Rensselaer County Homeless Service Collaborative
Membership Meeting
Date/Time: May 20, 2014 at 2pm
Location: Unity House
Attendance: Bonnie Benson, Kathleen Ide, Kevin O’Connor, Andra Zubkovs, Tom Hulihan, Wendy
Wahlberg, Michael Finocchi, Tracy Pitcher, Daquetta Jones, Kristine Darling, Lee Brod, Kacie Hull, Leslie
Cheu, Deborah Byers, Tess Cleary, Michelle Sandoz-Dennis
HIC-PIT Report
HIC-PIT Memo is presented by CARES. The memo can be found on the CoC’s website.
Street Outreach & MRT Funding Application
Josephs’ House and Unity House are collaborating on this application. In terms of outreach to address
the population that has been misplaced from a park and with whom outreach is being conducted
currently. In terms of Medical Redesign Team, to address high Medicaid users for those with substance
use issues and avoid unnecessary psych hospitalizations or health homes.
Committee Reports
Goals: Meeting 6/3 at 9am at Hill Street (Tentative). Purpose – monitor goals as it relates to the
consolidated application for community accomplishments and performance.
Data: Met 4/16 with six members, next meeting 5/27, will meet monthly through September. Purpose –
monitor what data is entered in HMIS, quality and progress towards five objectives stated in the
consolidated application.
CoC Action Plan: Written two years ago as a pre HEARTH Act plan for HUD. Includes five goals, to be
discussed at second meeting TBD.
Coordinated Assessment: Map of current system presented. No Wrong Door approach is a strong
possibility. Will determine what subpopulation or housing type if not the whole system to focus on first.
Next meeting 5/22. No Wrong Door models will be discussed. August 2014 is original date for
implementation. HUD, STEHP, ESG required to participate. Prioritize clients in most need, i.e. Chronic
Homeless. How to handle waiting lists and confidentiality to be discussed.
HMIS Advisory: two representative from each community in HMIS, will be discussing new data standards
to be released and implemented.
Outreach: tasked with coordinating with other efforts, fostering collaboration as it relates to CoC tasks.
Rank and Review is the first focus of this committee. Next meeting 6/12.
Next Steps
Collaborative Applicant Memo: summarizes what the CoC has completed in the past six months and
what next steps for the next six months are. Update on CoC Application – Tier 1 funding was announced
and funded. The Tier 2 projects are expected to be announced in June whether renewed. Tier 2 Projects
are looking at alternatives in preparation for delay in funding. For upcoming Annual Meeting, review
the 10 Year Plan, what has been accomplished, what is left to do. Revamp the 10 Year Plan Committee
as a positive collaboration with system and community partners.
Agency Updates
Agencies shared their current status, upcoming events, and successes.
Next Board Meeting: September 16thth, 2014 Next Membership Meeting: June 17th, 2014
Respectfully Submitted by Tess Cleary, CARES, Inc.