Triathalons for homelessness

Robyn Fehrman and her sister dedicated their 2007 triathlon seasons to raising awareness about homelessness and raising funds for Genesis Home- a housing and supportive services program for homeless families in Durham, NC. With the help of many friends and community members, the Tri to End Homelessness campaign has been a phenomenal success! They raised nearly $6,000 to support Genesis Home’s programs and successfully raced their first Olympic distance triathlon.

Recently Robyn and her sister informed me that Toyota has selected Tri to End Homelessness as a finalist in their Engines of Change Power of Sport contest! Over 350 folks from across the nation submitted applications and they have been selected as one of the top 10! Your votes will determine the winner.

Here’s where you need to do:

Please vote for Tri to End Homelessness by visiting:
http://www.toyotaenginesofchange.com/Page805.aspx From this link you can read Robyn's profile, click on VOTE NOW, and vote once per day until December 31.

Winning any one of the top prizes would, of course, be wonderful - BUT the national exposure for the issue of homelessness and power individuals have to make difference would be even more valuable.

Please pass this on to folks in your networks!

If you haven’t already, you can read all about the Tri to End Homelessness journey at www.tritoendhomelessness.blogspot.com - and stay up to date about the sisters' plans for 2008!

It's a busy time of year, but some great things continue to happen. Take a look at this article about how Portland's business community has stepped up to the plate to help with street people.

Orange County 10 Year Plan Staff Needed

Homeless Programs Coordinator
Housing and Community Development
Posting 9049-1029

Description: Provide leadership in the effort to implement the Orange County Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness working closely with the Partnership to End Homelessness Executive Team and other community partners. Develop a comprehensive understanding of available housing options including Housing First as well as the supportive services necessary to prevent and eliminate homelessness particularly for the chronically homeless. Assess potential financial resources, including both public and private resources, for the 10 Year Plan. Design and execute both an operational and capital budget necessary to achieve annual priorities. Conduct periodic evaluations of Plan implementation activities and provide a written report of the results to the Partnership.

Requirements: Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master’s degree in Social Work, Public Administration, Planning, Public Health, or closely related field and five years of closely related experience. Prefer experience managing programs related to homelessness. Strong written/oral communication and interpersonal skills are required as well as the ability to interpret complex federal policies and guidelines. Excellent computer skills are also required. Must possess a driver license valid in the state of North Carolina.

Compensation: The hiring range for this position is $46,013 - $59,785. Orange County provides a comprehensive employee benefits package, including membership in the N.C. Local Government Employee’s Retirement System.

Closing Date: Friday, December 21, 2007

Apply To: Orange County Personnel Department
208 South Cameron Street, Post Office Box 8181
Hillsborough, North Carolina 27278
Telephone: (919) 732-8181, extension 2550
Facsimile: (919) 644-3009

An official Orange County Application For Employment is required for all openings and must be received on or before the closing date. Refer to the appropriate posting number on your application. Resumes will not be accepted unless accompanied by a completed application form.

Orange County is a drug-free workplace. Positions designated (*) as Safety Sensitive require pre-transfer drug testing. In compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Orange County will employ only those individuals who are U.S. citizens or legal aliens authorized to maintain employment in the United States. OCP11/28/07

Two different stories

This weekend was a busy weekend for the news media as this week begins the National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week. The NY Times had an interesting article that is talking about the successes of "wet housing." It's difficult to imagine the challenges associated with severe alcohol addiction and the experiences of trauma these Vietnam vets experienced.

On the flip side, we have a story of young college grad who was homeless and "makes it." It's a story in the News and Observer. I believe it is true, resources that you have, ie., a college education, no addiction or mental illness, probably makes it easier for you to move out of homelessness. What would happen if the young man had been shipped off to Iraq or Afghanistan, had no high school education, with little access to mental health services? Maybe a different story?

The good news and the bad news.

Within the last few days, HUD announced a drop in the number of chronic homeless people. The success of 1) targeting the most at-risk folks who are the high-end users of all sorts of services, and 2) moving them into permanent housing seems to be working. CBS even picked up the story. That's the good news.

The bad news is that nearly a quarter of all those who are homeless are veterans. Notice that younger veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq are finding their way to shelters. The impact of PTSD is most likely going to result in mental health issues that incapacitate some of these young men. Unfortunately, the federal government is not doing much about this yet. I wonder who will create the safety net.

The debate goes on....

The last couple of days, I've been involved in a debate about what should we be doing to deal with the homeless situation? Everyone agrees that it is problematic for people to be living on the street, but what is the most timely way in which to deal with it?

Some say, "Let's create more shelter beds so that people can have a place to sleep."

Others (myself included) argue, "We've been building emergency shelter for over 20 years and the real reason we turn people away each night is because there is no permanent housing for those who are currently staying in the shelters to go to. "

"But that takes too much time," argue those who want something to be done now.

What do we do? How do we build permanent supportive housing fast enough to really solve this problem? What do you think?

Project Homeless Connects were successful -share your stories

Thursday morning was rainy and I was a bit worried when I got up. The temperature had dropped overnight and we had three Project Homeless Connects, one each in Wake, Durham, and Orange County. However, despite the rain, it seems that all three events were successful. In total over 850 homeless people received services.

I was priviledged to be coordinating volunteers for the Raleigh event which was held in Moore Square. Over 200 volunteers and 60 service providers assisted over 500 people access services. At least one person found permanent housing that day and 3 others entered drug treatment directly.

Of course the day was not perfect, but all in all it was incredibly successful. Take a look at all the press coverage. My favorite photo of the day can be found at number four in the photo gallery.

I'm hoping that some of you will share your comments and experiences.

DTH on the Orange County Plan

The Daily Tar Heel is the newspaper for UNC-CH. They have a great story on Orange County's 10 Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. Check it out.

And here is a great Q & A session with NC's Senator Richard Burr. We've come a long way in North Carolina to have a Senatory who can talk about this.


Sorry for the short snipits, but the three Project Homeless Connects are two days away and I'm coordinating 150 volunteers at the Raleigh event.

Wimington Needs a Project Coordinator for its 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness

10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness
Project Manager

A community collaboration, coordinated by United Way of the Cape Fear Area, seeks a manager to provide leadership in implementing the 10-Year Plan that will develop housing options, support services, and enhance collaboration among the initiative’s partners.

Work includes significant community engagement activities, fundraising, strategic planning, meeting coordination and facilitation and project management.

Requirements: Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred), experience leading complex teams, nonprofit or government agency experience; minimum of 5 years relevant experience in leadership capacity; excellent oral and written communications skills; Microsoft Office experience; ability to work with and take direction from volunteer leadership.

Helpful background/skills: understanding housing/homelessness issues, nonprofit management, volunteer management, strong community relations.

Hiring Range: $45,000 - $50,000, depending on experience

Submit a cover letter and resume to United Way, PO Box 1503, Wilmington, NC 28402 or pamela.wyatt@cfauw.org by close of business November 12, 2007.
E.O.E.

The countdown begins

Three Project Homeless Connects are happening next Thursday throughout the Triangle. For more information go to TUW's website.

Pathways to Wealth Conference

The last couple of days I've been to a conference on asset building. It was hosted by the IDA and Asset Buildling Collaborative of North Carolina and EITC Carolinas. There were many workshops about the differing types of financial literacy curriculums, how to set-up IDA's, how to promote entrepreneurial businesses. The conference also reminded me that over the years the federal government promotes asset building and gives people opportunities to build their assets. However, the types of opportunities depend on who you are and what kind of assets you already have.
One of the presenters was a woman by the name of Meizhu Lui, the Executive Director of United for a Fair Economy and co-author of The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the Racial Wealth Inequality. She used a slide that really struck me about housing. In one column showing the federal government's investment of $70B for Home Mortgage Interest Deductions and the other column showing the $24.5 B that is spent on Homeless Assistance, Public Housing and Section 8 housing. I simply forgot that every time I take my interest deduction on my taxes I get a government benefit. When I bought my first home, I qualified for a Mortgage Credit, that was a government benefit. It seems a bit unfair to me that the more expensive a home and the larger mortgage you have the greater benefit you get to help you build your own personal wealth. It seems interesting then that if you have no assets, the assistance you receive is simply to maintain housing rather than as an incentive to try to build your own assets and invest in owning a home or renting on your own.

If I had a dollar for every time it was said....

Take a look at this story from Wilmington, NC. Did you notice where one of the concerns from the elected officials was that if Wilmington had a really good program, more people would come to Wilmington. Isn't that odd? Last night at a meeting of the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness, some folks were concerned that if this plan is really successful, more people would come to Chapel Hill. I've heard the same from Durham officials and Wake County officials. Who is right?

I've always thought that the reason people are moving to the Triangle, and even North Carolina, is because of the booming economy, the declining unemployment rate, the attraction of new businesses and new jobs. Well, who wouldn't want to come here to try to take advantage of those opportunities? When you live in a rural community and you need help and it can't be found, wouldn't you make the choice to move to a more urban center where you actually might find some help?

People don't move to a community to be homeless. They move because they think there is a better opportunity ahead of them. Who among us wouldn't make that choice?

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard, "If we have a really good program people will come to our community to be homeless," I'd be a rich man right now.

Have emergency housing and feeding programs failed?

Check out this interesting post from LA's Homeless Blog. It asks a key question about whether or not emergency shelters and feeding programs have failed. What do you think?

Lessons from Ikebana

Ikebana is that Japanese art of arranging flowers. Now you may ask, why on earth is Ikebana being discussed in a blog on homelessness? Well, here is the story.

This past weekend a friend of mine and I from the Durham Shambhala Center made a commitment to do some Ikebana arrangements for a wedding. On Friday evening, we went to pick flowers at Harland Creek Farm and then around the corner to the Inn at Celebrity Dairy to arrange the flowers.

While we were paying for the flowers, the farmer said, "Are you sure you really want that? The stems are really crooked and not that pretty."

Our response was, "Sure it will be intersting."

There was some dried allium tops and again she asked, "Those are dead, you really want those?"

We again responded, "In Ikebana, the more interesting looking the flowers and plants the better."

"Well, I've got some dahlias that I wasn't going to take to the farmer's market because the stems are too short. Would you like those?"

We went to the Inn and began arranging. Using the crooked stems, the allium bulbs that looked dead, and the short stemmed dahlias, we put together twenty arrangements. The wedding rehersal dinner was taking place and people came to see us putting the flowers together. Each arrangement was unique in its own right and people pointed out how the unusual looking flowers really were integrated and stood out as the most beautiful when they are coupled with some fresh blooms of zinnias and dahlias.

It's like that with homeless people you know. So many folks want to simply toss them aside because they are worn around the edges, their journey is crooked, and life is not perfect. However, all they need is to be placed in a container with some fresh blooms and they become the most awe inspiring art imaginable.

So that's how Ikebana weaves its way into a homeless blog.

Yet another job opportunity

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
DIVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES

Website: www.ncdhhs.gov/mhddsas/
[Print Version]

Position: COMMUNITY DEVEL SPEC II
Vacancy Number: 4460-0010-0000-135Salary Grade: 74
Salary Range: $43474 - $71857
Department: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
Division: DIVISION OF MENTAL HEALTH/DD/SA SERV
Type of Appointment: Perm Full-Time
Location: WAKE
Posting Date: 09/18/2007
Closing Date: 10/02/2007
Number of Positions: 1

Description of Work
THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS POSITION IS TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, LEADERSHIP AND COORDINATION OF SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SERVICES NEEDED BY CONSUMERS WITHIN THE PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICE (MH/DD/SAS) SYSTEM. THE POSITION REPRESENTS THE HOUSING NEEDS OF MH/DD/SAS CONSUMERS IN COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH-IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH A ND HUMAN SERVICES (DHHS) TO PROMOTE THE EXPANSION OF COMMUNITY HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXTREMELY LOW-INCOME DHHS CONSTITUENTS. THE POSITION ALSO MUST BE ABLE TO FACILITATE THE IDENTIFICATION AND LINKAGE OF SUPPORTIVE AND TREATMENT SERVICES THAT ARE NEEDED BY CONSUMERS TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN HOUSING OF THEIR CHOICE.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
THIS POSITION REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXPERIENCE REGARDING SUPPORTED HOUSING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES INCLUDING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ESTABLISHING LINKAGES BETWEEN HOUSING PROVIDERS AND SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. THE POSITION MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH LOCAL AND STATE AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDERS OF SUPPORTIVE SERVICES. THE POSITION ALSO REQUIRES KNOWLEDGE AND/OR EXPERIENCE WITH THE NC LANDLORD TENANT AND FAIR HOUSING LAW.

PREFERENCE: PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO APPLICANTS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE AND/OR TRAINING BOTH WITH SUPPORTED HOUSING/RESIDENTIAL SERVICES AND WITH OTHER SERVICES FOR ADULTS SERVED BY THE MH/DD/SAS SYSTEM. IN ADDITION,FAMILIARITY WITH HOUSING RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IS PREFERRED. PREFERRED EDUCATION/TRAINING INCLUDES A MASTER'S DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK, MENTAL HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, URBAN PLANNING OR A FIELDDIRECTLY RELATED TO THE PROGRAM ASSIGNMENT AND TWO YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN PROVISION OF SUPPORTED HOUSING SERVICES OR RESIDENTIAL SERVICES.

Training and Experience Requirements
GRADUATION FROM A FOUR-Y EAR COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, POLITICAL SCIENCE, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, OR RELATED FIELD AND FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL WORK, PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, OR A FIELD DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE SPECIFIC PROGRAM ASSIGNMENT, PREFERABLY INCLUDING ADMINISTRATIVE OR SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCE; OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE.

How to Apply:The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) selects applicants for employment based on job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, political affiliation or political influence. You must undergo drug testing if you are applying for a direct care position, criminal justice certified position or a position requiring a commercial driver's license. DHHS will also conduct a criminal record check if you are applying for a position which supervises or provides direct care. DHHS will conduct State and Federal criminal record checks on all applicants selected for direct care and non-direct care positions in the DHHS residential school programs.All applicants must submit a State Application for Employment (PD-107) to the contact person at the Human Resources Office indicated on the vacancy announcement. A separate application must be submitted for each individual position for which you are applying and must include the specific position title and position number. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing a state application. Applications must be received in the appropriate Human Resources Office by 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. Job postings and the State application for Employment (PD-107) may be found at public libraries, local Employment Security Commissions, DHHS Human Resources Offices, or the Office of State Personnel web site at: http://www.osp.state.nc.us/jobs/gnrlinfo.htm

Continuous Recruitment: DHHS continuously recruits for some positions for which we have an urgent need and are critical to our Department. Positions posted with no closing date should be considered as continuous recruitment. Therefore, we will continuously accept applications regardless of whether or not there is an actual vacancy. After three months, these applications will be discarded and new applications must be submitted for further consideration. Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Contact Person:
BRENDA JACKSON
Contact Agency:
HHS-DIV MENT HEALTH
Contact Address:
3017 MAIL SERVICE CENTER
325 N. SALISBURY ST.
RALEIGH , NC 27699-3017
Contact Phone:
919-733-4416
Contact Fax:
919-508-0958

Evaluation of the Skid Row Collaborative

The Urban Institute released an short evaluation paper on the Skid Row Collaborative . They compared the housing milestones of those entering permanent housing under the collaborative with those who were receiving Shelter Plus Care Vouchers. The housing retention rate for the service enriched permanent housing provided through the Skid Row Collaborative was 59% compared to the S+C group which was only 14%. More and more data is emerging that demonstrates that Housing First with its network of onsite support really is a good model.

NPR and Housing First

I just discovered that NPR is doing a whole series on Housing First. Take a look at this interesting page. Housing First is a strategy that is being used in all three counties of the Triangle. Sometimes perceived as controversial because it flies in the face of the fact that people believe that you should only give housing to people who are "ready" for it and can sustain their own housing. However, check out the next post.

Job postings

I get lots of different job postings forwarded to me. So I thought this might be appropriate for those that are related to homelessness.


The South Wilmington Street Center has a challenging and exciting opening on our Management Team. We are looking for someone with the unique abilities to oversee daily facility maintenance and operational safety issues, while also serving as a liaison to the community and managing a number of special projects. SWSC needs someone who is able to wear the hats of an administrator, safety officer, coach, spokesperson, and social worker.

Please feel free to contact Carson Dean, SWSC Director with questions or to learn more.
919-508-0718
william.dean@co.wake.nc.us

Please note: The job announcement listed on the county's website is pasted in below. A Wake County application, following Wake County personnel guidelines for applicants, is required. Go to http://www.wakegov.com/.

Job # 0430/2007-Facility Operations Leader
Human Services - Housing Services
Salary Range: $34,500 to $57,500
Expected Hiring Range: $34,500 to $43,500
Work Schedule/Location: Mon.-Fri. 8:30a.m.-5:15p.m.; some nights/weekends and on-call
may be required. Will be on-call for facility emergencies/South Wilmington Street
Center (1420 South Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC)

Minimum Qualifications: Associate’s degree in Business Administration or related field and two years of experience in administration; or equivalent.
Special Requirements: A valid driver's license and a "safe" driving record required. A criminal record check will be conducted.
Preferred Qualifications: Experience working in a homeless shelter strongly preferred; knowledge of physical plant maintenance and safety strongly preferred; ability to coordinate activities with diverse populations; strong organizational, time management and computer skills. Duties: Provide expertise in coordinating facility maintenance and safety; serve on the SWSC management Team; provide leadership in collaboration with the community/volunteer partners; facilitate staff development and special events; provide expertise in policy interpretation/program review and oversight assistance under the supervision of the Director to both the South Wilmington Street Center (SWSC) and Incentive Housing Dormitory.

Closing Date: 9/28/2007
Position #: 0300-1079-0

Back on track - Asheville's PHC

I've been chastised and threatened for not adding anything on the blog for the last couple of months. Blogging is an art and skill and really takes practice. However, we've got some great news to share with Project Homeless Connects that are happening in other places. Check out what happened in Asheville last week.

Durham sells land for $1 to help homeless

Housing for New Hope received support from the city of Durham in obtaining property to build permanent supportive housing for those who are homeless. Check out the story in the Durham Herald-Sun.

Resolutions at the US Conference of Mayors

Last week was the annual meeting of the US Conference of Mayors. As part of the work that was completed on their trip to Los Angeles the Mayors adopted many resolutions, including ones specifically designed to end homelessness (you'll have to scroll to page 58). There were three key resolutions:

• Endorsing innovative policies to successfully end and prevent chronic homelessness across the nation;
• Endorsing the innovation of national project homeless connect to end homelessness; and
• Ending homelessness for veterans by increasing permanent supportive housing resources.

Project Homeless Connect

Those folks in Chapel Hill have not wasted time in putting the media training to work. They have already started getting press for the Project Homeless Connect that is to be held in October. There will be three events, one in each county. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities.

Learning about the media

Wednesday was a great day. Members from all three county 10 year plans to end homelessness learned all about developing relationships with the media and think strategically about how to use the media. Capstrat is a local public relations firm that spent a full day with all three county plans. Some of the highlights of the training included:

• Building relationships with reporters
• Looking at the media from within the perspective of the media
• How to find what is newsworthy
• The development of a 6 month calendar of story ideas for each month.

In addition, the group of about 22 people was a mix of Public Information Officers, as well as homeless service providers. This diversity created a rich conversation and a great learning environment for both sides.

Outreach and Engagement

The Orange County version of the News and Observer ran a great article on the challenges and successes of street outreach. Take a look here.

Letter to the Editor

Last Friday the News and Observer had an article that talked about the poor conditions that people were living in. Today's letter to the editor was a response to that from our CEO here at Triangle United Way.

Support Given for Regional Homeless Initiative

On Thursday, May 31, 2007, leaders from across the Triangle, including elected officials, met at Triangle United Way to renew their commitment to ending homelessness. Triangle United Way hosted a similar meeting four years ago, as all three counties, and the cities and towns within each county, launched the creation of three county 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness. As of this month, all three of those county plans have been completed.

At the meeting, CEO Craig Chancellor announced that Triangle United Way will also continue supporting plans across the region to prevent and end homelessness. According to Chancellor, “Triangle United Way currently invests a little over $ 1.3 million in programs for basic needs, counseling, emergency assistance to prevent homelessness. In addition, $10,700 from contributions to the 2006 Community Care Fund were set aside by the board to support a regional ending homelessness initiative. Three organizations will be awarded support to implement a Project Homeless Connect event. Project Homeless Connect is a one-day effort designed to match those who are homeless with the services that are available throughout the community at one central location. It is a one-stop shop.”

The South Wilmington Street Center, the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition, and the Town of Chapel Hill, will receive grants up to $3,500 each to complete a Project Homeless Connect in each county on October 25, 2007.

CEO Craig Chancellor says, “Four years ago, we began this process. This month Orange County’s plan will be adopted and it is time for all three counties to focus on the implementation of the plan. The City of Raleigh and Wake County are beginning their third year, Durham is in the first year of implementation and Orange County is just starting.”

All three communities continue to agree that homelessness is not just a problem within their county and that in order for the region to be successful in ending homelessness; all three counties will have to continue working toward that common end. Along the way they hope to learn lessons from each other and share success stories in order to sustain the long-term work.

At the meeting, Chancellor announced that Triangle United Way will also continue supporting the efforts across the region to end homelessness. According to Angie Welsh, the Senior Vice President for Resource Investment, “Triangle United Way allocation volunteers made an unprecedented decision this year and set aside $10,700 from the Community Care Fund to go towards the ending homeless initiative. Specifically, volunteers chose to invest in a Project Homeless Connect in each of the three Triangle Counties. Project Homeless Connect is a one-day event designed to match those who are homeless with the services that are available throughout the community at once central spot. It is a one-stop shop.”

The South Wilmington Street Center, the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition, and the Town of Chapel Hill, received up to $3,500 each for the purposes of completing a Project Homeless Connect. In an unprecedented application the three communities worked together to submit one application to hold Project Homeless Connect on October 25, 2007.

Special funds were also made available to Triangle United Way from Time Warner Cable to pilot test an employment initiative targeting people who those who are chronically homeless in Wake County. Through a competitive application process, United Way selected the South Wilmington Street Center to receive an additional $10,000 towill be recei implement this new ving $10,000 for that initiative.

According to Chancellor, “We know that in the long haul we must continue to invest in the financial stability of those who are homeless and those who are at risk-of becoming homeless. Individuals and families across the Triangle need both a safety net and a place where they can start rebuilding their income and savings. Our bold new new vision at Triangle United Way is to make sure that “all who need help find it,” is something we want to live in to guides our work toward preventing and ending homelessness in the Triangle.

Stay Tuned

I've not been blogging as of late, but I've got some big announcements happening next week. Stay tuned.

A Diversity of Approaches

Last week I went to the State of North Carolina's Homeless Conference. It is one of the best conferences available for the price of $75 for the two days. The next one will be in November of 2008.

This year, I walked away from the conference thinking about the diverse strategies that are being implemented to end homelessness throughout the country. One of the workshops was the San Diego Seriel Inebriate Program. The program is run through San Diego's police department and is designed for folks who are being arrested for public drunkeness (an arrestable condition in San Diego). When you look at the model you can see that it is about making sure there are choices for those who are chronically drunk, including the choice of treatment vs. the choice of incaraceration. And when treatment is chosen there is no waiting time, the individual participants are enrolled immediately.

One fact I've learned is that head injury is more common in homeless people. This has added a new dimension for researchers requiring them to examine the cognitive function of those who are homeless. Interestingly enough, the many behaviors that I often time attributed to noncompliance, could have really been linked to head injury or another brain related injury that resulted in lower cognitive functioning. Many signs including confusion, poor memory, inability to organize and plan, inability to learn new information, impulsivity and poor decision making, and "simple" tasks that produce high levels of anxiety, are often overlooked by providers. These subtle behaviors, however, may be the key to determining whether or not there is an underlying disabling condition that can result in additional income and services that are available to homeless clients.

Targeting emergency assistance and focusing on preventing family homelessness is another big topic of discussion. The CAMBA HomeBase Program is one being funded by and evaluated by the New York City Department of Homeless Services. There program is described in detail and was one of the presentations at last weeks conference.

Finally, after the conference was over there was an additional session about the work being done in New York City, specifically in Times Square. Common Ground is a nonprofit organization in New York. There Street to Home Initiative is a good example of Housing First. Starting in 2004 with 40 some homeless people in the neighborhood, they started trying to place these folks in housing. In 2005, the number increased to 54 and they were puzzled because they had been placing people into housing directly from the street. Staff discovered that there were certain "anchors" in the homeless community in the neighbhorhood. These were individuals who had been chronically homeless and the ones whom newly homeless individuals would seek advice and assistance from. Outreach staff began targeting these individuals and moving them to permanent housing. Interestingly enough, some of the challenges of moving these people off the street were the many ways in which businesses, churches, and other providers enabled their survival on the street. Strategies were used to remind people that housing is available for these folks and as of the conference last week, the number of homeless people has dropped to 7 in the targeted region.

The other story that goes with this is the power that data has on policy makers. My understanding is that the NYC Department of Housing has renegotiated many of its outreach contracts to focus on this type of intervention that targets the center of the network of a group of homeless individuals.

All in all a great conference. Many diverse approaches to be considered.

TUW issues RFA's

We're putting our money where our mouth is here at Triangle United Way. This year, the Triangle Community Care Cabinet has set aside $10,000 to be used on an initiative to end homelessness throughout the region. In addition, TUW was recently given an additional $10,000 to support a project in Wake County that employees chronically homeless individuals.

One of the region's initiatives at this point is on funding up to three agencies, one from each county to implement a Project Homeless Connect. Project Homeless Connect integrates lessons learned from one-stop service centers that provided community supports for Katrina evacuees seeking stabilization services in communities across the country. Similar one-day efforts of the Veterans Administration’s Homeless StandDowns also offered lessons that have made Project Homeless Connect a nationally identified best practice in helping the homeless.

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) is a one-day one-stop center designed to link homeless people with a broad range of needed services, including but not limited to housing, employment and health care. PHC is not an information fair, but instead engages homeless people directly into services. PHC provides unique opportunities for community volunteers to be directly involved in helping individuals and families make significant steps towards ending their homelessness. PHC also facilitates improved collaboration between community service agencies.

PHC Funds can be used to reimburse costs incurred in implementing a community PHC event that is held between August 1, 2007 and November 30, 2007. Triangle United Way strongly encourages that applicant agencies coordinate there local event with the two other counties eligible for this support. The PHC event must be open to all persons who meet HUD’s definition of homelessness. Eligible reimbursable expenses could include, but are not limited to,

- Space costs
- Phone and internet connectivity fees at the PHC location
- Transportation for homeless people to attend the event (ex. van rental)
- Staff time for coordination and planning of the PHC event. It is not assumed that all staff costs would be covered by the funds awarded by the Triangle United Way.

Funds are to be used to supplement, but not supplant, any existing financial commitments to a PHC event.

Funds will be made available on a reimbursement basis only.

Successful applicants will be required to submit a report on the outcomes of their PHC event within 30 days of their event, or by December 31, 2007.

The Scope of Work for the RFA employing chronic homeless individuals will include funding to complete the following:
· Personalized assessment of clients
· Placement, including the identification of potential employers
· Initial employment supports
· Collecting and reporting key data elements
· Completing a final report of activities

Students Responding to Homelessness

April 24, 2007
6:00 – 8:00 PM

Forest Hills Baptist Church
201 Dixie TrailRaleigh, NC 27607(919)-828-6161

Throughout the Spring Semester of 2007, four groups of students (three from Meredith College and one from NCSU) have been working on projects that support the efforts of the Raleigh/Wake 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. Please join us for an evening chock-full of information as these students share their research and experiences on their specific projects.

Light snacks will be provided

Sponsors: Meredith College, NCSU, Raleigh/Wake 10 Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness

Congratulations to all those agencies receiving funding through 2006's Continuum of Care application process. The Triangle communities will be bringing in $3.4 million to provide services and shelter for homeless people.

Congratulations to

• Community Alternatives for Supportive Abodes, Incorporated
• Passage Home, Inc.
• Housing For New Hope, Inc.
• PLM Families Together, Incorporated
• Wake County Human Services
• Haven House Inc.
• OPC Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Authority
• Concern of Durham, Inc.
• Chrysalis Foundation for Mental Health, Inc.
• Inter-Faith Council for Social Service
  

Violence against those who are homeless on the rise

Check this link out. It describes the type of violence that homeless people experience.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/19/homeless.attacks/index.html

Point-in-time numbers released

The 2007 Triangle Point-In-Time Count conducted on January 24 revealed there are currently 1,806 homeless men, women and children in the Triangle living on the streets and in homeless shelters. The one-night count conducted by outreach workers, police officers, housing providers and volunteers throughout Durham, Orange and Wake counties further revealed:

· 1043 were homeless in Wake County
· 539 were homeless in Durham County
· 224 were homeless in Orange County

Domestic violence, underemployment and unemployment, substance abuse and mental illness might lead to homelessness; however, it is these factors coupled with the lack of affordable housing that creates homelessness. Craig Chancellor, CEO of Triangle United Way, says, “Data from the Census demonstrates that we need over 45,000 units of housing to help offset the gap created when you compare the number of people who need affordable rental units and the actual number of units available in the Triangle.”

While the number of homeless people across the Triangle seems to fluctuate between a low of 1,720 individuals in 2006 to a high of 1,992 in 2004, there is one trend that seems to be moving in a positive direction. In 2003, there were 482 chronic homeless people in the region. In 2006 this had dropped to 399, and in January of this year, that number seems to have dropped to 245.

Through partnerships in Durham, Orange and Wake counties, 10-Year Plans to prevent and end homelessness are taking shape and communities are being mobilized for change to move from managing homelessness to ending homelessness. All three plans have strategies designed to increase the number of affordable housing units that are being built in the community. All three plans have strategies designed to work with the chronically homeless. Chronically homeless individuals are disabled and have been homeless for an extended period of time, they are among the most difficult to serve. Housing eludes those who have either come to distrust the system as a result of a mental illness or been challenged by ongoing substance abuse. Chronically homeless individuals do not have access to the income necessary to sustain permanent housing; housing that is too expensive.

Point In Time Press Event

WHAT: The 2007 Triangle Point-In-Time Count conducted on January 24 is a one night count of homeless men, women and children across the Triangle living on the streets and in homeless shelters. Speakers will address the relationship between affordable housing and homelessness.

WHO: Craig Chancellor, President & CEO Triangle United Way; Gregg Warren, CEO of DHIC; Ernie McAlister, Town of Cary Mayor; Carson Dean, Executive Director, South Wilmington Street Center in Raleigh; Phylis Glover, Former Homeless Person from Durham; Mark Chilton, Town of Carrboro Mayor.

WHERE: The Commons at Highland Village
100 Highland Commons Court
Cary, NC 27511
463-7800

WHEN: February 13, 2007
3 p.m.

NOTE: On-site interviews and photo opportunities with Chancellor, Warren, McAlister, Dean, Glover, Chilton and other formerly homeless individuals will be available. Tours of Highland Village will also be available at the close of the event.

Update for Wake County

Next week leadership from the City of Raleigh/Wake County's 10 Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness will be making presentations to City and County officials as a way to update them on the activities of the plan and prepare for budget requests that will be coming in the near future. Here is what Raleigh is doing in 2007.

Increase Supply of Permanent Affordable Housing

• Building Community Support & Involvement
• Define Bricks and Mortar Project Initiatives
• Evaluate & Propose Policy and Program Changes

Support Circles

• Recruit and Train Support Circles
• Assemble & match eligible homeless individuals / families
• Administer City & County Housing Subsidy
• Develop RHA Housing Partnerships

“SOAR” (SSI / SSDI) Initiative

• Identify Partners
• Initiate Training and Client Applications

Mental Illness & Substance Abuse Services

• Present at Statewide Conference
• Expand training & Education Opportunities

Job Readiness & Training

• “Job Ready Employment Initiative”
• Employment Works Center

Funding Services that Support Employment through “Let’s Get To Work” initiativ

• Increasing access to child care subsidies
• Transportation Resources
• Legal assistance to prevent evictions and foreclosures

Improve Communication among Outreach/Engagement Providers

Increase Access to Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Those on the Street

• Support Veterans Stand Down being completed by Wake County Human Services
• Sponsor other community events targeting homeless people (e.g. Project Homeless Connect).
• Expand services provided by PATH or utilize a PATH approach

Complete Community Assessment of Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, and Respite Bed Capacity and Needs

• Support annual point-in-time count in cooperation with the Continuum of Care

Complete Assessment and Provide Recommendations for Developing 24/7 One-Stop Services

SOAR Initiative

On Monday and Tuesday, January 22-23, Durham County was the first of the three Triangle Counties to complete SOAR Training. SOAR stands for SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery and it is a program sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services Administration.

Data suggests that:

• 39% of people who are homeless are estimated to be eligible for disability benefits due to mental illness.
• 46% of people who are homeless are estimated to be eligible for disability benefits due to physical health conditions.
• Only about 10-15% of people who are homeless are receiving benefits.
• Only 37% of all people who apply for SSI are approved upon initial application and it is believed that for those with out a home or how have mental illness it is lower.

The SOAR Technical Assistance Initiative builds on the work started in Maryland where the number of those recommended for disability has resulted in a 95% approval rate the first time out. The training completed by Durham service providers on Monday and Tuesday demystifies the SSI/SSDI system and encourages front line case workers to take a lead in helping clients through the system. The model encourages human service providers to focus on the initial application and complete documentation in such a way that you eliminate the need for consultative exams. Clinical staff develop medical summary reports that are co-signed by psychiatrists or physicians.

Point In Time Count

The federal government, in order to receive federal funds, requires communities across the country to count the number of people who are homeless. This occurred Wednesday, January 24, 2007. Wednesday night, I went out with one of the five teams in Raleigh. It is always a humbling experience to talk with these folks who are homeless and listen to their stories. Three of those I talked directly to were between 23 and 25. One young man and woman had been on the streets the last six months. They were a couple who did not want to be separated and chose to be on the streets instead. The other 25 year old young man had been on the streets off and on for five years. His current means of transportation was a bicycle with a flat rear tire.

Later in the evening we met a couple of guys that were in a camp. They were chronically homeless, drunk and trying to stay warm next to the fire they had. So often we are quick to blame these individuals for their current state, making assumptions that the system of mental health care, substance abuse treatment, and physcial health care were adequate and assessible to enough to meet the needs of these two gentlemen.

I was also struck by the number of places we came across that were clearly where people were staying, but they were not "at home" when we went by. This is the problem with trying to count those on the street who are homeless in one evening; you undercount the number of people.

Triangle United Way will be hosting a regional press conference on February 13 at 3 pm at Highland Village in Cary, NC. The press conference will release the numbers, including the trends we have seen over the last few years, of people who are counted during the Point In Time Count

MLK's Day On, Not A Day Off

Monday was MLK Day and Triangle United Way organized volunteer work days for agencies across the Triangle. The signature event in Orange County was a book drive for two Triangle United Way member agencies; Interfaith Council for Social Services and Orange Congregations In Mission. Both are members of Orange County's Partnership to End Homelessness. OCIM has a Meals on Wheels Progam that provides meals for senior citizens in Northern Orange County, North Carolina. Their Samaritan Relief Program houses a food pantry and provides emergency assistance for housing costs. IFC provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for persons in Orange County and emergency assistance for those in Chapel Hill-Carrboro.




The book drive started on January 2nd and ended on January 15. On MLK Day, volunteers, including students, sorted books. A few picture were snapped at the book event. Triangle United Way's Board Secretary Dr. Tara Fikes was one of the volunteers. Dr. Fikes is the Director of Orange County's Housing and Community Development Department and provides incredible leadership for the Partnership to End Homelessness. The book drive included a surprise visit from presidential candidate John Edwards and his family.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness released a report yesterday estimating that the number of homeless people across the country in 2005 was 744,313 people. Additional estimates indicate that:

• 56% of those were in shelters of some sort, while 44% were unsheltered.
• 59% of homeless people counted were single adults and 41% were persons living in families
• 23% were considered chronically homeless.

Red Tents in Paris

A recent article from the Christian Science Monitor described an effort by Parisians to bring awareness to the situation of homelessness throughout the country. The efforts spread throughout the country and the French government increased the support to homeless programs from $11M to $92M.

Update on Durham's 10 Year Results Plan to End Homelessness

1. Durham Affordable Housing Coalition was chosen by the plan’s Executive Team to implement the plan.

DAHC has a long history in Durham County as a nonprofit agency that focuses on affordable housing and homelessness. Some highlights of the application that we want to share with the entire Executive Committee include:

• History of partnering and coordinating throughout the community, including nonprofit homeless service providers, The Durham Center and the Department of Social Services;
• Raising over $17.5 million for housing and homeless services within Durham
  Leadership in the 10 year planning effort
• Currently the coordinators of the Point-in-Time count and Continuum of Care application (2 deliverables that are required by the contracting agency)
• Able to match some funding with current public support
• Concrete staffing plan
• Reasonable budget
• Eager to move forward and define deliverables with the Executive Team

Discussion at the January Executive Team started with concerns associated with the fact that there is not a public official in Durham City or County who is the “champion” of the plan and whether or not it would be more beneficial to locate the implementation of the plan within a City or County Department. Those who historically been part of providing homeless services reminded the Team that this was the most government involvement in this issue to date. In addition, the opposing concern was that if you located it either in the city or the county that it would then default to being that particular government body’s problem. It was agreed that it was important to have an outside agency to build both grassroots momentum for the plan and be supported by both the City and County. The Executive Team come to consensus that the contracting agency should be the Durham Affordable Housing Coalition.

2. Durham Representatives attended the NC Leadership Summit on December 13-14

Those attending: Reverend Herb Davis, Melva Henry, Lloyd Schmiedler, Cora Cole-McFadden.
Some highlights included:

• Chris Allers, Executive VP from United Way of Atlanta, shared experiences after three years of having a 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, reminding the group that it took nearly three years for results to be seen.
• City of Knoxville representatives and Lansing, MI marketing firm talked about important ways of working with the media and educating the media in order to make 10 Year Plans a priority.
• City of Portland, OR and Knoxville, TN discussed methods for sustaining the momentum of the 10 Year Plans, including the use of Project Homeless Connect. Project Homeless Connect is a model that brings all providers together in one central location for one day so that homeless individuals and families can easily move through the system.
• Phillip Mangano, US Interagency Council on Homelessness discussed the common elements in the most successful plans.

3. Durham County is selected to participate in the SOAR training

It is estimated that 39% and 46% of people who are homeless are eligible for disability benefits because of their mental illness or physical health condition, respectively. However, only 10-15% of people who are homeless are receiving disability benefits. Durham and Johnston Counties have been selected to serve as additional training sites for SOAR. (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery Technical Assistance Initiative). Durham’s training will take place on January 22 and 23. Results from initial pilot testing of this intervention demonstrates that with active participation from homeless service providers, outreach workers, and others who are working directly with homeless people, you can increase the first time approval rate for disability to 65% (almost twice the national average for all applicants).

4. Durham to apply for $3,000 Technical Assistance from the State of NC

North Carolina’s Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs has issued an RFP to provide communities who are working on 10 Year Plans to apply for up to $3,000. This is the first support from the State of NC for homelessness. The money will be used in Durham County to

a. Provide PIT data to the State of NC
b. Provide data on the number of homeless school age children to the State of NC
c. Provide an unduplicated annual census of the number of chronically homeless individuals in the community.
d. Complete an annual assessment of activities that support the implementation of the 10 year planning effort in the local community.

5. Community Assistance Database/Homeless Management Information System

In 2000, Congress required that any community receiving Supportive Housing Funding through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development must provide the government with an unduplicated count of the number of homeless people each year. Durham homeless providers began working with the Durham County Department of Social Services who was developing a Community Assistance Database for clients receiving assistance. Durham County’s IT Department designed the CADB to include the necessary data elements to meet the obligations required by HUD. To date there are a limited number of community partners accessing this web based application. Individuals will be submitting a mini-grant to the RBA program in order to bring two of the largest providers Urban Ministries and the Durham Rescue Mission onto the county system. At this point, both organizations have databases whose platforms are inconsistent with the CADB/HMIS and the support will be used to bring those two organizations onto the system.