spokane regional 10-year plan to address...

SPOKANE REGIONAL

10-YEAR PLAN TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS

A Joint Initiative of the City of Spokane and Spokane County

December 9, 2005

Spokane Regional 10-Year Plan to Address Homelessness ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This plan was written through the diligence of the following task force members and planning participants: Steering Committee: Jerrie Allard, United Way Edward Crockett, Mayor, Town of Latah Cece Glenn, Attorney at Law Diane Leigland, Foundation Northwest Pete Kleweno, Sacred Heart Medical Center Cathy Mann, VOICES Christine McCabe, Avista Jason Munn, Moss Adams George Nachtsheim, INTĔGRUS Architecture Kelly Osterberger, Conoco & Cash Express,

Airway Heights Judge Vance Peterson, District Court

Chuck Van Marter, Lukins & Annis Paula Whitson, Washington Trust Bank Diana Wilhite, Mayor, City of Spokane Valley Staff: Edie Rice-Sauer, Regional Support Network,

Spokane County June Shapiro, Director, Human Services, City of

Spokane Helen Jones, Jones Consulting—Project

Consultant

Work session participants: Cindy Algeo, Spokane Low Income Housing

Consortium (SLIHC) Carol Allen, Intercollegiate College of Nursing

(ICN) Rhonda Allen, House of Charity Sally Anderson, Spokane Mental Health Gerriann Armstrong, Salvation Army Jayne Auld, Spokane Housing Ventures Rusty Barnett, Hope House, Volunteers of

America (VOA) John Baumhofer, Spokane Area Workforce

Development Council Jack Beeching, Washington State Housing Finance Commission Margaret Belote, City of Mead Vicki Bergstrom, Town of Rockford Dave Bilsland, Spokane Human Rights Union Wendy Bleeker, Spokane Public Schools Dale Briese, Hope Partners Fred Buckles, Community Services, Spokane County

Michael Cain, House of Charity Viola Cain-Taylor, Washington State Department of Social & Health Services (DSHS) Frank Carpenter, Community Frameworks Melissa Cilley, Lutheran Community Services NW David Clark, Goodwill Industries Chilli Coldiron, St. Margaret's Shelter Dick Collins, Spokane County Sheriff's Office Anita Cornell, Eastern State Hospital Maureen Cosgrove, Transitions-Miryam's House Debbie Detmer, Housing & Community Development, Spokane County Gregory Edwards, Spokane Neighborhood Action Program (SNAP) Marley Eichstaedt, Northwest Fair Housing Association Don Foster, Town of Fairfield Dennis Fredrickson, Spokane Public Library Rick Godderz, Community Services, Spokane County

Spokane Regional 10-Year Plan to Address Homelessness ii

Larry Griffith, Salem Arms Kari Grytdal, REM Associates Ella Harper, Town of Deer Park Patricia Harriman, Town of Greenacres Larry Hersey, CPA, Human Services, City of Spokane Carrie Humphrey, DSHS Brenda Hunter, VOA Hannah Israel, Campus Kitchen, Gonzaga University Sparky Jensen, Shalom Ministries Marj Johnston, SNAP Amy Jones, HMIS Coordinator, Human Services, City of Spokane Dan Jordan, SNAP Natalie Kenney, YWCA-HEART Dawn Kilmer, Salvation Army Susan King, Spokane Mental Health Outreach Team Sharon LePard, SNAP Lucy Lepinski, Northeast Washington Housing Solutions (NEWHS) Sandra Lowry, Town of Spangle Shirley Maike, Town of Medical Lake Sandy Manfred, Regional Support Network, Spokane County Jennifer Martin, SNAP Leslie McAuley, Social Security Administration Kim McCollim, U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Carol McConnell, Spokane Mental Health Cyrus McLean, Washington State Department of Corrections

George Nossek, P.R.I.M.E. Paul Nutting, Spokane Mental Health Jill Painter-Holmes, SNAP Arlene Patton, HUD Bob Peller, SNAP Kim Petrusek, Community Frameworks Gary Pollard, Riverside Neighborhood Council Dianne Quast, NEWHS Kim Rasp, Spokane Housing Ventures Sandra Reiber, Town of Airway Heights Tom Richardson, City of Cheney Ray Rieckers, SNAP Dennis Roach, Union Gospel Mission Cindy Robison, Native Project/Native Health Linsey Robinson, YWCA-Domestic Violence Pat Rouse, Town of Chatteroy Chrystal Sanders, Spokane Mental Health Outreach Team Melora Sharts, Community Development, City of Spokane Lucille Simmons, United Way of Spokane Serena Smith SNAP Becky Swan, Community Services, Spokane County Kevin Uhl, Rising Times, Gonzaga University Nadine Van Stone, St. Margaret's Shelter Patty Wheeler, YWCA-Domestic Violence Aaron Wilson, Community Health Association of Spokane (CHAS) Marilyn Wilson, Spokane Mental Health Glenn Winkey, Spokane Police Department

For additional information contact:

RSN Administrator Spokane County Email: [email protected] Phone: 509.477-4515

Human Services Director City of Spokane Email: [email protected] Phone: (509) 625-6130

Spokane Regional 10-Year Plan to Address Homelessness iii

Executive Summary On any given day in the area of Spokane County there are approximately 2000 people who are homeless. They are known by outreach workers, personnel at meals sites and emergency shelters, and case managers who assist them to gain temporary housing and other kinds of services. Many of these individuals and families will be homeless for a relatively short period of time. They may have been living on a very low wage job that simply did not cover basic needs, or experienced a medical emergency that financially sent them over the edge and onto the street. For them, homelessness was only an unexpected expense away. For another segment of the homeless population, mental illness, substance addiction and/or physical disability are the nemeses. Assisting these individuals and families to find stability may require ongoing supportive services. Some may never be able to hold a job or survive without assistance. The vast majority of the homeless population is invisible to the general population. But, there are those that who are quite visible. They may be on the sidewalk and delirious from mental illness or the mental illness masked by the effects of alcohol. They may be wandering in the parking lot of your office building or sleeping under the awning when you arrive. Homeless so visible unpleasantly reminds us that as a society we have been unable, and sometimes unwilling, to address this problem. When the Spokane region accepted the challenges of developing a 10-year plan to address homelessness posed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED), the task seemed audacious. Specifically, the challenge by HUD was to eliminate chronic homelessness. “Chronic” as defined by HUD is “An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years.” When one works through the definition in light of the homeless population, the reality is that chronic homeless are most often single men with disabling conditions such as mental illness, substance abuse or both. Nationally the population that meets the HUD criteria of “chronic” represents about 10% of the total homeless population, but because of the severity and complexity of their situations they require disproportionate resources. The challenge posed by CTED was to figure out what would be required to reduce homelessness by 50% in 10 years. In this plan, a person is considered homeless when he/she resides “in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, and abandoned buildings; or in an emergency shelter or in transitional housing” (HUD). In 2004, 7294 homeless persons received services in the City of Spokane. The population increases when all of Spokane County is considered. This plan demonstrates what is necessary, in terms of housing and supportive services as well as system-wide development, to reduce that population by half, and maintain that reduction. The plan further identifies costs for addressing these challenges. In the drafting of this plan, we were urged to dream and that is what happened over the course of many months and many conversations. Homeless providers, housing providers, business and community members, city, county, state and federal agency representatives, and representatives of the homeless population set about envisioning what it would take for this region to meet the various needs of homeless individuals, families and youth. The conversation included several general topics.

• Effectively moving people into housing with appropriate supportive services. While the ultimate goal is to get people housed, stabilizing individuals, families and youth who are homeless

Spokane Regional 10-Year Plan to Address Homelessness iv

requires careful assessment and matching with supporting services such as case management, mental health services and medical care.

• Fully utilizing existing resources through effective partnerships and collaborations among homeless-serving organizations and agencies.

• Preventing homelessness. Poverty, illness, disability and violence are primary risk factors. Developing the ability within the homeless-serving system to aid individuals and families with pending eviction or utility shut-off notices due to financial crises, and enhancing the regional response to violence is paramount.

• Development of new funding sources and maintaining access to existing funds. Within the traditional federal, state and local government funding sources, budget tightening is prevalent. Accommodating these ongoing cutbacks is more and more difficult.

• Enhancing coordination among regional jurisdictions. The City of Spokane and Spokane County collaboration to draft this regional planning process was the first of many proposed actions in this area.

• Building a communitywide response to homelessness. Plans include creation of avenues for citizens to become aware of the issues of homelessness; and the impact on our region, and the individuals and families who experience homelessness. Early steps are already underway to create opportunities for citizens to take action and make contributions to addressing homelessness.

• Advocate for changes in public policies that inhibit the community’s ability to address issues of homelessness. Public policy plays a huge role in addressing the issues of homelessness. Many, if not most, of these policies are beyond the purview of regional jurisdictions.

In addition to these conversations, a model was created that allowed the homeless population receiving services in the City of Spokane to be sorted by severity of conditions and issues (see Appendix D). These are referred to in the plan as minimal, medium, strong and intensive service levels. As an example of the criteria established, homeless persons requiring minimal supportive services had no declared or observed mental health issue, substance abuse issue, physical disability, chronic health problem, developmental disability, learning disability or any combination of these. These individuals and families had experienced one to three episodes of homelessness in the last three years or one continuous episode of homelessness of less than one year. Services appropriate for this subgroup of the homeless population and for each of the other three levels were identified. Cost estimates for each supportive service level were established based on 2005 expenses (see Appendix D). The ratio of the homeless population for each of the supportive service levels was determined (see Table A). Using the latest Spokane County and the City of Spokane homeless housing gaps assessments, the number of housing units needed for individuals, families and youth was established. These calculations allowed us to identify specific quantities of new housing with various levels of supportive services that, if funded and developed, would ensure sufficient variety and quantity of supportive housing would be available to meet the HUD and CTED challenges of addressing “chronic” homelessness and reducing general homelessness by 50%. Table A below summarizes the housing included in the plan at each supportive service level. Table B summarizes the proposed housing at each service level.

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Table A: Level of Support Assessed for Homeless Households within the City of Spokane % of Family

Households at Each Service Level

% of Single Households at Each

Service Level

% of Independent Youth Households at Each Service Level

with Children without Children

Levels of Support

N=404 N=5983(Total unmet need for housing units for youth and singles)

Minimal Support 38.61%

61.79%

Medium Support 56.93%

24.03%

Strong Support 2.72%

1.34%

Intensive 1.73% 7.49% Youth 5.34%

Table B: Summary of Supportive Housing Units Needed to Accomplish the Challenges

Just as housing without the appropriate supportive services will not accomplish the task, addressing only the housing and supportive services will not build the system of response needed for this region to meet the challenges set out. Continuing and expanding the cross-jurisdictional work, public policy advocacy, collaborations among home-serving organizations, and the conversation throughout the region as proposed are also crucial.

Family Units Individual Units Service Levels

Unmet Need

Family Units Added in Plan

Adult Unmet Need

Adult Units Added in Plan

Youth Unmet Need

Youth Beds Added in Plan

Intensive 3 101 90 Strong 4 6 18 18 Medium 87 30 325 165 Minimum 59 48 835 340 Youth 72 48 Total 153 84 1280 613 73 48

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................iii Section 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 1

Goal of the Plan.................................................................................................................................... 1 Sponsors of the Plan & Key Partnerships ............................................................................................ 1 The Homeless Population..................................................................................................................... 1 The Region of Spokane County ........................................................................................................... 2 The Urgency & The Approach............................................................................................................. 3 Ongoing Challenges ............................................................................................................................. 4 Related Plans and Initiatives ................................................................................................................ 5 How the Planning Process Evolved ..................................................................................................... 5 How this Plan is Organized.................................................................................................................. 6

Section 2: Homeless Population and Subpopulations.............................................................................. 7

Point-in-Time Counts........................................................................................................................... 7 Full Year Data Collection .................................................................................................................. 11

Section 3: Available Housing & Services ............................................................................................. 12

Shelter Space, Transitional Housing & Permanent Supportive Housing ........................................... 12 Available Services.............................................................................................................................. 13

Section 4: Cost Estimates for Housing and Service Needs .................................................................... 23

Estimating Costs to Reduce Homelessness ........................................................................................23 Populations within Each Level of Support and Total Estimated Costs.............................................. 24 Estimated Cost to Fill 100% of the Unmet Need for Supportive Homeless Housing in the Spokane Region ................................................................................................................................................ 27 Estimating Costs for Prevention of Homelessness............................................................................. 28 Use of Estimated Costs in Summary Chart ........................................................................................ 29

Section 5: Summary of Homeless Strategic Plan .................................................................................. 31 Section 6: Implementation, Monitoring & Updating............................................................................. 44 References .............................................................................................................................................. 45

Appendix A: Spokane Region Strategies and Actions .......................................................................... 46

Appendix B: City of Spokane Homeless Management Information System Statistics on the Homeless 2004 ........................................................................................................................................................ 71

Appendix C: Definitions of Supportive Services & Housing................................................................ 90

Appendix D: Detail on Calculations for Cost Extimates....................................................................... 93

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List of Tables Table 1: A One-Day Glance of Homelessness in the Region of Spokane County ........................ 8 Table 2: Spokane County Point-in-Time January 2005 Homeless Population and Subpopulations................................................................................................................................ 9 Table 3: City of Spokane Point-in-Time January 2005 Homeless Population and Subpopulations....................................................................................................................................................... 10 Table 4: Spokane County Continuum of Care Housing Activity ................................................ 15 Table 5: City of Spokane Continuum of Care Housing Activity................................................. 19 Table 6: Level of Support Assessed for Homeless Households within the City of Spokane ...... 23 Table 7: Average Housing and Services...................................................................................... 24 Table 8: Youth Housing and Supportive Services Annual Cost Estimates Per Group Home..... 24 Table 9: Demonstration of Housing & Supportive Services to Fill Unmet Need 100% ............. 28 Table 10: Supportive Housing Units Included in Section 5 Summary........................................ 31

Spokane Regional 10-Year Plan to Address Homelessness 1

Section 1: Introduction

Goal of the Plan The goal of the plan is to substantially reduce chronic, street, emergency sheltered and long-term sheltered homelessness by the year 2015. The plan not only identifies new development that is needed, it also identifies regional cross-system collaborative approaches that will reduce homelessness and achieve stable housing for individuals and families who are homeless and living on the street, in emergency shelters or long-term shelters. This plan will be used to respond to a variety of planning needs, including the Washington State request for a 10-year plan to reduce homelessness by 50 percent and the HUD request for a 10-year plan to address chronic homelessness. It will also be used to pursue funding from a variety of sources. It is anticipated that annually the region will review and revise the plan, and highlight the 12 to18-month priorities.

Sponsors of the Plan & Key Partnerships Two jurisdictions collaborated to produce this plan. The City of Spokane initiated communitywide conversation in December 2004. Spokane County joined the effort in the fall of 2005. Historically, the City and County have unique and complimentary roles pertaining to homelessness. The City of Spokane Human Services Department manages a nationally recognized Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), manages a major HUD grant and provides staff to the Spokane Homeless Coalition. The City Community Development Department contributes through their role in the creation of permanent affordable housing. Spokane County Housing and Community Development also manages a HUD grant and funds development homeless housing. Spokane County Community Services manages services in mental health and drug/alcohol treatment. Together the City of Spokane and Spokane County, with the participation of homeless service providers, housing providers, business and community members, jurisdictional representatives, key state and federal government representatives, representatives from the homeless population and community members, developed this plan. This cross-jurisdictional effort signaled a significant shift in the way the issue of homelessness would be addressed in this region. It has also created an avenue to consider how best to streamline resources and systems. Actions were developed that will strengthen awareness of our social, financial and community resources, enhance collaborative efforts among them, and initiate creative programs that target and better serve the homeless individuals, families and youth in our community. The accomplishment of the actions will result largely from the efforts of the Spokane Homeless Coalition member organizations, the Spokane Housing Authority, community foundations, key agencies such as the Washington State Department of Corrections and Department of Social and Health Services, and the growing collaboration of Spokane County and the City of Spokane.

The Homeless Population The face of homelessness tends to be perceived differently depending on the area of the County one considers. Within the City of Spokane, homelessness is often associated with panhandlers and street people. The City of Spokane Valley had news coverage on homeless camping within their jurisdiction. The cities, towns and unincorporated areas of the County report that homeless tends to


be thought of as near non-existent, except when it appears in the form of families and individuals living doubled-up or in cars. For the cities, towns and unincorporated areas, it is the population that is close to being homeless that is of the most concern. That is who they see in their communities. The City of Spokane and Spokane County have adopted the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of homelessness for the purpose of planning. As per HUD’s definition, a person is considered homeless when he/she resides as follows:

• In places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, and abandoned

buildings; or in an emergency shelter; or in transitional housing. At this time, there is no countywide consolidated year-round data on homelessness. There is a one day count that is completed by both Spokane County and the City of Spokane. Those counts indicate that in a one-day count in January 2004 there were approximately 1,824 homeless persons who received services in the City of Spokane and 159 homeless persons in other areas of the county region. Data from that count is presented in Section 2 of this document. To gain a year-round perspective of the magnitude of the homeless issue, unduplicated data from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) managed by the City of Spokane is used in this document. In 2004 7,294 homeless persons received services within the city. That means, to reduce homelessness by 50 percent, not only does the region need to find ways to assist more than 3,700 homeless persons stabilize in housing, but considerable effort is needed to prevent homelessness. Who are the homeless? The conditions and contributors to homelessness, as well as breakdowns by gender and ethnicity can be found in Appendix A. A caution: the data in Appendix A is based only on services accessed in the City of Spokane. While this data gives indications of homelessness within the City, there is caution about assuming the profile of homelessness is the same in other areas of the County. There is anecdotal evidence indicating that the percentage of homeless families may be greater in other jurisdictions and unincorporated areas of the County. On occasion throughout the plan a smaller population of individuals that fit the HUD chronic homeless definition will be highlighted as a subpopulation of single homeless adults. HUD defines chronic homelessness as, “An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years.” Using this definition there were 528 chronic homeless individuals seeking or receiving help in the City of Spokane in 2004. Services to these individuals are of particular interest to HUD because they tend to the most complex challenges and require the most intense level of services.

The Region of Spokane County1 Spokane County is one of four eastern Washington counties set along the Washington-Idaho border. It ranks 19th in geographic size and has the fourth largest population at 417,939 persons. It is the most populous county in Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and Western Montana. It serves as an economic hub for the Inland Northwest, a 36-county region covering eastern

1 Except as noted otherwise, data in this section was excerpted from Section 2: Community Profile of the Spokane County 2005 – 2009 Consolidated Plan and the Introduction of the Spokane County Five-Year Continuum of Care Plan for the Homeless 2001-2006.


Washington, northern Idaho, northern Oregon, western Montana, and the southeastern sections of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. The county contains the second and eighth largest cities in the state, Spokane and Spokane Valley. Approximately 46.6% of the County’s population (195,004 persons) resides within the City of Spokane and another 20% (83,950 persons) resides in the City of Spokane Valley. The remaining 33.4% of the population resides in the unincorporated areas of the County and the eleven smaller cities/towns of Airway Heights, Cheney, Deer Park, Fairfield, Latah, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, Millwood, Rockford, Spangle and Waverly. Populations in the eleven smaller cities and towns ranges from approximately 129 residents (Waverly) to 8832 residents (Cheney). The County has the ninth highest annual average wage in Washington. Employment sectors include agriculture, forestry and fishing; construction and mining; manufacturing; transportation and public utilities; wholesale trade; retail trade; finance, insurance and real estate; services; and government. Economic growth is anticipated in three sectors—retail trade, services and government. (Facing Spokane Poverty) However, the largest employment sectors of the economy in the County are service and retail trade. These also, on average, pay the lowest wages. Combined, the retail trade and service sectors employ approximately 50% of the regional workforce. Average wages, $18, 769 and $20,854 respectively. The third sector of the economy expected to grow and also the region’s third largest employer is government. Unlike the other two, the average wage in the government sector is higher than average wage for the region. (Washington State Employment Security, 2001) Because some sectors of the economy are expected to grow and others are not, the future may bring growth in the workforce but not necessarily an increase of average income. (Facing Spokane Poverty) Census 2000 data indicates that over 91% of the County’s population is white. The remaining 9% of the population, or approximately 32,595 residents were of one of more race/ethnic minority group. While poverty and homelessness are experienced by every group, the percentage of the population living in poverty is significantly greater among Black and Native American populations. “Facing Spokane Poverty” identifies 82.3% of the population living at or below 100% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) as white as compared to 91% of the general population. “Black individuals make up 2.2% of the total Spokane County population but 6.1% of the impoverished population; American Indians comprise 1.8% of the Spokane County population but 10.4% of the impoverished population” (p. 17). To meet the challenges of poverty and homelessness this region must be proactive and spend wisely. Resources must be continually streamlined and coordinated. This is best accomplished through cooperative efforts. Current efforts such as the exceptional informal cooperation that has been the hallmark of the Spokane Homeless Coalition and the Spokane Low-Income Housing Consortium, should be further developed and, where useful, formalized.

The Urgency & The Approach Regardless of how the needs of the homeless living on our region’s streets and in emergency shelters and transitional living facilities are addressed, public and private dollars will be required. Our choice is not whether to spend, rather how to spend to get the greatest lasting effect. The question this plan answers is, “what kind of system shall be built?”


The homeless living on the street or in emergency shelters is a crucial segment of the homeless population that is in dire need of attention and largely without benefit of Medicaid funds. Most of this population suffer from either a co-occurring condition of mental illness and substance abuse, or substance addiction. Nationally, this most challenged street and emergency-sheltered homeless population comprises about 10% of the total homeless population, but because of the severity and complexity of their situations they require disproportionate resources. Within this population there tend to be frequent histories of hospitalization, incarceration and unstable employment. While the rest of the homeless population may not be dealing with conditions quite as severe and multilayered, they still require assistance to move out of homelessness. The business community and our neighborhoods are concerned and want action. In mid 2004, in response to these concerns, the City Council for the City of Spokane passed a camping ordinance as a first step to addressing some aspects of the problem. We are cognizant that only removing individuals from their makeshift inner city camps and placing them in our hospitals and jails is not effective for anyone—businesses, neighborhoods or the homeless—in the short or long-term. In other geographic areas, taking only this step has simply created a revolving door back to homelessness and has not addressed the underlying issues that contribute to homelessness. There is a national emphasis on emphasis is on placing homeless individuals into permanent housing with supportive services. This approach has been found to be cost effective and to produce a more vital community environment for everyone. (Houghton, 2001) Often human/social services are considered solely a compassionate or humanitarian endeavor. But, this region has experienced homelessness as also an economic issue. The citizens who contributed to this plan sought to design strategies that addressed both aspects of the homelessness issue. The direction of the plan focuses on stablizing individuals who are chronically homeless, living on the street or in emergency shelters with ongoing housing and supportive services. Then there would be several positive results. The homeless who are stabilized might begin to contribute to the community through volunteer and for-pay work. Their esteem and sense of identity would increase, raising the bar within the region ever so slightly but assuredly. The prevalence of street panhandling would diminish. The business community and their customers would feel safer and more comfortable. Enterprises considering relocation or start-up would more likely find the environment pleasing and appreciate that we are a compassionate and proactive community.

Ongoing Challenges Addressing the issues of homelessness in our region is no small or simple task. The causes of homelessness for any individual or family are often multiple and layered. An effective response requires considerable and ongoing creativity. Though we have made some progress in the Spokane region, like most communities, we face many challenges if we are to meet the recent target established by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) of addressing chronic homelessness2 within a 10-year time frame or the State of Washington goal of reducing homelessness by 50 percent within 10 years. To achieve either goal requires that we do things differently and, specifically, that address how to navigate the massive cuts that have occurred in recent years in the Department of Social and Health Services, the department that provides funding for General Assistance to the Unemployable (GAU), General 2 Chronic homelessness as defined by HUD includes only homeless individuals who are disabled. It does not include homeless families. Specifically the agency definition is as follows: “An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years.”


Assistance –Expedited Medicaid (GAX-medical coverage for disabled persons), Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, mental health, substance abuse treatment and food stamps. While conversations have been initiated with local business and government leadership, the issue of homelessness has yet to be articulated in a manner that adequately conveys the impact of homelessness on the vitality of our community. There is not sufficient understanding throughout the community of the level of homelessness among individuals with mental illnesses, substance addiction, and those with co-occurring disorders of mental illness and substance abuse. Increased community awareness of the issues and best practices, along with a greater allocation of social and community financial resources will go a long way in laying the groundwork for addressing homelessness in the Spokane County region.

Related Plans and Initiatives The implementation of several simultaneously developed plans will contribute to the effort to end chronic, street, emergency sheltered and long-term sheltered homelessness in the region. The most similarly targeted in terms of geography and population are the City of Spokane Continuum of Care Plan for the Homeless and Spokane County Continuum of Care Plan for the Homeless. These annually updated rolling plans have been the roadmaps for each jurisdiction for system-wide development of housing and services for the homeless for several years. The City of Spokane goals and actions for current plan (2005) are available online at the Spokane Homeless Coalition website: www.spokanehomeless.org. Also included on the Spokane Homeless Coalition website is a complete listing of housing and services providers for the region. The Spokane County plan is available by contacting Housing and Community Development. Other related planning efforts include the Washington State Policy Academy, the Taking Health Care Home Initiative and the Going Home Reentry Program. The Washington State Policy Academy 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness will add significantly to local advocacy for public policy changes and create a venue for a unified voice across the state pertaining to homelessness issues. It will also provide a voice and force in state government to improve collaboration and funding among and for housing, mental health, substance abuse treatment and a variety of supportive services. The Taking Health Care Home Initiative, a Seattle/King County and Spokane City/County project is targeting system changes and increased supportive housing units. The Department of Corrections participation in the Going Home Reentry Program, a highly successful national demonstration project, is making inroads with the highest risk ex-offender population and establishing a benchmark model for future work.

The City of Spokane and Spokane County Comprehensive plans, with their assessments of housing for special needs populations, and the jurisdictions’ Consolidated plans, have been valuable resources in the development of this plan on homelessness. As well, the Spokane Housing Authority (now called Northeast Washington Housing Solutions) Administrative Plan contains related information and actions. There are also initiatives such as SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (S.O.A.R.) with its local pilot project aimed at improving access to federal entitlements for the street and emergency sheltered homeless population. All these planning efforts and projects are to be acknowledged for their contribution to reducing poverty and homelessness. For the region to be most effective in its efforts, all of these related plans and initiatives must be complementary and interconnected.

How the Planning Process Evolved In the fall of 2004 a task force was established of key City of Spokane stakeholders including the government and civic leaders, representatives of the business community, housing and service


providers, and consumer representatives. The task force worked diligently on the plan for several months focusing on specific issues pertaining to new funding and resources, collaboration of existing services and resources, discharge policies and prevention of homelessness. Throughout this time task force members advocated for development of a regional plan. In the early fall of 2005 they succeeded in their efforts. Spokane County joined the work. The taskforce was broadened to include representatives from other cities and towns and housing and service providers continued to share their valuable expertise on homelessness throughout the region of Spokane County. While the impetus for this plan was a request of HUD and the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, the broad-based engagement has resulted in firm community ownership.

How this Plan is Organized In the next section of this plan is the one-day count of homelessness. To provide a more detailed profile of chronic, street, emergency sheltered and long-term sheltered homelessness, data from the HMIS managed by the City of Spokane is included in Appendix A. In the HMIS data, which is collected year-round, the numbers and conditions surrounding homelessness are elucidated. The data serves to establish the magnitude of the challenge in terms of individuals, families and youth in need. In Section 3 of the plan, the housing and supportive services currently available are documented as is the unmet need specifically for housing. In Section 4, cost estimates are developed for both housing and levels of intensity of services. This estimating model is used to calculate the cost for the summary of actions included in Section 5. There are also several appendices included. Appendix A contains the entire listing of proposed actions generated in the communitywide conversations. This section is a databank of ideas to address homelessness. It is anticipated that the region would return to it annually to bring forward new priorities for which detail on implementation and costs could be developed. Appendix B is the 2004 year-round data from the HMIS managed by the City of Spokane. Appendix C is a list of definitions for key supportive services. The range of options is very broad in practice. Appendix D is a description of cost estimates.


Section 2: Homeless Population and Subpopulations

Point-in-Time Counts In the region of Spokane County, there are currently two point-in-time (one-day) counts for homelessness. One is completed by Housing and Community Development at Spokane County and the second is completed by Human Services at the City of Spokane. Results of both counts are included in this section. The data for the counts included were gathered in January 2005. (See Tables 2 and 3.) Based on the charts, one might assume a sum of the homeless individuals and families listed in both charts would yield an accurate number for the total countywide homeless population. However, this is a difficult population to count. While considerable effort has been made to unduplicate the count within each database, there is not a level of technical linkages or data protection agreements in place between the two information systems used for this plan to allow for the cross-checking of records. 3 Because of the way information is collected, the occurrence of duplication of records is considered minimal. There is also speculation that because not all service providers in the region contribute data, the counts are low. The count also does not include persons living with others in a doubled-up or couch-surfing mode due to homelessness. However, it should also be noted that for these point-in-time counts, shelter use was higher than it would be during summer months. This difference is at least in part due to the availability of overnight shelter beds at the House of Charity. Due to limited funding the 108 overnight shelter beds have historically been available during fall and winter months.4 Therefore, while simple addition indicates that on the day the data was collected throughout the region of the county there were 1983 homeless persons living alone or in families, there is not confidence that this is an accurate reflection of the situation pertaining to homelessness in this region. There is confidence that these counts indicate minimally what might be the region’s homeless population on the days the counts were taken. (See Table 1 on the following page for a tally of the two one-day counts within the region.) The conditions of homeless vary from quite severe and long-term to short-term episodes. As will be shown in Section 4, the complexity of the conditions has implications for the services needed for stabilization. As an example of the variation in the population, of these homeless persons counted in January 2005, 265 were determined to fulfill the specific criteria for classification by HUD as chronically homeless.5

3 The term “unduplicated” means that regardless of the number of times an individual was served or the variety of services he/she was been provided, the individual would be counted only once. 4 The House of Charity Day Shelter, which does not include overnight accommodation, is open 12 months each year. 5 HUD defines chronic homelessness as “An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years.”


Table 1: A One-Day Glance of Homelessness in the Region of Spokane County Spokane County

Count City of Spokane Count

Sum of Counts

1. Homeless Individuals

27 1363 1390

2. Homeless Families with Children

40 148 188

2a. Persons in Homeless Families with Children

132 461 593

Sum of Lines 1 and 2a only 159 1824 1983 As part of the implementation of this plan, the region will consolidate homeless data collection. The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) managed by the City of Spokane will expand to include data from throughout the region. Data will be collected year-round allowing for a more thorough understanding of homelessness in this region. In the following Spokane County and City of Spokane charts, the numbers and conditions of homeless individuals are presented based on a point-in-time one-day count of homeless individuals, families and youth in the region. (See Table 2 for County data and Table 3 for City data.) For purposes of this plan, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) definition of homelessness has been adopted. As per HUD’s definition, a person is considered homeless when he/she resides as follows:

In places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, and abandoned buildings; or in an emergency shelter; or in transitional housing.

In Part 2 of the charts there are references to the subpopulation of chronically homeless. “Chronic homeless” is a specifically defined HUD category of homeless. HUD defines someone to be chronically homeless as:

An unaccompanied disabled individual who has either; a) been continuously homeless for a year or longer, or b) had 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years.

The only significance of this subpopulation for the planning effort was recognition of the extremely complicated and layered conditions that must be overcome to stabilize and house individuals who meet these criteria. Data on this and other subpopulations was used to focus the priorities of the plan.


6 City of Spokane service points not included.

Table 2: Spokane County Point-in-Time January 2005 Homeless Population and Subpopulations6

Part 1: Homeless Population Sheltered Unsheltered Total Emergency Transitional Example: 75 (A) 125 (A) 105 (N) 305 1. Homeless Individuals

6 (A)** 0 (A) 21 (A) 27

2. Homeless Families with Children

5 (A) 14 (A) 21 (A) 40

2a. Persons in Homeless Families with Children

21 (A) 42 (A) 69 (A) 132

Total (lines 1 + 2a only)

27 42 90 159

Part 2: Homeless Subpopulations***

Sheltered

Unsheltered

Total

1. Chronically Homeless 2 (A) 9 (A) 11 2. Severely Mentally Ill 20 (A) 16 (A) 36 3. Chronic Substance Abuse 4 (A) 14 (A) 18 4. Veterans 4 (A) 7 (A) 11 5. Persons with HIV/AIDS 0 (A) 0 (A) 0 6. Victims of Domestic Violence 32 (A) 24 (A) 56 7. Youth (Under 18 years of age) 6 (A) 16 (A) 22


Table 3: City of Spokane Point-in-Time January 2005 Homeless Population and Subpopulations

Part 1: Homeless Population Sheltered Unsheltered Total Emergency Transitional Example: 75 (A) 125 (A) 105 (N) 305 1. Homeless Individuals 908 (A) 106 (A) 349 (A) 1363 (A)

2. Homeless Families with Children 62 (A) 75 (A) 11 (A) 148 (A)

2a. Persons in Homeless Families with Children 180 (A) 246 (A) 35 (A) 461 (A)

Total (lines 1 + 2a only) 1088 (A) 351 (A) 384 (A) 1824 (A)

Part 2: Homeless Subpopulations

Sheltered

Unsheltered

Total

1. Chronically Homeless 205 49 254 2. Severely Mentally Ill 410 * 144 554 3. Chronic Substance Abuse 299 * 98 397 4. Veterans 185 * 34 219 5. Persons with HIV/AIDS 1 * 1 2 6. Victims of Domestic Violence 94 * 7 101 7. Youth (Under 18 years of age) 70 * 0 70


Full Year Data Collection The following section is included to provide additional detail to the profile of homelessness. The data used in this section was collected January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004 on homeless persons receiving services in the City of Spokane. In 2004, the total unduplicated count of homeless persons was 7294. This count does not include homeless persons who did not access services in the City of Spokane, but did access services elsewhere in Spokane County. Of the total annual homeless population count, 82.5% were homeless persons living within households without children and 17.5% lived in household with children. Most (80.3%) single households (living with no children) had no income or benefits. As well, most independent youth (82%) had no income or benefits. Homeless households with children tended to be headed by single parents and those parents are most frequently female. The top reasons cited for homelessness are domestic violence, lack of affordable housing, alcohol-drug abuse, family conflict, eviction, and mental health problems. For most families, more than one reason is cited pointing to the complexity and layering of issues that result in their homelessness. Crucial issues for planning pertaining to homeless families are the needs of children who are homeless and often traumatized by the experience and those experiences that lead to homelessness. Most households with children also had at least minimal income or benefits. The most common sources of funds were Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). However, 29.7% of homeless households with children had no source of income or benefits. Over 30% of head-of-households with children also had either a mental health disability or were dually diagnosed with a mental health disability and substance abuse. In households without children, over 27% of the adults had either a mental health disability or were dually diagnosed with a mental health disability and substance abuse. Other disabilities reported included physical, learning or a chronic health problem. When all known/diagnosed disabilities were tallied more that 40% of the homeless households (with and without children) adults had a disability. Homeless independent youth also face multiple challenges. Many have fled abusive family situations, have mental health issues, substance abuse issues, have not completed their high school education and have no income. Preventing their homelessness when possible and, when it is not possible, abbreviating the duration of homelessness is crucial to their stabilization and ability to thrive in life. A detailed breakdown of the data collected by the Homeless Management Information System managed by the City of Spokane for the year of 2004 is included in Appendix B. Again, it must be emphasized that the data in Appendix B is an unduplicated count of the homeless population receiving services only within the City of Spokane for the time period of January 1 – December 31, 2004. It is included both for an illumination of the conditions of homelessness and as an example of the data that will be available in the future for the entire region of Spokane County.


Section 3: Available Housing & Services

Shelter Space, Transitional Housing & Permanent Supportive Housing The purpose of this section is to provide information on the current housing capacity of the system. While gaps are identified in housing funded specifically for the homeless population, a countywide total inventory and assessment of housing is not available. However, this is an action planned for the region that will yield valuable information for future planning efforts. Tables 4 and 5 at the end of this section contain the detailed tally of the existing emergency shelter for homeless and transitional and permanent supportive housing for homeless. The unmet need is also tallied. The facilities/organizations that are included in the tables are limited to those that receive private donations and/or public funds earmarked specifically for services and housing for homeless. The data from Spokane County is contained on Table 4 and the data from the City of Spokane is contained in Table 5. Each table is several pages in length and includes charts for emergency shelter, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing.

1. Emergency Shelter Emergency shelters provide sleeping accommodations and other minimal facilities such as showers and lockers on a night-to-night basis. In the City of Spokane there are currently 188 beds available for individuals throughout the year and an additional 108 beds available October 1 through April 30. There are also 59 family units available within the City of Spokane and an additional 8 scattered site family shelter units available within the county. (For more details, see the charts at the end of this section.) 2. Transitional Housing Transitional housing is group housing or separate living units such as apartments intended for use by the person(s) for up to 24 months. Transitional housing includes appropriate supportive services intended to stabilize individuals and families in preparation for permanent housing. Throughout the region of Spokane County there are currently 167 transitional housing units/beds available for individuals and 118 family units. It is estimated that on average, that there is no vacancy in these beds/units. (For more details, see the charts at the end of this section.)

3. Permanent Supportive Housing Permanent supportive housing, specifically for individuals and families who moved from the streets, shelters or homeless transition living units, is affordable rental housing with linkages to supportive services and treatment as needed to stabilize individuals and families with long-term health, mental health and other disabilities and help them live on their own. Currently throughout the region of Spokane County there are a total of 211 units/beds available for individual single homeless persons. There are 25 family units available. It is estimated that on average, there is no vacancy in these units. (For more details, see the charts at the end of this section.) 4. Permanent Affordable Housing Affordable permanent housing without supports may or may not be subsidized. Affordable housing for this population is generally considered in the range of $160/month. There is


currently no comprehensive inventory of housing within this range. There are partial assessments included in both the Spokane County and City of Spokane Consolidated Plans (see pages 60-62 and page 119 respectively).

As Tables 4 and 5 indicate, current availability of emergency shelter and housing is not sufficient to meet the needs of the homeless population countywide. While the focus of this plan is on housing with and without supportive services, as needed, emergency shelter provides a crucial stopgap measure and gateway to the homeless serving system. The summary charts indicate that an additional 17 emergency shelter units for families (for approximately 178 persons) is required just to meet current needs. Shelter beds for an additional 358 individual homeless persons are also needed. While some additional shelter is planned, this region has opted to focus development on housing with supportive services for these families and individuals. Supportive service at the “strong support” level is most appropriately linked to housing for these families and individuals. An additional 58 units of transitional housing for families (for approximately 161 persons) is required to meet current needs. Five hundred thirty (530) units for individuals are needed. Again, whether housing is added that meets the transitional housing guidelines is not as important as adding affordable housing units with supportive services regardless of whether the units are classified as transitional or supportive permanent housing. The inventory of permanent supportive housing (PSH) also falls short of need. Seventy-eight (78) units are needed for families to house approximately 201 persons. Four hundred sixty four (464) units are needed for single homeless persons. Currently 212 of those needed units for single homeless are needed to house the chronically homeless. As previously mentioned, affordable housing without supportive services is also needed. The field experience of homeless serving personnel indicate that families, in particular, suffer due to the inadequate supply of safe, clean and affordable housing.

Available Services The range of supportive services currently available is vast, as are the number of providers. However, options are few in some key areas such as drug/alcohol treatment, mental health services and treatment for individuals dually diagnosed with substance abuse and mental illness. As well, funding is limited for essentials such as adequate case management, medical services and life skills training. Tracking the services and service providers for the region has been a significant task as funding fluctuates and public priorities change. The list of services and providers is currently many pages long and includes those items listed above as well as everything from education and employment assistance to living and social skills training, medical services, rental assistance, telephone and mail service, clothing, meals, case management and more. A complete listing can be found on the Spokane Homeless Coalition website at: www.spokanehomeless.org. Definitions of the basic range of supportive services are included in Appendix b. As with housing, the purpose in this section is to indicate what is available as well as what is needed. Spokane County and specifically the City of Spokane is a regional hub for services of all kinds and certainly for services for the homeless population. There tends to be considerable cooperation and collaboration among service providers in order to maximize use of funds and human resources. The real question, as above, is whether the currently available services—or more


to the point—whether funds available for services are currently adequate. The answer is that services are not of sufficient quantity to meet the needs of the homeless population. In Section 4 the costs for bridging the gap in housing and services are estimated. Again, the estimate of need included in this plan is based on the housing documented in Tables 4 and 5, and the facilities that are included in the tables are limited to those that receive private donations and/or public funds earmarked specifically for services and housing for homeless. In Section 5 actions that would need to be undertaken to reduce homelessness by 50% are summarized with costs itemized for short-term actions.


Table 4: Spokane County Continuum of Care Housing Activity

Form HUD 40076 CoC-G

Provider Name Facility Name Part. Code

Geo CodeA B

Family Units

Family Beds

Individual Beds

Total Year-Round Seasonal

Over-flow/ Voucher

Current Inventory Ind. Fam.

SNAPScattered Site County Shelter Units A 0 17 539063 FC 8 17 0 17 0

4 beds/1 unit (if averaged over 1 yr.)

0 17 TOTALS 8 17 0 17 0 4

Under Development

TOTALS 0 0 0 0 0 0

Unmet Need 6 18 9 27

(Divide line 2 by line 1 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number.) (Divide line 5 by line 4 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number.)

Number of Year-Round

Beds

4. Total Year-Round Family ES Beds

TOTALS

TOTALS

0

Anticipated Occupancy Date

Some projects in the early stages of development, but none fully-funded at this time.

100%6. HMIS Coverage Family ES BedsN/A

1717

1. Total Year-Round Individual ES Beds 0

3. HMIS Coverage Individual ES Beds5. Family ES Beds in HMIS2. Year-Round Individual ES Beds in HMIS


Table 4 continued

Spokane County Continuum of Care Housing Activity Form HUD 40076 CoC-G

Transitional Housing

Provider Name Facility Name Part. Code Geo Code

X A BFamily Units

Family Beds

Individual Beds

Total Year-Round Beds

Current Inventory Ind Fam

SNAPSpokane County Small Cities Program A 0 12 539063 FC 6 12 0 12

SNAP**Rural Rental Assistance Program (RRAP) A 0 28 FC 8 28 0 28

SNAP** THOR (non-McKinney) N 0 14 FC 6 14 0 14SNAP Tax Credit Project (2004) N 0 2 FC 1 2 0 2

TOTALS 21 56 0 56

Under Development

TOTALS 0 0 0 0

Unmet Need 13 39 18 57

4. Total Year Round Family TH Beds 565. Family TH Beds in HMIS 406. HMIS Coverage Family TH Beds 71%

(Divide line 2 by line 1 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number) (Divide line 5 by line 4 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number)3. HMIS Coverage Individual TH Beds N/A

**NOTE: These projects are designed to be flexible within an annual fixed budget. Units are leased by the sponsor based on the unique needs of each family. Therefore, the number and configuration of the transitional units vary from year to year, e.g. if many large families require housing in any given year, there will be fewer units leased but approximately the same number of persons served and beds in service.

2. Individual TH Beds in HMIS 0

TOTALS

1. Total Year Round Individual TH Beds 0

HMIS Target Pop 2005 Year-Round Units/Beds

#Yr. Round


Fundamental Components in CoC System - Housing Activity Chart

TOTALS

None fully funded


Table 4 continued

Spokane County Continuum of Care Housing Activity

Form HUD 40076 CoC-G

Permanent Supportive Housing


X A BFamily Units

Family Beds

Individual /CH Beds


Current Inventory Ind FamSpokane Housing Ventures (SHV)

Permanent Hsg. For Disabled (2002) A 0 2 (units) 539063 M 4 8 0 8

Spokane Housing Authority & VA

Permanent Hsg. For Disabled Vets (2003) A 4 2 (units) M VET 2 4 4 8

Spokane Housing Authority & VA

Permanent Hsg. For Disabled Vets (2004) A 4 2 (units) M VET 2 4 4 8

TOTALS 8 16 8/CH 24

Under DevelopmentSpokane Housing Ventures (SHV)

Permanent Hsg. For Disabled (2002) M 0 0 2 2

TOTALS 0 0 2/CH 2

Unmet Need 14 28 13/CH 41

4. Total Year Round Family PSH Beds 165. Family PSH Beds in HMIS 166. HMIS Coverage Family PSH Beds 100%

(Divide line 2 by line 1 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number) (Divide line 5 by line 4 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number)3. HMIS Coverage Individual PSH Beds 100%

#Yr. Round


12/31/2005

TOTALS

TOTALS



2. Individual PSH Beds in HMIS 81. Total Year Round Individual PSH Beds 8


Table 4 continued

Spokane County continued: Tenant Based Rental Assistance Targeted to Homeless Persons

Target Pop

Provider Name

Geo Code A B

Family Units

Family Beds

Chronic Individual

Beds Individual

Beds

Total Year-Round Bed Equivalents

Spokane County

539063 2FC 4SMF

DV/Vets/AIDS Open to all who are homeless with a mental illness/substance abuse disability

2 4 4 6-8

TOTALS 2 4 4 6-8

Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) Targeted to Homeless Persons

Target Pop

Provider Name

Geo Code A B

Family Units

Family Beds

Chronic Individual

Beds Individual

Beds


TOTALS


Table 5: City of Spokane Continuum of Care Housing Activity7 Form HUD 40076 CoC-G

7

EMERGENCY SHELTER


A B Family UnitsFamily Beds

Individual Beds

Total Year-Round Seasonal

Over-flow/ Voucher

Current Inventory Ind. Fam.Catholic Charities House of Charity A 531488 SM 108Catholic Charities St. Margarets A 20 FC 7 20 20

Interfaith Hospitality Network Interfaith A 14 FC 5 14 14Salvation Army Family Emergency Center A 48 FC 15 48 48Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) Scattered Sites A 29 M 10 29 29Union Gospel Mission Shelter for Men A 120 SM 120 120Union Gospel Mission Anna Ogden Hall N M 17 34 34

Volunteers of AmericaCrosswalk for Independent Youth A 21 YMF 21 21

Volunteers of America Hope House A 34 SF 34 34Youth Family, Adult Connections (YFA)

Crisis Residential Center- Independent Youth A 13 YMF 13 13

YWCA Domestic Violence Shelter A 16 M DV 5 16 16

188 127 TOTALS 59 161 188 349 108

Under Development

TOTALS

Unmet Need 11 30 349 379

(Divide line 2 by line 1 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number.) (Divide line 5 by line 4 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number.)


2005 Other BedsHMIS Target Pop. 2005 Year-Round Units/Beds

161

TOTALS

188


1271. Total Year-Round Individual ES Beds

3. HMIS Coverage Individual ES Beds5. Family ES Beds in HMIS2. Year-Round Individual ES Beds in HMIS

79%6. HMIS Coverage Family ES Beds100%

188

Number of Year-Round

Beds

4. Total Year-Round Family ES Beds

TOTALS


Table 5 continued City of Spokane Continuum of Care Housing Activity

Transitional Housing

Provider Name Facility Name Part. Code

Geo Code

A BFamily Units

Family Beds

Individual Beds


Current Inventory Ind Fam

Catholic Charities Hanson House of House of Charity A 13 SM 13 13Catholic Charities St. Margaret's A 24 FC 8 24 24

Community Detox of Spokane Cub House A 20 SMF 20 20Salvation Army Transitional Housing A 96 33 96 96Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs (SNAP) Scattered Sites A 4 49 M 18 49 4 53Transitional Programs for Women Transitional Living Center A 54 FC 16 54 54Transitional Programs for Women Miryam's House A 10 SF 10 10Union Gospel Mission Anna Ogden Hall N 0 M 9 26 25 51Union Gospel Mission Regeneration Program for Men A 60 SM 60 60

Veterans Administration Health Care for Homeless Veterans N 0 SMF VET 30 30Volunteers of America Alexandria House A 12 YFC 6 12 12Volunteers of America Flaherty House A 5 SM 5 5Volunteers of America Teen Apartments A 10 FC 5 10 10YWCA Transitional Housing A 8 FC DV 2 8 8

112 253 TOTALS 97 279 167 446Under Development

TOTALS

Unmet Need 45 122 512 634

(Divide line 2 by line 1 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number) (Divide line 5 by line 4 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number)3. HMIS Coverage Individual TH Beds 67% 6. HMIS Coverage Family TH Beds 91%2. Individual TH Beds in HMIS 112 5. Family TH Beds in HMIS 253

TOTALS

2791. Total Year Round Individual TH Beds 167 4. Total Year Round Family TH Beds


#Yr. Round

Anticipated Occupancy TOTALS


Table 5 continued City of Spokane Continuum of Care Housing Activity

Permanent Supportive Housing


A BFamily Units

Family Beds

Individual /CH Beds


Current Inventory Ind FamCatholic Charities House of Charity A 5 SMF 5/5CH 5Catholic Charities Summit View A 27 FC 9 27 27New Horizons Sun Ray Court A 9 SMF 9/2CH 9New Horizons New Horizons 5 -Plex A 5 SMF 5/1CH 5REM Assocs. The Commercial Bldg S 51 SMF 51/20CH 51REM Assocs. The Otis Hotel A SMF 34/30CH 34REM Assocs. Martindale Apts A 25 SMF 25/20CH 25Salem Arms D'Arcy Lee Apts A 4 SMF 4/1CH 4Salem Arms Salem Arms A 8 SMF 8/3CH 8Salem Arms Newark Apartments A 6 SMF 6/2CH 6Spokane Mental Health Chronically Mentally Ill A 26 SMF 26/20CH 26Volunteers of America Hope House A 25 SF 25/25CH 25

164 27 TOTALS 9 27 198/129CH 225Under DevelopmentREM Assocs. HOSS 13/9CHREM Assocs. S+C 26/15CH

TOTALS 39/24CH

Unmet Need 64 173 451/199CH

(Divide line 2 by line 1 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number) (Divide line 5 by line 4 and multiply by 100. Round to whole number)

TOTALS

2. Individual PSH Beds in HMIS 164 5. Family PSH Beds in HMIS1. Total Year Round Individual PSH Beds 198 4. Total Year Round Family PSH Beds

November, 2005



#Yr. Round

Anticipated August, 2005

TOTALS

2727

3. HMIS Coverage Individual PSH Beds 83% 6. HMIS Coverage Family PSH Beds 100%


Table 5 continued

City of Spokane continued: Tenant Based Rental Assistance Targeted to Homeless Persons

Target Pop

Provider Name Geo Code A B

Family Units

Family Beds

Chronic Individual

Beds Individual

Beds


Spokane Mental Health

531488 F SMF 1 2 12 13 27

TOTALS 1 2 12 13 27

Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) Targeted to Homeless Persons

Target Pop

Provider Name

Geo Code A B

Family Units

Family Beds

Chronic Individual

Beds Individual

Beds


Northeast Washington Housing Solutions

531488 FC SMF

74 132 3 24 159

TOTALS 74 132 3 24 159


Section 4: Cost Estimates for Housing and Service Needs

To estimate costs for the actions included on the summary chart in Section 5, criteria were established that allowed data on homeless households in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) managed by the City of Spokane to be sorted into four levels of housing and supportive services.8 These levels—minimal support, medium support, strong support and intensive support— are described in the section below, “Populations within Each Level of Support and Total Estimated Costs.” Costs for housing and services were then estimated for each category. Estimates were based on 2005 cost levels. The population at risk of homelessness was not included in the sort, rather estimated separately.

Estimating Costs to Reduce Homelessness A summary of the HMIS data sort indicating the percentage of the homeless population for each supportive service category is shown in Table 6. The percentages of families (homeless households with children) needing minimal, medium, strong and intensive support is shown in the second column. Indications are that the greatest need for families is for housing with supportive services at the medium level. The greatest need for the single homeless population is for housing with supportive services at the minimal level. The housing activity charts presented in the Section 3 included youth housing with other housing for single homeless. While youth housing requirements are distinct, the number of units needed is shown as a portion of the total number of units needed for single homeless. Therefore, the sum of all percentages listed in the columns in Table 6 for single households and independent youth tallies to 100. Table 6: Level of Support Assessed for Homeless Households within the City of Spokane

% of Family Households at Each

Service Level

% of Single Households at Each

Service Level

% of Independent Youth Households at Each Service Level

with Children without Children

Levels of Support

N=404 N=5983(Total unmet need for housing units for youth and singles)

Minimal Support 38.61%

61.79%

Medium Support 56.93%

24.03%

Strong Support 2.72%

1.34%

Intensive 1.73% 7.49% Youth 5.34%

8 Data contained in the HMIS managed by the City of Spokane is from homeless households that accessed services in the City of Spokane.


Average Housing Costs for Family Units and Units for Adult Individuals: Capital investment costs for construction or acquisition and rehab, and annual operating costs are based on estimates from the Departments of Community Development and Human Services at the City of Spokane. Annual operating costs as listed here include basic operating costs (administration and building management, maintenance and repair, utilities, advertising, taxes and insurance), debt service, reserve replacement and owner profit. Table 7: Average Housing and Services

Costs for Supervised Youth Group Living: There are at least three factors to be considered pertaining to the population of homeless independent youth in the Spokane region. First, by law, housing for minors must be supervised. Second, HMIS data on homeless independent youth is incomplete. Incidence of mental health issues and substance abuse has not been consistently recorded. Third, even in the absence of mental health or substance abuse issues, homeless youth have multiple unique challenges. Therefore, housing and services for this subpopulation of the homeless is considered separately. Youth housing estimates are based on costs from Volunteers of America Spokane of best practice models. Proposed housing for youth is configured as permanent supportive group living with 6-8 teens in each home. Cost estimates are listed in Table 8. Given the percentage of the single population that homeless youth comprise, it is assumed that a total of 72 beds or 12 6-bed youth homes are needed in the Spokane region. Table 8: Youth Housing and Supportive Services Annual Cost Estimates Per Group Home

Populations within Each Level of Support and Total Estimated Costs On the following pages are the criteria for each level of supportive service level used for the data sort. When applied to the homeless population, the criteria allowed for identification of a percentage of the population for each service level. The criteria are followed by a description of the services included in the estimation of cost. The resulting costs are presented on Table 9. Costs for households with children were based on the Spokane County average family size (subpopulation of households with children) of 3.02 (Census 2000). Estimates for costs for basic supportive services are detailed in Appendix D. Sources for the estimates are included.

Annual Operating Costs Type Capital Investment Single Unit Family Unit

Studio $75,000 $4,500 1 Bedroom $90,000 $5,400 2 Bedroom $115,000 $7,200 3 Bedroom $140,000 $9,000 4 Bedroom $160,000 $10,800

Description Cost Capital investment for construction or acquisition and rehab $500,000 Annual operating costs $95,000 Supportive services $126,000


Homeless Persons Requiring Minimal Support: Based on the following criteria and using the households counted in the HMIS managed by the City for 2004, it is estimated that there are at least 3697 single homeless households without children, 156 households with children and 297 independent youth in need of minimal support. Households within this category were determined based on the following criteria:

Families or single individuals experiencing one to three episodes of homelessness in the last three years or one continuous episode of homelessness of less than a year. In addition, for the individual single homeless person or head-of-household for a homeless family the following conditions exist: May be living on the streets, in emergency shelter or in long-term shelter7. Receives government financial support or benefits, and/or may have some form of employment. Has not declared or been observed to have a mental health issue, substance abuse issue, physical

disability, chronic health problem, developmental disability, learning disability or any combination of these.

The services for the homeless population fitting the criteria for minimal supportive services include:

Case management 1 hour per week for 3 months per household with ongoing alumni groups as needed

Life and employment skills training for 3 months per household Emergent issues and crises intervention for 3 months per person in household Medical care Transportation Child care for one child for families only

Total estimated cost for supportive services at the minimal level is:

Single homeless persons: $ 1,972.00 Homeless families (households with children): $ 9,389.08

Homeless Persons Requiring Medium Support: Based on the following criteria and using the households counted in the HMIS managed by the City for 2004, it is estimated that there are at least 1438 single homeless households without children, 230 households with children and 23 independent youth in need of medium support in order to stabilize:

Families or single individuals experiencing one to three episodes of homelessness in the last three years or one continuous episode of homelessness of less than a year. In addition, for the individual single homeless person or head-of-household for a homeless family the following conditions exist: May be living on the streets, in emergency shelter or in long-term shelter9. Receives government financial support or benefits, and/or may have some form of employment. Has declared or been observed to have a mental health issue, substance abuse issue, physical


The services for the homeless population fitting the criteria for medium supportive services include:

Case management 1hour per week for up to one year with ongoing alumni groups as needed, including assistance with emergent issues

Mental health care and/or substance abuse treatment including crisis intervention.

9 Long-term shelter is also known in the Spokane region as transitional housing. Long-term shelter or transitional housing provides continuous shelter for up to 2 years. The purpose is to stabilize the individual or family. Emergency shelter is considered as accommodations for 1 to 90 days.


Life and employment skills training Medication management Medical care Transportation Child care for one child for families only


Single homeless persons: $ 6,019.00 Homeless families (households with children): $15,577.28

Homeless Persons Requiring Strong Support: Based on the following criteria and using the households counted in the HMIS managed by the City for 2004, it is estimated that there are at least 80 single homeless households without children and 11 households with children in need of strong support in order to maintain stable housing.10

Families or single individuals experiencing four or more episodes of homelessness in the last three years or one year or more continuous homelessness. In addition, for the individual single homeless person or head-of-household for a homeless family the following conditions exist: May be living on the streets, in emergency shelter or in long-term shelter7. Receives government financial support or benefits, and/or (the individual single homeless person

or head-of-household for a homeless family) on rare occasions may have some form of employment.

Has declared or been observed to have a mental health issue, substance abuse issue, physical disability, chronic health problem, developmental disability, learning disability or any combination of these.

The services for the homeless population fitting the criteria for strong supportive services include:

Intensive team available 24x7 as needed, including mental health and substance abuse treatment professionals, for 10% of the households

Case management available for on-site visits including assistance with emergent issues Life and employment skills training Medication management Medical care Transportation Child care for one child for families only


Single homeless persons: $ 8,806.00 Homeless families (households with children): $18,768.28

Homeless Persons Requiring Intensive Support: Based on the following criteria and using the households counted in the HMIS managed by the City for 2004, it is estimated that there are at least 448 single homeless households without children and 7 households with children need of intensive support in order to maintain housing stability.11

10 The single homeless households are considered by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as “chronically homeless.” 11 The single homeless households are considered by HUD as “chronically homeless.”


Families or single individuals experiencing four or more episodes of homelessness in the last three years or one year or more continuous homelessness. In addition, for the individual single homeless person or head-of-household for a homeless family the following conditions exist: May be living on the streets, in emergency shelter or in long-term shelter7. The individual single homeless person or head-of-household for a homeless family is not

employed. Does not receives government financial support or benefits. Has declared or been observed to have a mental health issue, substance abuse issue, physical


Additional Housing Operating Costs: On-site staff up and available 24x7. (Assume annual salary, benefits and professional updating/training at $34,500 and for a 16 unit complex 5 FTEs for a total cost of $172,500/year.): $10,780/resident/year. The services for the homeless population fitting the criteria for intensive supportive services include:

Intensive team available 24x7 as needed, including mental health and substance abuse treatment professionals, for 50% of the households

Case management available for on-site visits including assistance with emergent issues Life and employment skills training Medication management Medical care Transportation Child care for one child for families only


Single homeless persons: $13,206.00 Homeless families (households with children): $33,264.28

Estimated Cost to Fill 100% of the Unmet Need for Supportive Homeless Housing in the Spokane Region Estimated costs to fully address the unmet need in the Spokane region for homeless single adults, families and youth including capital costs for housing construction or acquisition and rehab, operating costs and cost for supportive services are listed below. Estimated costs to address chronic homelessness and reduce general homelessness by 50% through implementation of the actions listed in Section 5 are listed at the end of that section.


Table 9: Demonstration of Housing & Supportive Services to Fill Unmet Need 100%

Total unmet need for single units N=1352 Total estimated cost for Housing

Family Units Unmet Need

Service Level

N=153

Indiv Units

Youth Group (6 beds/ house)

Units/ Service Level

Total Estimated cost for services

Capital Costs Operating Costs

Intensive 3 101 104 $1,433,598.84 $8,670,000.00 $521,100.00 Strong 4 18 22 $233,581.12 $1,995,000.00 $121,500.00 Medium 87 325 412 $1,361,242.36 $37,885,000.00 $1,952,100.00 Minimal 59 835 894 $2,200,575.72 $76,390,000.00 $4,609,800.00 Youth 12 72 $1,512,000.00 $6,000,000.00 $1,140,000.00 Totals 153 1280 12 $6,740,998.04 $130,940,000.00 $8,344,500.00

Estimating Costs for Prevention of Homelessness The population considered for prevention of homelessness included individuals and families living at 125% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The income level of 125% FPL was selected because this is the income level used by energy assistance programs to qualify households. It is estimated that in the region of Spokane County there are approximately 34,000 households living at or below 125% FPL in the region of Spokane County (as reported by SNAP). There are many other factors that could be considered in establishing criteria for this population. “Facing Spokane Poverty” used 165% FPL as a designator of poverty in our region Spokane Regional Health District). By U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standards, anyone paying 30% or more of their income on housing is at risk of homelessness. The Spokane County Five-Year Continuum of Care Plan for Homeless 2001 – 2006 indicated that in 1995 there were approximately 12,211 households in these conditions. Accessing services such as subsidized school lunches or rental assistance might also be considered as indicators of risk for homelessness. For purposes of this plan, living at or below 125% FPL while still maintaining housing is the measure used to estimate the population at risk of homelessness and therefore in need for prevention services. To get an accurate count of the households in need of prevention services the total homeless household count for the region was subtracted from the 34,000 households living at or below 125% FPL. These households would already be receiving services at one of the more intense levels listed above. Through the HMIS managed by the City of Spokane a year-round unduplicated count of the homeless population accessing services in the City of Spokane was used to gain a low-end idea of what might be the homeless population for the region. The total homeless households receiving services within the City of Spokane for the year 2004 was 6,238. Even when rounded up to account for the homeless households who might be accessing services in jurisdictions outside the City of Spokane, the estimate of the at-risk population that remains is 27,000 households. Of the 27,000 households, 10,313 received energy assistance through SNAP and, for purposes of estimating the gap in services, was subtracted from the at-risk population.12 With this 12 Currently funds available for energy assistance are not sufficient to address the requests received or the estimated need. For example, from October 1, 2004 – September 30, 2005 10,313 households received energy assistance from


calculation, the final number of households estimated to be at risk for homelessness is 16,687. The percentage of families versus individuals was calculated into the final equation. It is assumed that at-risk households may need some, but not all of the supportive services and assistance listed below in order to remain housed. As a result, the cost per individual and family households of all the supportive services listed below was multiplied by ten percent to arrive at a final estimate for prevention services. The calculations undertaken to arrive at the cost for prevention are hugely imperfect and the result uncertain. What can be said with certainly is that the funds currently available do not allow for adequate bridging of crises and short-term stabilization services. At-risk individuals, families and youth are left largely to navigate circumstances on their own or not. When they are not successful, then we all pay much more. Services identified as potentially needed by the subpopulation that is at risk of homelessness include:

Supportive Services/Life Skills o Case management 1 hour per week for 3 months o Life skill (i.e., financial education and budgeting) and/or employment skills training for 3

months o Emergent issues and crises intervention for 3 months o Mental health services and/or substance abuse treatment o Medication management for 3 months o Medical care o Transportation o Child care

Other assistance: o Rental and mortgage assistance o Energy assistance o Assistance with other utilities, i.e., water, garbage and sewer o Home weatherization o Food

Total estimated cost for prevention of homelessness for the Spokane Region is: $10,601,677.74 Sustaining Progress on Prevention of Homelessness: In the section that follows and in the complete listing of proposed actions for the region contained in Appendix D, there are many actions intended to prevent homelessness. However, one key prevention strategy not addressed in this plan, but certainly the focus of other regional plans, is access to living wage jobs. Also in need of attention is the availability of affordable housing. This plan does include an initiative to assess housing needs throughout the region and develop a detailed housing plan.

Use of Estimated Costs in Summary Chart The following section contains a summary chart of select actions that, if taken, would reduce homelessness by 50% in the region of Spokane County within 10 years. The cost estimates presented in

one of the programs available. A total of $4,468,181 was allocated for an average allocation of $433. SNAP, the agency that manages the energy assistance programs, does not continue to take applications once funds are expended. As a result, there is no data available on households who meet criteria but that are turned away due to lack of funding. They do estimate that approximately 150 households during each of the four winter months are denied assistance because they do not meet the income or other criteria.


this section are used to calculate funds needed for specific actions. Not all of the actions listed require addition funds. Some address systems changes and cross-jurisdictional issues that will result in efficiencies that would facilitate ongoing efforts to reduce homelessness. While the actions included in the summary are significant in their anticipated magnitude of effect, they do not reflect the total creative planning effort of the region. Many other actions were proposed and may be carried out as resources allow. The complete listing of community actions is included in Appendix A.


Section 5: Summary of Homeless Strategic Plan This section contains a summary of the action developed for the region. Actions are organized under 6 objectives as specified in the Washington State Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) Guidelines for Local 10-Year Homeless Housing Plans. The objectives are:

Objective 1: Reduce the number of homeless families Objective 2: Reduce the number of non-chronically homeless individuals Objective 3: Reduce the number of chronically homeless individuals Objective 4: Reduce the number of homeless youth Objective 5: Conduct adequate data collection and planning to efficiently manage limited

resources for homeless Objective 6: Other actions, including those that cover multiple homeless population

Except for Objective 5, there were four strategies for each objective to which this region had the option of responding. At minimum, an action for one strategy per objective was requested. The strategies were:

Housing Prevention Income Health

For each objective the region was also to include at least one long-term and one short-term action. Short-term actions are considered any action that is initiated before January 1, 2008. Long-term actions are actions to be initiated January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2015. The summary chart that follows not only fulfills the request of CTED in terms of variety and number of actions, it more importantly fulfills the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and CTED challenges of addressing “chronic” homelessness and reducing all homelessness by 50%. These challenges are addressed through a variety of means including identification of the needed additional housing and supportive services, the cross-jurisdictional work, public policy advocacy, collaborations among homeless-serving organizations, and the evolving conversation about what will be this region’s response to homelessness. Table 10: Supportive Housing Units Included in Section 5 Summary

Family Units Individual Units Service Levels

Unmet Need

Family Units Added in Plan

Adult Unmet Need

Adult Units Added in Plan

Youth Unmet Need

Youth Beds Added in Plan

Intensive 3 101 90 Strong 4 6 18 18 Medium 87 30 325 165 Minimum 59 48 835 340 Youth 72 48 Total 153 84 1280 613 73 48


Section 6: Implementation, Monitoring & Updating Implementation of the plan will begin immediately with the following actions:

• Development of memorandums of understanding between the City of Spokane and County as noted in the previous section.

• Establishment of a citizen oversight committee. • The regionalization of this plan including protocols for a cross-jurisdictional implementation

team with appropriate departmental representation from key cities and the county. The objectives of the oversight committee and implementation team will be to:

• Ensure funds are used in the most efficient manner and achieve maximum impact. • Ensure efforts to pursue additional funds are unified and targeted to meet the needs as defined in

the plan. • Guarantee resource allocation is driven by this plan and subsequent updates.

The implementation team will take the lead on day-to-day implementation and the regular updating processes. The oversight committee will advise the implementation team, City Councils and Board of County Commissioners. They will also make regular reports to these bodies on accomplishments and barriers to implementation.


References Childcarenet. Retrieved November 2005, from

www.childcarenet.org/2004%20Center%20Rates.htm. City of Spokane, Human Services Department (2005). Continuum of Care Plan for the Homeless 2005. City of Spokane, Community Development Department (2005). Consolidated Community Development

and Housing Plan. Houghton, Ted. (May 2001). The New York/New York Agreement Cost Study: The Impact of

Supportive Housing on Services Use for Homeless Mentally Ill Individuals. Corporation for Supportive Housing.

Spokane County, Housing and Community Development Department. (2001-2006). Five-Year

Continuum of Care Plan of the Homeless. Spokane County, Housing and Community Development Department. (2004-2005). Five-Year

Continuum of Care Plan of the Homeless Eighteen Month Action Plan. Spokane County, Housing and Community Development Department. (2005-2009).

Consolidated Plan. Spokane Regional Health District (2001-2002). Facing Spokane Poverty. Taking Health Care Home (October 2005). Improving access to SSI/SSDI benefits for disabled

homeless individuals in Spokane. The Washington State Policy Academy on Chronic Homelessness (2005 Draft). 10-Year Plan to

End Chronic Homelessness. U.S. Census (2000). Retrieved November 2005, from

http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2000/dp1/2kh53.pdf.


Appendix A: Spokane Region Strategies and Actions

The Strategies and Actions: 2005 and Beyond In addition to the actions included in the plans listed in Section 1, the participants in the planning process identified seven strategies to end chronic, street, emergency sheltered and long-term sheltered homelessness in the Spokane region. For each strategy, several actions were identified. The strategies are:

1. Move people into appropriate housing with appropriate supportive services. While the ultimate goal is to get people housed, the challenge of stabilizing individuals, families and youth who are homeless requires careful assessment and matching with supporting services such as case management, mental health services and medical care. A range of housing options must be maintained and new options developed to address the full range of needs within the homeless population. In its final version, the proposed actions for the first and second strategies were combined.

2. Fully utilize existing resources. In the Spokane region there are many examples of effective partnerships and collaborations among homeless-serving organizations and agencies. The Spokane Homeless Coalition and the Spokane Low-Income Housing Consortium are two such examples. The goal of substantially reducing chronic, street, emergency sheltered and long-term sheltered homelessness by the year 2015 requires even more depth and creativity to ensure every possible resource is being brought to bear on addressing issues of homelessness. An example from the actions of effort in this area that will lay the groundwork for greater creativity and efficiency are the mapping of funds underway with Spokane County, the City of Spokane and Northeast Washington Housing Solutions (NEWHS). The action proposed action to map services will also contribute significantly.

3. Prevent homelessness.

To have any lasting success, there must be preventative measures. We know the risk factors. Poverty, illness and disability and violence are primary among them. Developing the ability within the homeless-serving system to aid individuals and families with pending eviction or utility shut-off notices due to financial crises is paramount. Finding the resources to stabilize these people may require assisting with medical crises, mental health issues, relocation due to violence and employment training. The participants in the planning process considered segments of our community most at risk of homelessness.

4. Develop new funding sources Within the traditional funding sources, federal, state and local government, budget tightening is prevalent. Finding new funding sources for the region was confounded by the short supply of large and profitable businesses that might champion the issue of homelessness. A near-term action not included in this plan undertaken by the Spokane Homeless Coalition is a fund-drive to help address the need for expanded options for those who are homeless during periods of extremely cold weather. Longer-term efforts include proposing a housing levy.

5. Coordinate among regional jurisdictions.

Strongly urged by the participants of the planning process, this strategy will receive a great deal of attention for the duration of the plan. Major shifts got underway that led to the joint Spokane


County/City of Spokane development of this plan. The City of Spokane Valley also joined the conversation. Still, much more coordination among all jurisdictions within the region and especially among the primary jurisdictions is needed and planned.

6. Develop a communitywide response to homelessness. Homelessness is neither a pleasant issue, nor is it an easy issue to address. Yet, there are people among us who do not have even the simplest comfort of a roof and as a community we have no unified response. In the actions drafted, the participants to the planning attempted to create avenues for citizens to become aware of the issues of homelessness, the impact to our region and on the individuals and families who experience homelessness. They also wanted to create opportunities for individual citizens, groups and organizations to take action.

7. Advocate for changes in public policies that inhibit the community’s ability to address issues of

chronic homelessness. Public policy plays a huge role in addressing the issues of homelessness. Many, if not most, of these policies are beyond the purview of regional jurisdictions. The actions developed to carry this strategy range from major changes in philosophies of programs and licensures, to relatively minor adjustments in policy that could have significant impact.

On the following pages are the actions developed by the many people who participated in the regional planning process. Actions included in the Section 5 Summary Chart are italicized. It is anticipated that particular actions will be prioritized for implementation annually. It is also anticipated that throughout the 10-year life of this plan, these actions will be revisited and revised.


Regional Actions

Actions Target Date

Subpopulation13: Responsible organization Outcome

Develop Supportive Housing for Homeless Individuals 1. Develop safe affordable supportive

housing at minimal supportive service level

1/2007 1/2008

S & F: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

30 units 135 units

2. Develop safe affordable housing for individuals at minimal supportive services level

1/2011 1/2015

S: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

20 studio & 20 1-bd units 200 units

3. Expand existing alumni programs for formerly homeless individuals to help them remain stable as the adjust to more independent living.

1/2008 S: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

Formerly homeless individuals remain housed and intact as they transition to independence

4. Develop 18-unit housing complex for homeless individuals needing strong supportive services.


18 units available with strong supportive services.

5. Develop 135 units of affordable supportive housing.


135 new units

6. Research and decide viability/desirability of developing single room occupancy (SRO)-type housing in communities (outside the City of Spokane and the City of Spokane Valley—the location of most services).

S, F & Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

Develop Supportive Housing for Chronically Homeless Individuals 7. Develop additional permanent

housing units for singles with 24-hour onsite and awake staffing. 7.7. Research best practices for

successful models 7.8. 30 units for disabled homeless

individuals • Application • Construction

12/2007 12/2008

S: Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium (SLIHC) with Inland Empire Rental Assn.

Housing is available for homeless individuals with serious mental illness, co-occurring disorder or substance abuse. 30 units

8. Develop new permanent housing targeted to chronically homeless in 2005 McKinney funding competition.

2006 S: Spokane Housing Authority and ____________________

13 S=Single individual homeless; F=homeless families; Y=homeless independent youth


Actions Target Date


9. Develop and model a pilot project using concepts for creating permanent supportive housing that place chronically homeless individuals, families and youth in small for-profit apartment complexes partnering with supportive services. 9.1. Identify and meet with

landlords with project based rental assistance to develop support for the project.

9.2. Identify protective payees who may participate in the project.

9.3. Place and monitor experience/success of renter.

9.4. Evaluate project and recommend changes as needed.

06/2006 S: NEWHS F: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

S: 15 chronically homeless individuals successfully living in dispersed in housing with attached supportive services. F: Y:

10. Develop housing for inebriates and individuals with co-occurring disorders of mental illness and drug/alcohol addiction. Assumptions are: (a) potential residents will be currently substance-using and have no resources/income and will be ongoing substance use issues, (b) staff, including property manager and case manager, will be onsite and awake 24x7 with a psychological and outreach workers also available, (c) residents expected to be approximately 80% single men and 20% single women, and (d) housing units for women will be separate and secure. 10.1. 40 units in project-based

existing housing 10.2. 20 subsidized units

12/2008 12/2011

S: Northeast Housing Solutions with Spokane County RSN

Individuals who were previously chronic homeless living on the street and in shelters are housed. 60 units are available to this population.


Actions Target Date


Develop Housing & Supportive Services for Families 11. Develop and model a pilot project

using concepts for creating permanent supportive housing that place homeless families in small apartment complexes partnering with supportive services. Supportive services at the medium level.

12/2006 and continuing

F: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

8 family units with supportive services ‘06 30 units ‘08

12. Expand existing alumni programs for formerly homeless families to help them remain stable as they adjust to more independent living.

1/2007 F: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

Formerly homeless families remain housed and intact as they transition to independence

13. Develop additional permanent housing units for families with 24-hour onsite and awake staffing. Supportive services at strong level. 6 units for disabled homeless families • Application • Construction

1/2010 F: Salvation Army 6 housing units are available for homeless families with head of households with serious mental illness, co-occurring disorder or substance abuse.

14. Develop affordable permanent supportive housing units for families.

12/2015 F: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

40 housing units are available for homeless families.

Develop Dispersed Housing & Supportive Services for Families and Individuals 15. Encourage property owners and

managers to set aside a limited number of units for previously homeless individuals and families. 15.1. Develop a listing or

manual of best practices for property managers of how supportive services might be provided to integrate individuals into various kinds of housing.

15.2. Develop and carry out strategies for outreach to housing developers and property managers.

15.3. Conduct a planning process for housing developers and service providers working together to develop one or more housing models that can be used in Spokane.

12/2006

S & F: City of Spokane Human Services & Community Development; Spokane County Housing & Community Development, SLIHC, NEWHS, IERA (landlord group), DSHS Substance Abuse.

A system of appropriate housing and supportive services is available throughout the community. 100 units for individuals added by 1/1/2008


Actions Target Date


15.4. Train staff to the specific housing model that they will employ. Review best practices in special need housing as part of planning process.

15.5. Develop a pilot project.

15.6. Develop templates for agreements among supportive service providers, housing providers and residents.

15.7. Expand existing property management training to include tips for recognizing when intervention of the troubleshooting team would be beneficial.

15.8. Expand existing property management to include family (and other) violence education.

15.9. Establish a team to troubleshoot issues with landlords/property managers pertaining to difficult to house residents. Set criteria for free and at-a-cost services.

15.10. Develop network among property managers to support sharing of best practices and consistency in management.

15.11. Develop program for guaranteeing reimbursement to landlords for lost rent and damages.

12/2006 12/2007 12/2008

Spokane Homeless Coalition and SLIHC Spokane COPS Property Management Training YWCA ADVP Lutheran Community Services NW Inland Empire Rental Association or Spokane COPS

Landlords have an agreement of services to be provided, including emergency response. Tenants understand their responsibilities. Supportive staff has clear direction on the life skills activities to provide in order to support tenants and landlords. Resident managers have the skills necessary for positive interactions and influence with tenants. Ongoing assistance is available to landlords/property managers for problem solving. There is willingness to house the hard to house.

16. Identify new sponsors to develop additional new permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless and provide them technical assistance & housing development education to ensure success.

Ongoing Chronic Homeless Housing Funders Group


Actions Target Date


Expand Housing & Services for Youth 17. Develop supportive housing for

minors living on their own. 17.1. Research existing best

practices & models especially regarding services for mental health, violent crimes and addressing underlying causes of homelessness (i.e., Portland)Recommend model for pilot project.

17.2. Develop 8 supervised group homes with appropriate supportive services for independent youth

17.3. Develop referral/linking system with alternative high schools for victim services and other supportive services

12/2006 12/2008 12/1215

Y: Volunteers of America (VOA) and Department of Child & Family Services, DSHS

A system of housing is available for minor youth living on the streets or in shelters. 48 beds are available for youth

18. Develop housing and services for youth currently using or with co-occurring disorders of mental illness and drug/alcohol addiction.

2015 Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties With the Juvenile Court System

19. Develop transitional housing for youth 16-21 years of age. Research models, i.e., model in use in Seattle.

Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

Expand Outreach 20. Increase outreach to rural areas

throughout the county. S, F & Y: County/City

staff to identify appropriate parties

Linkages to services are effective and timely for all homeless.

21. Develop and implement methods to take services to individuals, families and youth who are doubled up (so do not currently qualify).


Increase Emergency Shelter Space 22. Develop and implement a plan for

emergency expansion of warming centers during periods of extremely cold weather.

9/1/2006 S, F, Y: Spokane Homeless Coalition & Human Services, City of Spokane

Homeless individuals and families have warm and safe local center

23. Develop and implement a plan for an emergency warming center to be opened in the Spokane Valley during periods of cold weather.

9/1/2006 S, F: Spokane Homeless Coalition

Homeless individuals and families have warm and safe local center


Actions Target Date


24. 2.1. Expand availability of emergency overnight shelter for men from a 7 month operation to a 12-month operation.

9/2006 S: House of Charity, Volunteers of America with the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and the Spokane Downtown Business Association

Year-round shelter space is available for men.

25. 2.2. Expand availability of emergency overnight shelter for women.


26. 2.3. Expand availability of emergency overnight shelter for families, especially for families with adult males and male children 12 years old and older.

F: SNAP

27. 2.5. Expand availability of emergency overnight shelter for youth.


28. 2.4. Expand availability of overnight shelter for couples with no children.


Families, regardless of whether children are present are kept together.

Increase Access & Availability of Services for Adults 29. Develop training/certification

program for tenants. (Possible model: Transitions “Portfolio Project”) 29.1. Research best

practices for tenant training and for culturally competent education and support to encourage parents to engage in the community and in their children’s education for inclusion in the training.

29.2. Develop and deliver program.

1/2008 S, F & Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

30. Increase availability of transportation throughout the area of Spokane County. 30.1. Increase availability of

bus passes for homeless at a distance from services.

30.2. Resolve lack of public transportation especially to areas north of the City of Spokane.

1/2010 S, F & Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties with STA

Homeless access services regardless of the physical location in the area of the county.


Actions Target Date


31. Increase access to Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, GAU and GAX, and TANF (for families).Develop training for case managers on expedited enrollment procedures. Include assistance for enrolling youth in Medicaid. 31.1. Deliver training to

case managers. 31.2. Provide ongoing

technical assistance to case managers on navigating determination and enrollment processes.

12/2015 S & F: David Bennett, Determination Services, DSHS with Spokane Homeless Coalition

32. Increase availability of for child care for single-parent homeless families.


33. Improve linkages with employment training options.


34. Develop collaboration and communication among agencies and service providers to ensure full use of family unification vouchers.

Spokane Housing Authority with DSHS Child Protective Services (CPS) and the Spokane Homeless Coalition

Need addressed for housing, services, support and aid for parents whose children are in CPS involvement so as to maximize success at family unification.

Provide Culturally Appropriate Services 35. Improve access to culturally

appropriate services, including pertaining to family and other violence, drugs/alcohol treatment, mental health, etc. 35.1. Select

inventory/assessment tools 35.2. Complete system-wide

inventory/ assessment. 35.3. Develop and

implement plan for improving access.

12/2008 S,F, Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

36. Increase the diversity among service-provider staff and develop competencies for culturally appropriate services.



Actions Target Date


Enhance System Efficiencies 37. Develop an apartment database

that includes a complete listing of available housing with rental costs, accessibility, linked services and capacity trends. Assume year 1 operation will require $50,000 in software + $30,000 annual maintenance, and thereafter $30,000 in annual maintenance.

In-process 6/30/2006

S, F & Y (supervised housing): SLIHC

Information on available housing is accessible 24x7.

38. Assess progression of homeless families and individuals through the continuum of housing and services. Identify where individuals, families and youth experience barriers and have no options for progressing and what they need. 38.1. Gather information

from providers. 38.2. Gather information

from clients (e.g., focus groups at shelters).Using information gathered from clients and providers, assess service barriers.

38.3. Using information from clients and providers, assess what options and/or service competencies (i.e., cultural) need to be enhanced and/or developed.

12/2007 12/2007 12/2009 12/2009

S,F &Y: City of Spokane Human Services and Community Development; Spokane County Housing & Community Development with the Spokane Homeless Coalition & VOICES—HMIS Data Analysis

Gaps in services and barriers to progression are identified so they can be addressed

39. Create a map of homelessness-related funds received by the City of Spokane and Spokane County including sources, current uses and possible uses. 39.1. Develop and

implement plan to fully utilized existing funding available for housing and supportive services

1/2008 S, F & Y: Spokane County RSN and Housing & Community Development; City of Spokane Human Services and Community Development; and NEWHS

40. Create a “no wrong door” approach to increase access to services. 40.1. Identify who does what

Upgrade

S, F & Y: Spokane County RSN and

A map of services is


Actions Target Date


when for whom.

40.2. Identify the gaps in hours, services, populations served and geographic coverage

. 40.3. Seek funding to

mitigate gaps and build on existing collaboration.

40.4. Develop & provide

training for appropriate referrals and to broaden service delivery capability of initial access point.

40.5. Establish regional “211”

line. (Infrastructure funding for the state to be decided by mid-May 2005.)

40.6. Educate general public about services & how to access them.

existing 12/2006 12/2010 12/2010 12/2008

Housing & Community Development, and City of Spokane Human Services Spokane County RSN and Housing & Community Development, and City of Spokane Human Services Spokane Homeless Coalition members Spokane Homeless Coalition – Education Committee Spokane Mental Health First Call for Services

accessible and user-friendly. System expansion is clearly targeted and efficiently accomplished. Adequate funding is available to address services and housing gaps. Utilization of resources is maximized. Information about services is accessible by anyone 24x7 through this centralized call number.

41. Develop and implement strategies for outreach to churches and other organizations that provide services to homeless in the smaller jurisdictions throughout the county. 41.1. Develop ‘bridge’

service capacity. 41.2. Increase knowledge of

services and create efficient methods for linking clients.

2011 S, F & Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

42. Strengthen collaboration with victim service providers and integrate these services wherever and whenever appropriate.

YWCA ADV, Lutheran Community Services NW and Spokane Homeless Coalition

43. Strengthen collaboration between religiously-based programs to ensure that facilities are fully utilized.



Actions Target Date


44. 2.25. Explore options for locally-owned businesses to assist in provision of services to homeless such that the activity also supports their business.

F & Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

45. Develop strategies for making respite time more available to on-site resident managers. 45.1. Provide incentives to

encourage better management and relief.

45.2. Develop strategies for management retention and sustainability

12/2008 S, F & Y: Property owner/managers

Building management plans and budgets that include respite for resident managers. On-site managers have respite as per best practices.

Expand and Enhance Data Collection & Analysis 46. Maintain and continually upgrade

the HMIS managed by the City of Spokane.

Annual assessment

S, F & Y: City of Spokane Human Services and Information Systems Departments

HMIS meets all security requirements and is efficient for data collection and retrieval.

47. Conduct annual point-in-time count to determine effect of efforts on chronic homeless population and assess continued need for new housing and services.

1/2006 City of Spokane with service-providers

48. All homeless-serving organizations within the region of Spokane County contribute data to the HMIS managed by the City of Spokane. 48.1. Outreach to service

providers to increase data collection points and standardize data collected.

1/2007 1/2006

S, F & Y: City of Spokane Human Services Spokane County RSN

Standard data is gathered from clients throughout the area of Spokane County. Data is efficiently compiled and analyze for use by service-providers and agencies, consist with HUD and HIPAA data protection regulations, to secure funding and educate funders and the community about the conditions of homelessness


Actions Target Date


49. Complete a regional housing assessment. 49.1. Establish a taskforce

of funders, and housing and service providers.

49.2. Design housing assessment/inventory and gather information on availability, affordability and need (gap). Include data on all manner of transitional housing, i.e., Department of Corrections funded, Veterans Administration funded, and for persons who are chronically mentally ill and HIV positive.

49.3. Draft detailed housing plan for region, including reassessment of estimates of needed new construction or acquisition and rehab as indicated in this 10-year plan.

7/2008 S, F, Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

Use of available housing is maximized. The need to construct or acquire new units. Contruction/acquire & rehab costs are reduced.

50. Integrate use of swipe cards and clients releases in order to more efficiently track services accessed and allow for appropriate sharing of client information among service providers while fully complying with HUD, HIPAA and other relevant laws and regulations.

12/2010 S & F: Individual service providers with the City of Spokane Human Services Department.

Services to homeless individuals are extremely well coordinated and highly efficient.

51. 2.23. Develop and implement incentives for the homeless to be counted in the HMIS.


Prevent Homelessness 52. Expand and standardize

information form that accompanies individuals discharged from Eastern State Hospital to the County Jail.

In-process 12/2006

S & F: Eastern State Hospital & Sheriff’s Department

Individuals receive appropriate care and linkages to services for stable transition to community living.

53. While in jail conduct psychological evaluations and medication assessments. Conduct alcohol/drug assessment and qualify for resources and treatment as appropriate. Qualify for GAU/GAX and Medicaid as

S & F (with incarcerated members):


Actions Target Date


appropriate. 53.1. Assess need and cost

to address need.

53.2. Ensure continued RSN funding for ARNP currently placed at the Jail

53.3. Create permanent partnership for continuance of current pilot project for medication assessment

53.4. Establish standards for discharge plans and a system for consistently developing the discharge plans.

53.5. Establish partnership for onsite psychological evaluations.

53.6. Establish partnership for onsite

presence of ADN and CSO financial and social workers to qualify inmates for resources.

12/2006 01/2006 12/2006 12/2009 12/2009 12/2006

Spokane County Jail/Sheriff Spokane County Jail Spokane County Jail and Sacred Heart Medical Ctr Spokane County Jail Spokane County Jail and Sacred Heart Medical Ctr Spokane County Jail and DSHS

Relevant information is available for efficient planning. Staff is available to coordinate services to inmates. Behavioral issues among inmate population are minimal. Inmates receive the most appropriate medication and medication costs are minimized. Recidivism is reduced. Access to resources is increased for individuals with mental illness when they are discharged from the jail. Resources to acquire housing and needed health and supportive services are present upon discharge.

54. Establish screening process in K-12 public school system for children who are at high-risk for homelessness. 54.1. Develop and

implement pilots 54.2. Develop strategies for

sharing with other school districts throughout the county

54.3. All school districts throughout the county have

12/2006 12/2012

F & Y: Spokane Public Schools for pilot; ESD 101 Safe Schools, Healthy Students

Children maintain stability and their success in school.


Actions Target Date


screening process in use. 55. Expand current drug court and

establish next steps to include housing and services in Court-ordered treatment. 55.1. Request conversation

with Judge who is currently overseeing Courts and establish next steps.

1/2007 S, F &Y: NEWHS Reduced incarceration of substance abusing individuals. An increase in the number receiving timely and appropriate treatment.

56. Prevent evictions through greater availability of rental assistance and other assistance such as for utilities, and emergent issues (i.e., medical bills and transportation). 56.1. Research, establish

and advocate for funds to prevent evictions.

12/2007

S, F & Y: SNAP and Salvation Army

The number of evictions is reduced and the stability of individuals and families is improved.

57. Expand existing alumni programs and develop new programs to provide ongoing and culturally appropriate support networks for formerly homeless to help them remain stable as they adjust to more independent living.

12/2007 S, F & Y: Spokane Homeless Coalition

Individuals who are at high risk for homelessness stay housed.

58. Establish discharge plans for jail inmates that minimally include placement in suitable housing and linkages to appropriate services. Ensure plans are consistently developed.

12/2007 S, F &Y: Spokane County Jail

Recidivism is reduced.

59. Research and establish ways to fund service providers that provide services to individuals and families without Medicaid coverage.

12/2010 S, F & Y: Spokane Homeless Coalition, Spokane County RSN, City of Spokane Human Services, DSHS & CHAS

Jails/prisons and hospitals do not house individuals who are disabled, mentally ill or have co-occurring disorders.

60. Establish a mental health court. 60.1. Request conversation

with Judge who is currently overseeing Courts and establish next steps.

60.2. Research Seattle and Portland models.

S, F (parents of dependent children) & Y:

Individuals who are in need of mental health treatment are diverted from jail to treatment. There are improved outcomes in mental health, self-sufficiency and housing.

61. Increase housing vouchers, rental assistance, deposits and fees.



Actions Target Date


62. Research best practices for prevention of homelessness and/or develop regional best practices.


63. Work with landlords on a case-by-case basis to accommodate families who are doubling up.


64. Advocate for psychological evaluations, medication assessments, alcohol/drug assessment for youth in foster care and juvenile detention. Qualify for resources (GAU/GAX and Medicaid) and treatment as appropriate. 64.1. Assess need and cost

to address need.

Y: DCFS

65. Establish standards for discharge plans for youth transitioning from foster care and juvenile detention.


66. Screen for and address issues of exposure to crime and violence among individuals, families and youth at-risk for homelessness


67. Develop process for supporting youth filing at-risk-youth petitions and Child In Need of Services so that they can secure funding for housing.


68. Improve access to culturally appropriate services for youth who have experienced crime, family and other violence, drugs/alcohol or other dysfunctions that put them at risk of homelessness. 68.1. Develop

referral/linking system with alternative high schools and other key gatekeepers.


69. Develop and implement best practices for breaking cycle of child abuse, domestic violence, drug use, etc.



Actions Target Date


70. Continue to examine “weaknesses” in current homelessness safety net specific to balance of County chronic homeless & identify effective prevention activities for future. 70.1. Set up public meetings

in four county areas-North, South, Valley, and West Plains-to reassess Community needs and revise or refine goals accordingly.

70.2. Coordinate these efforts with the Departments providing support services to area such as Department of Corrections/RSN/ Substance Abuse and take advantage of new grants for housing included with support services and substance counseling.

70.3. Coordinate service delivery between DSHS department of Community Service Offices and Social Security to enable clients to get GAU then GAX and SSI-SSDI. Shift of funding from State-GAU- to Federal should take burden off the State and enable more to access the limited GAU funds.

70.4. Coordinate more housing development combined with support service packages from providers. Encourage development of these partnerships through education and community meetings. Limited use of Veterans Per Diem grants in the County outside the City of Spokane area and meetings to disseminate information about this are vital.

70.5. Encourage continued development of mental health housing and local efforts to find partners for projects. Seek

S, F Y: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties


Actions Target Date


811 by-in from developers and mental health providers.

70.6. Continue involvement in development of legislation that encourages focus on special needs populations, such as the 2163 which targets homeless projects. 2060 is a source for housing development and information needs to be spread to the county towns and cities of its many uses-seek presentation time at meeting of the mayors.

70.7. Present Continuum of Care Coordinators with informal report on findings.

Housing & Supportive Services for Ex-Offender Population 71. Identify resources for the ex-

offender population. Work through issues that create barriers for appropriate housing. 71.1. Gather information

from providers. 71.2. Assess where people

experience barriers. 71.3. Assess what options

need to be enhanced and/or developed to overcome barriers to such things as employment and reunification with family.

12/2006 12/2009 12/2009

S, F & Y: Department of Corrections and Probation Department with Housing Providers and Goodwill Industries

Individuals released from jail or prison do not re-offend. Appropriate community and service support, housing and jobs support their community re-entry, family reunification and stabilization.

Coordinate among regional jurisdictions. 72. Develop memorandum of

understanding for the linking and coordination of funds for housing, supportive services and operations.72.1. Draft MOU for

consideration and adoption by jurisdictions

72.2. Deliver to County Board of Commissioners, and City of Spokane Mayor and Council with request for adoption.

72.3. MOU adopted.

10/2005 12/2005 07/2006

S, F & Y: Spokane County RSN and City of Spokane Human Services

Funds are leverage, the availability of services and housing, and results for ending homelessness are maximized.


Actions Target Date


73. Develop a cross-jurisdictional unified 10-year plan. 73.1. Develop a cross-

jurisdictional plan for the Spokane region addressing issues pertaining to reducing homelessness among individuals, families and youth.

73.2. Establish process and structure for ongoing coordinated implementation, and cross-jurisdictional monitoring and updating of the plan.

2/2006 7/2006

S, F & Y: City of Spokane Human Services and Spokane County RSN with representation from cities and towns throughout the County City of Spokane Human Services and Spokane County RSN with representation from cities and towns throughout the county

Clients receive services in their home community. A coordinated and cooperative system for planning and resource allocation is in place.

74. Operationalize the MOU to

include: • Fiduciary responsibility • Maintenance and management

of regional data on homeless

3/2006

Spokane County RSN City of Spokane Human Services

75. Establish a cross-jurisdictional advisory group, including appropriate appointment and process guidelines, to ensure funding allocation and program decisions are consistent with the regional plan and intent to maximize system efficiencies. Consider HUD and CTED guidelines.

3/2006 S, F & Y: Spokane County RSN and City of Spokane Human Services

76. Conduct cross-jurisdictional work sessions of locally elected officials to explore options for collectively addressing issues pertaining to homelessness.

12/2006 S, F & Y: City of Spokane, City of Spokane Valley, Deer Park, and Spokane County

Clients receive services in their home community. A coordinated and cooperative system for planning and resource allocation is in place.

77. Oversee implementation of 10-year plan and, 77.1. Allocation of 2163

funds. 77.2. Study and direct

expansion of homeless-related funding map

77.3. Recommend methods to and timeline for

Ongoing Ongoing 3/2007 3/2007



Actions Target Date


coordinating all other homeless-related funds.

77.4. Establish advisory group outcomes for year two.

3/2007

78. Conduct conversations among coordinators of major related databases to identify overlaps and gaps in information, how to address gaps and information sharing issues.

S, F & Y: HMIS managed by the City of Spokane, Mental Health managed by Spokane County, Domestic Violence Consortium, Sheriff’s Office, WSU Safe Start and SRHD

79. Initiate and maintain communication with the mayors of all jurisdictions within the County. 79.1. Develop understanding

of and participating in regional plan, implementation and plan updates


80. Develop a shared regional definition of homelessness.


81. Develop a regional definition of case management.

Spokane Homeless Coalition

Develop a communitywide response to homelessness. 82. Participate annually in the National

Hunger/Homeless Week. 11/2006 & ongoing

S, F &Y: Spokane Homeless Coalition and service providers

83. Community Education 83.1. Develop messages for

the community around homelessness, including: systemic causes, stereotypes, the broad economic impact, perceptions vs. the real face of homelessness in our community (stories of people who are homeless), the reality of homelessness.

83.2. Provide specific opportunities for individuals, groups and organizations in the

12/2006 12/2006

S, F & Y: Education subcommittee of the Spokane Homeless Coalition and service providers

Improved economic and social support of homeless serving programs and housing providers.


Actions Target Date


community to take action and make contributions of time and money. Challenge universities, specifically the service learning programs, internships, practicum experiences, etc. to contribute time and expertise to address issues of homelessness.

83.3. Educate churches about how to respond, what resources are needed to support efforts and opportunities they have for assisting.

84. Develop champions for homelessness issues from among the civic and business leaders and other community influencials.

7/2007 S, F &Y: Education subcommittee of the Spokane Homeless Coalition

85. Create incentives for landlords to house the hard to house.

12/2010 S & F: SLIHC, Spokane Homeless Coalition, City of Spokane and Spokane County

A variety of appropriate housing options are available throughout the community.

86. Create partnership with the media (traditional and non-traditional).Create a media liaison to spearhead relationship development. 86.1. Develop of stories on

affordable housing, hunger, mental health, employment challenges, substance abuse, addressing family violence and other related issues.

86.2. Develop ongoing commitment for coverage, e.g., spotlight issue weekly

S, F & Y: Education subcommittee of the Spokane Homeless Coalition

Develop new funding sources and expand existing funds. 87. Apply for HB 2060 for supportive

services. 06/2006 S, F & Y: Spokane

County More homeless individuals are stabilized.


Actions Target Date


88. Apply to HB 2163 for supportive services.

12/2006 S, F & Y: Spokane County & City of Spokane

More homeless individuals are stabilized.

89. Secure Shelter + Care funds for development of additional housing units.

12/2006 S &F: City of Spokane More previously homeless disabled individuals are housed in permanent housing units.

90. Propose an appropriation sponsored by Congressional staff.

2007-2008 Congress-tional funding cycles

S, F & Y: City of Spokane and Spokane County with support from other jurisdictions within the county

Resources are increased.

91. Develop funding for an intensive case management team for the mentally ill. 91.1. Maintain and expand

current (Substance Abuse Mental Health Admin funded) program with services provided by Spokane Mental Health and Native Project

12/2007 Community Services, Spokane County

Clients remain housed, and there is reduced use of jails and hospitals by this population.

92. Develop options for clients discharged from institutions and facilities who cannot afford medications.

12/2007 S & F: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

Clients remain stable and recidivism is reduced.

93. Propose a housing levy sponsored by the City Council of Spokane and supported by the Mayor and downtown business community.

3/2008 S, F & Y: SLIHC with advisory group reps, Downtown Business Association, Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, Spokane Regional Economic Development Council

Funding is available to increase permanent supportive housing units.

94. Increase amount and participation in community discretionary funds that help clients manage a variety of emergent situations, including elimination of government assistance, stopgap coverage until government assistance begins, medical emergencies, job loss, transportation, crime and eviction prevention.

12/2010 S, F & Y: City of Spokane Human Services and Spokane County Community Services in cooperation with SNAP, Salvation Army, and VOA

Individuals and families remain stable in their homes and recover from crisis quickly.


Actions Target Date


95. Develop strategies and build options for matching federal grant funds.

9/2010 S, F & Y: Spokane County Community Services and City of Spokane Human Services

Federal funding is fully utilized.

96. Establish a free pharmacy for individuals to secure psychotropic and other critical medications who cannot afford them.

9/2012 S, F & Y: Spokane County RSN with Project Access, Native Project, CHAS and WSU

The community, and individuals likely to re-offend or become violent without medication, will be spared trauma. Reduction in ER visits by individuals decompensating and/or in jeopardy because of the inaccessibility to crucial medications.

97. Establish agreements and secure funding for Alcohol/Drug Network (ADN) personnel to conduct assessments at multiple locations including agencies/organizations serving homeless.


98. Identify and secure funding for treatment beds for the insured and uninsured.


99. Identify and seek funding sources that have fewer restrictions.


Advocate for changes in public policies that inhibit the community’s ability to address issues of homelessness among single individuals, families and youth.

Mental Health & Chemical Dependency: 100. Advocate for the

reinstatement/increased allocation of funds for chemical dependency treatment and mental health.

12/2006 S, F & Y: Spokane County and City of Spokane with the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and business community

Timely chemical dependency treatment is available resulting in improved stabilization of individuals, success in employment and self-sufficiency.

101. Advocate the Policy Academy for changes in regulations and funding that would result in an increase in timely availability of in-patient treatment for individuals who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and chemical dependence.

12/2007 S, F & Y: DSHS & Spokane County RSN

Individuals requesting treatment would have timely access to appropriate treatment thereby enabling them to increase their self-sufficiency.


Actions Target Date


102. Advocate for the establishment

of discharge plans for individuals in drug/alcohol treatment, mental health and Department of Corrections facilities throughout the state and changes in public policy to ensure each has suitable housing and appropriate supportive services upon discharge.

12/2008 S, F & Y: DSHS Recidivism is reduced. Individuals discharged are successful housed and contributing to the community.

103. Clarify and streamline the process for agencies to be dually qualified to provide drug/alcohol treatment and mental health services.

12/2010 S, F & Y: Mental Health and Substance Abuse agencies, Spokane Homeless Coalition, Spokane County, City of Spokane with the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce

More agencies are dually qualified.

104. Advocate for revisions in certifications for drug/alcohol treatment and mental health professionals so they are substantively aligned and dual certification is more cost effective. 104.1. Mitigate differing

philosophies and pay scale issues

12/2010 S, F & Y: Spokane Homeless Coalition, City of Spokane and Spokane County with the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce

More professionals are dually qualified.

105. Advocate for continued funding for DSHS CSO co-location (Federal Health & Human Services funds.)

12/2012 S, F & Y: VOICES Spokane Homeless Coalition, Spokane County and City of Spokane

Access to enrollment for resources is available to the homeless population at key gathering points.

106. Develop reciprocal licensing with other states for drug/alcohol treatment and mental health professionals.

12/14 S, F & Y: Spokane Homeless Coalition, Spokane County and City of Spokane with the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce

Increased local availability of drug/alcohol treatment and mental health professionals.

Other Advocacy: 107. Advocate for changes that will

allow greater flexibility and blending of government funding streams, and accountability for collaborating to aid in the development and maintenance of affordable housing and supportive services.

12/10 S, F & Y: SLIHC, VOICES, Spokane Homeless Coalition, City of Spokane and Spokane County with the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce

There is a best use of funds resulting in system-wide efficiencies.


Actions Target Date


108. Clarify the fair housing laws

and regulations regarding admittance of pets, therapeutic animals and care animals to shelters and housing.

S & F: NW Fair Housing Alliance, SLIHC, WA State Human Rights Commission, HUD and the Inland Empire Rental Association (represent landlords/property owners), and VOICES (advocate for clients)

Annual training on application of laws and regulations. Housing providers and client advocates proficient in application of laws and regulations to housing situations.

109. Advocate for more creative ways to address child support debt.

F: VOICES

110. Advocate for WorkFirst polices for homeless that support choices in child care, education, transportation, mental health care, health care and drug/alcohol treatment.

F: VOICES

111. Advocate for accepting alternative identification cards for access to services for children, youth and adults.

S, F & Y: VOICES

112. Advocate for policy changes so that length of emergency shelter stay shifts from 90 days to 6 months.

S & F: County/City staff to identify appropriate parties

113. Advocate for ongoing support for addressing violence experience by this population.

S, F & Y: VOICES

114. Advocate for changes in legislation that would allow independent youth to obtain permanent supportive housing.



Appendix B:

City of Spokane, Washington

Human Services Department

Homeless Management Information System

Statistics on the Homeless 2004

For more information, please Contact the Human Services Department at 509-625-6130. Spokane Homeless Statistics for 2004 The City of Spokane’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) provides Spokane’s homeless providers with an up-to-date unduplicated count of the homeless requesting services. Data from Intake, Assessment and Discharge forms, as well as Contact Logs, for the period of January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2004, has been collected and presented in this Continuum of Care Plan. Information on the homeless receiving services in the City of Spokane will be divided into four Sections for this report. The First section of information will be focused on the number of homeless persons (adults, children living with adults and youth under 18 living independently) seeking or receiving services, within the City of Spokane, from Homeless providers. The Second section will focus on homeless households. These homeless households will be categorized into three types, households with children (two parent households with children, single female head of households with children and single male head of households with children) and households without children (single males, single females and two adults living together) and Independent Youth (ages 13 – 17). The Third section pertains to those individuals and households that were discharged throughout 2004. The Fourth section deals with the single Chronically Homeless in Spokane during the year. Throughout the report, N is used to show the numbers used for the particular data set being reported on. For this report, duplicated data from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2004 was queried from the HMIS. These dates were required to determine those individuals who would be classified as Chronically Homeless according to HUD’s definition; “An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either: a) been continuously homeless for a year of more OR b) has had at least 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years.” To determine those individuals who were living in Transitional Housing in 2004, duplicated data from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2004 was analyzed. Any individual who had a record documenting that they were living in Transitional Housing during this time frame but, were discharged from the program before January 1, 2004, were removed from the data set. To determine those individuals who were living in Emergency shelters in 2004, duplicated data from November 1, 2003 to December 31, 2004 was analyzed. Any individual who had a record documenting that they were living in Emergency shelters during this time frame but, were discharged from the program before January 1, 2004, were also removed from the data set. Once the data set contained only the records relevant for the report, the data was queried for an unduplicated count of homeless individuals.


Section 1:

Information On The Total Homeless Persons (Adults and Children) Who Received Services within the City of Spokane a. Unduplicated Count Of Homeless Persons Who Received Services within the City of Spokane

Between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004, the unduplicated count of homeless persons (adults, children living with adults and youth under 18 living independently) who received services within the city of Spokane was 7,294.

b. Breakdown of Total Homeless Persons (Adults, Independent Youth under 18 and Children Under 18)

Of the 7,294 homeless persons who received services within the City of Spokane between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004, 6,179 (85%) were adults, 320 (4.4%) were youth under 18 living independently (unattached to families) and 795 (11%) were children under 18 living within adult households.

Total Homeless Population

N = 7294 # Of Homeless % Of Homeless

Total Adults 6179 85.0% Total Independent Youth Under 18 320 4.4% Total Children Under 18 795 11%

c. Breakdown of Homeless Persons (Adults and Children) Living In Households (HH’s) With Children One thousand and twenty seven homeless persons, living in households with children, received services within the City of Spokane between January 1 and December 31, 2004. Of the 1,027 persons, 795 (77%) were children under 18, 482 (47%) were adults, and 8 (.8%) were youth under 18 living independently with their children.

Persons Living In Households With

Children N= 1027

# Of Homeless In Households With

Children

% Of Persons In Households With

Children Total Adults 482 47.0% Total Independent Youth Under 18 8 0.8% Total Children Under 18 795 77.0%

d. Homeless Persons Living in Households (HH’s) without Children

Six thousand, and nine homeless persons, living in households without children received services in the City of Spokane between January 1 and December 31, 2004. Of the 6,009 persons, 5,697 (95%) were adults 18 and over, 312 (5.0%) were youth under 18 living independently (unattached to families).

Persons In Households

Without Children N= 6009

# Of Homeless In HH’s Without Children

% Of Homeless In HH’s Without

Children Total Adults 5697 95.0% Total Independent Youth Under 18 312 5.0% Total Children Under 18 0 0.0%


85.0%

4.4% 11.0%

47.0%

0.8%

77.0%95.0%

5.0%0.0%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Total HomelessPopulation

Persons in Householdswith Children

Persons in Householdswithout Children

Total Homeless Population:Adults, Independent Youth Under 18 and Children Under 18

January 1 - December 31, 2004Total Adults

Independent YouthUnder 18

Children Under 18

e. Homeless Persons By Household Types

Homeless persons living in households with children who received services within the City of Spokane for the year 2004 totaled 17.6% (1,285) of the total homeless population. Total persons living in households without children totaled 82.4% (6,009) of the total homeless population.

Total Homeless Population

N = 7294 # Of

Homeless % Of

Homeless Persons Living Within Households with Children 1285 17.6% Persons Living Within Households w/out Children 6009 82.4%

Persons Living In Households With and Without Children

January 2004 - December 2004

Persons Living Within Households

with Children17.6%Persons Living

Within Households w/out Children

82.4%

f. Breakdown of Adults by Gender Of the homeless persons receiving services within the City of Spokane, Females totaled 2,564, 174 were

Independent Youth Females without children, while 8 were Independent Youth Females with Children. From the Adult Females, 2000 were without children, and 382 were with children. The Male population totaled 3,935, 138 being Independent Youth Males without children. From the Adult Males, 3,697 were without children and 100 were with children.

Adults by Gender Total # of % of Total # of Total % of Total


Indep. YouthN=320

Indep. Youth Adults N=6179

Adults

Females in HH's with Children 8 2.5% 382 6.18% Females in HH's without Children 174 54.0% 2000 32.3% Males in HH's with Children 0 0% 100 1.6% Males in HH's without Children 138 43.0% 3697 51.0%

6.18%

32.30%

1.60%

51.00%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

% of Total Adults

Adults By GenderJanuary 1 - December 31 2004

Females in HH's withChildren

Females in HH'swithout Children

Males in HH's withChildren

Males in HH'swithout Children

6.2%

32.3%

1.6%

51.0%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

% of Total Indep youth

Independent Youth by Gender January 1 - December 31, 2004

Females in HH's withChildren

Females in HH'swithout Children

Males in HH's withChildren

Males in HH'swithout Children

g. Total Homeless Individuals (Adults and Children) By Ethnicity


Total minority population of homeless persons who received services within the City of Spokane during 2004 was 21.5% of the total homeless population. Native Americans have the highest percentage with 8.25% of the homeless population.

Ethnicity

Total Number of Homeless Individuals

N=7294

# Of Homeless Indep. Youth

HH N=328

# Of Homeless In HH’s With

Children N = 1269

% Of Homeless In HH’s w/out

Children N =5697

White 5720 78.4% 234 71.3% 991 78.1% 4495 79.0%

African American 421 5.7% 14 4.3% 72 5.6% 335 5.9%

Native American 602 8.25% 38 11.5% 89 7.0% 475 8.4%

Asian/Pacific Isl. 59 .81% 4 1.2% 12 .94% 43 .75% Hispanic 236 3.2% 8 2.4% 24 1.9% 204 3.6% Biracial 256 3.5% 30 9.1% 81 6.4% 145 2.5%

(HH’s is abbreviation for Household)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%


IndependentYouth

Persons inHouseholds

with Children

Persons inHouseholds

withoutChildren

Ethnicity/Race of Homeless PopulationJanuary 1 - December 31, 2004

White

African American

Native American

Asian/PacificIslander

Hispanic

Biracial


h. Disabilities Of Homeless Adults

The Adult and Independent Youth who reported a disability totaled 2,160 (33.2%) persons. Of those 1,925 (33.8%) were Adults without children, 221 (45.8%) were Adults with children and 23 (7.2%) were Independent Youth. In Chart 1, individuals may have reported more than one Disability. In Chart 2, those individuals indicating more than one Disability were documented. The Top 3 Combinations of Disabilities were included.

Chart 1.

Disabilities Of Homeless Adults

Adult Homeless Population N = 6499


HH N=320

Adults in Households with

Children N = 482

Adults in Households

without Children

N = 5697

Alcohol/Drug Abuse 239 3.7% 2 .63% 51 10.6% 186 3.3%

Mental Illness 798 12.3% 7 2.2% 76 15.8% 715 12.6% Dually Diagnosed 1005 15.4% 7 2.2% 77 16% 921 16.2% Physical Disability 372 5.7% 6 1.9% 35 7.3% 331 5.8% Learning Disability 22 .34% 3 .94% 3 .4% 16 .28% Chronic Health Problem 177 2.7% 0 0% 44 9.1% 133 2.3% No Disability 80 1.2% 20 6.3% 41 8.5% 19 .34% Unknown/Not Reported 3806 58.6% 275 85.9% 155 32.2% 3376 59.3%

(Individuals may have reported more than one Disability)

Chart 2.

% of Individuals with Multiple

Disabilities


with Children N = 482


without Children

N = 5697


HH N=320

56 11.6% 378 6.6% 3 .93%

Top 3

Combinations for Adults

Top 3

Combinations for Indep. Youth

Alcohol/Drug Abuse, Mental Illness, Chronic Health

10 17.8% 48 12.7%

Physical Disability, Learning Disability

1 33.3%

Alcohol/Drug Abuse, Mental Illness, Physical Disability

9 16% 126 33.3%

Alcohol/Drug Abuse, Mental

Illness, Learning Disability

1 33.3%

Mental Illness, Physical Disability 11 19.6% 70 18.5% Mental Illness,

Physical Disability 1 33.3%


0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%


Independent Youth Adults inHouseholds with

Children

Adults inHouseholds without

Children

Disabilities Within Homeless PopulationJanuary 1 - December 31, 2004

Alcohol/Drug

Mental Illness

Dual Diagnosis (Alcohol-Drug & Mental Illness)

Physical Disability

Learning Disability

Chronic Health Problems


Section 2:

Information on Total Homeless Households That Received Services within the City of Spokane a. Unduplicated Count Of Homeless Households That Received Services within the City of Spokane

The total number of homeless households that received services within the City of Spokane between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004 was 6,387. Households with children totaled 404 (6.3%) of the total homeless households. Households with children are defined as two-parent households with children, single female head of households with children and single male head of households with children. Households without children total 5,663, 88.7% of the total homeless households. These households are defined as two people living together without children (married or unmarried), single male without children and single females without children.

b. Breakdown of Households with Children

Of the 404 households with children during 2004, 77 (19.1%) were two-parent households. The majority of households were single female head of households, which numbered 292 (72.3%) households. Thirty-five (8.6%) households were single male head of households with children.

Breakdown of 404 Households with Children

January 1 - December 31, 2004

Single Female HH's with Children

72.3%

Two Parent Households

19.1%Single Male HH's

with Children8.6%


c. Breakdown of Households without Children Of the 5663 households without children during 2004, 33 (.6%) were households where two people were living together without children (married or unmarried). Single men without children numbered 3668 (64.7%) households and single women without children numbered 1962 (34.6%).

Breakdown of 5,663Households without Children


Single Males64.8%

Single Females34.6%

2 Adults Living Together

0.6%

d. Breakdown of Independent Youth Households Of the 320 Independent Youth households during 2004, 8 (2.5%) were female head of households with a child. Male Independent Youth without children numbered 138 (43%) and Female Independent Youth without children numbered 174 (54.4%).

Breakdown of 320Independent Youth


Male Independent Youth without

Child43.0%

Female Independent Youth without

Child54.5%

Female Independent Youth with Child

2.5%


e. Average Income of All Homeless Households The average income of the 6,387 total homeless households was $84.10/month or $1,009 annually. The average income of the households with children was $546/month or $6552 annually. The average income of the households without children was $54.34/month or $652 annually.

Total Homeless

Households N = 6387

Indep. Youth N=320

Households With Children

N = 404

Households W/out Children

N = 5663 Ave. Monthly Income $ 84.10 $26.73 $546.00 $54.34

Total Homeless

Households N = 6387

Indep. Youth N=320


N = 404


N = 5663 Ave. Household Size 1.14 1.03 3.14 1.01

# of Households who moved into permanent Housing

Total Homeless Households Indep Youth



2003 56 0 13 43 2004 127 0 39 88

f. Income Sources of Homeless Households

Of 6,387 homeless households, 5,097 (80.0%) homeless households reported no annual income. The breakdown of income sources by households was as follows:

Income Sources Total Homeless

Households N = 6387

Independent Youth N=320


N = 404


N = 5663 No income 5097 80.0% 262 82% 120 29.7% 4715 83.3%

TANF/AFDC 223 3.5% 10 3.1% 160 39.6% 53 .94%

GAU/GAX/ADASTA 159 2.5% 12 2.9% 147 2.6%

SSA, SSD, SSI 347 5.4% 8 2.5% 41 10.1% 298 5.3% Full Time Work 52 .8% 31 7.6% 21 .37% Part Time Work 63 1.0% 7 2.2% 28 6.9% 28 .49% Unemployment 21 .33% 6 1.5% 15 .26% Veterans Benefits 17 .26% 0 0% 17 .30% Child Support/Alimony 41 .64% 3 .94% 32 7.8% 6 .11% Temp Work 8 .13% 0 0% 8 .14% Other (includes; Panhandling, Student Loans, Private Retirement, State Industrial, Not reported

342 5.4% 32 10% 15 .25% 295 5.2%

(Households may have indicated more than one source of income.)


0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%


Independent Youth Households withChildren

Households withoutChildren

Income Sources for Homeless HouseholdsJanuary 1 - December 31, 2004

No income

TANF/AFDC

GAU/GAX/ADASTA

SSA, SSD, SSI

Full Time Work

Part Time Work

Unemployment

Veterans Benefits

Child Support

Temp Work

Other

g. Total Homeless Veterans Living in Households Of the Households included in this report, 611 Adults reported as being a Veteran. Of those, 554 were Males, and 57 were Females. The greatest percentage of Veterans was reported as living in Households without children.

Total Homeless

Households (Adults)N =6067


N = 404


N = 5663

HH's with Veterans 611 10.1% 21 5.2% 590 10.4%

Male Veterans 554 9.1% 10 2.5% 544 9.6% Female Veterans 57 .9% 11 2.7% 46 .8%

h. Homeless Households That Have Experienced Domestic Violence

One hundred and Eight-four Households documented as having experienced Domestic Violence. Of those, 109 (59%) were households with children. Within the 109 Households with children, there were 105 adult females, and 232 children.


Total Homeless Households

N=6387

Independent Youth

N = 320


N = 404


N = 5663 Domestic Violence is a Reason for Homelessness 184 2.9% 13 4.1% 109 26.9% 62 1.1%

Total # Persons in Households

Females 170 8 105 57

Males 14 5 4 5 Children 232 0 232 0

i. Total Homeless Households’ Reasons for Homelessness

The total homeless households identified the following as the top reasons for homelessness (households may have indicated more than one reason). The households reporting more than one reason for homelessness was 10.7% of the total homeless households.

Chart 1. Adult Reasons for Homelessness Total Homeless

Households (Adults)N = 6387


N =404


N =5663 Mental Health Problems 299 4.7% 62 15% 237 4.2% Alcohol/ Drug Abuse 306 4.8% 86 21.3% 220 4% Domestic Violence 171 2.7% 109 27% 62 1.1% Evicted from home 103 1.6% 65 16% 38 .67% Lack of Income 194 3% 19 4.7% 175 3.1% Family Conflict 160 2.5% 85 21% 75 1.3% Lost Job 130 2% 56 14% 74 1.3% Lack of Affordable Housing 158 2.4% 92 22.7% 66 1.16% Moved 107 1.7% 56 14% 51 .90% Physical Disability 62 .97% 17 4.2% 45 .79% Jail/Prison 55 .86% 16 3.9% 39 .68%

% reporting multiple reasons 642 10.1% 256 63.4% 386 6.8%

(Households may have indicated more than one reason for homelessness.)


Chart 2. Independent Youth Reasons for Homelessness Independent Youth

N=320 Mental Health Problems 12 3.8% Alcohol/ Drug Abuse 20 6.3% Domestic Violence 13 4.1% Abandoned 18 5.6% Asked to Leave 33 10.3% Family Conflict 141 44.1% Parents Divorce 23 7.2% Run Away 38 12% Depressed 31 9.7% Peer Relationships 15 4.7%

% reporting multiple reasons 75 23.4% (Households may have indicated more than one reason for homelessness.)

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

Total Homeless Households with Children Households withoutChildren

Adult Households Reasons for Homelessness January 1 - December 31, 2004 Mental Health Problems

Alcohol/ Drug Abuse

Domestic Violence

Evicted from home

Lack of Income

Family Conflict

Lost Job

Lack of Affordable Housing

Moved

Physical Disability

Jail/Prison

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Independent Youth

Independent Youth Reasons For Homelessness January 1 - December 31, 2004

Mental Health Problems

Alcohol/ Drug Abuse

Domestic Violence

Abandoned

Asked to Leave

Family Conflict

Parents Divorce

Run Away

Depressed

Peer Relationships


j. Location of Last Permanent Residence During the time period of January 1 – December 31, 2004, of the Last Permanent Residence’s reported by Households, 33.1% was the City of Spokane, 6.1% was Spokane County and 3.5% was some location outside of the City of County limits.

Location of Last Permanent Residence

Total Homeless Households (Adults)

N = 6067


N =404


N =5663 City of Spokane 2111 33.1% 229 56.7% 1882 33.2% Spokane County 391 6.1% 69 17.1% 322 5.7% Other County in WA 115 1.8% 31 7.6% 84 1.5% Other State 107 1.7% 34 8.4% 73 1.3% Other Country 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Unknown 3343 52.3% 41 10.1% 3302 58.3%

Location of Last Permanent Residence January 1 - December 31, 2004

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

City ofSpokane

SpokaneCounty

Other Countyin WA

Other State Unknown

Total HomelessHouseholds (Adults)

Households WithChildren

Households WithoutChildren

Section 3 Discharge Information Pertaining To Homeless Households That Were Discharged From Services in 2004.


Upon discharge from a homeless service provider, Discharge forms are completed and entered into the City of Spokane’s Homeless Management Information System. The following tables and graphs are based on the information gathered from the completed Discharge forms. a. Destination of those Homeless Households Discharged During 2004

Nine Hundred and Seventy-Eight homeless individuals were discharged from services during the year 2004. The following table and chart presents the destination of these households upon discharge.

N = 978 # of HH's Discharged % of HH's Discharged Unknown 454 45.4% Unsubsidized Rental Housing 137 14% Other Subsidized Housing 64 6.5% Moved in w/Family-Friend (Temp) 70 7.2% Moved in w/Family-Friend (Perm) 57 5.8% Transitional Housing 84 8.6% Section 8 47 4.8% Emergency Shelter 18 1.8% Other Supportive Housing 17 1.7% Inpat Al/Dr Tx Facility 4 0.41% Streets, Car, Camping 3 0.31% Homeownership 5 0.51% Psychiatric Housing 1 0.1% Jail/Prison 7 0.72% Public Housing 10 1.0%

Destination of Homeless Households Discharged in the Year 2004

45.40%14%

6.50%7.20%

5.80%8.60%

4.80%1.80%1.70%

0.41%0.31%0.51%

0.10%0.72%1.00%

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

Unknown

Other Subsidized Housing

Moved in w/Family-Friend (Perm)

Section 8

Other Supportive Housing

Streets, Car, Camping

Psychiatric Housing

Public Housing

b. Households that Received Services after Identifying a Need Upon discharge, agency case managers report whether the homeless adult(s) identified a need for a particular

type of service. The following tables show the results on those adults who identified a need for one of the four treatments (Medical, Dental, Mental Health and Substance Abuse) sometime during their connection with the agency.


Identified a Need for Medical Services (n=287 ) # of HH's Identified % of HH's Identified Participated in treatment 235 82% Is on Waiting List 1 0.34% Did not participate in treatment 30 10.5% Unknown 21 7.3% Identified a Need for Dental Treatment (n=181) # of HH's Identified % of HH's Identified Participated in treatment 118 65.2% Is on Waiting List 1 0.55% Did not participate in treatment 43 24% Unknown 19 10.5% Identified a Need for Mental Health Tx (n=271) # of HH's Identified % of HH's Identified Participated in treatment 173 63.8% Is on Waiting List 1 0.37% Did not participate in treatment 56 21% Unknown 41 15.1% Identified Need for Substance Abuse Tx (n=174) # of HH's Identified % of HH's Identified Participated in treatment 107 61.5% Is on Waiting List 5 2.9% Did not participate in treatment 57 32.7% Unknown 5 2.9%

Identified a Need for Job Training/Search (n=228) # of HH's Identified % of HH's Identified Participated Job Training or Job Search 137 60.1%

c. Income Source Upon Entry and At Exit from a Program

Of those households discharged from service during 2004, the following incomes were reported for those households at intake and at discharge. There was a 5 % reduction in those individuals reporting no income, a 32% increase in those employed, and a 5% increase in those receiving some type of Social Security.


# of HH's at Entry % of HH's At Entry # of HH's at Exit % of HH's At ExitNo Income 267 27.3% 118 12.1% TANF/AFDC 181 18.5% 172 17.6% SSI, SSD, SSA 112 11.5% 118 12.1% GAU/GAX 45 4.6% 36 3.7% Part-Time Work 48 4.9% 70 7.2% Full-Time Work 42 4.3% 62 6.3% Child Support 48 4.9% 33 3.3% Unemployment 17 1.7% 11 1.1% ADASTA 21 2.1% 12 1.2% Veterans Benefits 5 0.5% 5 0.5% Unknown 240 24.5% 368 37.6%


Section 4

Information on Chronic Homeless Seeking or Receiving Services within the City of Spokane HUD’s definition of Chronic Homelessness is defined as “An unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either: Been continuously homeless for a year or more or has had at least 4 episodes of homelessness in the past 3 years. Using this definition there were 528 chronic homeless individuals seeking or receiving help from one of the City of Spokane’s homeless providers. The following tables and graphs reflect the demographics and outcome data of the City of Spokane’s chronic homeless.

a. Gender Gender (n=528) # of Chronic Homeless % of Chronic Homeless Males 381 72.2% Females 147 27.8%

b. Breakdown of Disabilities within Chronic Homeless Individuals Disabilities of Chronic Homeless (n=528) # of Chronic Homeless % of Chronic Homeless Mental Ill./Drug/Alcohol Abuse 402 76.1% Mental Illness 87 16.5% Alcohol/Drug Abuse 31 5.8% Physically Disabled 115 21.7%

76.10%

16.50%

5.80%

21.70%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

MentalIllness/Alcohol/Drug

Mental Illness

Alcohol/Drug Abuse

Physically Disabled

Disabilities of Chronic Homeless Individuals January 1 - December 31, 2004

c. Highest Level of Services Received within Chronic Homeless Population Highest Level of Services Received (n=528) # Chronic % Chronic Outreach Only 370 70.1% Shelter/Case Management 101 19.1% Transitional Housing/Case Management 45 8.5% Permanent Housing with Support 12 2.3%


d. Income and Benefits Sources within Chronic Homeless Population Income Source Chronic (528) % Chronic Homeless

No Income/Not Reported 459 86.9%

GAU/GAX 26 4.9%

SSI/SSD 32 6.1%

Employment 3 0.6%

Unemployment 2 0.4%

Veteran’s Benefits 1 0.2%

e. Income/Benefit Levels within Chronic Homeless Population

Income Chronic (528) % Chronic Homeless

$0 457 86.6%

$1-150 9 1.7%

$151-500 33 6.3%

$501-1000 29 5.5%

$1001-1500 0 0.0%

$1501-2000 0 0.0%

$200+ 0 0.0%

f. Reasons for Homelessness Some individuals may have reported having more than one Reason.

Reasons for Homelessness Chronic (528)

% Chronic Homeless

Disabilities* 189 35.8% Domestic Violence 8 1.5% Evicted 5 0.9% Lack of Affordable Housing 15 2.8% Lack of Income 28 5.3% Lost Job 11 2.1% Other** 16 3.0% Unknown 405 76.7%

* Includes: Alcohol/Drug Abuse, Mental Illness, Dual Diagnosis (Mental Illness + Alcohol/Drug Abuse, Physical Disability, Chronic Health Problem ** Includes: Family Conflict, Moved, Partner Substance Abuse, Jail


Appendix C: Definitions of Supportive Services & Housing

Supportive Services Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services are those activities that are primarily designed to prevent, deter, reduce or eliminate substance abuse or addictive behaviors. Treatment services may include intake and assessment; treatment matching and planning; behavioral therapy and counseling appropriate to the client and the severity of the problem; substance abuse toxicology and screening; clinical and case management; outcome evaluation; and self-help and peer support activities. Case Management Services are services or activities for the arrangement, coordination, monitoring and delivery of services to meet the needs of individuals and families. Examples of linkages with services a case manager might make include access mainstream resources; i.e., GAU, GAX, and SSI/SDA, etc.; mental health and substance abuse counseling; referral to housing, and services aimed to stabilize the individual in housing. Case managers may refer families to agencies providing health care, job training and other services that work to solve underlying causes of homelessness. Component services and activities may include individual service plan development; counseling; monitoring, developing, securing, and coordinating services; monitoring and evaluating client progress; and assuring that clients' rights are protected. Counseling Services (See Mental Health and Counseling Services) Child Care Services for children (including infants, pre-school children and school age children) are services or activities provided in a setting that meets applicable standards of state and local law, in a center or in a home, for a portion of a 24-hour day. Component services or activities may include a comprehensive and coordinated set of appropriate developmental activities for children, recreation, meals and snacks, transportation, health support services, social service counseling for parents, and plan development. Education and Instructional Services are those training services provided to improve knowledge, daily living skills or social skills. Services may include instruction or training in (but not limited to) such issues as consumer education, health education, education to prevent substance abuse, community protection and safety education, literacy education, English as a second language, and General Educational Development (GED). Component services or activities may include screening, assessment and testing; individual or group instruction; tutoring; provision of books, supplies and instructional material; counseling; and referral to community resources. Employment Services are those services or activities provided to assist individuals in securing employment; acquiring or learning skills that promote opportunities for employment, advancement, and increased earning potential; and in retaining a job. Component services or activities may include employment screening, assessment, or testing; structured job skills and job seeking skills; specialized therapy (occupational, speech, physical); special training and tutoring, including literacy training and pre-vocational training; provision of books, supplies and instructional material; counseling or job coaching; transportation; and referral to community resources. Health Related and Home Health Services are those in-home or out-of-home services or activities that provide direct treatments or are designed to assist individuals and families to attain and maintain a


favorable condition of health. Component services and activities may include providing an analysis or assessment of an individual's health problems and the development of a treatment plan; assisting individuals to identify and understand their health needs; providing directly or assisting individuals to locate, provide or secure, and utilize appropriate medical treatment, preventive medical care, and health maintenance services, including in-home health services and emergency medical services; provision of appropriate medication; and providing follow-up services as needed. HIV/AIDS Services include HIV/AIDS primary and secondary prevention services, HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, primary care, provision of HIV/AIDS anti-retroviral and other medications, rehabilitative, and supportive services for persons affected and infected with HIV. Housing Services are those services or activities designed to assist individuals or families in locating and obtaining suitable housing. Component services or activities may include tenant counseling; assisting individuals and families to understand leases, secure utilities, make moving arrangements; representative payee services concerning rent and utilities; and mediation services related to neighbor/landlord problems that may arise. Information and Referral Services are those services or activities designed to provide information about services provided by public and private service providers and a brief assessment of client needs (but not diagnosis and evaluation) to facilitate appropriate referral to these community resources. Legal Services are those services or activities provided by a lawyer or other person(s) under the supervision of a lawyer to assist individuals in seeking or obtaining legal help in civil matters such as housing, divorce, child support, guardianship, paternity, and legal separation. Component services or activities may include receiving and preparing cases for trial, provision of legal advice, representation at hearings, and counseling. Life Skills training provides critical life management skills that may never have been learned or have been lost during the course of mental illness, substance use and homelessness. They are targeted to assist the individual to function independently in the community. Component life skills training includes the budgeting of resources and money management, household management, conflict management, shopping for food and needed items, nutrition, the use of public transportation, and parent training. Mental Health and Counseling Services are those services and activities that apply therapeutic processes to personal, family, situational or occupational problems in order to bring about a positive resolution of the problem or improved individual or family functioning or circumstances. Problem areas may include family and marital relationships, parent-child problems, or symptom management. Component services may include crisis interventions; individual, family or group therapy sessions; the prescription of psychotropic medications or explanations about the use and management of medications; and combinations of therapeutic approaches to address multiple problems. These may include peer supports. Outreach Services include extending services or assistance in order to provide basic materials, such as meals, blankets, clothes, toiletries, food and first aid, to homeless persons; or to publicize the availability of shelters and programs to make homeless persons aware of various services and programs. As an aspect of supportive services, outreach services are intended to build trust and educate homeless individuals about the resources available to them. Prevention Services may include any service intended to keep a currently housed individual housed. Prevention services include rental and utility assistance, medical services, transportation, etc.


Transitional Living Services are those services and activities designed to help make the transition from homelessness to stable housing. Component services or activities may include supervised practice living, budgeting, one-time payments associated with establishing tenancy, food planning and preparation, and post-foster care services for homeless persons. Transportation Services are those services or activities that provide and arrange for the travel, including travel costs, of individuals in order to access treatment, medical care, services, or employment. Component services or activities may include special travel arrangements such as special modes of transportation and personnel to accompany or assist individuals or families to utilize transportation. Other Services are services that are appropriate, and do not fall within the definitions of the preceding services. If this category is used, the services should be defined.

Housing Options Street Living is defined as inhabiting cars, camping or sleeping under highway overpasses and in other public areas or in campgrounds (when the person(s) does not have any other abode). Emergency Shelters provide sleeping accommodations and other minimal facilities such as showers and lockers on a night-to-night basis. Transitional Housing is group housing or separate living units such as apartments intended for use by the person(s) for up to 24 months. Transitional housing includes appropriate supportive services. Permanent Supportive Housing is affordable rental housing along with the help (supportive services and treatment linkages) people with long-term health, mental health and other disabilities need to live on their own. Permanent supportive housing requires that we change existing service approaches to make them more responsive, accessible and respectful. Staff is trained to educate, motivate and support individuals to create a caring safe community where individuals can recover. Permanent Affordable Housing is housing without supports. It may be subsidized or not. Affordable housing for this population is generally considered in the range of $160/month.


Appendix D: Detail on Calculations for Cost Estimates Estimates used in this plane were based on 2005 cost levels.

Section 4 Notes Assumptions for the INTENSIVESUPPORTIVE SERVICE level: Intensive team*: 50% of households @ $12,000/person/year Indiv $ 6,000.00 Family $18,120.00 Medical care#: $400/person/year; $1,260/household/year Indiv $ 400.00 Family $ 1,260.00 Medication management: $240/person/year Indiv $ 240.00 Family $ 724.80 Transportation<: $396/adult/year; 274/youth/year Indiv $ 396.00 Family $ 949.48

Case management available for on-site visits. Annual salary, benefits training @ $34,500. 10 households/1FTE

Indiv/Fam $ 3,450.00 Life and employment skills training including : $3,120/household/year Indiv/Fam $ 3,120.00 Child care>: $5,640/child/year. For purposes of estimate cost for one child added to total. Family $ 5,640.00 Intensive Supportive Service Calculations:

Indiv $13,206.00

Family $33,264.28


Assumptions for the STRONG SUPPORTIVE SERVICE level Intensive team*: 10% of households @ $12,000/person/year Indiv $ 1,200.00 Family $ 3,624.00 Medical care#: $400/person/year; $1,260/household/year Indiv $ 400.00 Family $ 1,260.00 Medication management: $240/person/year Indiv $ 240.00 Family $ 724.80 Transportation<: $396/adult/year; 274/youth/year Indiv $ 396.00 Family $ 949.48

Case management available for on-site visits. Annual salary, benefits training @ $34,500. 10 households/1FTE

Indiv/Fam $ 3,450.00 Life and employment skills training including : $3,120/household/year Indiv/Fam $ 3,120.00 Child care>: $5,640/child/year. For purposes of estimate cost for one child added to total. Family $ 5,640.00 Strong Supportive Service Calculations: Indiv $ 8,806.00 Family $18,768.28


Assumptions for the MEDIUM SUPPORTIVE SERVICE level Medical care#: $400/person/year; $1,260/household/year Indiv $ 400.00 Family $ 1,260.00 Medication management: $240/person/year Indiv $ 240.00 Family $ 724.80 Mental health care and/or substance abuse treatment: $1000/person/year Indiv $ 1,000.00 Family $ 3,020.00 Transportation<: $396/adult/year; 274/youth/year Indiv $ 396.00 Family $ 949.48

Case management 1hour per week for up to one year with ongoing alumni groups as needed: $860/household

Indiv/Fam $ 863.00 Life and employment skills training including : $3,120/household/year Indiv/Fam $ 3,120.00 Child care>: $5,640/child/year. For purposes of estimate cost for one child added to total. Family $ 5,640.00 Medium Supportive Service Calculations: Indiv $ 6,019.00 Family $15,577.28


Assumptions for the MINIMUM SUPPORTIVE SERVICE level Emergent issues and crises intervention for 3 months: $180/person/year Indiv $ 180.00 Family $ 543.60 Medical care#: $400/person/year; $1,260/household/year Indiv $ 400.00 Family $ 1,260.00 Transportation<: $396/adult/year; 274/youth/year Indiv $ 396.00 Family $ 949.48

Case management 1 hour weekly for 3 months with ongoing alumni groups as needed: $215/household/year

Indiv/Fam $ 216.00 Life and employment skills training for 3 months: $780/household/year Indiv/Fam $ 780.00 Child care>: $5,640/child/year. For purposes of estimate cost for one child added to total. Family $ 5,640.00 Minimum Supportive Service Calculations: Indiv $ 1,972.00 Family $ 9,389.08


Assumptions for the PREVENTIVE SUPPORTIVE SERVICE level Calculations for prevention are based on households Households may be individual adults living alone, adults living together or adult(s) living with children Total households population living at or below 125% FPL = 34,000 Households receiving homeless services in the City of Spokane = 7000 Households receiving energy assistance from SNAP = 10,313 Remaining at-risk households = 16,687 Assume 10% of total service options are needed for prevention x remaining at-risk population

Case management 1 hour weekly for 3 months with ongoing alumni groups as needed: $780/household/year

Household± $ 216.00 Emergent issues and crises intervention for 3 months: $180/person/year Household $ 180.00 Medical care#: $400/person/year; $1,260/household/year Individual $ 400.00

Family $ 1,260.00

Mental health services/substance abuse treatment: $1000/indiv; $2,600/family

Individual $ 1,000.00

Family $ 2,600.00

Medication Management for 3 months: $60/household

Household $ 60.00 Life and employment skills training for 3 months: $780/household/year Household $ 780.00 Transportation<: $396/adult/year; 275/youth/year Household $ 396.00 Child care>: $5,640/child/year. For purposes of estimate cost for one child added to total. Individual N/A

Family $ 5,640.00

Other assistance, i.e., rental, utilities 1br 2br 3br 4 br

Individual $ 873.00 $ 612.00 $ 768.00

$ 996.00

$ 1,116.00

Family^ $ 960.00 Based on HUD Oct 2005 Utility rate Allowance for section 8 housing. Preventive Supportive Service Calculations:

% Pop in 1-Day Count Estimated Prevention Funds

Total Services Indiv

$ 3,905.00 70.10%

$ 4,567,634.98

Total Services $ 29.90% $


Fam 12,092.00 6,034,042.76

Total funds estimated as needed for prevention: $ 10,601,677.74

± Household applys to both individuals and families # No unduplicated count of people receiving charity or no-cost medical care exists for Spokane County. Facing Spokane Poverty does indicate that the nine medical centers in the region reported a total of $9,090,322 in charity care provided to individuals living at or below 200% FPL for the year 1999 (p 112). A simple division of this expense by the households at or below 200% FPL (estimated at 102,395 in 1999) results in a per household charity healthcare cost of $88.78. Given that this is wholly inadequate as an estimate, for purposes of this plan and the intent to begin estimating costs for reducing homelessness, a conservative estimate of $400/person/year will be used for single homeless. Drawing again from Facing Spokane Poverty, in which health care cost were documented at $30/month for family coverage through Washington State Basic Health with an estimated $75/month for co-pays and prescriptions. < Spokane Transit Authority (STA) > Based on an average of the current costs for infant ($607), toddler ($507), pre-school ($477) and school age ($290) child care in Spokane County as listed at: www.childcarenet.org/2004%20Center%20Rates.htm ^ Family rate for other assistance based on the medium utility costs for 2, 3 and 4 bedroom units. Sources: Unless specified otherwise, estimates are based on information provided by the RSN, Spokane County and Human Services, City of Spokane.

Section 5 Notes Action 2: RSN, Spokane County and Human Services, City of Spokane estimate. Action 8: RSN, Spokane County and Human Services, City of Spokane estimate. Action 9: Spokane Low Income Housing Consortium estimate. Action 13.a: 2004 HMIS Data—Non-chronic households without children with no income: 4715

(Appendix B, Section 2, item f) x Cost for supportive services at medium level for individuals x 50%.

Action 22: 2004 HMIS Data—Chronic households with no income: 457 (Appendix B, Section 4, item e) x Cost for supportive services at strong level for individuals.

Action 24: $20,000/month for expanding operation 5 months to a 12-month operation. Action 26: Estimate to include minimal expenses for several training sessions. Action 33. Estimate provided by Human Services, City of Spokane to include annual point-in-time

data collection plus year-round data collection. Additional City of Spokane paper and printing costs at $1000/year; half-time staff for data entry at $15,000/year at the City of Spokane; fees of $30,400/year total to be allocated for data collection among the 3 larger homeless-serving organizations; and $20,000/year total to be divided among up to 20 smaller organizations for data entry.


Action 40.b. Used cost estimate for prevention services. Action 44: Estimate provided by RSN, Spokane County.

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