housing first%2c coordinated access%2c and prioritizing presentation at holyoke community college...
TRANSCRIPT
P R I O R I T I Z I N G H O U S I N G R E S O U R C E S U S I N G T H E V I S P D A T
FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CT COORDINATED ACCESS
COORDINATED ACCESS: HOW IT ALL BEGAN
Coordinated Access
Retooling the Crisis Response System
Opening Doors
A Broken System
THE BRIDGEPORT HOUSING FIRST (BHF) COLLABORATIVE
• Alpha Community Services – YMCA (ACS)• Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport
(HACB)• Operation Hope (OH)• New Reach(NR)• Supportive Housing WORKS (SHW)
BHF: AN AGENT OF CHANGE
• Evidence-based program design • Inter-agency collaboration
and leveraging services • Cross sector collaborations • Partnership with Housing
Authority • VI 2012 Change in PHA’s
administrative plan • Support from HUD
EVIDENCE THAT IT WORKS
• New funding streams and sources of subsidies• 123 chronically homeless individuals and families
housed within the last 2.5 years • 95% remain stably housed• 65% housed 6 months or longer• 38% housed 12 months or longer
• 2.5% Club• Support from HUD More providers participating • 50% decrease in chronic homelessness over
the course of 2 years• Regional efforts – ODFC
WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PRIORITIZE HOUSING IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
• Common assessment tool• Good data • Leveraging existing resources• More efficiently and effectively targeting housing
resources • Re-informing policy • Coordinated Access System
COMMON ASSESSMENT TOOL
• VI SPDAT • Vulnerability Index• Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool • Community Customization
• Why the VI SPDAT?• Brief• Grounded in research • Widespread utilization • Triage capabilities
WHAT DOES IT ACCOMPLISH?
• Allows us to targeting the appropriate level of resources to those who need it• Does away with a first-come, first-served waitlist
system• Delivers specific and concrete information about
what our community needs • Common assessment tool among all providers• Data sharing
HOW CAN YOU IMPLEMENT THE VI SPDAT IN YOUR COMMUNITIES?
• Conduct a community-wide Registry Week• Week-long street and shelter outreach campaign • Humanizes the issues by putting a name, face, and story
to homelessness• Engages volunteers and increases awareness • Increases community participation and collaboration
STRIVE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
• Incorporate the tool into the intake process to ensure it is all-inclusive and comprehensive• Update surveys and client’s information on a
routine basis • Coordinated Assessment
• Physical Registry
The Physical Registry
REAL TIME DATA:
CHANGE WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE DATA
SYSTEMS LEVEL IMPLICATIONS
• Line up housing resources• Targeting resources more effectively• Re-informing policy
VI-SPDATHMIS
Community Waitlist
Housing First Initiatives
Rapid Rehousing
Social Services for Veteran
Families
CT Integrated Healthcare &
Housing Neighborhoods
Community Care Team
Coordinated Access
HousingFirst
IntegratingHealthcare
VI SPDAT AND COORDINATED ACCESS
INCREASED SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS
• The BHFC model is now being replicated throughout Fairfield County• The CT Rapid Rehousing Program is also
prioritizing using this tool• Enhanced CA System
KEYS TO OUR SUCCESS
Knowing our homeless neighbors by face and name and truly understanding their needs
Targeting housing to the most in needIncreasing collaboration and open communication Leveraging mainstream resources Aligning the needed resources Having a very specific common goal and a shared
visionHaving an effective social service infrastructure
and ensuring the use of best practicesThinking innovatively to use existing resources in
more efficient ways
LESSONS LEARNED
• Getting it done is better than getting it perfect• Take risks • Do not wait for funding• Collaboration is hard• Barriers that our clients face (no IDs, criminal convictions,
addiction and mental health issues – get people document ready ASAP)
• Preparing clients in crisis for the fact that the process takes times (housing is not immediate)
• Build in flexibility so other information is considered• Housing Placement Team meetings• Data is critical• There will be gaps in services, but collecting this data in a meaningful
way allows communities to advocate for resources
OUR INFORMATION
• Lisa Bahadosingh• [email protected]• 203-579-3180 x 13
• Lauren Zimmermann• [email protected]• 203-767-4035