Ending Homelessness for Veterans and Their Families:

Prevention’s Place in a Community System of Response to Homelessness among

Veterans

NAEH Ending Family and Youth Homelessness Conference

February 9, 2012

Corporation for Supportive Housing

CSH is a national non-profit organization that helps communities create permanent housing

with services to prevent and end homelessness.

CSH advances its mission through advocacy, expertise, innovation, lending, and

grantmaking.

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Understanding Homelessness as a System of “Flows”

Prevalence of Homelessness is a function of rate of “flows in”, rate of “flows out,” rate of returns to homelessness, and length

of stay

New Entries into Homelessness

Exits from Homelessness

Homelessness

Returns to Homelessness

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Varying Patterns of Homelessness

Transitionally Homeless– Experience homelessness in a single occurrence

lasting only a brief period of time Episodically Homeless

– Experience homelessness as an “institutional circuit”, and cycle between jails, hospitals, and other crisis services along with shelters

Chronically Homeless– Experience homelessness for long periods, often

as a semi-permanent state

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Varying Levels of Persistence

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Cohort Shelter Days Used

Transitional

Episodic

Chronic

Chronically Homeless represent 10%, but use 66% of shelter resources

Episodically Homeless represent 10%, but use 28% of shelter resources

Transitionally Homeless represent 80%, but use only 6% of shelter resources

Source: Kuhn and Culhane (1998)

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Different Strategies for Different Patterns of Homelessness

Pattern Strategy

Transitionally Homeless

Prevent entry into homelessness in the first place

Episodically Homeless

Rapid re-housingTransitional housingPermanent supportive housing

Chronically Homeless

Permanent supportive housing

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Decreasing Flows In and Increasing Flows Out

Homelessness Prevention

Permanent Placements into Housing

Rapid Re-housing

Housing Retention Supports

Transitionally Homeless

EpisodicallyHomeless

ChronicallyHomeless

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Ending Homelessness among Veterans Needs Complete “System of Response”

Patient-Centered

Health Home

Standard VA Services

and Benefits

Rapid Re-Housing

Homeless Prevention

Supportive Services for

Veteran Families

Enhanced “Housing

First” Supportive

Housing

Permanent Supportive

Housing

HUD-VASH

Transitional Housing

Grant & Per Diem Program

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Matching Needs to Interventions

Measure “Needs” along 2 Dimensions: Housing:

– Current housing/homelessness status– Duration of homelessness and housing crisis– Income, employment

Services:– Behavioral and primary health problems, other

complex service needs– Independent living skills– Public system involvement– Social Supports

A Proposed Housing and Service Needs Continuum

HOUSING NEEDSLow Moderate High

SERVICE NEEDS

LowStandard VA

Services/BenefitsSupportive Services for

Veteran Families

Supportive Services for

Veteran Families

ModerateVA treatment

servicesSupportive Services for

Veteran Families or Grant and Per Diem

Supportive Services for

Veteran Families or

Grant and Per Diem

HighVA Patient-Centered

Health Home HUD-VASHHUD-VASH/PSH,

PACT, Safe Haven, or

Domiciliary Care

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Supportive Services for Veteran Families

Helps to “complete” a community system of response:– Homelessness prevention– Rapid re-housing

Program is very new – applications for new grantees due on February 15

Most 2011 grantees have only been operating since September

Grantees are CBOs with access to “front door” of homeless services system

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What is Homeless Prevention?

Provide targeted assistance to people for whom homelessness would be an inevitability “but for” receiving help

Assess situation and immediate/underlying reasons for housing crisis

Counseling/case management to problem-solve conditions that led to housing crisis and short-term financial assistance

May lead to connection to more intensive housing and services interventions

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What is Rapid Re-housing?

Best suited to people newly experiencing homelessness who can maintain housing on their own with moderate to minimal supports

Combines rental assistance (either short-term or long-term) and rental start-up costs coupled with time-limited supportive services

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Who is Eligible for SSVF?

Low income vets who are homeless or about to be homeless

Veterans and their families– Follows HEARTH guidelines for homelessness– Household is defined as “all persons as identified

by the Veteran, together present for services and identify themselves as being part of the same household”

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Key Considerations in Homelessness Prevention

Must be targeted to clients who are truly at-risk of homelessness vs. anyone in need

Services plan driven by assessment of situation and problem solving-orientation

Services plus financial assistance

Connection to appropriate permanent housing and services options

Design of SSVF

Focus on housing stability with resources and services designed to produce immediate impact.

Efficient use of resources concentrates efforts on securing and maintaining housing.

Grant funding weighted towards rapid re-housing.

Case management will assist Veteran and family with employment and benefit resources that will promote long-term stability.

Program able to address critical barriers to housing: legal issues, transportation, child care, family issues.16

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SSVF – A New “Front Door” to Homeless Response System

Prevention services replaces shelters as “first stop” and “gateway” to response system:

– Most obvious place for veterans experiencing or at-risk of homelessness to seek help on their own (“walk-ins”)

– Central point of coordination for multiple intercept point outreach/in-reach

– Ideal place for assessing needs/risks and matching/ connection veterans to most appropriate type of help

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Multiple Intercept Points for Outreach and “In-Reach”

Courts Jail/

Prison

Street

Hospital

DetoxAlcohol/

Drug Treatment

Precarious

Housing

Shelter

Psychiatric

Hospital

Prior Era Veterans Experiencing Chronic

Homelessness

Homeless Veterans from Prior Conflicts/Era

OEF/OIF Veterans Experiencing Homelessness

OEF/OIF Veterans At-Risk of Homelessness

SSVF Completes a System of Response

May be most appropriate intervention for a larger number of Veterans newly experiencing or on the brink of homelessness

Allows for re-calibration of VASH, GPD, and other housing interventions to fully leverage their strengths to “unclog” homeless system

Supplements and completes the locations and opportunities for outreach (the “front door” to system of response)

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How SSVF Differs From Other VA Programs

Remember the goal is Housing Stability and is not contingent on treatment. A Housing First philosophy is focus of both the homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing interventions.

Grantees are community-based organizations Grantees serve Veterans and their families. Families

can continue to receive services for up to a full year if the Veteran leaves due to institutionalization, death, or other causes.

Temporary financial assistance payments may be provided to third parties on behalf of participants

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SSVF Compliments Other VA and Non-VA Programs

A services “bridge”/enhancement to permanent supportive housing (e.g. in conjunction with the HUD-VASH Program).

A stand-alone, short-term, intensive case management model (e.g. in conjunction with a program using a critical time intervention model).

A homelessness, eviction, or housing crisis prevention program (e.g. in conjunction with a program such as HUD’s HPRP initiative).

In addition to VA supports, SSVF grantees access universal prevention services, entitlements, and other available community resources.

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Thank you!