Opening Doors
Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness
GOAL
Retool the homeless response system by
transforming homeless services to crisis
response systems that prevent homelessness
and rapidly return people who experience
homelessness to stable housing.
Crisis Response System
Designing the System
• We need entire communities to embrace this
philosophy and restructure their systems
around it. If the old model was emergency
shelter, transitional housing, and permanent
housing, the new model is based on the three
“A’s”: 1) Access; 2)Assessment; and 3)
Assignment of Intervention.
Designing a Crisis Response System
Coordinated Assessment
• Definition:
– Process for matching and prioritizing consumers for
different homelessness interventions through the use
of standardized assessment tools and referral
procedures
• Assess- Risk of Becoming or Remaining Homeless; Housing
Options, and Vulnerability to Homelessness
• Assessment Tier
Prevention/Diversion (100%) Housing Barrier Assessment
(75%) Vulnerability Assessment (25%)
Crisis Housing and Services
• Definition:
– Temporary short term housing system to alleviate a
consumer’s immediate housing crisis as a first step to
being re-housed that includes emergency shelter, street
outreach, and emergency health and other crisis services
• Best Practice Crisis Shelter- strong links to permanent
housing, low barrier, accessible 24/7, linked to
coordinated assessment, street outreach
Rapid Re-Housing
• Definition:
– A permanent housing intervention designed to
return households to permanent housing quickly
through the use of temporary rental assistance,
voluntary home-based case management, and
connection to mainstream resources
– RR-H is an intervention/tool not a program
Permanent Supportive Housing
• Definition:
– Housing units (scattered-site or congregate) used
in concert with housing vouchers and intensive
wraparound services to successfully house a
community’s most vulnerable people with the
housing first approach
– Targets and prioritizes chronically homeless based
on local data
Collective Impact and Responsibilities
ROLE OF THE CONTINUUM OF CARE
GOVERNANCE
Collective Impact
• Collective Impact is created through:
– Common Agenda
– Shared Measurement Systems
– Mutually Reinforcing Activities
– Continuous Communications
– Backbone Support Organizations
Governance
• The CoC Steering Committee is the
membership approved lead decision-making
body and board responsible for planning for
the use of the US Department of Housing and
Urban Development (HUD) HEARTH CoC
resources and coordinating these funds with
other relevant resources in the jurisdiction.
CoC Governance Responsibilities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Hold meetings at least semiannually
Invite members publicly
Adopt a written process to select a Board
Appoint committees, subcommittees, and workgroups
Adopt a governance charter
Establish systemic performance targets and monitor performance
(and take action against poor performers)
7. Evaluate CoC and ESG projects
8. Establish and Operate a Coordinated Assessment
9. Establish written standards for providing assistance