Orange County’s Ten-Year Plan to
End Homelessness
Karen Roper, Director
OC Housing & Community Services
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Why OC Created a Ten-Year Plan
• OC needed to develop a more strategic, focused effort to
end homelessness.
• To remain competitive for Federal Homeless Assistance
funding (successfully secured over $155.7 million in
Continuum of Care Funding since 1996)
• OC’s Ten-Year Plan has contributed to positive, systemic
changes in the way we address homelessness.
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What Makes a Successful Plan?
• Broad community participation
• Getting the right leaders at the table (not just
homeless/housing providers)
• Development of goals and strategies that support best
practices and models to end (not manage) homelessness
• Measurable Outcomes
• Vision, patience, and courage
• Believe and Dream!
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Overcoming Barriers Associated
With Philosophical Differences Between Providers
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Community-Based versus Faith-Based
Low Threshold versus High Threshold
Zero Tolerance versus Harm Reduction
Government versus Private Funding
Housing First/Rapid Rehousing versus Traditional Continuum of
Care Progression
• Conservative versus Liberal
THERE IS COMMON GROUND!
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CPR (Connecting People with Resources)
Serving People/Ending Homelessness
Positively Contributing to an Effort Much Bigger Than You!
Improving the Quality of Life
Saving Tax Payer Dollars
One Size Does Not Fit All
Overview of Planning Structure
• Working Group (Appointed by Continuum)
• Stakeholder Comment Groups (Continuum)
• Expert Implementation Groups (Universities/Data Gurus)
• OC Homelessness Planning Group (Appointed by
County CEO)
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10 Year Plan Working Group Members
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Pam Allison
Bonnie Birnbaum
Helen Cameron
Bob Cerince
Lucy Dunn
Kim Goll
Larry Haynes
Lacy Kelly
Scott Larson
Dawn Lee
Jennifer Lee-Anderson
Carolyn McInerney
Cathleen Murphy
Theresa Murphy
Karen Roper
Margie Wakeham
OC Project Hope School
OC Health Care Agency
HOMES, Inc.
City of Anaheim
OC Business Council
OC Children and Families Commission
Mercy House
OC League of Cities
HomeAid OC
OC Partnership
CLA & Associates
OC County Executive Office
American Family Housing
Precious Life Shelter
OC Housing & Community Services
Families Forward
OC Point In Time Count Data
Census Component
2009
2011
Net Change
Unsheltered projection
Shelter enumeration
Point-in-time count
Annual Estimate
5,724
2,609
8,333
21,479
4,272 -1,452
2,667
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6,939 -1,394
18,325 -3,154
Percent Change
-25%
2%
-17%
-15%
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Goals to End Homelessness
• Goal 1: Prevent homelessness to ensure that no
one in our community becomes homeless.
• Goal 2: Outreach to those who are homeless and at
risk of homelessness.
• Goal 3: Improve the efficacy of the emergency
shelter and access system.
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Goals to End Homelessness
• Goal 4: Make strategic improvements in the
transitional housing system.
• Goal 5: Develop permanent housing options linked
to a range of supportive services.
• Goal 6: Ensure that people have the right resources,
programs, and services to remain housed.
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Goals to End Homelessness
• Goal 7: Improve data systems to accurately define
the need for housing and related services and to
measure outcomes.
• Goal 8: Develop the systems and organizational
structures to provide oversight and accountability.
• Goal 9: Advocate for community support, social
policy, and systemic changes necessary to succeed.
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Blended Model
Permanent
Housing
Access Centers/
Multi-Service Centers
TYPES:
Emergency Shelters/
•Supportive with
Services
Year-Round Armory
•Affordable
(incomerestricted)
•Section 8
•Market Rate
Transitional
(Rapid or
Long Term)
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Conventional
Process
Residential Services
Outreach
Prevention
Homeless/
At Risk
Rapid
Re-Housing
Process
Building Political Will &
Getting the Right People At The Table
• Strategic Messaging
– Cost Benefit Analysis
• Parks
• Libraries
• Emergency Rooms
• Jails
• Fire Departments
• Police Departments
– Healthier Communities
– Putting a face on the issue (includes families with children, seniors,
victims of domestic violence, etc.)
• Building Relationships and Leadership Support
• Securing Strategic Stakeholder Appointments for Leadership Structure
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OC Commission to End Homelessness
Board Roster
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Chairman John Moorlach
Tom Burnham
Bob Dunek
Bill Ford
Sister Regina Fox
Goll Kim
Don Hansen
Larry Haynes
Kathryn McCullough
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OC Board of Supervisors
OC Business Council
OC City Manager’s Association
OC Business Council
OC Funder’s Roundtable
OC Funder’s Roundtable
OC League of Cities
HomeAid OC
OC League of Cities
OC Commission to End Homelessness
Board Roster
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Wolfgang Knabe
Barbara Jennings
Scott Larson
Jim Palmer
Allan Roeder
Paul Walters
Carolyn McInerney
Mark Refowitz
Steve Kight
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OC Fire Chief’s Association
HomeAid OC
Housing Commission
Housing Commission
OC City Manager’s Association
OC Police Chief’s Association
County Executive Office
OC Health Care Agency
Executive Director
Ten-Year Plan
Implementation Groups
• Group One – Prevent Homelessness/Outreach
to At-Risk and Homeless
Larry Haynes, Chair
• Group Two – Improve Emergency Shelter
System/Improve Transitional Housing System
Scott Larson, Chair
• Group Three – Develop Permanent Housing
Options/Resources to Remain Housed
Allan Roeder, Chair
• Group Four – Improve Data and Advocate
for Community Support/Social Policy/Systemic
Change
Jim Palmer, Chair
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Ending Homelessness Requires
Change and Courage
Definition of Courage: Quality of mind or spirit that enables
a person to face difficulty, danger (and change) without
fear!
Positive systemic change takes courage, time and
perseverance.
It takes courage to strategically align resources to a Ten
Year Plan!
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Ending Homelessness Requires
Change and Courage
• Change will require us to be open to new ideas,
philosophies, and program models.
• We have to think about the big picture and what is
best for those we serve.
• Blessed are the flexible!
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Practice What We Preach!
Since January 2010 when the Board of
Supervisors approved the draft Ten-Year Plan,
OC Housing & Community Services has been
aligning multiple funding resources to support
ending homelessness in Orange County!
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OC Housing &
Community Services
Director
Karen Roper
Executive Secretary
Norma Dickerson
Community
Investment &
OC Workforce
Investment Board
Andrew Munoz
OC Housing &
Community
Development/
Homeless Prevention
Julia Bidwell
OC
Housing Authority
John Hambuch
OC Office on Aging
Sylvia Mann
OC Veterans
Service Office
John Parent
Resource Alignment Examples
• Orange County Housing Authority Project-Based
Vouchers for special needs affordable housing
development.
• Orange County Housing Authority Shelter Plus Care
Vouchers for special needs homeless.
• Orange County Housing Authority VASH Vouchers
for homeless Veterans.
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Resource Alignment Examples
• Economic Stimulus Homeless Prevention/Rapid
Rehousing
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Mobile Multi-Service Center
Post Hospital Recuperative Care Program
Homeless Prevention Assistance
Rapid Rehousing Assistance
Centralized Intake
Resource Alignment Examples
• Economic Stimulus Funding/Neighborhood Stabilization Program
affordable rental housing for homeless and special needs
populations.
• Veterans Service Office VetConnect Project
– Onsite behavioral health services
– Subsidized employment for Veterans
– Housing, Transportation and Other Supportive Services
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Building Strategic Funding Partners
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OC Children & Families Commission
OC Health Care Agency
OC Social Services Agency
OC Cities
OC Funders Roundtable
HomeAid OC
Emergency Food & Shelter Program Board
Emergency Housing Assistance Program DLB
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Transforming Tragedies Into
Hope for the Future
Kelly Thomas
April 5, 1974 – July 10, 2011
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Transforming Tragedies Into
Hope for the Future
Iraq War Veteran in
California is
suspected homeless
serial killer
Police at the scene of a
homeless slaying in
Anaheim, California
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Ending Homelessness
Through Servant Leadership
• The servant-leader is servant first. It begins with the natural feeling that
one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to
aspire to lead.
• The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types.
• The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to
make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served.
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Questions?
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