independent living in the community

Obstacles to Success

• Part of solving the problem is recognizing & overcoming major obstacles:– Defining eligibility & targeting support services– Legal issues– NIMBYism– Status quo– Lack of resources

Summary

• Solutions to homelessness require:– Adequate supply of affordable housing– Preparation and planning– Prevention strategies (for those at risk)– Intervention strategies (for those currently homeless)– Understanding obstacles to success

• Additional resources– How to End Homelessness: The Ten Essentials – Repairing Lives, Preparing Futures– Ending Homelessness: A Guide for Northwest

Grantmakers– Ending Homelessness: The Philanthropic Role