Ending the Cycle of Homelessness and

Incarceration Through Supportive Housing

Grantmakers in HealthNovember 17, 2006

Carla I. Javits, President and CEO

Andy McMahon, Senior Program ManagerCorporation for Supportive Housing

CSH helps communities create

permanent housing with services to

prevent and end homelessness.

Corporation for Supportive Housing

Our Mission

High-quality advice and housing development expertise to assist project sponsors

Loans and grants to assist in the creation of supportive housing

Training and capacity building to strengthen the supportive housing industry

Public policy reform to make it easier to create and operate supportive housing.

CSH Products and Services

Raised over $221 million to expand supportive housing nationwide

Leveraged over $1 billion in federal, state, and local public and private sector financing for capital, operating, and service dollars

Trained thousands of people to develop, manage, and operate supportive housing

Committed nearly $119 million in loans and grants to support the creation of 17,318 units of supportive housing, with an additional 11,882 units in the pipeline now

Results of Our Work

The units in operation have ended homelessness for at least 21,000 adults

and children

Results of Our Work

The Intersection of Health,

Homelessness, and Incarceration

Every year, more than 650,000 people are released from prison, and more than 7 million different people are released from jail.

An estimated 42% of inmates in state prisons and 49% in local jails were found to have both a mental health and substance use issues.

More than one in three jail inmates report some physical or mental disability.

Complex Needs of Ex-Offenders

In 1997, individuals released from prison or jail accounted for nearly 25% of all people living with HIV or AIDS, 30% of people with Hepatitis C, and 30% of those diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Three out of four have a substance abuse problem More than 10 percent of those coming in and out of jail

and prison are homeless in the months prior to incarceration.

Complex Needs of Ex-Offenders

Mental Health and Correctional Trends Since 1970

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1970 1976 1980 1986 1990 1998 2000 2004

Year

Nu

mb

er

in In

sti

tuti

on

Persons Receiving Treatment in the StateHospitals

Persons Receiving Treatment in the PrivateHospitals

Persons Receiving Psych Care in GenHosp

Persons in Custody in Jail

Persons in Custody in Prison

Intersection: Mental Health and Corrections

“Million Dollar Murray” Phenomenon

Richard B. is an actual case study from Chicago, Illinois

– 42 years old and has a combined 21 years of homelessness

– 3,758 days in a mental health/hospital setting during that time

– 399 days in jail (This includes only 6 years of available data)

The Cost of Richard B.’s Homelessness

– 3758 State Hospital Days $400 a day $1,503,200

– 399 Jail Days $70 a day $ 27,930

– TOTAL $1,531,130

Average Annual Cost for Richard $ 72,910

Why Should We Care?

$30.48 $70.00 $59.34 $25.48

$451

$1,590

$0

$200

$400

$600

$800

$1,000

$1,200

$1,400

$1,600

$1,800

SupportiveHousing

Jail Prison Shelter MentalHospital

Hospital

Why Should We Care?

Example of Crisis System Costs – Columbus, OH

Returning Home

An initiative to integrate systems and end homelessness for

frequent users of jail and shelter

Thousands of people with chronic health conditions cycle in and out of jail, shelter and the streets, and they are ill-served by the corrections and shelter

systems at great public expense.

Placing these people in supportive housing will improve life outcomes for the tenants, more efficiently utilize public resources, and likely create cost savings

in crisis systems like jail and shelter.

Central Premise of Returning Home

Began in Spring 2006 Funded largely through $6 million grant from

Robert Wood Johnson Primary focus on Los Angeles, Chicago, and New

York City Additional work in Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio,

Rhode Island, and Minnesota $2.4 million to be re-granted to partners “on the

ground” Advisory Board Co-Chaired by Justice Evelyn

Stratton of the Ohio State Supreme Court and Martin Horn, Commissioners of Corrections, New York City

Returning Home Highlights

Assisting state and local government in identifying the population with high recidivism rates that could benefit from supportive housing.

Collaborating with government agencies and partner organizations to change public policy and promote more effective and efficient programs to serve ex-offenders.

Providing technical assistance to developers and providers who create supportive housing for ex-offenders.

Returning Home Key Strategies

Developing models for reinvestment of criminal justice resources into supportive housing.

Conducting a comprehensive evaluation to document expected cost savings.

Convening key leaders from various fields to share lessons learned and best practices.

Collaborating with various stakeholders to attract additional philanthropic and government investments.

Returning Home Key Strategies

Creating 1,000 units of critically needed supportive housing for ex-offenders

Improving financial integration and policy coordination among corrections, housing, and human service agencies

Developing successful supportive housing models tailored to ex-offenders

Returning Home Goals and Outcomes

Documenting decreased recidivism rates for ex-offenders living in supportive housing

Demonstrating cost savings in participating correctional systems

Demonstrating on a national scale the power of supportive housing as a solution to the complex needs of ex-offenders with chronic health and mental health conditions

Returning Home Goals and Outcomes

On-the-Ground Examples

Los AngelesNew YorkChicago

$1.5 Million Pilot Program with the LA County Sheriff’s Department

Direct investment to support the integration of corrections, housing, and human services

Trained social workers to do jail “in-reach” to identify inmates with serious mental illness who could benefit from supportive housing

Create a network of supportive housing providers to collaborate with corrections staff to place the target population into supportive housing upon release

Provide time-limited rent subsidies for each inmate in the program to provide short-term stability

Los Angeles

St. Andrew’s Court

42 units of supportive housing, 30 for homeless ex-offenders with disabilities and 12 for parolees.

Includes integrated financing from HUD McKinney Homeless grants, Low-income Housing Tax Credits, IL Dept. of Human Services, IL Dept. of Corrections, and others.

Conducts “in-reach” into correctional facilities to provide a smooth transition into supportive housing.

Delivers tailored, comprehensive support services to all residents, including mental health, substance abuse, and employment services.

Chicago

Frequent Users Service Enhancement (FUSE) program Pilot program to increase collaboration between the Department of

Homeless Services and the Department of Corrections. Serves 100 frequent users of both systems. More than 3,500 frequent users have been identified. Targeted outreach underway to engage them and place them in

supportive housing. A network of providers created to engage and house the frequent

users. Multiple sources of financing, including Section 8 rental subsidies

and NYC Mental Health services. Investment from the JEHT Foundation for a “service enhancement.” Through evaluation, FUSE hopes to demonstrate cost effectiveness

and replace foundation funding with DOC resources.

New York City

Opportunities for Philanthropic Involvement

Investing in research and evaluation work to demonstrate the efficacy of this approach

Investing in innovative program models designed to integrate financing mechanisms to serve people with chronic health conditions who cycle between jail and shelter

Investing in pilots and demonstrations focused on cross-agency collaborations

Supporting systems capacity through investment in intermediaries that facilitate partnerships and promote public policy reform and program integration

Opportunities for Philanthropy