WHAT DOES IMPROVING SHELTER LOOK LIKE?

Rhode Island’s OPERATION FIRST STEP PROGRAM

Jim RyczekExecutive Director, Rhode Island Coalition for

the Homeless1070 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860

jim@rihomeless.org

HISTORY

WELCOME ARNOLD (A RI Revolutionary War Hero) Over 25 years RI’s Largest Congregate

Shelter; 114 Bed Capacity (for unaccompanied Men &

Women); Night-to-Night; Limited to No Effective Case Management; In June, 2006 the shelter was designated to

close and be razed to build the new RI State Police Barracks on the site;

History (cont.)

Advocates objected to the replacement of Welcome Arnold with another large congregate shelter;

Advocates instead promoted community-based, scattered site apartment and/or group home model;

Intensive case management as a central component;

This resulted in a delay in the closing of Welcome Arnold until March 15, 2007;

Advocacy Opportunity: The Window

Opens… Leverage existed with Governor’s press

statement: “I have pledged to ensure that every individual using that facility is accommodated before construction begins. [N]othing whatsoever will happen at Welcome Arnold until we have established a plan to ensure that we can provide for the facility’s residents going forward.”

These statements would come back to haunt him…but, not persuade him and his administration to allocate more resources.

Advocacy Opportunity: The Window

Opens… We won on the new model… We did not win bringing the new model to

scale; W.A. = 114 beds in a Night-to-Night Shelter; Accommodated 297 individuals in Feb. 2007; New Operation First Step Program = 100 beds;

Several challenges emerged in implementation; First 100 beds ≠ 297 people!; Co-operation &Collaboration Issues.

First 100 beds ≠ 297 people! Funding restricted to approx. what Welcome

Arnold cost = $700,000; A Decentralized, Community based model

would serve 100 clients (70 women, 30 men) at any point-in-time;

There would no longer be ANY emergency women’s shelter in the state;

The transition would happen in a 24 hr. period; Overflow would result and must be planned

for…

Co-operation & Collaboration Issues

“Silo-ization”& competition for scare resources had not fomented close collaborative relationships;

Further exacerbated by philosophical issues;

Implementation Committee formed to oversee & coordinate the transition;

Made up of executive directors of 5 agencies chosen to replace W.A. with the new Operation First Step Program.

Cost to the State = $3.8 Million

PROGRAM AGENCIES

CROSSROADS RI Intake/Assessment

URBAN LEAGUE RI Women (younger)

AMOS HOUSE Substance free/recovery

MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES/OASIS Mental Health

HOUSE OF HOPE CDC Women (older)

GOALS OF FIRST STEP

Assess and Identify Basic Needs;

Provide Effective Case Management & Treatment Planning;

Achieve Better Stability and Sustainability;

Transition to Permanent Housing.

Program Modifications

Implementation Committee was Re-organized into an ongoing Monitoring & Evaluation Committee;

E.D.s were replaced by Program Directors and those responsible for direct care/case management;

Regular weekly meeting became bi-weekly, then monthly meetings.

Coordination of Services

Devise Common Policies & Protocols; Resolve Difficult Cases & Programmatic

Issues; Increase Communication &

Collaboration; Promote Intensive Client-Centered Case

Management; Promote good Treatment Planning &

Evaluation.

INTENSIVE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES• Housing;• Employment;• Public Benefits;• Appropriate Referral & Follow Through

on them;• Health & Mental Health Assessment;• Reintegration;

– Family; and,– Community.

CHALLENGES

100 beds in Community-based program ≠ 100 beds in a night-to-night shelter…this took us years to address;

Collaborating; Communication; Case manger training and expertise; Maintaining confidentiality.

OUTCOMES

First Year: 38 % obtained permanent housing, as opposed to

11% from the shelter system; 33% increased their income from entry to exit as

opposed to 15% in the shelter system; The most recent year…thing continue to

improve: 63% obtained a positive housing placement; 79% stayed < 6 mos. 60% stayed < 3 mos. 30% stayed < 1 mo.

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? OBSERVATIONS? SUGGESTIONS?

Rhode Island’s OPERATION FIRST STEP PROGRAM

Jim RyczekExecutive Director, Rhode Island Coalition for

the Homeless1070 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860

jim@rihomeless.org