vision to - otsego rapids.pdf · 2008-02-06 · grand rapids area housing continuum of care 1 in...

visionVision to

EndEndHomelessnessGrand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of CareKENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN

1Grand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of Care

In recent decades, national and local efforts to address homelessness have placed substantial

emphasis on emergency response to homelessness. This Vision to End Homelessness challenges

our community to take a fresh look at our current system of emergency services for people who

are homeless and to purposefully move to a system focused on the provision of safe, affordable

permanent housing. In essence, this is a movement from managingmanagingmanagingmanagingmanaging homelessness to endingendingendingendingending

homelessness. The body of this Vision document presents this new perspective and captures our

vision for the future. The appendices include detailed information regarding the Vision planning

process, data used to support the Vision, and a glossary of terms.

Grand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of CareGrand Rapids, Michigan

www.grahcoc.org

To obtain copies of this publication by mail please contact:

Vision to End Homelessness1215 East Fulton Street

Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503(616) 459-9468 ext 253

[email protected]

The plan is also available at www.grahcoc.org

Project StaffSr. Maureen R. Geary, [email protected]

Victoria Sluga, MSWProject [email protected]

Vision to End Homelessness2

Grand Rapids Area

Housing Continuum of Care

Dear Kent County Community Members,

End homelessness? It sounds impossible. Thousands of families and individuals experience homelessness every year in our community. On a given night

two-thirds of those who are homeless are women and children. Many individuals and families never recover from the turmoil and loss and are locked into

a cycle of chronic poverty and recurring episodes of homelessness, often crossing generations. Yet, like most seemingly intractable problems, the

devastation caused by homelessness will yield to thoughtful analysis, a carefully constructed plan and the will of our community to implement solutions in

a judicious and fair way.

For the past year, housing and service providers and other interested persons have been studying our current housing situation, learning about high

performing communities across the country and gathering input. We have consulted people who have been homeless or at risk of homelessness, as well as

other community members, as part of the Vision to End Homelessness planning process. As a result, we discovered ways to push our resources upstream

to prevent homelessness rather than wait to mitigate the effects of homelessness only after a family or individual loses housing. We identified causes of

homelessness, such as discharge from institutions directly to shelters and regulations that inhibit the most effective use of resources. We heard proposals

that would reduce the number of evictions and provide benefit to both tenants and landlords. We discovered that the end of homelessness won’t come

from a massive new program but instead from many small changes and new collaborative relationships.

What can we expect after the vision is implemented? It is too much to expect that no one will face a housing crisis again. What we can expect is that the

crisis will be resolved in most cases without resorting to the disruption of temporary displacement. Homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing will be

the rule. Needed services will be provided to prevent housing crises and avoid the need for recovery from crises.

Solving a problem as complex as homelessness requires complex and technical solutions but the over-riding idea is very simple: Affordable permanent

housing for all is an essential component for strong families and communities. Ending homelessness makes sense in every way.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, Dyer-Ives Foundation, Steelcase Foundation, and the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development in making this Vision process possible. We are also grateful to the hundreds of people who invested their

time, knowledge and ideas.


Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Summary and Overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 6

A New Vision ................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

A Snapshot of Our Current Reality .......................................................................................................................................... 9

Developing a New Picture ....................................................................................................................................................... 10> Changing our Lens: Key Systemic Vistas in the New Picture .................................................................................... 14> Changing our Lens: Key Personal Vistas in the New Picture ..................................................................................... 15

Framing the Image ................................................................................................................................................................... 16

Making the Vision Real: Where a Sharp Focus is Needed .................................................................................................. 19> Safe, Affordable Permanent Housing ......................................................................................................................... 19> Enhancement of Resources ....................................................................................................................................... 22> Funding Our New Approach ....................................................................................................................................... 25

Examining the Proofs ............................................................................................................................................................... 27> Desired Outcomes ....................................................................................................................................................... 27> Cost/Benefit Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 29

APPENDIX A: The Next Nine Years .......................................................................................................................................... 30

APPENDIX B: Overview of National and Local Data ............................................................................................................. 32

APPENDIX C: Detailed Summary of the Action Recommendations ................................................................................. 39

APPENDIX D: A Panoramic View: How We Got Here ............................................................................................................ 48

Glossary of Terms ...................................................................................................................................................................... 52

Bibliography is available online at www.grahcoc.org

Table of Contents


The Grand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of Care (HCOC)acknowledges and thanks those who provided valuableassistance to the Vision to End Homelessness. More than700 people have contributed in one or more ways. We wouldlike to specifically acknowledge all who participated in ourclient survey and focus groups, the leadership of the NationalAlliance to End Homelessness, all the 10-year plans aroundthe country who have freely shared their processes,experience and strategies, and the following:

FundersThe Grand Rapids Community FoundationThe Steelcase FoundationThe Dyer-Ives Foundation

Advisory CommitteeMembersCo-Chairs: George Heartwell

Mayor, City of Grand Rapids

David MorrenCommissioner and Board Chair (2005)

Roger MorganCommissioner and Board Chair (2006)Kent County Board of Commissioners

Roberta (Bert) Angell, Consumer Advocate, Parmalat Company

Doretha Ardoin, Realtor, Coldwell Banker/Schmidt

Rev. David Baak, Leadership Team Member, Grand Rapids Area

Center for Ecumenism (GRACE)

Carla Blinkhorn, President/CEO, YWCA

AcknowledgmentsConnie Bohatch, Director, City of Grand Rapids/Community

Development Department

Susan K. Broman, Executive Director, The Steelcase Foundation

Wayman Britt, Assistant Administrator, Kent County

LaDeidra Brown-Gais, The Human Restoration Foundation

Michael Chielens, Executive Director, Legal Aid of

Western Michigan

Shellie Cole-Mickens, Director, The Open Door at Degage

Laurie Craft, Program Director, Grand Rapids Community

Foundation

Rev. Chico Daniels, Executive Director, Guiding Light Mission

Chief Harry P. Dolan, Grand Rapids Police Department

Pam Doty-Nation, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of

Kent County

Beverly Drake, Executive Director, ACSET

Jeanne Englehart, President, Grand Rapids Area Chamber

of Commerce

Robert Haight, President, Heart of West Michigan United Way

The Hon. Janet Haynes, Chief Judge, Kent County Probate Court

Pastor Kenneth W. Hoskins, Vice President, Grand Rapids Public

Schools Board of Education

Nan Hunt, Clinical Manager, Care Management Department,

Spectrum Health

Paul Ippel, Executive Director, network180

Win Irwin, CEO, Irwin Seating

Ron Koehler, Assistant Superintendent, Kent Intermediate

School District

Erin Knott, Program Officer, Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Lee Nelson Weber, Neighborhood Initiative Director,

Dyer-Ives Foundation

Clay Powell, Director, Rental Property Owners Association of

Kent County

Carlos Sanchez, Executive Director, Grand Rapids Housing

Commission


David Schroeder, Basic Needs Consultant, Heart of West

Michigan United Way

Lori Stanton, Crime Prevention Specialist, Southwest Area

Neighbors (SWAN)

Sheriff Lawrence A. Stelma, Kent County Sheriff’s Department

Dennis Sturtevant, Executive Director, Dwelling Place of

Grand Rapids, Inc.

Christina Tilney, Core Services Team Leader, Disability

Advocates of Kent County

Alex Thomas, Jr., Minority/Women’s Business Enterprise Developer,

City of Grand Rapids Equal Opportunity Department

Betty Zylstra, Director, The Salvation Army Booth Family Services

Andrew L. Zylstra, Director, Kent County Department of

Human Services

TechnicalWork GroupJohn Gussenbauer, Grand Rapids Urban League

Richa, Hard Times Cafe; Community Advocate

David Schroeder, Heart of West Michigan United Way

Jim Winslow, Kent County Community Development Department

Betty Zylstra, The Salvation Army Booth Family Services

Project TeamCo-FacilitatorsCarla Blinkhorn, YWCA

Delta Chipman, Michigan Department of Corrections

Dotti Clune, Consultant to The Prostitution Round Table

Susan Conrad, Arbor Circle, The Bridge

Laurie Craft, Grand Rapids Community Foundation

Jarrett DeWyse, OP, Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, Inc.

Brian Gripentrog, Health Care for Homeless Veterans

John Gussenbauer, Grand Rapids Urban League

Jeannie Hosey, Consultant to The Prostitution Round Table

Nan Hunt, Care Management Department, Spectrum Health

Jason Paulateer, National City

Clay Powell, Rental Property Owners Association of Kent County

Henry Roukema, Kent County Department of Human Services

Don Seman, Kent County Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Relief

Victoria Sluga, Grand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of Care

Holly Sturges, Grand Rapids Housing Commission

Sandy Ward, Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan

Mark Witte, network180

Project Staffand SupportVictoria Sluga, Project Manager, Grand Rapids Area Housing

Continuum of Care

Sr. Maureen R. Geary, OP, Coordinator, Grand Rapids Area

Housing Continuum of Care

Tessa Kwant, Student Intern, Grand Rapids Area Housing

Continuum of Care

Judith Larsen, Consultant, Larsen Development Company

Dr. Lawrence J. Baer, Ph.D., Data Consultant

Carleen M. Crawford, Communications/Marketing Consultant,

Crawford Communications

Rivertown Media & Communications (Design & Layout)

Additional RecognitionU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Michigan State Housing Development Authority

HCOC Executive Committee

HCOC Membership

Dan Wiljanen, Principal, Vanguard Consulting, LLC

The First Place Building and GRACE

The Salvation Army-West Michigan and Northern Indiana

Divisional Headquarters


Summary and OverviewAs we articulate our community’s Vision to end homelessness, our hearts are wrenched with the awareness of the homelessnessand other terrible harm that has transpired in the southern United States as a result of Hurricane Katrina. In a sudden and dramaticway our awareness of homelessness has been increased. But note well: every day hundreds, if not thousands, of our local neighborsin Kent County deal with the tragedy and crisis of homelessness, homelessness not caused by a hurricane yet also disruptive andtraumatic and equally deserving of remediation. We have a crisis of homelessness in our midst, and it demands our urgent attention.

The Vision to End Homelessness is our community’s response to homelessness. The Vision will be brought to fulfillmentthrough an implementation plan to end homelessness in Kent County by the end of 2014.

Our Vision assumes:Homelessness is unacceptableHomelessness is unacceptableHomelessness is unacceptableHomelessness is unacceptableHomelessness is unacceptable in our community.Our community has the will to end homelessness.will to end homelessness.will to end homelessness.will to end homelessness.will to end homelessness.Ending homelessness requires that we identify and provide MORE afMORE afMORE afMORE afMORE afforforforforfordable units of perdable units of perdable units of perdable units of perdable units of permanent housingmanent housingmanent housingmanent housingmanent housing, in anarray of configurations: with supports as needed; tailored to meet the needs of the individual or family beingserved; with housing stability as the desired outcome; and in a fiscally responsible way.HousingHousingHousingHousingHousing is the solution to homelessness; is the solution to homelessness; is the solution to homelessness; is the solution to homelessness; is the solution to homelessness; yet this is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Some people will need housing withextensive supports if they are to succeed. Others will succeed with no or few extra supports. We will offer a spectrum ofhousing options, providing what is needed for housing stability, but not mandating more than what is needed. We willseek out the best alternatives to resolve each housing crisis that has led or could lead to homelessness. We will focus onthe provision of safe, affordable permanent housing for people who are homeless or in a housing crisis.

Among our key areas of focus will be:Prevention of homelessness, with more resources directed to this strategy.A dramatic decrease in emergency shelter need, use, and bed capacity.Increased coordination of systems and services (our system will address housing issues, and homelessness is amultifaceted problem that will be overcome by the collaboration of many systems).The expansion of the role of Housing First as a local strategy for permanent housing.Vision implementation, local education and planning efforts around housing will be coordinated by the Grand RapidsArea Housing Continuum of Care (HCOC).

Vision to End Homelessness


Close the Front DoorInto HomelessnessOUR EFFORTS AND PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESSWILL PROCEED FROM OUR CONVICTION THAT CRISES MUSTBE ADDRESSED BEFORE HOMELESSNESS OCCURS

RESOURCES AND SERVICES WILL BE RE-DIRECTEDUPSTREAM – TO PREVENTION ACTIVITIES - BEFORE ANEPISODE OF HOMELESSNESS OCCURS

OUR “CENTRAL INTAKE SYSTEM” WILL BE BROADENED INSCOPE OF POPULATION SERVED AND WILL BE ENHANCEDTO INCLUDE SERVICES FOR PREVENTION OF HOMELESSNESSOR IMMEDIATE PLACEMENT IN PERMANENT HOUSING WHENHOMELESSNESS OCCURS

SYSTEM COORDINATION WILL INCLUDE HOUSING SPECIALISTSERVICES FOR ALL INSTITUTIONAL RELEASES

Open the Back DoorOut of HomelessnessEMERGENCY SHELTER USE WILL BE DRAMATICALLYDECREASED AND, WHERE ESSENTIAL TO REDUCE HARM,WILL BE RE-STRUCTURED TO INTERIM HOUSING TO INCREASETHE LIKELIHOOD OF PERMANENT HOUSING SUCCESS

OUR PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSING FIRST - RAPID PLACEMENTIN OR SUCCESSFUL RETENTION OF PERMANENT HOUSINGUPON THE OCCURRENCE OF A HOUSING CRISIS - WILLPERMEATE OUR APPROACH TO THE RESOLUTION OFHOUSING CRISES

THE BACK DOOR WILL OPEN TO AN ARRAY OF SAFE,AFFORDABLE, PERMANENT HOUSING OPTIONS SUFFICIENTIN QUANTITY AND QUALITY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLEIN OUR COMMUNITY AND ALLOW THEM TO REMAINSUCCESSFULLY HOUSED; LINKS TO SUPPORTIVE SERVICESWILL BE MADE AVAILABLE WHERE AND AS NEEDED

Build the Infrastructureto End HomelessnessTHE GRAND RAPIDS AREA HOUSING CONTINUUM OF CARE(HCOC) WILL COORDINATE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VISION

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FUNDERS WILL BASE FINANCIALSUPPORT FOR PROGRAMS ON CONGRUENCE WITH THE VISION

THE HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (HMIS)WILL BE USED TO INFORM COMMUNITY PLANNING EFFORTSAROUND THE PROVISION OF HOUSING

RESOURCES WILL BE DIRECTED TO INSURE A CONTINUUMOF PERMANENT HOUSING OPTIONS TO MEET THE NEEDS OFPEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY; FUNDING DECISIONS WILL BEINFORMED BY A BROAD COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS

THROUGH ADVOCACY, EDUCATION AND INNOVATION, OURCOMMUNITY’S WILL TO END HOMELESSNESS WILL BESTRENGTHENED AND DIRECTED TO PERMANENT SOLUTIONS


A New VisionAs work on our vision to end homelessness in Kent Countycommenced, the Grand Rapids Area Housing Continuumof Care (HCOC) determined to study our local reality andnational best practices, consult with people who have

experienced homelessness, and adopt a visionthat would lead us to end homelessnessby changing assumptions, servicesystems, and funding streams.1 As thevision process has progressed, it hasbecome clear that we cannot endhomelessness unless we transform theway we view homelessness and itscauses and solutions. Change will includethe refocusing of our HCOC, with the

goal of ending homelessness as our primary work.Current structures, programs and facilities that donot serve the goal of ending homelessness will be

replaced with otherapproaches that doserve this goal.

We know that without awithout awithout awithout awithout av is ion the peoplev is ion the peoplev is ion the peoplev is ion the peoplev is ion the peopleperishperishperishperishperish. We reject thes low process ofperishing throughdiminished opportunityand despair that derivesfrom insecure shelterarrangements and a lackof permanent housing.It is not enough to tweakthe “homeless system”

we currently operate, regardless of how well it hasperformed by some measures. We choose a new wayforward: a vision that encompasses a change in attitude,a change in assumptions, a change in vocabulary, a changeof heart, a change in service delivery and a change insystems. This vision includes far less need to remediatehomelessness and far more prevention of homelessness.It will require a redirection of financial and serviceresources (1) to situations of instability in order to maintaincurrent permanent housing and prevent its loss and (2)to situations of actual homelessness to obtain safe,affordable permanent housing with minimal disruptionto the lives of those who are in crisis. We put forth hereour commitment to this vision to end homelessness.

The chronic homelessness of individuals, episodichomelessness of families with challenging circumstances,and homelessness due simply to the unaffordability ofhousing may call for somewhat different solutions. ButButButButButfundamentallyfundamentallyfundamentallyfundamentallyfundamentally, each calls for housing!, each calls for housing!, each calls for housing!, each calls for housing!, each calls for housing! Our vision ofending homelessness proceeds from our belief that safe,safe,safe,safe,safe,afafafafafforforforforfordable perdable perdable perdable perdable permanent housing is a basic human rightmanent housing is a basic human rightmanent housing is a basic human rightmanent housing is a basic human rightmanent housing is a basic human right.Some people may need supportive services to Some people may need supportive services to Some people may need supportive services to Some people may need supportive services to Some people may need supportive services to maintainmaintainmaintainmaintainmaintainhousing, but “housing rhousing, but “housing rhousing, but “housing rhousing, but “housing rhousing, but “housing readiness” will eadiness” will eadiness” will eadiness” will eadiness” will notnotnotnotnot be a bar be a bar be a bar be a bar be a barrierrierrierrierrierto to to to to obta in ingobta in ingobta in ingobta in ingobta in ing hous ing. W housing. W housing. W housing. W housing. We assert that e assert that e assert that e assert that e assert that endingendingendingendingendinghomelessness is about housing people.homelessness is about housing people.homelessness is about housing people.homelessness is about housing people.homelessness is about housing people.

“We need affordable,decent housing andlower rent that doesn’tmake you choosebetween paying utilitiesor rent or food.”- A Parent

1 See Appendix D, “A Panoramic View: How We Got Here,” for a description of the Vision to End Homelessness planning process.


A Snapshot of OurCurrent RealityRegular point-in-time counts of our temporary housingfacilities tell us that on a given night in Kent County, 700 -800 of our neighbors will sleep in emergency shelters ortransitional housing facilities. Since both of thesearrangements provide temporary shelter, but not a home,these neighbors of ours, while sheltered, are homeless.Many more of our neighbors will sleep in cars, underbridges or in doorways and undeveloped park-like settingsthroughout the County. We have no adequate count ofthese unsheltered homeless neighbors; depending on thetime of year, estimates range from a few score to a fewhundred people. Perhaps 10-15% of the homelessindividuals in our community experience chronichomelessness. This is only a snapshot of the reality todayin Kent County; over the course of a twelve-month periodthousands of children, women, and men will experiencehomelessness in temporary shelters or in places not meantfor human habitation. Thousands more individuals andfamilies are precariously housed and on the brink ofhomelessness, living doubled and tripled up in units meantfor one individual or one family. Still thousands morepeople endure substandard housing (as evidenced byinfestations, broken plumbing, exposed wires and otherhealth hazards) as their only option to avert homelessness.

Homelessness as we know it today is a relatively recentproblem. In the 1980s, drastic cuts in federal housingsubsidy funds, along with continued deinstitutionalizationof people who were diagnosed as mentally ill ordevelopmental ly d isabled, caused widespreadhomelessness. Other factors, too, spurred the growth ofhomelessness over the last three decades, including:

The scarThe scarThe scarThe scarThe scarcity of housingcity of housingcity of housingcity of housingcity of housing that isthat isthat isthat isthat is afafafafafforforforforfordable dable dable dable dable bypeople with low incomesInsufInsufInsufInsufInsufficient household incomeficient household incomeficient household incomeficient household incomeficient household income that has not keptpace with rising costsThe lack of afThe lack of afThe lack of afThe lack of afThe lack of afforforforforfordable supportive services dable supportive services dable supportive services dable supportive services dable supportive services thataid family and personal stability; these includehealth insurance, public transportation, childcare,case management and other servicesChanging social cirChanging social cirChanging social cirChanging social cirChanging social circumstancescumstancescumstancescumstancescumstances that have madeat-risk families and individuals even morevulnerable; these include high rates of incarcerationand substance addiction and more people withinadequate family support resources

Thirty years ago, indigent single men made up the vastmajority of people who were homeless. TTTTTodayodayodayodayoday, in our, in our, in our, in our, in ourCountyCountyCountyCountyCounty, women and childr, women and childr, women and childr, women and childr, women and children comprise 65% of thoseen comprise 65% of thoseen comprise 65% of thoseen comprise 65% of thoseen comprise 65% of thosewho arwho arwho arwho arwho are sheltere sheltere sheltere sheltere sheltered and homelessed and homelessed and homelessed and homelessed and homeless. Children are the singlelargest group of people who are homeless (36%). Andnearly 30% of all homeless adults work in paidemployment.

Our Grand Rapids Area HousingContinuum of Care has anetwork of outstanding not-for-profit and public agencies thatprovide high quality shelters andwel l run programs. Localgovernments and faith-basedcommunities are fully involved. We are successful fund-raisers, and we are blessed with access to many resources.WWWWWe have a vast system of homeless services, but thee have a vast system of homeless services, but thee have a vast system of homeless services, but thee have a vast system of homeless services, but thee have a vast system of homeless services, but theprprprprproblem of homelessness hasn’oblem of homelessness hasn’oblem of homelessness hasn’oblem of homelessness hasn’oblem of homelessness hasn’t gone awayt gone awayt gone awayt gone awayt gone away..... As onefamily or individual is helped to pay a utility bill, catch upon past-due rent, or secure permanent housing, anotherindividual or family in need falls into temporary shelter or

“I became homeless becauseof a job loss and a rapiddecrease in my income.”- A Military Veteran


onto the streets. And sometimes those who have escapedone crisis return to the system, homeless again.

Absent a new vision, we know that tomorrow’s snapshotwill look much the same as today’s, as the lack of affordablehousing, unemployment or underemployment withinadequate wages, persistent poverty and lack of accessto financial resources, inadequate access to support for

overcoming or coping withsubstance addictions andmental illness, and domesticviolence will continue todisplace our neighbors fromtheir homes and onto thestreets or into shelters.Absent a new vision, all ofAbsent a new vision, all ofAbsent a new vision, all ofAbsent a new vision, all ofAbsent a new vision, all ofthis will happen despite ourthis will happen despite ourthis will happen despite ourthis will happen despite ourthis will happen despite ourhighly developed, multi-highly developed, multi-highly developed, multi-highly developed, multi-highly developed, multi-mi l l ion dol lar homelessmi l l ion dol lar homelessmi l l ion dol lar homelessmi l l ion dol lar homelessmi l l ion dol lar homelessservices system.services system.services system.services system.services system.

This is unacceptable. WThis is unacceptable. WThis is unacceptable. WThis is unacceptable. WThis is unacceptable. We are are are are areeeeecommitted to a new visioncommitted to a new visioncommitted to a new visioncommitted to a new visioncommitted to a new visionthat puts an end tothat puts an end tothat puts an end tothat puts an end tothat puts an end tohomelessness.homelessness.homelessness.homelessness.homelessness.

Developing aNew PictureOur current system, with its variety of emergency (370beds) and transitional (521 beds) temporary housingoptions, has allowed us to manage homelessness, but notto end homelessness. With the comforting belief thatmost people would at least be sheltered, our systemevolved over time to focus more on the remediation ofhomelessness, including provision of services to help easepeople back into permanent housing. But endinghomelessness requires residency in safe, affordablepermanent housing; this must become our primary focus,with services and supports directed to this goal.

In this VIn this VIn this VIn this VIn this Vision, we commit to an incrision, we commit to an incrision, we commit to an incrision, we commit to an incrision, we commit to an increase in perease in perease in perease in perease in permanentmanentmanentmanentmanenthousing placements and rhousing placements and rhousing placements and rhousing placements and rhousing placements and retention.etention.etention.etention.etention. Our new picture willinclude a major emphasis on prevention (whatever it takesto help people retain existing housing which is safe andaffordable, such as financial assistance with periodic rent,mortgage or utility arrearages; temporary partial rent ormortgage subsidies where decreases in income or increasesin housing costs increase the threat of eviction; or othertemporary assistance that bridges the housing affordabilitygap and prevents homelessness). Our new picture will alsoemphasize rapid rrapid rrapid rrapid rrapid re-housinge-housinge-housinge-housinge-housing and housing f irsthousing f irsthousing f irsthousing f irsthousing f irst,philosophies that acknowledge that successful permanenthousing placements will be more likely when people canresolve substantial financial, mental, physical or relationalcrises from a position of stability in permanent housing.

Developing this new picture will take time. We arecommitted to a period of implementation to make thisvision real, with the end of 2014 as our target date.


Our approach will change so that weprevent homelessness – CLOSE THE FRONTDOOR INTO HOMELESSNESS:Resources and services will be re-directed upstream – toprevention resources - before an episode of homelessnessoccurs; for example

Development and use of coordinated applicationform for benefits requested through various publicassistance programs to speed up access to incomeFunding of a housing assistance revolving poolor endowment to resolve minor rent, mortgageor uti l ity delinquencies before evictionproceedings beginLandlord/tenant education sessions to divert fromthe eviction process many disputes that mightotherwise lead to homelessness

Our central intake system will be broadened in scope ofpopulation served and enhanced to include services forprevention of homelessness and placement in permanenthousing; for example

“Central intake” may evolve to “central service” or“central resolution” systemThis new system will serve single men, in additionto the families and single women who are currentlyserved by our central intake systemHouseholds in a housing crisis will be assisted withresources directed to prevent homelessnessbefore it occurs

System coordination will include housing specialist servicesfor all institutional releases; for example

Prison/jail, foster care and mental and physicalhealth institutions will provide or link to the servicesof a housing specialist prior to institutional release

Our approach will change so that wequickly end homelessness when it doeshappen – OPEN THE BACK DOOR OUT OFHOMELESSNESS:Emergency shelter use will be dramatically decreased; wherenecessary to address emergencies we will provide briefinterim housing with a goal of rapid placement and longterm success in permanent housing; for example

Our short-term crisis shelter option will be interimhousing for 1-90 days, ending as soon as safe,permanent affordable housing is locatedInterim housing will focus on placement inpermanent housing as rapidly as possible; supportiveservices will be wrapped around as needed toprovide assistance while in permanent housing

Our philosophy of housing first - that is, rapid placement inpermanent housing upon the occurrence of a crisis - willpermeate the central intake/resolution system and HCOCapproach to resolution of housing crises; for example

Homelessness will be understood as a housingissue, first and foremost, and resources will bedirected to housingWhere an episode of homelessness cannot beavoided, the central system will facilitate movementto permanent housing as quickly as possible, withminimal time spent in an interim placementPrevious “housing readiness” screens that may havekept people in temporary housing longer thannecessary will be replaced with the immediateprovision of an appropriate permanent housingplacement from which any needed supportiveservices can be accessed


The back door will open to an array of affordable housingsufficient in quantity and quality to meet the needs ofpeople in our County (plus mainstream service options,if needed); for example

Affordable ownership and rental options will beprovided in an array of configurations to meet theneeds of homeless and precariously housed peopleSupportive services will be provided as needed (atthe permanent housing location or some otherconvenient point of access)

Our approach will change to make safe,affordable permanent housing available toall people - BUILD THE INFRASTRUCTURENEEDED TO END HOMELESSNESS:The Grand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of Care (HCOC)will coordinate implementation of the Vision; for example

The HCOC subcommittee and meeting structurewill change to foster our community’s progressinto fulfillment of this VisionThe Homeless Management Information System(HMIS) will be used to inform community planningefforts around the provision of housing and endingof homelessness

Public and private funders will base financial support forprograms on congruence with the Vision; for example

Resources will be directed to a continuum ofpermanent housing options to meet the needs ofpeople in our communityFunding allocations for programs and facilities willbe informed by a broad cost/benefit analysis

Through advocacy, education and innovation, thecommunity’s will to end homelessness will bestrengthened and directed to permanent housingsolutions; for example

In emphasizing housing, we will support policiesthat foster the likelihood of long term stability insafe, affordable permanent housing

These changes, essential if we are to end homelessnessand not merely manage it, must include reform of thesystem of homeless services as we know it today. Thetransformation must also include mainstream institutionsand systems outside the homeless services arena, suchas social services, public and private housing developmentand assistance, the real estate industry (both rental andhome ownership), employment and compensationpractices, the educational system, the medical system, thecriminal justice system, community planning bodies andelected officials, and philanthropic and governmentfunding mechanisms. And in addition to transformationof what already is, we must adopt newnewnewnewnew attitudes, systems,and community processes that establish safe, affordablepermanent housing as a fundamental assumption. Wemust challenge pervasive attitudes about poverty and itscauses and effects; self sufficiency and a fair allocation ofresources; and the role of government, taxation and publicpolicy in assisting people who are in need. Endinghomelessness will engage our best energies, both publicand private resources, and our most creative thinking.


Our curOur curOur curOur curOur currrrrrent system of homeless services will beent system of homeless services will beent system of homeless services will beent system of homeless services will beent system of homeless services will betransfortransfortransfortransfortransformed into a system of housing stabilitymed into a system of housing stabilitymed into a system of housing stabilitymed into a system of housing stabilitymed into a system of housing stability..... Systemicfactors that cause and perpetuate homelessness will betransformed into systemic approaches that supportobtaining and maintaining permanent housing.Circumstantial personal factors that escalate challengingsituations into homelessness and hopelessness will betransformed through resources dedicated to bothsustaining a high quality of life and preventing crises fromleading to homelessness. Chronic homelessness,exacerbated by both systemic and personal factors, willbe eliminated through the provision of outreach, housingand supportive services as needed. Precarious housingarrangements will give way to safe, affordable permanenthousing options for all.

It is time to develop a new picture.


Vocabulary that assumes homelessnesswill always exist

Reaction and remediation onlyafter homelessness occurs

A system based on emergency shelter

Quick fixes: reliance on emergency shelterwhile resources are sought

Chronic homelessness as a common experience

Random access to permanent housing

Geographically concentrated povertyand affordable housing

Institutional release into homelessness

Funding directed to emergency fixes

Unsustainable employment compensation

Scarcity of affordable housing

Scarcity of barrier-free housing

Public benefits funded at or below the povertylevel and the level of housing sustainability

Tax and other government policies notsupportive of people with low incomes

Scarcity of supportive services

Vocabulary that assumes permanenthousing is a right for all people

Preservation/stability resources thatprevent homelessness

A system based on permanent housing

Sustainable housing placements: permanenthousing while resources are marshaled

Housing and service systems dedicated to ending repeatoccurances of homelessness

A coordinated system that streamlines accessto safe, affordable permanent housing

County-wide affordable housing and access to services

Permanent housing available to allupon release from institutions

Funding directed to preventionand permanent housing

Income and other resources adequate to meethousing costs and the costs of other basic necessities

Sufficient quality housing stock that is affordableto people of low to moderate incomes

Sufficient affordable quality housing stockthat is accessible to all people

Public benefits that are sufficient to meet housingcosts and the costs of other basic necessities

Policies that foster permanent housing, fullemployment, and livable family incomes

Sufficient accessible and affordable supportive servicesthat help maintain the health and housing stability ofindividuals and families who need them

FROM TO

Changing our Lens: Key Systemic Vistas in the New PictureSystemic factors operate from a particular paradigm that a community has accepted, whether implicitly or explicitly. Ournew Vision shifts our community FROMFROMFROMFROMFROM the conventional paradigm that addresses homelessness as an inevitable conditionto be managed TOTOTOTOTO a new paradigm in which sustainable permanent housing is recognized as a basic human right. OurVision imagines and crimagines and crimagines and crimagines and crimagines and creates a community with new eates a community with new eates a community with new eates a community with new eates a community with new systemicsystemicsystemicsystemicsystemic vistas: vistas: vistas: vistas: vistas:


Changing our Lens: Key Personal Vistas in the New PicturePersonal circumstances (e.g., lack of support for coping with mental illness, substance addiction, lack of education and/oremployment skills, lack of access to childcare, a criminal record, domestic violence, and inadequate financial resources) maydecrease the likelihood of sustainable long term residency in permanent housing. Our new Vision shifts our communityFROMFROMFROMFROMFROM the conventional paradigm that requires challenging personal circumstances to be “fixed” before a person is “housingready” TOTOTOTOTO a new paradigm in which permanent housing is provided upon the occurrence of homelessness, with assistanceavailable as needed to promote the sustainability of the new or current permanent placement. Our Vision imagines andimagines andimagines andimagines andimagines andcrcrcrcrcreates a community with new eates a community with new eates a community with new eates a community with new eates a community with new personalpersonalpersonalpersonalpersonal vistas: vistas: vistas: vistas: vistas:

FROM TOExclusion from housing due to behaviorsrelated to mental illness

Exclusion from housing due to behaviorsrelated to alcohol abuse

Substance addictions that are abarrier to housing success

Repeated housing failures leadingto chronic homelessness

Prostitution as an escape from homelessness

Lack of basic literacy

Lack of employment skills

Lack of access to childcare

Exclusion from housing due to a criminal record

Domestic violence that displaces victimsand/or reduces their housing options

Inadequate access to financialresources in time of crisis

Exclusion from housing due to anti-socialbehavior or behavior perceived as such

Sufficient affordable mental health care to supportsuccessful permanent housing placements

Low demand housing units that accept residents whosealcohol use is not a nuisance to others

Sufficient and affordable treatment or othersupport to overcome addictions and support successfulhousing outcomes

Assertive supportive services that anticipateand prevent housing failures

Sufficient affordable housing to preventexigency that can lead to prostitution orother behaviors of desperation

Access to literacy and educational programs

Access to job training and job readiness programs

Quality affordable childcare that isavailable to workers on all shifts

Affordable public and private housing availablefor which a criminal record is not a barrier

Strong public policy that supports the saferetention of current housing by victims ofdomestic violence, among other options

Centralized access to sufficient utilityor rent assistance or other short-termresources to avert eviction

Permanent housing options to respectfullyaccommodate people with behavior differences


Framing the ImageMaking the Vision real requires the utilization of existingdata and the review and analysis of new sources of data.Appendix B contains a report of the initial data gatheredin shaping this vision. The Vision calls for the gatheringand analysis of a great deal of additional data to help shapesolutions and outcome measures.

Community inputto the processprovided manysuggested actionrecommendationsthat served as thefoundation of thisvis ion to endhomelessness. Thesuggestions, manyin great detail,encompass both

systemic and incremental steps to endhomelessness, including chronic

homelessness. Appendix C contains a detailed summaryof the Goals, Objectives, Strategies and ActionRecommendations derived from our initial planningprocess. From these and other suggestions, best practicesand the work of implementation of the Vision, concreteaction steps will be developed.

Our commitments to close the front door intohomelessness, open the back door out of homelessness,and build the infrastructure needed to end homelessnessrequire focal points by which to coordinate our efforts.We have adopted five key focal pointsfive key focal pointsfive key focal pointsfive key focal pointsfive key focal points that will guide ourwork to end homelessness in Kent County by the end of2014 and make the Vision real.

A. PERMANENT HOUSINGOur new system will be built around the premise thathomelessness is by definition the lack of a home. Theoccupancy of emergency or short term housing providesshelter but does not end homelessness. Our system of“homeless services” will be dedicated to “housing provisionand/or retention.” Resources and programs will bedirected to prevention of the loss of housing, or provisionof permanent housing when it is absent. Some peoplewho are homeless may require supportive services to assistwith successful long term housing outcomes. Theprovision of these services will be accomplished from abase of permanent housing, through collaboration withother mainstream systems and personnel who are expertin dealing with other issues that may accompany the needfor housing. The resolution of homelessness requirespermanent housing, whether supportive housing orsimply safe, affordable housing. We will operate with thephilosophy of housing first; i.e., that permanent housingis the primary need and that all other issues that havecontributed to homelessness should be addressed fromthe vantage point of residency in permanent housing.

B. SERVICESFor some people who are homeless, other issues (e.g.,lack of support for coping with mental illness, activesubstance abuse, a criminal record, lack of educationincluding basic financial literacy, misplaced trust in friendsor strangers, insufficient financial resources, or poorphysical health) may affect their ability to stay housed overthe long term. The homeless services system currentlyprovides supportive services to people while they areresiding in temporary shelter. Best practices researchshows the most successful housing outcomes and bestfinancial stewardship result when appropriate supportiveservices are provided to people while they are in affordable

“There aren’t enough agencies andservices out there if you get behind.Instead of letting the debt get to thepoint where you lose your house,there should be financial help withsome of those bill situations beforeyou lose your house.”- A Neighbor


permanent housing, rather than in temporary shelter orunsheltered. Our new vision of permanent housingprovision and/or retention will strengthen links with andimprove timely access to an array of mainstream resourcesand supportive services to promote success in maintainingpermanent housing. We will focus special effort on endingchronic homelessness in our community by makingavailable permanent housing (including permanentsupportive housing and low demand housing withwraparound services as needed) and by increasing accessto employment for people who have experienced chronichomelessness.

C. AFFORDABLE HOUSINGEnding homelessness through the provision of permanenthousing demands the commitment to provide sufficientunits of safe, affordable permanent housing for those inour community who are unsheltered, temporarilysheltered, or sheltered in precarious housing situationsthat could easily end in homelessness. We must expandthe supply of safe, affordable permanent housing in ourcommunity. This commitment does not imply that we canbuild our way out of homelessness. Some newconstruction or rehabilitation of existing structures maybe needed, at least partly to offer an array of permanenthousing options (including ownership, rental, supportive,low demand and other). We recognize that affordablehousing is currently clustered in some areas of the County.We support a greater geographic dispersion of affordablehousing in our County, with access to transportation andservices. Since there is a substantial vacancy rate for rentalunits in our community, enhancement of incomes or theprovision of subsidies are two additional mechanisms toincrease the number of housing units that are affordableto people of low to moderate income. We supportmeasures that enhance income (both earned income and

public benefits) in order to make existing housingaffordable. Through these and other creative means wesupport the expansion of opportunities forboth rental and ownership housing that isaffordable and accessible to all and designedfor successful long term residency.

D. FUNDINGEnding homelessness will require financialresources. This should come as no surprise!What may be less apparent is the costliness ofour current system of managinghomelessness. A redirection of currentfunding sources will allow us to better utilizein the new system federal, state, local andprivate funds that are currently going towardthe management of homelessness. During thecourse of implementation of the Vision we willdecrease the need for emergency responseand then decrease the proportion of funding that iscurrently devoted to emergency response and increasethe proportion that is devoted to prevention andpermanent housing. Steps toward thisshift to prevention and permanenthousing activities include theimplementation of new award standardsfor Emergency Shelter Grants,Supportive Housing Program funds andother funding requests, based onconsistency with Vision goals andobjectives. Reduction of other hiddenmainstream system expenditures (e.g.,those related to recidivism of offendersand excessive use of medical emergency facilities bypeople who are homeless) will free up other public andprivate resources for possible new use in the provision of

“We need adequatesubsidized housing tostay housed. Five orsix year waiting listsare unacceptable.”– A neighbor


permanent housing. Nationally, cost/benefit analysis hasmade a strong case for these shifts; we will build our localcase in the first three years of Vision implementationthrough cost/benefit analysis as we begin to shift fundingpriorities and allocations. We will increase public and privatefunding of resources (both financial and programmatic)to prevent the loss of housing, provide an array of safe,affordable permanent housing options and enhance ourexisting endowment for prevention services.

E. LEADERSHIPThis document articulates and brings to life a vision forour community that will be made real through detailedimplementation steps by the end of 2014. Success in thisendeavor will demand leadership. The HCOC will becharged with mobilizing the great communityinvolvement that has characterized the initial stages ofthe Vision process, facilitating detailed development ofthe Vision and monitoring implementation, including themeasurement of outcomes. The HCOC structure willchange to foster our community’s progress intofulfillment of the Vision. We will obtain endorsement ofour Vision to end homelessness by local governments andother organizations throughout Kent County. We willappoint Community Champions/Key Collaborators tofurther the goals of the Vision in mainstream systems (e.g.,mental and physical health, public welfare, governmentand public funding authorities, veterans’ administration,criminal justice, the real estate industry, foundations, faithcommunity, etc.). We will forthrightly address conditionsthat exacerbate facets of our local housing crisis, includingracism, classism, the stigmatizing of mental illness,substance addictions or criminal records, and other“nimbyism” behaviors.


Making the VisionReal: Where A SharpFocus is Needed

Safe, Affordable,Permanent Housing

We have elsewhere asserted that housing permanence isthe key to ending homelessness. The alternatives topermanent housing include:

Doubling or tripling up with family or friendsLiving in emergency sheltersLiving without shelter, in places not meant forhuman habitationLiving in public institutionsLiving in shelter of such substandard condition thatit is inadequate to sustain health or other basicfunctioningInadequate nutrition and health care due todiversion of funds to cover housing costs

These costly alternatives must be avoided through theprovision of sufficient safe, affordable permanent housing.

AffordabilityFederal guidelines state that households are considered tobear a “Housing Cost Burden” if they spend more than 30%of their monthly pre-tax household income on housingexpenses. Spending 50% or more constitutes a “SevereHousing Cost Burden.” These measures can be used toprovide an index of “unaffordability.”

According to the American Community Survey (2004), inKent County 45% of renters, 25% of homeowners with

mortgages and 12% of homeowners without mortgagesspent more than 30% of their monthly income on housingexpenses. When taken as a percentage of incomes thataccrue to low income households, such burdensomehousing costs are simply unsustainable. They leave fewresources for basic expenses such as food,clothing, transportation, childcare, healthcare, and education, making many lowincome households vulnerable to the lossof housing and subsequent homelessness.For low income households whose housingcosts constitute a “housing cost burden,” acrisis such as a divorce, loss of employmentor reduction in wages, a major illness or amajor car repair could tip the scales andmean that the housing cost burden can nolonger be met.

Using the Federal standard explained above,the National Low Income Housing Coalitionreports that there is no community in thenation in which a person working full-timeat minimum wage can afford to rent a one-bedroom unit at market rate. Housingaffordability is also a problem in Kent County,where a full-time worker would have to bepaid $13.58 an hour in order to afford a two-bedroom rental unit at Fair Market Rent (asdetermined by HUD). Put another way, aperson would have to work at minimumwage for 105 hours per week in order to beable to afford such a unit (Out of Reach 2004,National Low Income Housing Coalition).According to a study conducted in 2004 byGrand Valley State University’s CommunityResearch Institute, a single person living in


the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) andearning minimum wage would need to spend 65% of hisor her monthly income to afford a median priced rentalunit. For households on public assistance, the affordabilitygap may be even wider. The result is, all too often,homelessness or inadequate and precarious housing.

We know that we have a shortage of safe, affordablepermanent housing in our community, but we are stillworking to quantify the size of the problem. More work willbe done in the initial year of Vision implementation todetermine the number and type of affordable permanenthousing units that are needed. Based on our estimate ofseveral hundred people who are homeless on any given night(in emergency shelters, transitional housing, or unsheltered),plus the estimate of more than 10,000 people on the waitinglists for Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8 vouchers), plusour awareness of the substantial number of households whoare not yet homeless but very precariously housed, the needfor safe, affordable permanent housing in our County iscertainly in the thousands of units.

The Bridgeport Child Advocacy Coalition Report (Bridgeport,CT, 2005) concludes that an affordable housing shortage isnot just an affordability issue for low and moderate incomefamilies, but also an economic issue that affects the well-being of all residents of the community: “Rehabilitating andbuilding affordable housing not only provides more housingbut provides economic stimulus for the County and itsmunicipalities. It creates more jobs and increases the taxbase.” Home Sweet Home: Why America Needs a NationalHousing Trust Fund (Center for Community Change, 2001)estimated that investing $5 billion directly into housingconstruction or rehab would result in 184,300 new jobsnationally. The study highlights 20 cities and illustrates howa national housing trust fund could both create more

affordable housing and assist people through an initial andleveraged impact on jobs and wages. More research isneeded on a local and state level to identify the impact here.

Permanent Supportive HousingPermanent Supportive Housing (PSH) provides housingwith supportive services attached for people with chronicor disabling conditions, such as mental illness, chronicsubstance abuse problems and physical disabilities. Theseservices are tailored to the individual or family needs;

some householdsrequire relatively

few supportiveservices oncethey are inhousing thatthey can affordto maintain.More intensives u p p o r t i v e

services may beneeded for people

with mental health and/or substance abuse issues,especially those who are chronically homeless. Our Countycurrently has approximately 500 PSH beds, and ourinnovative programs are showing great success in housingretention and improvement in quality of life for the peoplewho live in these units. We believe, and will document inthe initial years of implementation, that some additionalPSH units are needed in Kent County, particularly forpeople who have been chronically homeless.

Market Rate HousingEven while our County is experiencing a scarcity ofaffordable permanent housing, we have a significantvacancy rate for market rate rental units.

“Learning how to cook,clean and care for myselfis what is keeping mestaying here”- A resident of permanent supportive housing


Rental vacancy rates within the West MichiganMetropolitan Region (including Grand Rapids, Muskegonand Holland) mirror the high rental vacancy ratesthroughout the nation. The Kent County rental vacancyrate for 2004 was estimated at 11.3%. Precise figures arenot currently available, but the American CommunitySurvey reported that in 2004 Kent County had 16,949vacant units of housing; this figure includes both rentaland ownership housing, and includes all cost levels.According to the Rental Property Owners Association ofKent County, a preferred maximum rental market vacancyrate would be around 3% to 4%. It makes sense to findways to fill these vacant units with people who need safe,affordable permanent housing (e.g., through a rentalassistance pool, through increased public subsidies,through negotiated reductions in market rates whereother incentives can be offered to property owners, orthrough other creative means).

Public Housing and Public Housing SubsidiesSubsidies that make housing affordable offer one tool thatcan prevent homelessness. National studies show that 93%of people in subsidized housing units remained housedafter two years (New York/New York Study, DennisCulhane). However, in Kent County, as in most United Statescommunities, the supply of federal housing subsidies hasnot kept up with demand. Currently, Housing Choice(Section 8) Voucher Programs (Grand Rapids HousingCommission, Wyoming Housing Commission, RockfordHousing Commission, Kent County Housing Commission,and MSHDA) have waiting lists, with most of the lists closedto new applicants. There are more than 10,000 people onthese Section 8 waiting lists, with a waiting periodapproaching 4.5 years for the Grand Rapids HousingCommission list. Public housing, with rents set at ratesaffordable to persons of low income, is also a valuablehousing resource.

MSHDA’s Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) programoffered shorter term assistance (up to two years), allowinga person time to improve employment or other incomein order to eventually afford market rate housing. Theconcept behind this successful pilot program could befurther developed locally and a combination of public andprivate funding sought to underwrite it. The federal ShelterPlus Care program assists tenants with long-term rentsubsidies based on income levels. In the Shelter Plus Careprogram we have a fine model that assists with the costsof permanent housing and facilitates links to supportiveservices as needed in any particular household. Retentionrates in our Shelter Plus Care programs exceed 80%. Inaddition, where needed to fill gaps in care, a system ofcommunity supportive services must be more fullydeveloped and delivered to people in permanent housing.Supportive wraparound services can be provided to people

Rental Housing Vacancy Rates in WestMichigan Compared to National Rental

Housing Vacancy Rates(from U.S. Census Bureau)


in permanent housing who donot need the higher (and moreexpensive) level of supportsprovided by PermanentSupportive Housing.

As public money forprograms such as thesebecomes more limited, weneed to devise similarprograms (e.g., an affordable

housing endowment fund and State and nationalaffordable housing trust funds) that reduce the

housing affordability gap and allow successful retentionof permanent housing.

The Vision to End Homelessness calls fora range of permanent housing strategiesthat address the gap in affordability,including:

Allocation and prudent use of private and publicresources and strategies to make existing marketmake existing marketmake existing marketmake existing marketmake existing marketrate housing unitsrate housing unitsrate housing unitsrate housing unitsrate housing units (rental and ownership)affordable to low income people, closing the gapbetween income and cost.Ensuring equitable land use policiesequitable land use policiesequitable land use policiesequitable land use policiesequitable land use policies that supportthe development of new or rehabil itatedpermanent affordable housing throughout theCounty.Reallocating current emergency housing dollars tofund more permanent affordable housing units inKent County.Expanding perperperperpermanent supportive housingmanent supportive housingmanent supportive housingmanent supportive housingmanent supportive housingoptions for those in need of housing withsupportive services, especially people who arechronically homeless.

Providing wraparound supportive services topeople in affordable permanent housing wheresuch services will increase the recipients’ qualityof life and ability to successfully maintain theirpermanent housing.

Enhancement of ResourcesHaving assets or income that are adequate to pay forhousing costs (whether rent, mortgage, utilities ormaintenance) is directly related to the ability to successfullymaintain permanent housing. Although homelessness is,as we have asserted, a housing issue, we would be remissif we failed to acknowledge that the lack of personalresources exacerbates the inability to obtain and maintainpermanent housing. The cause of homelessness for 80%or more of those who experience it is simply theunaffordability of housing; sufficient income is thereforeone of the solutions to homelessness (National Coalitionfor the Homeless, September 2002).

Income from EmploymentIn an earlier section we referred to the inadequacy ofemployment at minimum wage in terms of makinghousing affordable. Virtually all respondents in our Visionto End Homelessness focus group sessions, even thosewith serious mental and physical health disabilities, listedjob training and employment as keys to avoidinghomelessness. The VTEH Client Survey, where the mostdifficult challenge to maintaining stable housing listed bysurvey respondents was budgeting/meeting expenses,supports this focus group feedback. Survey respondentswho were living in emergency shelter and transitionalhousing listed getting to work/transportation as theirsecond most difficult challenge. Keeping a job was thethird most difficult challenge listed by respondents.

“Job placement is so critical.I know someone who had adifficult time getting a jobbecause of the crime shecommitted; therefore, shecouldn’t keep her apartmentand had nowhere to go. Shegot in trouble.”– A neighbor


Survey respondents living in emergency shelter andtransitional housing listed employment, job training/education and budgeting skills as the services mostneeded to enable them to move to permanent housing.

Most Difficult Challenges toMaintaining Stable Housing

VTEH Client Survey 2005

Difficulty Current Housing Type

EmergencyShelter

(N = 90)

TransitionalHousing

(N = 78)Budgeting/Meeting Expenses 42% 77%

Getting to Work/Transportation 33% 44%

Keeping a Job 31% 40%Health Problems 14% 14%

Supportive Service Current Housing Type

EmergencyShelter

(N = 90)

TransitionalHousing

(N = 78)

Employment 52% 53%Job Training/Education

32% 51%

28% 54%Budgeting

Most Commonly Cited Needs to EnableSuccessful Movement to Permanent Housing

VTEH Client Survey

National data show the affordability gap is getting worse.According to the Economic Policy Institute, “employmentwages for the lowest-paid workers have gone downsubstantially in real terms since the 1980’s. The numberof jobs where wages were below what a worker wouldneed to support a family of fourabove the poverty line also grewbetween 1979 and 1999. In 1999,26.8% of the workforce earnedpoverty-level wages, an increasefrom 23.7% in 1979.” Risinghealth care costs and reductionsin government cash and foodassistance have also affected theincomes of many of the poorestworking people who are withoutadequate employment income.

Childcare is an important servicefor many working families tomaintain housing, especially forsingle parents and those at risk of homelessness. A nationalstudy by the U. S. Department of Health and HumanServices Administration for Children and Families (1999)showed that only one out of ten children who are eligiblefor childcare assistance under federal law was receivingany assistance with childcare costs.

Income from Public AssistanceFor people who are unable to work, assistance must comefrom other mainstream public systems, since thehomeless services system is not designed to offer publicincome supports. For people with severe mental andphysical disabilities, especially those living on the streets,links to public income assistance must be strengthenedand maintained.

“Provide services to getpeople set up on socialsecurity - especially whenthey are getting out of thehospital. Get them socialsecurity, disability orwelfare - at least,temporary financial help.”- A senior citizen


Income generated from public support eases the burdenof housing costs; however, public benefits are not fullybridging the gap between income and housing costs.According to one study, “In 2002, for the first time ever,the average national rent was greater than the [total]amount of income received by Americans with disabilitiesfrom the SSI program” (Priced Out in 2002, page 7). InMichigan in 2002, a person who received SSI benefits hadto spend an average of 97.9% of the SSI benefits to rent aone bedroom apartment; almost nothing was left forother basic needs, such as food, transportation, etc.

Focus groups, Project Team recommendations, and bestpractices from across the nation highlight the need toconnect individuals to public benefits, both cash and other,to which they are entitled so that they have assistance inobtaining and maintaining permanent housing. In additionto lowering the barriers to accessing these benefits, effort

must be devoted to increasing the levelof such benefits to make housingaffordable to persons on publicassistance.

Asset BuildingIncome is the key resource needed tomeet housing costs. However, a longerterm approach must also recognize thathousing stability is greatly enhancedwhen there is the opportunity toaccumulate assets. Tools such asIndividual Development Accounts (IDA’s),Community Land Trusts, and buildingequity in ownership housing offer lowincome households the opportunity toaccumulate assets to foster futurehousing stability.

The Vision to End Homelessness calls for anemphasis on income from employment andincome from public assistance adequate toobtain and maintain permanent housing:

Strengthen links to job training and employmentjob training and employmentjob training and employmentjob training and employmentjob training and employmentservicesservicesservicesservicesservices with a focus on transitional jobs programsfor those who are hard to employ.Provide childcarchildcarchildcarchildcarchildcare and transportatione and transportatione and transportatione and transportatione and transportation subsidies tohelp people stay employed.Provide a livable family income (through wages plustax and other public policy).Address systemic factors that limit opportunitiesfor employment at compensation levels that areadequate to afford housing and other basicnecessities.Expedite access to SS I and other publ icSS I and other publ icSS I and other publ icSS I and other publ icSS I and other publ icassistance benefitsassistance benefitsassistance benefitsassistance benefitsassistance benefits for people with mental andphysical disabilities, so that they can sustainpermanent housing.Increase the level of public assistance benefits sothat permanent housing is affordable, therebyhelping avoid more costly placements inemergency housing.


Funding Our New ApproachOur current system has served our community reasonablywell in the management of the problem of homelessness.It is difficult to break out of the current funding mindsetthat looks at the response to housing crises as a linearprogression from emergency to transitional to permanentsupportive housing. Substantial funding is currentlydirected to support this linear system. With our new Visionthe challenge is to imagine new and non-lockstepapproaches to meeting the housing needs of homelessand precariously housed people.

As we fully implement the Vision by the end of 2014, wewill redirect community resources from this linear schemato (1) the prevention of homelessness (where the loss ofhousing has not yet occurred) and (2) for those who havelost their permanent housing, to implementation of thehousing first philosophy, which focuses on rapid re-housing in permanent affordable housing with additionalsupportive services provided as needed. We will continueto fund permanent supportive housing to meet the levelof need, and we will provide a safety net in the form ofinterim temporary housing that is focused on rapidplacement in permanent housing with any supportsneeded for successful retention. Eligibility for fundingunder this new paradigm will require organizations todemonstrate effective collaboration with the HCOC andwith other service systems, the achievement of successfuloutcomes for program participants, cooperation withsystem-wide service protocols and staff training curricula,and participation in HMIS.

For the last several years, millions of dollars in fundinghas been made available through HUD’s SupportiveHousing Program (SHP) for supportive services, transitionalhousing and permanent supportive housing in Kent

County. Government support for prevention services andemergency shelters has been provided throughEmergency Shelter Grant (ESG) Program funds.

This funding allocation pattern reflects HUD’s pastemphasis on transitional housing and supportive services,as well as HUD’s more recent attention to permanentsupportive housing.

Other Federal, State and local sources assist in financingthe current homeless services system. The primary federalfunder for the development of new housing and housingsubsidies is the U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD), whose programs include CommunityDevelopment Block Grants, HOME funds, the SupportiveHousing Program and Emergency Shelter Grants. MSHDAis the State funding agency for affordable housing, andprovides financial and technical assistance through public

$0

$5,000,000

$10,000,000

$15,000,000

$20,000,000

Prevention Emergency ShelterTransitional Housing Perm. Supportive Supportive ServicesAdmin.

Cumulative Federal, City and StateFunding Allocations 1988-2004


- HUD Supportive Housing Program- Federal Home Loan Bank- MSHDA Low Income Housing Tax Credit- HOME Funds - Housing Trust Funds- Community Land Trusts- HOME/CDBG - Lenders- PILOT (local tax abatement)

- Housing Trust Funds- Providers of Equity- LISC’s National Equity Fund

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- HUD Supportive Housing Program- Emergency Shelter Grants- Utility Assistance- Community Mental Health- Department of Human Services- MI State Partnership – ESP- City/County General Revenue Funds- Public Housing Authorities (federally funded)

- Corporate/private contributions- Heart of West MI United Way

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and private partnerships to create and preserve decent,affordable housing for low and moderate income Michiganresidents. MSHDA provides funding and financingopportunities for developers, nonprofit organizations,landlords, homeowners and tenants. The chart on thispage indicates some of the funding resources thatcurrently exist, most of which are being utilized by HCOCmember agencies.

Suggestions from our planning process and review of bestpractices from across the nation offer new resources forgenerating funds for the realization of our Vision:

Hous ing trHous ing trHous ing trHous ing trHous ing trust fundsust fundsust fundsust fundsust funds: a resource for theproduction, preservation and rehabilitation ofrental or ownership housing for extremely low orvery low income persons or families and first-timehomebuyers; may be capitalized through a varietyof sourcesThe Corporation for Supportive Housing, which wascreated in 1991 by the Pew Charitable Trust, theRobert Wood Johnson Foundation and the FordFoundation to support the development ofsupportive housing in local communitiesCommunity Land Trusts, which sustain permanenthousing affordability by using long term renewable“ground leases”Establishment of working partnerships withbusinesses and hospitals. The Corporation forSupportive Housing recently published a reportthat highlights five ways hospitals and supportivehousing programs can collaborate to develophousing (Involving Public and Nonprofit Hospitalsin Supportive Housing [2005])

Examples of Existing Resourcesin Kent County


Our Vision to end homelessness will require additionalresources for housing retention/prevention ofhomelessness (our front-line response to a housing crisis,designed to provide financial support to resolve crisesbefore they result in the loss of housing), thedevelopment and operation of additional affordablehousing units, and subsidies to make more existinghousing units affordable. Some of these resources willcome from a reallocation of current funding and somewill require new funding sources. Resources include notonly financial support, but also services and sites for thedevelopment of more affordable permanent housing.Additional technology resources will be needed to supportstreet outreach, information sharing andcommunications, cross-program eligibility assessment andcase management. We will mobilize our resources to endhomelessness in the most cost effective ways.

Two of the greatest challenges to ending homelessnessby the end of 2014 are (1) the shift of current fundingallocations away from reaction/remediation and towardprevention and permanent housing, and (2) the creationof new sources of revenue. Further analysis is needed inKent County to quantify housing units that are neededand determine how best to reconfigure the currentsystem. Within the first two years of implementation ofthe Vision we will determine the number and types ofaffordable permanent housing units that are needed toend homelessness in ten years and determine a plan forfunding those units over a period of years.

Examining the ProofsTransformation of attitudes and systems takes time.Transformation also requires a calibrated plan that includesregular measurement and evaluation. For too long wehave focused solely on makingthe recipients of housing servicesaccountable, meticulouslymeasuring their progress towardcase managed outcomes.Housing success requirespersonal responsibility, of course.

In addition, making our Vision areality requires the accountabilityof our systems.

Desired OutcomesThe primary desired outcome, towhich we commit in this Vision, isending homelessness in KentCounty by the end of 2014. We willestablish clear baseline data so thatwe can measure progress from thispoint forward. Our development ofspecific outcomes by which we willmeasure and report progress toward this goal must awaitthe compilation of data about the type and number ofsupportive and/or affordable housing units that are neededin Kent County in the next ten years in order to endhomelessness. In addition, these specific outcomes await thecompilation of cost and resource information. Appendix Aprovides additional information about the stages of Visionimplementation. We commit to measuring and reporting onour progress toward the following broad outcomes.


Close the Front Doorinto HomelessnessClosing the front door means prevention of an episodeof homelessness through retention of existingpermanent housing. Outcomes include:

1. A dramatic decrease in the number of people inemergency shelter and transitional housing (to bereconfigured together as “interim” housing) at anygiven point-in-time and in total over a twelvemonth period; fewer people in temporary housingis one indicator of less homelessness.

2. A dramatic decrease in the number of people livingin places not meant for human habitation at any

given point-in-timeand in total over atwelve month period;fewer unshelteredpeople is one indicatorof less homelessness.3. A significantincrease in funding ofour endowment forprevention services(i.e., a resource pool toassist with temporaryrental, mortgage and/or utilities arrearagesor needed repairs toownership housing).4. A dramatic decrease

in the number of eviction cases filed in Kent County.5. Reorganization of the HCOC structure to foster our

community’s progress into fulfillment of the Vision,including work with landlords and tenants andother strategies designed to close the front doorinto homelessness.

6. The inclusion of eviction prevention informationwith all court filings related to eviction proceedings.

7. A dramatic decrease in institutional discharges totemporary housing placements.

8. An increase in employment compensation andpublic assistance benefits to a level that supportssuccessful long term residency in ownership orrental housing.

9. An increase in the number and percentage ofpeople diverted from homelessness through thecentral intake and Housing First programs, or otherprograms that evolve as first points of contact.

Open the Back DoorOut of HomelessnessOpening the back door means rapid placement inaffordable permanent housing upon the occurrence ofan incident of homelessness. Outcomes include:

1. The inclusion in the HCOC’s central intake andassessment service of single men who arehomeless, with assistance in obtaining safe,affordable permanent housing.

2. An increase in placements in affordable permanenthousing through Housing First as a first/directresponse to an incident of homelessness.

3. Cross-system collaboration that eliminatesprocessing delays and promptly provides publicassistance for which the applicant is eligible.

4. Reconfiguration of the HCOC’s spectrum ofplacement options to include only interim oraffordable permanent housing.

5. An increase in the housing retention rate after aperiod of two years among individuals and familieswho have experienced a stay in interim housing.

6. A dramatic decrease in the number of individualswho experience chronic homelessness.


7. The identification and addition of safe, affordablepermanent housing units, both with andwithout access to supportive services, and theprovision of a list of such units that is updatedat least weekly.

Build the Infrastructure toEnd HomelessnessBuilding the infrastructure means providing more unitsof affordable permanent housing along with thecommunity will and resources to end homelessness.Outcomes include:

1. Revise HCOC documents and policies to stressour commitment to provide safe, affordablepermanent housing solutions.

2. Utilize HMIS and other data sources to establishbaseline measurements of all critical data.

3. Share data generated by HMIS and other sourcesto inform and direct community planning andthe delivery of housing and supportive services.

4. Increase the supply of low demand housing.5. Establish a comprehensive housing search and

placement center and/or electronic access tosuch information.

6. Establish funding award guidelines that rewardcongruency with the Vision.

7. Increase government and private fundsdesignated for the development of affordablepermanent and permanent supportive housing.

8. Increase the number of rental and ownershipproperties that are safe and affordable to peopleat a cost not to exceed 30% of their income.

9. Increase funding that is available to subsidize rentalcosts for a variety of time periods and on a slidingscale related to enhanced income and/or assets.

10. Add new permanent supportive housing units forindividuals who have been chronically homeless andfamilies who have experienced repeated episodesof homelessness.

11. Increase the number and geographic dispersion ofaffordable housing units in Kent County to providemore options in unit size and location.

12. Engage the business community to (1) dialogueabout the relationship between employment andhousing and (2) identify ways to leverage existinghousing funds with more private funding dollars.

Cost/Benefit AnalysisIt is said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound ofcure. A vision focused on permanent housing rather thanhomelessness will be far less costly, in both financial andhuman terms, than is our current reality, because it willprevent homelessness and avoid expensive programs thatcan only remediate the effects of homelessness. Our bestestimates of current cost of occupancy in various systemsare presented in Appendix B. An essential component ofour first implementation steps will be the gathering ofdata that can be used in a cost/benefit analysis of variousresponses to homelessness. By the end of 2014 we expectto demonstrate an overall positive economic impact fromthe implementation of the Vision, and an end tohomelessness – positive for both funders and people whoexperience housing crises.


The Next Nine Years

Short-term (2006 – 2008)The HCOC Executive Committee engages HCOCmembers in re-imagining the HCOC structure andimplementing changes to foster our community’sprogress and fulfill our VisionEstablish task groups and identify specificmeasurable outcomes toward endinghomelessness, using review of Project Teamrecommendations and review of best practices asa starting point. Potential task groups mightinclude:

• Data Collection, Analysis and Evaluation• Advocacy, Education and Policy Change• Housing First and Permanent Supportive

Housing• Eviction Prevention: Landlord/Tenant

Collaboration• Discharge Planning and Housing Placement• Mainstream Services and Collaboration

(integrated services)• Funding and Resources (New and

Reallocation)• Outreach and Engagement

Gather baseline data regarding current affordablehousing stock, affordable housing needed, numberof people who are unsheltered and number ofpeople who are precariously housedEstablish “Housing Support Center” (expandedintake and placement options)

Appendix AIncrease pool of resources to provide gapfunding for people awaiting approval of publicassistance benefitsDevelop concrete action steps for short-, mid- andlong-term implementationBegin expansion of affordable permanent housing:

• Establish funding resources to createsubsidy program

• Identify existing units and potential newconstruction sites

Provide education and require all public, non-profitand faith-based health and social service providersto assess clients for risk of homelessnessBegin implementation of interim housing structureAdd housing placement options for people whoare chronically homeless and/or in need of lowdemand housing optionsComplete yearly evaluations on progress of endinghomelessness through 10-year implementationand reassess as needed; communicate to public


Mid-term (2009 - 2011)Task groups continue to meet or begin as neededand show progress toward measurable outcomesContinue to expand supply of affordablepermanent housing:

• Increase funding resources for subsidyprogram

• Target housing funds toward most pressingneeds

• Increase number of affordable housingunits

Complete transformation of HCOC structure tointerim and permanent housing

• Decrease interim housing placements tominimum needed for safety and long termsuccess of residents

• Increase direct placements into permanenthousing

Add housing placement options for people whoare chronically homeless and/or in need of lowdemand housing optionsComplete yearly evaluations on progress of endinghomelessness through 10-year implementationand reassess as needed; communicate to public

Long-term (2012 – 2014)Task groups continue to meet as neededEvaluation of cost savings and successful long termresidencies due to improvements in institutionaldischarge policies and placementsComplete yearly evaluations on progress of endinghomelessness through 10-year implementationand reassess as needed; communicate to public


Overview of Nationaland Local Data

Our Current HomelessServices SystemThe Kent County homeless services system includes threetypes of housing: short-term emergency shelter (ES),longer-term transitional housing (TH), and permanentsupportive housing for homeless persons who needhousing with supportive services (PSH). On the night ofJanuary 25, 2005, there were 1,413 beds of these typesavailable. The chart below shows the distribution of bedsover the three facility types.

Appendix BActual occupancy rates on the night of January 25, 2005were as follows:

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

213

369

Individuals Families

Emergency Shelter

Transitional Housing

Permanent SupportiveHousing

350

152172157

January 25, 2005 Inventory of Beds

Type of Facility Individual Beds Family Beds**ES 84.5%* 75.8%TH 101.3% 74.0%PSH 93.4% 100%

January 25, 2005 Occupancy Rate

* The men’s missions were full on this night, and an additional 53men slept on temporary mattresses on the floor; these are not in-cluded above in the calculation of occupancy of permanent beds

********** Occupancy of family beds rarely reaches 100% because beds areconfigured into family units and multiple families are not placed to-gether in one unit; smaller families lead to less than full occupancyof beds

An additional 35 beds (3 individual and 32 family) wereoccupied in motels on this night; depending on the timeof contact and the family configuration this option maybe necessary when placement in emergency shelters isnot possible on a given night.


Emergency ShelterEmergency shelters are specifically dedicated to theprovision of safe and decent short term/crisis housing.Emergency shelter is typically provided in a group settingfor not more than 30 days; occasionally stays up to 90days may occur. Motel or hotel rooms may also be utilizedto provide emergency shelter on a limited basis, whenemergency shelters are full. Our Housing Activity Chart(prepared annually for HUD) lists twelve emergencyshelters including: two missions that house single men(fixed capacity of 158), two emergency shelters forwomen and women with children who are victims ofdomestic abuse (capacity of 52), and seven emergencyshelters for families and/or single women (capacity of160). There is also an emergency faci l ity forunemancipated youth under the age of 18 (capacity of15). The men’s missions can offer emergency shelter toan additional 85-100 single men using mattresses on thefloor; these mattresses are not counted as part of theregular inventory of shelter beds.

Characteristics of individuals and families inemergency shelter:

Individual men living in emergency shelterreported that their major needs are job trainingand temporary and permanent work, substanceabuse counseling, and finding housing that willaccept persons with criminal records (VTEH ClientSurvey, 2005).Families made up 39% of those living in emergencyshelter (Point in Time, 2005).In 2004, 37% of those who were in emergencyshelters or transitional housing on a given nightwere children (Average of monthly point-in-timecensus, 2004).

Of families in emergency shelter who had schoolage children, 9 out of 32 parents (28%) reportedtheir children had learning or school problems(VTEH Client Survey, 2005).

Transitional HousingTransitional housing is dedicated to the provisionof safe and decent temporary housing, with theintent to engage the resident in supportiveservices that assist a return to permanent housing.Transitional housing may be provided in scatteredsite or group units for a maximum of 24 months.

There are ten transitional housing facilities in KentCounty reported on HUD’s Housing Activity Chart,including three programs operated by themissions, one program for single women, oneprogram for pregnant or parenting teens, and sixprograms for families. As of January 25, 2005,there were 369 transitional housing beds in KentCounty for families and 152 beds for individuals.

Characteristics of individuals andfamilies in transitional housing:

Families comprise 64% of those intransitional housing compared to 39% ofthose in emergency shelter and 34% ofthose in permanent supportive housing(Point in Time, 2005).Individual women living in transitionalhousing reported that their major needsare job training and placement, help payingfor housing, transportation, and help withsubstance abuse problems (VTEH ClientSurvey, 2005).


Permanent Supportive HousingPermanent supportive housing, linked with long-termsupportive services, provides permanent housingtargeted to homeless persons who have at least one ofthe following characteristics:

Considered disabled under Section 223 of the SocialSecurity Act;Determined to have a physical, mental, oremotional impairment of long-continued duration,which impedes the ability to live independently,and is of a nature that could be improved by moresuitable housing;Having a developmental disability; orHaving AIDS or conditions arising from itsetiological effects.

As of January 25, 2005, there were 350 permanentsupportive housing (PSH) beds for single individuals in KentCounty and 172 PSH beds for people in families. Theseunits include scattered site Shelter Plus Care units, singleroom only occupancy units and units in several permanentsupportive housing developments.

Characteristics of individuals and familiesin permanent supportive housing:

On a given night, individual persons comprise 66%of those in permanent supportive housing comparedto 61% of those in emergency shelter and 36% ofthose in transitional housing (Point in Time, 2005).Families comprise 34% of those in permanentsupportive housing, compared to 39% of those inemergency shelter and 64% of those in transitionalhousing (Point in Time, 2005).

People Who Use HomelessServices in Kent County:Particular Portraits

People who are Chronically HomelessHUD defines a person who is “chronically homeless” as anunaccompanied individual with a disabling condition whohas either been continuously homeless for a year or moreor has had at least four episodes of homelessness in thepast three years. The National Alliance to EndHomelessness (NAEH) reports that most people who arechronically homeless are unlikely to have employment thatprovides an income adequate to pay housing costs. Manyare reluctant or unable to use mainstream service systemsand most have chronic substance abuse and/or mentalhealth problems. The Housing First approach has beenshown to be effective as it moves chronically homelesspeople into permanent housing as quickly as possible withlinks to appropriate supportive services. Also, permanentsupportive housing is successful in preventinghomelessness for this population.

Characteristics of people whoare chronically homeless:

6% of the individual homeless population in KentCounty is chronically homeless (VTEH ClientSurvey, 2005).Mental illness was reported by 27.8% of thispopulation (VTEH Survey, 2005).42% reported substance abuse disorders.The average age is 44 years and a majority (83.3%)is male (VTEH Client Survey, 2005).


People who are Episodically HomelessPeople who are episodically homeless use the sheltersystem from time to time. According to the NAEH,episodically homeless individuals and families alternatebetween permanent housing and frequent stays atshelters. They tend to be younger, and tend to havesubstance abuse disorders. Many have frequent jail orhospital stays, which have a high public cost.

Characteristics of people whoare episodically homeless:

Nationally, this population makes up 9% of thehomeless population (NAEH, n.d.).Locally, the most common issues that hinder theirability to obtain or maintain housing are substanceabuse and fleeing domestic violence (Point inTime, 2005).

People who are Temporarily HomelessPeople who are temporarily homeless have relatively shortstays in the homeless system and return infrequently, ifat all. According to the NAEH, reasons for temporaryhomelessness include a job loss, illness or divorce. Manyhave lived in their own homes or with relatives prior toentering shelter. Prevention services can divert many inthis group from homelessness. The Housing First approachhas also been shown to be effective as it movestemporarily homeless people into permanent housing asquickly as possible.

People who are Precariously HousedPeople who are precariously housed are those who live inpermanent housing in overcrowded situations (such asthose who are doubled-up or living with friends or

relatives) or who are paying such a high percentage oftheir income for housing costs that their ability to maintainthe housing is seriously in doubt from month to month.People who are precariously housed are not consideredhomeless by HUD’s definition; however, they are at a highrisk of entering the homeless services system.

People who are Housed in SubstandardHousing or Unsafe NeighborhoodsPeople who are housed in substandard housing or unsafeneighborhoods live in places that are dilapidated, unsafe,and unsanitary. They may rent or own their home but areliving in situations that are hazardous and unhealthy andcould lead to lifelong medical concerns such as asthma orlead poisons, or to dangerous encounters with drug useor violence. This group is also at risk of homelessness.

Unique Subpopulations

People who are diagnosed or self-reportedas mentally ill or addicted to substancesAccording to the National Coalition for the Homeless(Mental Illness and Homelessness: NCH Fact Sheet #5,1999), living with an untreated mental illness can have alarge impact on daily life such as attending to personalhygiene, taking care of a home, and maintainingrelationships with family and friends. Homeless people whoare dealing with an untreated mental illness tend to stayhomeless longer and lose contact with family and friends.Due to the mental illness they experience more barriersto employment and more health related concerns, andhave more contact with the legal system as compared tothose who are homeless and not suffering from a mentalillness. In addition, the National Coalition for the Homeless


reports that those who are abusing substances whileearning a below-living wage income are more likely tobecome homeless than those who are not abusingsubstances even if earning a below-living wage. Thesituation becomes even more dire and complex when aco-occurring disorder (both mental illness and substanceabuse) is present (Addiction Disorders and Homelessness:NCH Fact Sheet #6, 1999).

People who have been dischargedfrom public institutionsIn a MSHDA Discharge Planning Survey conducted fromDecember 1-14, 2004 in Kent County, 28% of 169 adultnew entrants to the Kent County homeless system hadbeen discharged from public institutions (penal/correctional institutions, mental health institutions,residential substance abuse treatment facilities or medicalhospitals) within the previous thirty days.

Currently, there are more than 48,000 prisoners inMichigan, 16,000 of whom are eligible for parole or release(Lansing State Journal, August 2005). Based on the resultsof this survey, it is likely that many will face the risk ofhomelessness upon release.

Since only adults were surveyed in the MSHDA DischargePlanning Survey, information regarding discharge from thefoster care system was not collected. According to theDepartment of Human Services, 1,500 youth in Michiganare discharged from the foster care system per year (ofwhom 15-30 youth are discharged in Kent County). Youthexit the foster care system when they reach 20 years ofage. The Child Welfare League of America reports thatthree in ten people who are homeless have a history inthe foster care system and, within 2-4 years of exitingfoster care, 25% of former foster children had anexperience of homelessness (Torrino, 2004, p.2).

Women who are victimsof domestic violenceDomestic violence was reported as a causative factor for15% of the people in our homeless system (VTEH ClientSurvey, 2005). Fleeing domestic abuse often results in anextended shelter stay until safe relocation can occur. OneGrand Rapids shelter served about 500 women and theirchildren in 2004, and helped another 500 women findother places to stay.

Military VeteransApproximately 14% of the people in the Kent Countyhomeless system on a given night are military veteransand one-fifth of these are chronically homeless (Point inTime Survey, 2005).

72%

12%

5%7% 4%

Medical Hospital

Not dischargedfrom Institutions

Residential SubstanceAbuse Agencies

Mental HealthInstitutions

Federal, State, LocalPenal Institutions(65% of these: KC Jail)

Discharge Planning Survey, 2004


Unaccompanied YouthThe NAEH (Youth Homelessness, n.d.) estimates thatannually 500,000 to 1.3 million youth run away or arelocked out by their parent or guardian; many of theseunaccompanied youth become homeless.

Cost of Current SystemTo date we have been able to estimate the cost of variousforms of shelter using only broad assumptions. One ofthe tasks of the early years of implementation of the Visionwill be a more precise measurement of various costs. Thefollowing table is offered as an estimate for initial reviewof our current system:

transitional housing may include the delivery of manyforms of supportive services. In many cases services inPSH are offered as a wraparound and not included in thecost of the housing. Varying amounts of services areoffered in an emergency shelter setting. Once wedetermine reliable cost estimates for these various formsof housing we must compare outcomes (viz., stable long-term housing) and determine what level of service intensityin interim housing is the best indicator of successful long-term housing for each subpopulation served.

Homelessness is also costly to our community through theincreased use of hospital emergency rooms, urgentpsychiatric care centers, substance abuse treatmentfacilities, and prisons or jails. The chart below highlights howcostly these systems are. For comparative purposes thebottom of the chart shows the cost of fair market rent.

Cost - Median Program

Type

DAY MONTH YEARTransitional Housing3

(family of 3in one unit)

$63.66

$1,910

$22,920

Emergency Shelter1 (per individual in congregate setting)

$38.88

$1,166

$13,992

Mission – est.1 (per individual in congregate setting)

$35.00

$1,050 $12,600

Permanent Supportive Housing4

(per individualin apartment)

$18.77

$563 $6,756

Median Costs of CurrentHomeless Services System

1- Based on data from four basic emergency shelters in HCOC2- Estimate of HCOC mission per diem cost3- Based on data from six transitional housing programs in HCOC4- Based on data from four permanent supportive housing programs in HCOC

Average Costs of Other Systemsand Fair Market Rent

Cost - Average Other

Systems DAY MONTH YEARPsychiatricInpatient 2 $583.29 $17,499 $209,988

$398.26 $11,948 $143,376DetoxificationTreatment 4

$71.52

$2,146 $25,752

-- $835 $10,020

State Hospital 3

$167.65 $5,030 $60,360Jail 1

Fair MarketRent

-- $647 $7,764

3-Bedroom FairMarket Rent 5

2-Bedroom FairMarket Rent 5

1- Kent County Correctional Facility2-4 network180 data5- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, HUD, 2005 Fair Market Rents including utility costs in Kent County, MI

While it is valuable to analyze the relative cost of eachtype of housing, it must be acknowledged that differenttypes of housing deliver different services. The cost of


HospitalizationHospitalization includes emergency room visits, medicalhospitalization, and psychiatric inpatient care. Accordingto the NAEH, people who are homeless are more likely toaccess costly health care: “Homeless people spent anaverage of four days longer per visit than did comparablenon-homeless persons” (A Plan: Not a Dream, n.d.).

A study conducted in New York in May 2001 by Culhane,Metraux and Hadley found that providing permanenthousing led to a decrease in cost to the community (p.2):

An individual who is homeless and has a severemental illness would utilize an average of $40,449(in 1999 dollars) each year in services such ashospitalization, shelter use, and incarceration.When a person with the same needs is placedinto permanent housing, there is a reduction inservice use (hospital izat ion, shelter andincarcerations) of $16,282 per person per year.

The p rov i s ion o fpermanent housing forpeop le who a rehomeless may reducetotal costs by decreasingthe need for emergencymedical attention.

Prison and JailsPeople who are homeless spend more time in jail or prison(NAEH, n.d.) often for very minor offenses such asloitering:

A University of Texas two-year survey of homelessindividuals found an average cost of $14,480 peryear per person for stays in jail (mostly overnight).

Once discharged, releasees who are unable to securepermanent affordable housing have a higher rate ofrecidivism. At the high per diem cost of incarceration, thisleads to a considerable financial burden on society. Inaddition, people who are unsheltered or sheltered in onlytemporary and tenuous placements experience a higherrate of law enforcement detention and/or arrest, both ofwhich lead to additional costs for law enforcement andjudicial processing.


Detailed Summaryof the ActionRecommendationsThese Action Recommendations were derived from theinitial steps of our planning process. They will serve as afoundation for a detailed action plan to end homelessnessin Kent County by the end of 2014. The development ofconcrete action steps will be part of the work ofimplementation of the Vision. Ending homelessness willengage our best energies, both public and privateresources and our most creative thinking – and thedevelopment of action steps will not be without debateconcerning the most effective ways to end homelessness.

The following Action Recommendations were summarizedfrom several sources:

Project Team recommendationsFocus Group feedbackTechnical Workgroup recommendationsNational best practicesAdvisory Committee comments

A complete listing of Project Team recommendations isavailable at www.grahcoc.org.

Appendix COur Vision to EndHomelessnessGoal 1: Close the Front Door intoHomelessness through prevention efforts that

allow people to maintain permanent housing or to directlyaccess permanent housing upon discharge from other

institutional systems.

ObjectivesA. Prevent homelessnessB. Expand optionsC. Involve mainstream resources

Strategies1. Develop a housing search and placement service

that util izes centralized and coordinatedassessments in conjunction with HAP (HomelessAssistance Program) and HMIS

2. Advance Landlord/Tenant strategies to maintainhousing

3. Require effective discharge policies from jails/prisons, hospitals, foster care and mental healthfacilities

4. Connect specific populations with mainstreamprograms


Action Steps1. A: Develop a housing search andplacement service that utilizes centralizedand coordinated assessments inconjunction with HAP and HMIS

Open a one-stop housing search and placementcenter that provides up-to-date coordinated,bilingual and bicultural housing resources andservices to move people directly into permanenthousing, with support services as needed.The center should include access to masstransportation, telephones, and computers foremail and offer a welcoming atmosphere wherepeople can rest and network with other peopleseeking housing.Develop standards of operations for all housingprograms that will be listed by the center, to ensurequality and congruence with the Vision.

1. B: Advance Landlord/Tenantstrategies to maintain housing

Provide landlords with a template for a “leasesigning” meeting with tenants to assist both partiesto understand and meet lease obligations.Direct District Courts to provide information totenant-defendants when an eviction proceedingis begun. The information would identifyagencies and programs that may offer assistanceto prevent eviction.Offer information, education, and assistance tolandlords to encourage referral of tenants tosupportive services at the first indication ofproblems with paying rent.Offer education to landlords about mentoring andnegotiation when rental difficulties arise.

Educate tenants about the importance ofcommunicating with the landlord whencircumstances arise that may result in the tenant’sinability to meet a particular lease condition, suchas payment of rent or utilities.Add a negotiation process to the standard leaseagreement to remediate problems before aneviction process is commenced.Recruit and support landlords who may be willingto take less rent than listed, and/or would graduallyincrease rent, utilities, etc. as families becomemore self-sufficient.Offer tenant case management as a support tolandlords to work with tenants on issues such ashousekeeping, budgeting, and repairing credithistory and/ or outdated criminal history.Work with landlords to reduce barriers to rentingunits such as required credit score levels, rentdeposit, etc.Develop a template for various methods of rentpayment such as: collecting rent on a weeklybasis; collecting rent through withholding froman employee’s paycheck; or collecting rentthrough auto direct deposit from tenant’schecking account.Research “security deposit insurance/bonding”(e.g., SureDeposit) and assist landlords to utilize thisinsurance to significantly reduce the barrier ofupfront security deposits.Provide financial resources to help families with acash flow crisis by providing a pool for rentalassistance, assistance with a security deposit and/or first month’s rent and cost of moving; andprovide funds for emergencies (such as car repairs,medical emergencies, etc.) that precipitate rent/utility crises.


Develop a common protocol for use by housingagencies, food pantries, schools, and others toidentify risk for rent delinquency and opportunitiesfor early intervention.Develop a protocol to better utilize United Way 2-1-1 for early identification of eviction preventionopportunities.

1. C: Require effective discharge policiesfrom jails/prisons, hospitals, foster careand mental health facilities

Convene a task force to adopt a communityinstitutional release standard that includes apermanent housing placement upon discharge.Assist with the development of policies atdischarging institutions to support the communitydischarge standard.Educate all institutions about available housing andsubsidy programs and mainstream benefits andlink them to resources to assist with housingplacement.Provide reentry support for incarcerated peopleand people recently discharged from correctionalinstitutions, including discharge planning, accessto identification cards, etc.Calculate the financial and human costs of repeatedcycling between homelessness and the criminaljustice system in Kent County, and educate thecommunity about those costs.Prevent youth who are discharged from the fostercare system from entering the homeless systemby ensuring stable permanent housing placementand providing additional support for up to twoyears after exit from the foster care system.

1. D: Connect specific populationswith mainstream programs

Create a flow chart of area military veterans’services and distribute to social service agencies.Raise awareness that Health Care for HomelessVeterans should be the first point of contact forassistance for a military veteran.Add an assessmentquestion to the HMISsystem that asks: Are youa military veteran? If yousaid YES to this question -contact Health Care forHomeless Veterans forservice referral andverification.Strengthen support servicesthat enable survivors ofabuse/violence to stay in orreturn to their own homesby: 1) surveying shelterresidents regarding what itwould take for them to beable to stay in their homes;2) educating and workingwith landlords to avoidsurvivor evictions as a resultof abuser violence; 3) providing information aboutpreventive safety planning (e.g., a 2-1-1 referral toYWCA or Safe Haven Ministries); and 4) acknowledgingand providing resources for the long-term nature ofrecovery from abuse/violence issues.Develop primary prevention strategies to stopdomestic violence and sexual assault by providingeducation and programming to children andpeople of all ages.


Document the links between homelessness andvarious forms of violence and abuse and study bestpractices in responding to multiple issues andoffering service provider cross-training.Expand the use of elementary schools as sites toassist families for early intervention (e.g., replicatethe pilot DHS resource centers at Harrison Park andBurton Elementary).Allow people to access food pantries morefrequently in order to extend limited financialresources (e.g., use food money to supplementrent/utilities) and enable pantries to add thecapacity to do this.Add Veterans Administration ID as acceptable proofof identity to get a State ID card.Establish a mobile unit for medical and mentalhealth outreach.

Goal 2: Open the Back Door outof Homelessness by helping people to exit

homelessness quickly with the resources necessary tostay housed.

ObjectivesA. Rapid Re-housingB. Decreased shelter use

Strategies1. Fully implement a Housing First model for families

and individuals2. Identify Housing First models for individuals who

are chronically homeless3. Move from a shelter-based system to a system

focused on rapid (permanent) re-housing4. Expedite access to mainstream resources

Action Steps2. A: Fully implement a Housing Firstmodel for families and individuals

Develop and fund “sustainability systems” forfamilies who exit homelessness by receiving rentassistance through: 1) coordinating assistancethrough a central location; 2) providing servicesfor more than six months if needed; and 3)providing different levels of case managementdepending on family need.Do not require people to be “housing ready” beforeproviding housing.Adapt the model to include retention of currenthousing by survivors of domestic violence withprotection from trespass by abusers.Develop sufficient support such that individuals andfamilies pay no more than 30% of income towardhousing costs.Reduce barriers to permanent housing,employment, education and outreach services forundocumented persons and families.Educate about and reduce HUD, MSHDA and otherfunding restrictions on housing eligibility becauseof criminal history or association, or bad credit.

2. B: Identify Housing First models forindividuals who are chronically homeless

Adopt a Housing First approach modeled on NewYork’s (Pathways) system that includes immediateaccess to permanent housing with intensive,individualized support services provided as needed.Create and fund a position for outreach worker(s)to go to the missions and other places homelessmilitary veterans frequent.


Inventory all existing case management services forthose with physical and/or behavioral health issues.Explore the application of Mandated Outpatientcase management in Kent County (Kevin’s Law).Continue work with the Mental Health Initiative toreduce arrests and incarcerations that contributeto housing instability and homelessness.Eliminate barriers to entry into housing programs(such as credit checks, criminal history barriers,drug and alcohol use, etc.).

2. C: Move from a shelter-basedsystem to a system focused onrapid (permanent) re-housing

Report vacancies in public subsidized housingprograms to other housing providers on a weekly basis.Improve utilization of voucher waiting lists so thatvacancies can be filled more quickly.Develop a guaranteed rent payment program toopen the door to tenants with adverse credithistories.Review the State Emergency Shelter PartnershipProgram and shift focus from emergency shelterto permanent housing support.

2. D: Expedite access tomainstream resources

Expedite receipt of Department of Human Services(DHS) benefits and rapidly re-house people who arein shelter by: 1) designating a specific DHS worker(sited at DHS) to work with shelter residents; 2)reducing the waiting time to receive cash assistanceafter a family is in shelter; 3) reducing the time thata landlord must wait to find out rental subsidy; 4)increasing coordination among agencies regardingpaperwork and requirements; 5) using HMIS to

allow access to information more rapidly; and 6)providing DHS workers additional fax machinesand other needed equipment.Expedite and improve the Work First Program withbetter client assessments, living wage jobs,improved retention, and an increase in the lengthof follow-up time (recommendations fromFebruary 2005 report for the Workforce ActionNetwork). In addition, change policy to allowpeople in shelter to participate in Work First;develop appropriate referral processes andstreamline the application process for those whoare unable to work due to a disability; address theemployment needs of undocumented people;offer opportunities foreducation and training;provide childcare andtransportation, and teachfinancial literacy.Change the policies thatdelay financial assistanceuntil the very end of theeviction/foreclosure processand utilize resources toprevent the filing ofcomplaints.Extend financial resourcesby providing very earlyin te rvent ions (us ingnon-financial assistances t r a t e g i e s ) – d e v e l o pprocesses to l inkhouseholds to services,even before 7-day notice.


Utilize volunteers to provide ongoing support andcommunity to review and evaluate variousmentoring programs (GRACE, Steepletown,Criminal Justice Chaplaincy, etc.) to determine whatworks and what does not.Provide mentoring and education for low-incomepeople, including life skills and ongoing coaching.Also, investigate other models such as the“Befriender Ministry” (Catholic Diocese of Saginaw).Develop a peer advocacy program that utilizesformerly homeless persons to help others who arepresently homeless.Address the SSI application process by increasingservices to help file applications and create a loanfund to address the very long waits beforebenefits start.

Goal 3. Build theInfrastructure to EndHomelessness by expanding

the supply of safe, affordable permanenthousing and assisting people to secure

adequate income to afford housing.

ObjectivesA. Cultivate the community’s will, public

policy, and funding priorities forpermanent housing

B. Ensure a continuum of housingC. Reduce the gap between housing

costs and income

Strategies1. Allocate public and private funding to support

permanent housing2. Utilize the HCOC as a coordinating body for

guidelines, outcomes, education, etc.3. Expand the supply of safe and affordable housing4. Develop strategies and links for wage

enhancements, public benefits and tax relief

Action Steps3. A: Allocate public and private fundingto support permanent housing

Designate more funding for programs such as“Housing First,” a program for prevention ofevictions and/or a fund to provide rental assistance.Solicit more funds from the private rentalcommunity.Create a Housing Trust Fund (either through Stateor local mechanisms) initially for the developmentof housing for chronically homeless people andsubsequently for affordable housing.Add a 1/10 mil fee to property transfers to fundaffordable permanent housing.Direct HUD funds currently directed to supportiveservices back into paying for housing.Advocate State and national programs/funds thatsupport goals of permanent housing (e.g., StatePolicy Academy on Homeless Families, a State EITC,MSHDA, etc.).Develop a plan and guidelines for the localHomeless Prevention Endowment fund andintegrate it into the HCOC.Designate for permanent housing support the utilitylinkage fees that are collected from non-residentialand market-rate residential development.


3. B: Utilize the HCOC as the coordinating bodyfor guidelines, outcomes, education, etc.

Create common eligibility procedures forapplication to all locally-run publicly fundedhousing programs.Convene the community leadership needed toadvocate for the implementation of various newfunding mechanisms.Develop and implement a comprehensive educationprogram for the community (e.g. churches,landlords, etc.) about the needs of chronicallyhomeless people including the following:

• The number of people affected locally.• Characteristics of and challenges experienced

by chronically homeless people.• The impact of chronic homelessness on

broader systems such as health care,justice, social service, etc.

• The “lack of fit” between the characteristicsof the chronically homeless population andexisting housing options.

• The impact of racism.Develop community education and information/media campaigns, etc. to inform tenants what todo immediately when they encounter difficultiespaying rent.Expand education at the high school level toinclude the basics of housing (buying a home orrenting) and the rights and obligations of tenants,landlords and homeowners.Provide education to all case managers regardinghousing services.Engage the faith community in endinghomelessness.Engage regional planning bodies in addressinghousing issues.

3. C: Expand the supply of safeand affordable housing

Determine the type and quantify the number ofaffordable and/or permanent supportive housingunits needed for various subpopulations ofhomeless and precariously housed families andindividuals.Study the viability of purchasingmobile and manufactured homesfor military veterans and otherhomeless persons or families.Change zoning ordinances toallow for more than fourunrelated occupants in largerunits.End minimum lot sizerequirements to allow moreunits to be built on smaller, lessexpensive lots.Provide a congregate “safehaven” facility or low-demandhousing for homeless peoplewith behavioral/conduct and substance usecompliance issues.Increase the number of affordable housing unitswith a comprehensive array of supportive servicesavailable on site, located in both urban andsuburban environments and accessible to publictransportation.Make available more single room or single bedroomunits with private facilities (toilet, shower, cooking).Emphasize durable, physically safe buildings (e.g.flooring, wall surfaces, etc.).Ensure that housing and services are consistentwith key guiding values of safety, privacy, andpermanency.


Create a housing village for military veterans withvarious housing types and support services on site.Housing options to consider:

a. Home ownershipb. Independent housingc. Permanent supportive housing

(Genesis model)d. Single room only housing (Shepherds

of Independence model)e. Scattered site housingf. Shared housingg. Housing that is accessible to people

with disabilitiesh. Rental rooms in private homesi. Use of mobile home unitsj. Utilization of vacant buildingsk. Pathways Modell. Every congregation/synagogue/mosque

host a residencem. Denmark Model – every home has a

“Jesus Room”n. American Youth Hostel Model – may

be transient or permanento. Safe Haven Modelp. Boarding Room Model – own private

bedroom w/ shared kitchen/dining spaceq. House of Blessings Model – people who are

ready to make behavioral changesr. GEEL Belgium Foster Care Model –

homeowners take in persons who arementally ill

s. Specialized Foster Caret. Long Term Care Nursing Homes – may be

permanent or transitionalu. “Felony Friendly” Landlordsv. Co-housing

Make use and rapid expansion of the Kent CountyCommunity Land Trust a high priority.Give more resources to the Grand Rapids,Wyoming, Rockford and Kent County HousingCommissions, with a mandate to develop morelow-income housing and to provide the supportiveservices that will help residents to succeed.Relax housing code restrictions to allow for moreflexibility and to make possible less expensiveconstruction (but do not compromise basic safety).Amend the state constitution to allowdevelopment impact fees, and institute such fees.Promote local development of one or more self-help initiatives similar to Delancey Street Foundationand/or the National Empowerment Center.Create a land use ordinance for inclusionary zoningthat would require developers of multiple marketrate units to include some percentage of affordable,lower-cost units within each new development.

3. D: Develop strategies and links forwage enhancements, public benefitsand tax relief

Increase the number of employers who are willingto hire into long-term positions people witheconomic barriers: 1) Evaluate the SOURCE model(placement, retention, income change, etc.) andimplement/adapt/replicate elsewhere asappropriate; 2) find creative ways/incentives foremployers to pay a living wage; 3) increase supportssuch as transportation and childcare to enhanceemployee retention; 4) encourage employers tomitigate the impact of layoffs; and 5) review taxabatement policies to expand the eligibilityrequirements to include wage rates as well asnumber of jobs created.


Allow recipients of public benefits to keep 100%of cash assistance for a short time after beginninga job; gradually reduce public assistance over aperiod of time to enable them to gain somestability before ending assistance completely.Implement appropriate recommendations from theMLHS study Working Hard But Still Poor, including:1) regularly adjust the State Minimum Wage, perhapsindexing it to inflation and/or cost of living; 2) enacta State Earned Income Tax Credit; 3) improve accessto health care; 4) rework the UnemploymentInsurance system; 5) Index FIP grants to inflation orcost-of-living; and 6) create an HCOC Public PolicyCommittee to work on such issues.Change zoning laws to allow low-income housingwhere it presently does not exist, and/or givefinancial incentives to communities that acceptmore low-income housing.Designate a percentage of Kent County hotel/motel taxes for low-income housing.Provide financial incentives in the form of tax breaks/credits, guaranteed occupancy, etc. for landlords whomake units available to homeless people.Provide an income tax check-off for donations to alow-income housing trust fund or equivalentinstrument.Provide public and/or non-profit based rental/mortgage insurance, and lobby for subsidies for it(like federal flood insurance).Work on macro policies that impact homelessness,including the erosion of social safety nets andthe increasing income and wealth disparityamong people.Reduce housing and other subsidies to peopleabove a certain income level until housing and basicneeds are met for everyone.

Institute measures that prevent the loss of housingdue to bankruptcy and protect housing equity asan asset of people who file for bankruptcy.Increase the property tax rate on property valuedat more than the median assessed valuation butleave the rate on lowerassessed valuation levelsat the current rate.Amend tax policies toexempt from taxationincome levels below thefederal poverty line.Include in decisions thosemost affected by thedecisions that are made.Eliminate housing chargesfor people who are jailed,unless they can clearlyafford to pay the charges.Create alternative sanctionsto replace the jailing ofpeople for inability to payfines or judgments.Promote numerousinteractions betweenincarcerated persons andtheir families to easetransition back into thecommunity upon release.Determine the level off inancia l ass istance/subsidies necessary tobridge the gap betweenwhat people can pay andmarket rate rental costs.


A Panoramic View:How We Got HereThe Vision to EndHomelessness SummitThe Grand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of Care (HCOC),representing more than 70 homeless shelter and supportiveservice providers in Kent County, has long been recognized

as a proactive planning body. Ourvisioning work has its roots in thetwenty-five year history of ourHousing Continuum of Care, which isa subcommittee of the Kent CountyEmergency Needs Task Force (ENTF).

Our desire to address the problemof homelessness in our communitygained strong advocates at aDecemberDecemberDecemberDecemberDecember, 2003 V, 2003 V, 2003 V, 2003 V, 2003 Vision to Endision to Endision to Endision to Endision to EndHomelessness SummitHomelessness SummitHomelessness SummitHomelessness SummitHomelessness Summit where morethan 125 people representing abroad spectrum of our communitymade a resounding commitment toend homelessness in our County inten years. Ending chronichomelessness is included within thatcommitment. At the Summit, the

three main goals of the National Alliance to EndHomelessness were adopted to guide the planningprocess needed to end homelessness in Kent County:

Appendix D1. Close the FrClose the FrClose the FrClose the FrClose the Front Door into Homelessnessont Door into Homelessnessont Door into Homelessnessont Door into Homelessnessont Door into Homelessness through

prevention efforts that allow people to maintainpermanent housing or to directly accesspermanent housing upon discharge from otherinstitutional systems.

2. Open the Back Door out of HomelessnessOpen the Back Door out of HomelessnessOpen the Back Door out of HomelessnessOpen the Back Door out of HomelessnessOpen the Back Door out of Homelessness byhelping people to exit homelessness quickly withthe resources necessary to stay housed.

3. Build the InfrastrBuild the InfrastrBuild the InfrastrBuild the InfrastrBuild the Infrastructuructuructuructuructure to End Homelessnesse to End Homelessnesse to End Homelessnesse to End Homelessnesse to End Homelessness byexpanding the supply of affordable and safehousing and assisting people to secure adequateincome to afford housing.

Following the Summit, a Vision workgroup began the designof a local planning process (including community leadership,public input and education, data gathering, best practicesreview and the development of strategies). Substantialphilanthropic support for the planning process was receivedfrom the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, theSteelcase Foundation, and the Dyer-Ives Foundation.

Basic AssumptionsThe following basic assumptions supported thedevelopment of our Vision to end homelessness:

By cooperating, coordinating and collaborating as acommunity we can successfully identify and implementsystemic changes that replace homelessness with housing.


People who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, orotherwise most affected by homelessness are key partnersin creating, supporting and implementing our vision toend homelessness.

To effectively end homelessness it is necessary tomaximize housing options and emphasize personal choicefor housing and services.

Structural homelessness should end; support systemsshould be in place to otherwise make homelessness asrare and brief as possible, and reduce the trauma thatit causes.

A range of formal and informal support systems shouldbe available, if needed, to keep people housed and preventhomelessness. Choices of support systems are influencedby individual circumstances.

Stable housing placement plans are an essentialcomponent of discharge planning for people beingreleased from public institutions.

All views and suggestions, from diverse sources, shouldbe recorded as an element of the planning process.

Our planning process will be informed by many voices andideas, including the experience of other communities inplanning to end homelessness.

Larger forces, such as demographic patterns, the globaleconomy, war and increasing technological sophistication,bear on plans to end homelessness.

We CAN end homelessness in Kent County by the endof 2014!

Community InputSince the Summit in December, 2003 when the creationof a ten-year plan was first announced, scores of agenciesand service providers have collaborated with communityvolunteers to explore and develop solutions to meet ourlocal needs. More than 700 community membersparticipated in the planning process in one or more ofthese ways:

A. Input from Focus GroupsEleven Focus GrFocus GrFocus GrFocus GrFocus Groupsoupsoupsoupsoups met in April, 2005 to gather inputfrom subpopulations of people including people whocomprise the working poor, survivors of abuse, and peoplewho are chronically homeless. Participants were invitedto relate their experiences of homelessness and identifysystem barriers that keep people from retaining or movinginto permanent housing quickly. Input from people whohave experienced homelessness is considered critical tothe adoption of a Vision that can be successful.

B. Project TeamsEight Project Teams worked on key issues and createdaction recommendations for the Vision. Each Project Teammet six times between mid-January and early May, 2005.More than 120 people from all sectors of the communityparticipated in the work of the Project Teams. Each ProjectTeam gained an overview of current data/best practicesand discussed local current reality and needs. The focusof each team was to assess how specific circumstancesand systems impact the ability to obtain and maintainpermanent housing.

Behavioral/Physical Health Project Team addressedhospital and other health institution release, mental healthissues, substance addictions and physical health challenges.


Court/Criminal Justice Project Team addressedinstitutional release from the jail/prison system, probationand parole conditions, and court processes and sanctions(including civil eviction actions).

Youth Project Team addressed release from the fostercare system, pregnant/parenting teens, and homelessyouth.

Economically Disadvantaged Populations ProjectTeam addressed families, elderly people and migrant/undocumented populations living in poverty.

Survivors of Abuse Project Team addressed domesticabuse, prostitution, and the impact of a history ofchildhood abuse.

Military Veterans Project Team addressed various issuesthat impact military veterans.

Existing Housing Infrastructure Project Team exploredthe impact of existing housing infrastructure.

Development of New Housing InfrastructureProject Team explored the need for and impact of newhousing infrastructure.

C. Community ForumsThe draft Vision document was placed on our website inlate September, 2005 for public review. Four CommunityForums were held in October/November 2005 to receivepublic feedback on the working draft of the Vision toEnd Homelessness document. More than one hundredpeople attended these forums. Several commentsrecommended clarification and/or emphasis of keythemes, and these were used in revising the Visiondocument to its final form. Other comments moved intoimplementation issues and will be considered in our on-going work of implementation.

D. Data Gathering and AnalysisProfiles of Kent County’s homeless services system,mainstream systems and homeless population andsubpopulations were developed using informationgathered from many sources:

1. A Vision to End Homelessness client survey ofhomeless adults in emergency shelters and themissions, transitional housing, and permanentsupportive housing during April, 2005, for whichwe received 307 valid responses.

2. A point-in-time client survey administered onJanuary 25, 2005 to 1,036 individuals in 34emergency shelter, mission, transitional housingand permanent supportive housing facilities.

3. Reports from eleven Focus Groups that wereconducted in April, 2005.

4. An Institutional Discharge Survey of new adultentrants into the homeless system for a two-weekperiod in December, 2004.


5. An analysis of per-diem costs for sheltersconducted in April, 2005.

6. Monthly point-in-time counts of people inemergency shelters and transitional housing thatare conducted by the HCOC.

7. Data from our HMIS system (more data will beavailable as the system is fully implemented).

8. A study of local vacancy rates for existing rentalhousing.

9. Eviction proceeding filing statistics from localcourts.

10. Housing activity information from HCOC PlanningUpdate documents and annual point-in-time counts.

We also utilized data from the Community ResearchInstitute (CRI) at Grand Valley State University, the City ofGrand Rapids Community Development Department, andthe Grand Valley Metropolitan Council, as well as manynational research institutes and agencies.

The data on our population of homeless persons andfamilies details the characteristics of people who enteredthe homeless system at several discrete points in time.While the data is considered to be representative ofhomeless individuals and families in Kent County who haveaccessed our homeless services system, additionallongitudinal and other types of studies are needed as partof the further development of strategies and action stepsto support the Vision to End Homelessness process andaid in evaluation of its success.


AfAfAfAfAfforforforforfordable Housing:dable Housing:dable Housing:dable Housing:dable Housing: Housing and utilities that cost nomore than 30 percent of a household’s adjusted grossincome. (U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment)

Case Manager:Case Manager:Case Manager:Case Manager:Case Manager: A person who develops a working alliancewith individuals or households who are seeking servicesand engages them in identifying goals and developing aplan for attaining greater self-sufficiency through resourcecultivation, linkages with service providers, advocacy forvital services, and the provision of direct services.

ChrChrChrChrChronic Homelessness:onic Homelessness:onic Homelessness:onic Homelessness:onic Homelessness: A person who is “chronicallyhomeless” is an unaccompanied homeless individual witha disabling condition who has either been continuouslyhomeless for a year or more, or has had at least four (4)episodes of homelessness in the past three (3) years. Inorder to be considered chronically homeless, a personmust have been sleeping in a place not meant for humanhabitation (e.g., living on the streets) and/or in anemergency shelter. A disabling condition is defined as adiagnosable substance use disorder, serious mentalillness, developmental disability, or chronic physical illnessor disability including the co-occurrence of two or moreof these conditions. A disabling condition limits anindividual’s ability to work or perform one or moreactivities of daily living. (U.S. Department of Housing andUrban Development)

Community Land TCommunity Land TCommunity Land TCommunity Land TCommunity Land Trrrrrust (CLust (CLust (CLust (CLust (CLT):T):T):T):T): CLT is a community-basednon-profit organization that sustains housing affordabilityby 1) purchasing property and holding land in perpetuity

Glossary of Termsand 2) selling housing on the property to low incomepeople through a long-term renewable “ground lease” thatbalances the interests of the lessee as a homeowner withthe long-term interests of the community. The buyer ownsthe home while the community land trust continues toown the land.

Department of Human Services (DHS):Department of Human Services (DHS):Department of Human Services (DHS):Department of Human Services (DHS):Department of Human Services (DHS): The State ofMichigan Department that is principally responsible formeeting the basic financial, medical, and social needs ofpeople who are unable to provide for themselves;assisting those who are capable of becoming self-sufficient through ski l l building, opportunityenhancement, and family-focused services; andprotecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse,neglect, exploitation, and endangerment.

Disabi l i ty :Disabi l i ty :Disabi l i ty :Disabi l i ty :Disabi l i ty : A physical or mental impairment thatsubstantially limits one or more major life activities, suchas caring for oneself (speaking, walking, seeing, hearing,or learning).

EmerEmerEmerEmerEmergency Shelter (ES) :gency Shelter (ES) :gency Shelter (ES) :gency Shelter (ES) :gency Shelter (ES) : Temporary housing forindividuals or families who are homeless over one nightor several nights, typically up to a maximum of 30 days.

EmerEmerEmerEmerEmergency Needs Tgency Needs Tgency Needs Tgency Needs Tgency Needs Task Forask Forask Forask Forask Force: ce: ce: ce: ce: See Kent County ENTF.

EmerEmerEmerEmerEmergency Shelter Grants (ESG):gency Shelter Grants (ESG):gency Shelter Grants (ESG):gency Shelter Grants (ESG):gency Shelter Grants (ESG): Funds that support theoperation of emergency shelters and the provision ofsome homelessness prevention services.


Episodic Homelessness:Episodic Homelessness:Episodic Homelessness:Episodic Homelessness:Episodic Homelessness: An individual or family who isepisodically homeless is one that is homeless for a shortperiod of time, and may become homeless again. Oftenan episodic housing crisis is perpetuated by a job loss,divorce, or medical emergency.

ExtrExtrExtrExtrExtremely Low Income Households:emely Low Income Households:emely Low Income Households:emely Low Income Households:emely Low Income Households: Households withincomes no higher than 30 percent of the median incomefor the area, as determined by the U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development.

Fair Market Rent (FMR):Fair Market Rent (FMR):Fair Market Rent (FMR):Fair Market Rent (FMR):Fair Market Rent (FMR): An amount determined for anarea by the U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment that defines maximum allowable rents forHUD-funded subsidy programs. FMR includes the costof utilities.

Food Stamps:Food Stamps:Food Stamps:Food Stamps:Food Stamps: A DHS managed resource that improvesthe nutritional opportunities of low income people byproviding them with financial assistance to buy food (orseeds and plants to grow food) for home use. Aid may bein the form of coupons which are used like cash, or anelectronic benefits transfer (EBT) card that is similar to abank debit card.

Foster CarFoster CarFoster CarFoster CarFoster Care:e:e:e:e: A system that provides a home for children(0-18 years) who have been neglected and abused, as wellas for those who are awaiting adoption.

Grand Rapids ArGrand Rapids ArGrand Rapids ArGrand Rapids ArGrand Rapids Area Housing Continuum of Carea Housing Continuum of Carea Housing Continuum of Carea Housing Continuum of Carea Housing Continuum of Care (HCOC):e (HCOC):e (HCOC):e (HCOC):e (HCOC):A planning body that works to prevent and endhomelessness by coordinating our community’sresources and services for homeless and precariouslyhoused families and individuals. The HCOC serves as theShelter Subcommittee of the Kent County EmergencyNeeds Task Force.

Homeless Assistance PrHomeless Assistance PrHomeless Assistance PrHomeless Assistance PrHomeless Assistance Program (HAP):ogram (HAP):ogram (HAP):ogram (HAP):ogram (HAP): Kent County’scentral intake and assessment program for homelesswomen and families. HAP assists with placement intoemergency shelter, provides case management services,collects data relative to homelessness and maintains alist of landlords who may have apartments affordable bylow income persons, including persons on publicassistance. HAP is a program of The Salvation Army BoothFamily Services.

Homeless Family with ChildrHomeless Family with ChildrHomeless Family with ChildrHomeless Family with ChildrHomeless Family with Children:en:en:en:en: A family that includes atleast one homeless parent or guardian and one child underthe age of 18, a homeless pregnant woman, or a homelessperson in the process of securing legal custody of a personunder the age of 18.

Homeless Person:Homeless Person:Homeless Person:Homeless Person:Homeless Person: An individual who lacks a fixed, regularand adequate night-time residence or has a primary night-time residence that is: a) a publicly-supervised or privately-operated shelter designed to provide temporary livingaccommodations (including welfare hotels, congregateshelters, and transitional housing for people who arementally ill): b) an institution that provides a temporaryresidence for individuals intended to be institutionalized;or c) a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarilyused as, a regular sleeping place for human beings. (HUD)

Homeless PrHomeless PrHomeless PrHomeless PrHomeless Prevention:evention:evention:evention:evention: Efforts to assist individuals andfamilies at risk of becoming homeless to stabilize theirhousing situation and provide supports necessary to helpthem maintain their housing and avoid homelessness.

Homeless Management InforHomeless Management InforHomeless Management InforHomeless Management InforHomeless Management Information System (HMIS):mation System (HMIS):mation System (HMIS):mation System (HMIS):mation System (HMIS): Acomputerized database that collects information abouthomelessness.


Housing Choice VHousing Choice VHousing Choice VHousing Choice VHousing Choice Voucher:oucher:oucher:oucher:oucher: A rent subsidy instrument usedto supplement what low income families can afford topay for housing on the private market. These vouchers,formerly known as Section 8 vouchers, are funded by HUDand administered by public housing agencies.

Housing First:Housing First:Housing First:Housing First:Housing First: An approach that alleviates homelessnessby moving people who are homeless into permanenthousing as quickly as possible.

HUD (U. S . Department of Housing and UrbanHUD (U. S . Department of Housing and UrbanHUD (U. S . Department of Housing and UrbanHUD (U. S . Department of Housing and UrbanHUD (U. S . Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment):Development):Development):Development):Development): The federal agency responsible foroverseeing a variety of government-subsidized housingrelated programs such as the Supportive HousingProgram, Housing Choice Vouchers (Section 8) and ShelterPlus Care.

Individual Development Account (IDA):Individual Development Account (IDA):Individual Development Account (IDA):Individual Development Account (IDA):Individual Development Account (IDA): Matched savingsaccounts designed to help low income and low wealthfamilies accumulate a few thousand dollars for high returninvestments in education or job training, homeownership,or micro enterprise (small business start-up). (Council ofMichigan Foundations)

Jail:Jail:Jail:Jail:Jail: A County-owned correctional facility.

Kent County EmerKent County EmerKent County EmerKent County EmerKent County Emergency Needs Tgency Needs Tgency Needs Tgency Needs Tgency Needs Task Forask Forask Forask Forask Force (ENTF):ce (ENTF):ce (ENTF):ce (ENTF):ce (ENTF): TheENTF includes more than 100 non-profit government andfaith-based organizations, funders and concernedvolunteers who work together to address the basic needs(shelter, food, utilities, and transportation) of the residentsof Kent County, Michigan. The Grand Rapids Area HousingContinuum of Care serves as the Shelter Subcommitteeof the ENTF.

Kent County Family and ChildrKent County Family and ChildrKent County Family and ChildrKent County Family and ChildrKent County Family and Children’en’en’en’en’s Coors Coors Coors Coors Coordinating Councildinating Councildinating Councildinating Councildinating Council(KCFCCC):(KCFCCC):(KCFCCC):(KCFCCC):(KCFCCC): Kent County’s Community Collaborative body.The Council was formed by the Kent County Board ofCommissioners in 1991 to coordinate and improve servicesfor children, youth, and families in Kent County.

Low Demand Housing:Low Demand Housing:Low Demand Housing:Low Demand Housing:Low Demand Housing: Housing with very fewrequirements asked of residents.

MainstrMainstrMainstrMainstrMainstream Resouream Resouream Resouream Resouream Resources:ces:ces:ces:ces: Agencies or institutions thatprovide services and resources to people who are at riskof homelessness or are homeless.

McKinney-VMcKinney-VMcKinney-VMcKinney-VMcKinney-Vento Act:ento Act:ento Act:ento Act:ento Act: The primary federal law that targetsfederal funds to homeless individuals and families. Fundedprograms include outreach, transitional and permanenthousing, primary health care services, mental health,alcohol and drug abuse treatment, education, job training,and childcare. There are nine titles under this Act that areadministered by several different federal agencies,including the U.S. Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment.

Medicaid:Medicaid:Medicaid:Medicaid:Medicaid: A program jointly funded by the states and thefederal government that provides medical care to peoplewho are poor, including the elderly, children, recipients ofwelfare and people with disabilities.

network180 (fornetwork180 (fornetwork180 (fornetwork180 (fornetwork180 (formerly Community Mental Health andmerly Community Mental Health andmerly Community Mental Health andmerly Community Mental Health andmerly Community Mental Health andSubstance Abuse Network of Kent County):Substance Abuse Network of Kent County):Substance Abuse Network of Kent County):Substance Abuse Network of Kent County):Substance Abuse Network of Kent County): The agencythat coordinates public mental health and substanceabuse programs and administers state, federal, and localfunds through contracts with approximately 25 serviceproviding agencies.


Nimbyism:Nimbyism:Nimbyism:Nimbyism:Nimbyism: The attitude that is characterized bystatements such as “not in my backyard” as a response tothe need for community change.

People At Risk of Homelessness:People At Risk of Homelessness:People At Risk of Homelessness:People At Risk of Homelessness:People At Risk of Homelessness: People who are inimminent danger of becoming homeless.

PerPerPerPerPermanent Supportive Housing (PSH):manent Supportive Housing (PSH):manent Supportive Housing (PSH):manent Supportive Housing (PSH):manent Supportive Housing (PSH): Safe, affordablerental housing with support services for low income orhomeless people with severe mental illness, substance usedisorders, or HIV/AIDS.

Point-in-time Count:Point-in-time Count:Point-in-time Count:Point-in-time Count:Point-in-time Count: A one day count of all homelesspeople in a defined area.

PrPrPrPrPrecariously Housed People:ecariously Housed People:ecariously Housed People:ecariously Housed People:ecariously Housed People: People who live inpermanent housing in overcrowded situations (such asthose who are doubled-up or living with friends orrelatives) or who are paying such a high percentage oftheir income for housing costs that their ability to maintainthe housing is seriously in doubt from month to month.People who are precariously housed are not consideredhomeless by HUD’s definition; however, they are at a highrisk of entering the homeless services system.

Prison:Prison:Prison:Prison:Prison: A State operated correctional facility.

Right to Housing:Right to Housing:Right to Housing:Right to Housing:Right to Housing: To underscore the critical role thathousing plays in well-being and stability, our Vision echoesthe language of housing as a basic human right (UniversalDeclaration on Human Rights, Article 25(1)), withoutspecifying where or by whom such housing must beprovided. We recognize that “currently, the right tohousing is unlikely to be enforceable on its own terms inU.S. courts. But it can be used as an advocacy tool, in courtand other arenas” (National Low Income Housing Coalition).

Our use of the language of “rights” supports a Vision whichdoes not settle for managing homelessness, but ratheradvocates an end to homelessness.

Safe Haven:Safe Haven:Safe Haven:Safe Haven:Safe Haven: A form of supportive housing that serveshard-to-house people who are homeless and have severemental illness or other debilitating behavioral conditionsand who are on the streets and have been unwilling orunable to participate in supportive services.

Section 8 VSection 8 VSection 8 VSection 8 VSection 8 Voucher:oucher:oucher:oucher:oucher: See Housing Choice Voucher.

SeverSeverSeverSeverSevere Housing Cost Bure Housing Cost Bure Housing Cost Bure Housing Cost Bure Housing Cost Burden:den:den:den:den: Housing costs that exceed50% of income.

Shelter Plus CarShelter Plus CarShelter Plus CarShelter Plus CarShelter Plus Care:e:e:e:e: A HUD funded supportive housingprogram that provides rental subsidy to families andindividuals who are disabled and homeless. Supportiveservices are provided by mainstream programs.

StrStrStrStrStreet Homeless:eet Homeless:eet Homeless:eet Homeless:eet Homeless: People who currently live on the streetsor in abandoned buildings or other places not meant forhuman habitation.

Subsidized Housing:Subsidized Housing:Subsidized Housing:Subsidized Housing:Subsidized Housing: Housing that has a portion of its rentpaid with public funds or, during its development, wasfinanced with public funds that help keep the rentaffordable to low income families.

SubstandarSubstandarSubstandarSubstandarSubstandard Housing:d Housing:d Housing:d Housing:d Housing: Housing that is dilapidated, unsafe,and unsanitary or that has environmental hazards such aslead-based paint or infestation.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI):Supplemental Security Income (SSI):Supplemental Security Income (SSI):Supplemental Security Income (SSI):Supplemental Security Income (SSI): A public assistancecash benefit for persons with disabilities.


Supportive Housing:Supportive Housing:Supportive Housing:Supportive Housing:Supportive Housing: Housing that is both affordable toits residents and linked to mental health, employmentassistance, and other support services to help residentslive as independently as possible.

Supportive Housing PrSupportive Housing PrSupportive Housing PrSupportive Housing PrSupportive Housing Program (SHP):ogram (SHP):ogram (SHP):ogram (SHP):ogram (SHP): Federal funds underHUD that support transitional and permanent supportivehousing programs.

TTTTTransit ional Housing (TH):ransit ional Housing (TH):ransit ional Housing (TH):ransit ional Housing (TH):ransit ional Housing (TH): Housing that providestemporary shelter (usually for up to two years) topersons making the transition from homelessness topermanent housing.

Unaccompanied Homeless YUnaccompanied Homeless YUnaccompanied Homeless YUnaccompanied Homeless YUnaccompanied Homeless Youth:outh:outh:outh:outh: Young people underthe age of 18 years old who are estranged from theirfamilies and live on the streets or in shelters and have nostable housing.

U.S. Department of VU.S. Department of VU.S. Department of VU.S. Department of VU.S. Department of Veterans Afeterans Afeterans Afeterans Afeterans Affairs:fairs:fairs:fairs:fairs: A federal agencythat administers a variety of medical and otherassistance programs to veterans, including militaryveterans who are homeless.

VVVVVision to End Homelessness (Vision to End Homelessness (Vision to End Homelessness (Vision to End Homelessness (Vision to End Homelessness (Vision or VTEH):ision or VTEH):ision or VTEH):ision or VTEH):ision or VTEH): KentCounty’s commitment to end homelessness in ten years.

WWWWWork F i r s t Prork F i r s t Prork F i r s t Prork F i r s t Prork F i r s t Program:ogram:ogram:ogram:ogram: Recipients of public cashassistance who are required to find a job are referredto the local workforce development board for assistancethrough a “Work First” program. Work First servicesinclude assistance in developing an employability plan,job search and placement assistance, and limitedfinancial aid for childcare, transportation, and otherwork-related expenses.

WWWWWraparraparraparraparraparound services:ound services:ound services:ound services:ound services: Services that are coordinated tomeet the needs of a person in permanent housing in orderto successfully retain the housing.

vision to - otsego rapids.pdf · 2008-02-06 · grand rapids area housing continuum of care 1 in...

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