Shelter Planning Task Force

Regular Meeting

Portland, ME · June 24, 2015

Minutes

Shelter Planning Task Force June 24, 2015 Meeting Notes Attendees: Kim Cook Off-peninsula Dave Maclean City of Portland, HHS, Social Services Division Mike Tarpinian Opportunity Alliance Angela Giordano City of Portland, HHS, Social Services Division, Oxford Street Shelter Bob Fowler Milestone Nicole Evans United Way Sean Kerwin Bayside Neighborhood Assn Melissa Skahan Mercy Hospital Bill Higgins Homeless Voices for Justice Peter Driscoll Amistad Jim Hanley Greater Portland Chamber of Ginny Dill Shalom House Commerce Dawn Stiles City of Portland, Health & Cindy Namer MaineHousing Human Services Dept Dana Totman Avesta Housing Rob Parritt MaineHousing Cullen Ryan Community Housing of Maine Julie Sullivan City of Portland, staff to Task Force 1. Welcome, (re-)introductions, updates 2. Coordinated entry process – MaineHousing, Statewide Homeless Council, Portland Continuum of Care, Maine Continuum of Care  Cindy Namer presented the coordinated entry process map (CAARES – please see attached) currently under development  Coordinated entry is one of HUD’s main priorities o Assessment tools – including 5-10 question pre-screening o Prioritization based on assessment – longest-term stayers and most vulnerable first – permanent housing; if not available, rapid re-housing o Serve clients where they are (geographically) o Only exclusionary criterion is violence o Data-sharing among shelters is critical o No wrong door o Driven by client experience o Following initial assessment, more robust intake/assessment (VISPDAT) o Then housing stability plan o Then performance measurement  System performance measurement is another HUD key focus area o Entire system – i.e., anything listed on the Continuum of Care’s housing inventory as serving homeless (even if not CoC-funded) Page 1 of 4 o Driven by Point-in-Time Survey numbers  Concern raised that those who are camping out are excluded  Projects for Assistance in Transitions from Homelessness is a federal block grant (approx. $1.3 million to the State; about $300,000 to Portland).  State subcontracts to Catholic Charities who subs to Preble Street in our area.  About six months of services, which for some clients is insufficient  Request to have Preble Street present on their PATH activities o HUD system performance measurement guide o HMIS = reporting database to HUD  Discussion o Implementation time frame for this process? About two years. Trying to finish first chunk (activities that are supposed to happen within first 72 hours of client presenting) by end of calendar year; some components already being implemented o Who decides? How roll out? Working for buy-in from the two Continuums of Care and the three regional homeless councils (which comprise the Statewide Homeless Council) so that there will be consistency statewide in the client experience  Should lead to clients being better served locally and not sending them to Portland?  Database/data-sharing is supposed to be real-time o Required by HUD to serve most vulnerable o Overflow issue – Portland reports capacity of 246, though Oxford Street’s capacity is 154 o MaineHousing rules re homeless shelters appear not to be enforced  Rulemaking is currently underway to change some of these rules  Violations need to be reported to MaineHousing so they can investigate 3. ESAC/Longest-Term Stayer Initiative  Cullen Ryan provided an overview of the work underway via ESAC to place the 70 longest- term stayers from the Oxford Street Shelter into permanent, supportive housing  Within 5 weeks, 14 of the 70 have been housed  9 organizations agreed to come together to make this happen, contributing 9.5 FTEs: City of Portland, Amistad, Opportunity Alliance, Milestone, Frannie Peabody, VA, Preble Street, Shalom House, MaineHousing (and PHA provided some additional Section 8 vouchers)  All organizations have capacity to serve clients who are not MaineCare-eligible  Goals are to be down to 52 long-term stayers by 7/1; 34 by 8/27, 16 by 10/29, 7 by 12/3 and 0 by 12/31  There are plenty of rental subsidies to get this group housed  The subcommittee meets weekly to go through the longest-term stayers list, which comes from Oxford Street and the HMIS system, and assess the levels of support needed by each individual  How does this work impact shelter capacity? Page 2 of 4 o When the 30 long-term stayers were housed at Logan Place, the 3rd overflow shelter was no longer needed. o When the next 22 were housed, the 2nd overflow has been needed only very sporadically o By housing the medically compromised clients who need cots, capacity at Oxford Street is increased o When we get down to 170-180 folks seeking emergency shelter, they can fit into a 154-bed shelter because of the entry/exit that happens throughout the night o Keep going after 12/31 and target the next group of longest-term stayers, etc.  Now, when someone has been staying at Oxford Street for two weeks (even if not consecutive nights), they are screened with the VISPDAT to determine what resources and supports they need to prevent becoming a long-term stayer  Is this approach sustainable? o Depends on the continuing will of the participating organizations o Fits right in with 2013 statewide plan o There are ongoing issues with DHHS – if MaineCare eligibility were granted to the 262 long-term stayers statewide, there would be significant cost savings and improvements in their housing success; white paper provided to DHHS Sept 2013 and still no response  Is there enough housing stock given the tight rental market in Portland? o There is only a 1% vacancy rate in Portland, but we are only talking about placing 70 people. o Landlords are often very responsive to guaranteed rent and a third party to assist with resolving any problems or removing an unsuccessful tenant and bringing in a new tenant  Are the participating organizations able to provide enough support services to meet clients’ needs? o The need for intensive services declines with length of time in housing o There is enough capacity currently to support the 70 targeted clients 4. Revised work plan  Julie distributed an updated work plan reflecting the greater length of time spent understanding current services  Concerns were raised regarding the Sept 8 deadline and the likely need to request an extension from Council to October or November  Next meeting will focus on how much money is currently funding adult emergency shelter services in Portland via Milestone, Preble Street, and the City and the requirements of that funding in order to determine the current baseline funding as well as what is expected over the next two years  Then we will focus on the components of the adult emergency shelter services model  Followed by an examination of who should run the shelter, whether a new shelter makes sense at this time, where the shelter should be, and who the service partners should be Page 3 of 4 5. Wrap up and next meeting  Weds 7/8, 9-11 a.m., City Hall, rm 24 o Current adult emergency shelter services funding and expected funding over the next two years  Web site: www.portlandmaine.gov/1512/Shelter-Planning-Task-Force o User name: taskforce o Password: portland15 Julie Sullivan Acting Chief of Staff 207.756.8363 jas@portlandmaine.gov Page 4 of 4

Packet

Shelter Planning Task Force June 24, 2015 9 - 11 am AGENDA 1. Welcome and updates 2. MaineHousing/HUD/Statewide Homeless Council – Coordinated Entry process 3. ESAC – Housing first/supportive services 4. Revised work plan 5. Next steps a. Next meeting: Weds 7/8, 9-11, rm 24 City Hall b. Topic: Available sources of funding for emergency shelter 389 Congress Street / Portland, ME 04101 / www.portlandmaine.gov / tel. 207•756•8363 / tty. 207•874•8936 / fax. 207•874•8669 CITY OF PORTLAND HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT SOCIAL SERVICES DIVISION MAY 2015 DASHBOARD OXFORD STREET SHELTER New Intakes (unduplicated) May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 150 774 144 759   Bed Nights May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 6,561 34,413 6,832 36,291   Housing Placements* May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 22 134 14 81   *Starting November, 2013, OSS shifted housing placement priorities to their long- term stayers. This was to make more quality placements, resulting in lower bed nights Veterans Served** May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD† Trend Trend 22 75 28 76   **Veteran status is based on self-reporting † Unduplicated Veterans served Oxford Street Shelter Oxford Street Shelter Intake Residency Intake Residency May 2014 May 2015 Out of Town Out of State Out of Country Portland Out of Town Out of State Out of Country Portland 42 53 51 67 14 27 6 33 CITY OF PORTLAND HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT SOCIAL SERVICES DIVISION MAY 2015 DASHBOARD FAMILY SHELTER New Intakes (unduplicated families) May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 22 104 21 84   Bed Nights May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 3,334 16,304 3,711 17,462   Housing Placements (families) May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 20 87 11 63   Veterans Served (families) May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 4 7 0 5   Family Shelter Family Shelter Intake Residency Intake Residency May 2014 May 2015 Out of Town Out of State Out of Country Portland Out of Town Out of State Out of Country Portland 8 5 7 2 4 1 8 8 CITY OF PORTLAND HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT SOCIAL SERVICES DIVISION MAY 2015 DASHBOARD GENERAL ASSISTANCE New Intakes May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 70 303 95 375   Total Applications (unduplicated) May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 887 1,540 1062 1,581   Total Applications Granted (unduplicated) May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 817 1,366 991 1,462   Total Applications Denied (unduplicated) May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend 70 174 71 119   Billable Expenditures Granted May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend $532,610 $3,063,395 $265,993 $1,341,688   Non-Billable Expenditures Granted May 2014 May 2015 Desired YTD 2014 YTD 2015 YTD Trend Trend - - $364,145 $1,906,809   All clients were “billable” until June 17, 2014 General Assistance General Assistance Intake Residency Intake Residency May 2014 May 2015 Out of Town Out of State Out of Country Portland Out of Town Out of State Out of Country Portland 13 7 9 29 10 18 41 38 CITY OF PORTLAND HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT SOCIAL SERVICES DIVISION PUBLIC SAFETY, HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE 7 POINT PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS UPDATE MAY, 2015 GOAL #1 GOAL #2 CASE MANAGEMENT RAPID REHOUSING The Task Force recommends case management services be expanded The task force recommends a focus on providing to people who are homeless and those case management delivery appropriate permanent housing and support in the systems follow client needs, rather than reimbursable service delivery community for individuals, families and youth as models quickly as possible. Oxford Street Shelter 236 Chronically Homeless Single Adults in need of May May Permanent Housing 2014 2015  7 Placed in to Permanent Housing Housing Placements 22 14 TBRA Individuals Served 538 540  30 Individuals Assisted Shelter Occupancy 150% 156%  $17,670 spent 22 28 Veterans Served 382 Bed Nights 332 Bed nights Home To Stay  15 Active Cases Family Shelter  40 Subsidies Provided May May 2014 2015 Program started March, 2014 20 Families/ 11 Families/ Housing Placements 76 Individuals 37 Individuals 56 Families/ 52 Families/ Individuals Served 198 Individuals 169 Individuals Shelter Occupancy 211% 163% 4 Families 0 Families Veterans Served 12 Individuals 0 Individuals *Occupancy is over for both shelters due to overflow facilities being GOAL #3 utilized. INCREASED OUTREACH *Family Shelter capacity increased by 10 beds in November, 2014 Goal: Conducting assertive, community-based outreach HOME Team  1070 Encounters  440 Transports  108 Individuals Served GOAL #4 GOAL #5 ZONING CONSTRAINTS SPECIAL POPULATION HOUSING Goal: Explore Portland’s zoning requirements so that all neighborhoods are equal candidates for Goal: Coordinate behavioral and primary care emergency shelters, dispersed service locations or treatment for people in the shelter system. Increase specialized care housing as a conditional use. housing opportunities for people who are homeless and are struggling with addiction. Increase Study/Assessment of commercial corridors R-6 & employment opportunities for people who are R-7 homeless and are struggling with addiction and mental illness. Planning & Urban Development Department Ann Machado, Zoning Specialist United Way Feasibility of Medical Respite Program *Zoning has been changed on Bishop Street to  Dan Coyne, United Way accommodate the Housing First Program May May 2014 2015 York County Shelter (YCS) 0 0 Placements GOAL #6 GOAL #7 HOUSING FIRST PROGRAM SECTION 8 HOUSING VOUCHERS Goal: Reduce the number of long term/chronically homeless in Portland. Increase specific housing Goal: Work in partnership with landlords to increase options to include transitional and permanent access to housing stock which will increase supportive housing models. available rental opportunities for people who are homeless. Create/expand resources for landlords to Update on $50,000 RFP for Housing First Program work through issues with tenants. Avesta Housing Project Section 8 Housing Vouchers made available by:  Portland (40- primarily CLIP vouchers)  Westbrook (unspecified amount)  South Portland (2)