City of Lawrence, Kansas

HOMELESS ISSUES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

March 13, 2012 Minutes (Lawrence City Commission Room)

Members present: Hubbard Collinsworth, Brad Cook, Wes Dalberg, Karin Feltman, Brent Hoffman, Shannon Murphy, Cary Strong

Members absent: Mike Monroe, Elyse Towey

Staff present: Danelle Dresslar, Margene Swarts

Public present: Saunny Scott, Hilda Enoch, Carol Taylor, Alana Winner

The meeting was called to order at 8:30 am by Chair Cook.

ITEM NO. 1 Introductions

The members of the HIAC introduced themselves.

ITEM NO. 2 Approval of the Agenda and the February 14, 2012 Minutes.

ACTION TAKEN

Motion by Collinsworth to approve the Agenda and the February 14, 2012 meeting minutes of the HIAC. Seconded by Strong.

Motion passed unanimously.

ITEM NO. 3 Housing Vision Reports.

a. Emergency Shelter – Salvation Army Overflow Statistics

Carol Taylor, the Salvation Army, said that there are not specific demographic statistics for the shelter overflow the Salvation Army is seeing, but they are aware of who is there when staff arrives in the morning, and the average per night varies between about 20-25 people each night. The facility has been accepting overflow guests from the shelter since September.

Cook asked if this was happening every night.

Taylor said it was, and that the Salvation Army itself does not staff the facility overnight; the Lawrence Community Shelter does. The Salvation Army building is the designated site for overflow guests. They are housing single males only at this facility.

Dalberg added that the Salvation Amy only provides the space for the overflow. LCS brings the mats, staff, and anything additional they need. They are fed at the LCS site then they move over to sleep at the Salvation Army location.

Cook said LCS does their best to pick the guests that stay at the Salvation Army site as those that are not intoxicated or unruly.

Collinsworth said LCS is at their occupancy limit but he had not been aware in any of the conversations that have been had that LCS was sending overflow every night to the Salvation Army.

Cook said LCS was having around 100 people sign up every night for bed space.

Feltman said she was not aware that the overflow continued to happen when the weather was not below freezing.

Dalberg said all the Salvation Army is doing in terms of overflow is making the building available and that LCS has their own keys to the facility.

b. Transitional Housing - Project Able Supportive Services

Taylor said there are 15 families enrolled in Project Able Supportive Services at all times. As one family exits the program, another one enters. Over the last year the program as had three to four disabled adults at all times, and there were eight families over the last year that were single adults with children, both male and female parent. There are consistently three to four couples with children as well. There is currently a family enrolled in the program that has six children. The average stay in Project Able is a year and a half. Some are exited from the program before that time, and others can stay up to two years. The Salvation Army staff follows those exited from the program for six months for stabilization purposes.

Taylor said the program itself is designed to assist those who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. In order to prove the client is at risk for homelessness they must have an eviction notice. The program serves individuals as well as families. There are many families that have gone through the program that have a disabled parent or child. They offer case management to try to stabilize the client in housing. They have many agency partnerships, including partnership with LDCHA’s Section 8 program. Taylor said staff works closely with program participants to teach them about resources in the community. In addition they assist with tax preparation, Parks and Recreation program enrollments, and basic home repair instruction. Project Able also works with vocational rehabilitation and documentation preparation such as SRS forms, resumes, and other identification documentation. Project Able works to link the client with other agencies and resources, and the intent is to graduate them from the program and stabilize them in housing. The program process varies by the family. The family that has six children is on a different process than a single individual. There is a lot of one-on-one face time that is needed for the program, and because of the intensity of the program it limits the number that can be enrolled at any given time.

Hoffman asked how Project Able receives referrals.

Taylor said a lot of their referrals are by word of mouth. Those who exit the program tend to refer friends and family to the agency. These referrals call the agency, and if there is a place for them and the meet the requirements then they are enrolled. They also have received referrals from the jail, Family Promise, and LCS. They will assist anyone with community resources and other programs as well.

Enoch asked how long the wait list was.

Taylor said the program does not compile a wait list. The feeling is that if there is a wait list, then people will wait until their time is called to get assistance. Usually when someone calls inquiring about the program there has been a crisis that has brought them there. The agency does not want them to wait until there is a spot open if they truly need immediate assistance. Open slots are filled immediately, but the program participant has to be willing to put in the work necessary for them to be successful. The program itself cannot change the person; it can only give them to tools to change.

Enoch asked if there was no wait list, how are spots filled immediately.

Taylor said they know of some potential participants that need assistance, and they work closely with other community programs to ensure there is not duplication of services.

Collinsworth asked how this program handles rent subsidy.

Taylor said there is no rent subsidy piece to Project Able Supportive Services. They will help them find housing, but they do not offer assistance with paying for it.

Collinsworth asked if the participant has to be employed.

Taylor said they do not. She said some people have enough money to go into an apartment. Some receive benefits such as TANIF, and some are employed.

c. Permanent Supportive Housing – Hope House

Alana Winner, house manager for Hope House, explained the permanent supportive housing program (PSH) run through LDCHA. She said with a PSH program the tenant does not have to worry about leaving the unit they are in as long as the grant is intact and there is funding available. There are some clients of Hope House that are able to transition into Section 8 or other permanent housing. Hope House has been in existence for the past seven years, and the program is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Planning and Development Continuum of Care allocation. The homeless assistance is provided through the McKinney Vento Act. In 2003 the program was originally awarded funding, and the first resident moved in during January of 2005. By July of 2005, the building was a full occupancy. They have recently been approved funding for the eighth year. Winner said she holds a master’s degree in Psychology and she is onsite 35 hours a week.

Winner said the clients receive housing and additional services through the grant. LCDHA provides matching funds to HUD. To be eligible for the program a client must be considered chronically homeless which is homeless for one year or off and on for four years. In addition they must have mental health or substance abuse issues. There are a lot of people on the street with these conditions because of the trend of mental health hospitals closing down. Winner said that once an applicant is found eligible and there is a spot for them in the building, the program starts assisting them with items such as food stamps, identification paperwork, and other documentation. They provide case management and assist with gaining mainstream benefits. They also help those with substance abuse issues to work with SRS on benefits. There are instances where a client of the program makes no money and does not receive disability benefits, and they are able to still live there. Hope House staff works with rehabilitation programs as well as assisting with job searches and resume help. They also work with the clients to develop healthy leisure skills through programs such as Parks and Recreation offerings. They work with the clients on health care skills helping them remember to follow up on doctor visits. They work on coping skills and link with other community agencies such as Bert Nash and DCCCA. Winner said the program also helps to monitor probation and parole obligations. They provide bus passes. The program building is located near downtown around 9^th Street and Kentucky Street. There are a lot of social service providers located around that area.

Winner said the house itself has six units. Each client has their own apartment. Many of the clients pay nothing for rent, but if there is an income the program asks for 30% of their earnings in rental payments. They are also instances where clients can be eligible for income disallowance. Winner said over the seven years the program has been running, they have assisted 97 people, and this may include some being counted more than once. They have received over 186 applications over the seven years, and they currently have nine people on the wait list. Last year three residents have become eligible for other LDCHA programs and have transitioned out. Winner said it was challenging because this program is not a Housing First model, and a client has to be enrolled in a case management program if they stay there.

Cook asked if there were any current vacancies.

Winner said there was one.

Dalberg asked if those in Hope House have dual diagnosis for both mental health issues and addiction.

Winner said yes. Some clients may be in recovery and have a mental illness. They see self-medication as a mental illness as well as depression and anxiety. Many times they appear together.

Enoch asked if there were a lot of people that qualify for the vacant unit.

Winner said there were some, but it is sometimes difficult for those with a dual diagnosis to willingly seek treatment. They have been ill for a long time and some that might otherwise be qualified for the program might not be at the point where they are willing to seek help.

Enoch asked if the client has to be in a treatment program.

Winner said they do, but as she mentioned they might not be willing yet to enter the treatment program. There are also other things that could keep an individual from being eligible for the program, including history with methamphetamine and a history of violence. To be a part of the program one has to be willing to enter treatment. If they do not go to treatment they will eventually be terminated from the program.

Scott asked if the clients were all men.

Winner said they program assists both single men and single women. They treat a diverse population of people.

Enoch said this feels to her to be a very important piece of the vision. There needs to be representatives from the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority in attendance at these meetings. There is not enough transitional housing in the community, and Lawrence Memorial Hospital cannot and will not provide any mental health services. There needs to be more money found to continue these programs.

Collinsworth asked where the match comes from.

Winner said the match comes from LDCHA reserve funds. As long as the Housing Authority has reserves they can meet the match requirements.

Dalberg added that the Salvation Army has received their contract from HUD and their permanent supportive housing program will be beginning within the next 30-60 days. Employees will begin to be hired and the program will offer units for ten households.

Taylor said that the Salvation Army PSH is slightly different than Hope House in that their program will be able to serve five families and five singles, and one in each household must be disabled.

Enoch asked if mental illness or substance abuse counts as a disability.

Taylor said any disability counts. They do not have to have dual diagnosis. The Salvation Army’s Project Able Supportive Services program currently serves mentally ill now, and half of them have a dual diagnosis.

d. Permanent Housing – Tenants to Homeowners.

Rebecca Buford was unable to attend.

e. Non-Housing - Medical - LMH

Feltman provided a report on crisis stabilization bed statistics from 2010 and 2011. The reports were run using the addresses of Family Promise, the Salvation Army, and LCS. The report can be found here. She clarified that the report reflected only crisis stabilization numbers and not emergency room numbers.

Hoffman asked if a cost analysis could be run to see how much this population of people is costing the hospital.

Feltman said she can request stats on the average cost and then run a report again on the above addresses.

Enoch asked what happens if the person is depressed, schizophrenic, or suicidal.

Feltman said the person can stay in crisis stabilization for up to 24 hours. If they are unable to be stabilized then LMH works to transfer them to a place that can help them. If the person is a harm to themselves or others, they provide screening to refer them to Osawatomie. Most people do not stay in crisis stabilization for the full 24 hours. There is a Community Care Navigator position at LMH that provides assistance with helping the person find resources before they leave LMH. The Community Care Navigator also follows up with the person to check on them. It is a form of case management for the higher risk individuals.

ITEM NO. 4 Discussion Regarding how the USICH ‘Opening Doors Across America’ Might Be Applicable in the Lawrence Community. (Link to Public Manager Article)

Swarts said she wanted to share this article with the HIAC because it talked about the “Opening Doors” strategy to end homelessness. She wanted to point out on page 30 the report talks about the better use of targeted resources, and refers to the ARRA-funded Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing (HPRP) funding that was utilized in many places including Lawrence. The program nationwide assisted 935,000 people in the first two years. This was three times more than the program originally projected. It was a good program and was successful, but there is no more funding available for it. HUD is looking at the Emergency Solutions Grant as something that will include a component of HPRP. Staff is still unsure of what that will look like, but the regulations preclude Housing Authorities from receiving funding, and LDCHA administered the program for Lawrence.

Murphy said the items that the report listed as tangible results are now gone.

Swarts said as soon as staff sees the application for the new ESG they will review it and sit down with the agencies and discuss how to structure the submittal.

Hoffman said HPRP paved the way for change in how communities respond to homelessness.

Swarts said this is correct for when the money was available. She said she did not know if the community could continue doing things the way in which they worked best. That program was additional funding over and above normal allocations. The community still has the HOME grant TBRA element, but that grant was cut 38% between 2011 and 2012, and the LCDHA TBRA allocation was cut almost 50%.

Hoffman said in reality it does not seem as if HPRP really did pave the way for fundamental change if it was not sustainable.

Swarts agreed. There are programs in place that attempt to do that, but there is limited funding. The 2011 ESG allocation to the City of Lawrence was around $60,000. There was an amount within that allocation that was used by LCS for emergency shelter operations. The State appears to be leaning toward not allocating large sums of funding for shelter operations. HPRP-type activities are an expectation. Staff will work with the agencies to determine how that will work in the community. There is still an obvious need for an emergency shelter, as not everyone can be housed through a program such as HPRP. Case management and stabilization are major factors in getting a person housed. Swarts said her observation has been that the programs that are the most successful have a strong case management and supportive service component. At the last HIAC meeting James Dunn commented from the landlord point of view it has not been successful housing people with no case management component. The homeless population runs the gamut of those who cannot be housed, to those that can with supportive services, and everything in between. The Lawrence community had the HPRP program which worked well, but even it had issues with the HMIS component as being a barrier. The state did not want to change the structure of that piece of the program. Swarts said sometimes there is a huge disconnect with agencies that roll out a program and agencies that are in the trenches providing the implementation. There is a population of people that will not go to a shelter. Many of these people are the chronically homeless, and the question is how does this get addressed? The community will keep working with what it has and helping those it can.

ITEM NO. 5 Discussion of Next Steps Regarding the Drop-In Center.

Swarts asked when the next meeting should take place for this discussion, and who does the HIAC want to be present?

Cook suggested having the discussion at the April meeting and deferring the Housing Vision reports until May.

Swarts said staff can arrange that, and the topic may span over several meetings.

Feltman said it was important to invite business people and the library representatives. She suggested getting a feel for the concerns first, and have them be part of the subsequent discussion on the solution.

Swarts said staff can invite the new director of the library as well as anyone else they think would help facilitate the discussion.

The HIAC provided a list of individuals and agencies they would like to invite to the April meeting. Staff will coordinate.

ITEM NO. 6 Miscellaneous/Calendar.

Hoffman said he would like to make sure that Family Promise gets a chance to report as they were on the schedule for a Housing Vision report in April.

Dresslar said she would coordinate with Ortiz to make sure they are able to report in May.

Collinsworth asked where Lawrence stood with the Continuum of Care (CoC).

Swarts said staff is involved with the CoC Committee as well as the Board of Directors for the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition. Swarts said she and Dresslar were both involved in the regional aspect as well. The grant awards have begun to be released and every renewal the CoC applied for was awarded. New projects have not yet been announced.

ITEM NO. 7 Public Comment.

Enoch asked if there was going to be a report on the drop in center discussions.

Cook said the Committee met prior to the scheduled meeting and discussed the next steps. The item will be on the agenda for April.

Enoch said Family Promise should be represented in the reporting cycle.

Dresslar said they will be able to report in May, and they were originally scheduled for April.

Hoffman said as a board member he could report that there are currently 14 people at Family Promise and it is full. There are four single adults and ten children. They have hired a new position which is a Family Services Coordinator, and in addition they have filled the position for the Community Outreach Director.

Enoch said she wanted to hear a Bert Nash report on transitional housing.

Cook said the transitional housing program though Bert Nash is run through their Community Support Services Supportive Housing division and the client must be a part of that particular program to be housed. The outreach team has very little to do with who participates in that program so this would not be something they would traditionally report on. The participants have to have a SPMI diagnosis and be on Medicaid. There is a case management component tied to the housing and it is funded through the HOME voucher program. The outreach workers work with another group entirely. A client cannot go through CSS supportive housing and have an outreach worker.

Enoch said if it is a transitional housing program the community needs to hear a report on it.

Cook said if Enoch wanted stats on that program or if the body wanted a report Carla Helm is the contact.

Dalberg said if the outreach team places an individual in transitional housing it is reported on within their quarterly report.

Enoch said it is still part of the housing picture and it needs a report. It is still housing available in the community. She said it was a vital program and if LMH is not doing this for the community it needs to be discussed. The only thing that this body hears about is transitional housing with supportive services and this is only half of the picture. The body cannot identify the gaps if they do not know what is available.

Cook said he would talk to Carla Helm, but the issue always comes back to money and the fact that there are not enough vouchers to go around. This is what continually happens, and in addition there are not enough case workers. That is the gap.

ITEM NO. 8 Adjourn.

Motion by Dalberg to adjourn the March 13, 2012 meeting of the HIAC. Seconded by Collinsworth.

Motion passed unanimously.

Attendance Record

Members

01/12

02/12

03/12

04/12

05/12

06/12

07/12

08/12

09/12

10/12

11/12

12/ 12

Hubbard Collinsworth

Brad Cook

Wes

Dalberg

Karin Feltman

Brent Hoffman

Mike

Monroe

Shannon Murphy

Cary

Strong

Elyse

Towey

X - Meeting Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather

E - Excused Absence

U - Unexcused Absence

() – Last meeting in term.

* - First meeting in term.