Home AgainA 10-year plan to end

homelessness in Portland and Multnomah

County10-year planning, Housing First, and

homeless encampmentsCOSCDA Conference

September 17, 2007

Portland Demographics

513,627 in Portland

2,063,277 in Metro Area

Median age - 36.4

Median household income - $42,287

Percent below poverty level – 17.8 (compared to 13.3 nationally).

Fair Market Rent for 1 BR - $638/month

Portland’s Homeless Demographics

Annual

19,200 served in FY 05-06:

10,936 adults w/out children (4% less than 04-05)

7,865 persons in families (5% more than 04-05)

384 homeless youth (12% less than 04-05)

Point in time 1,438 unduplicated

“street count”

3,018 unduplicated in “shelter count” (inc. vouchers, rent assistance, trans. hsg.) 48.5% individuals in families with children

Culhane research supported PSH as a response to adult chronic homelessness

We have invested millions of dollars, but have not ended homelessness

To end homelessness, we need to do business differently

Facing facts...

Determination/preparation

Hit the trifecta of awards - $9.8 million $625,000 from CSH for Taking Health

Care Home $3,430,440 ICH collaborative $5,741,900 HUD/DOL

Money and projects spurred planning based in actual activities and outcomes

10-year plan: 3 principles

Focus on the most chronically homeless populations

Streamline access to existing services to prevent and reduce other homelessness

Concentrate resources on programs that offer measurable results

Nine Action Steps Move people into housing first Stop discharging people into

homelessness Improve outreach to homeless

people Emphasize permanent solutions Increase supply of permanent

supportive housing

Nine Action Steps, cont. Create innovative new partnerships

to end homelessness Make rent assistance system more

effective Increase economic opportunity for

homeless people Implement new data collection

technology

One of the most successful tools to end and prevent homelessness:

Short and long-term rent assistance

New programs, shifted resources

• Women’s Emergency Housing: Shifted use of $164k/year from a women’s night shelter to a new 4 agency housing collaborative

• Key Not a Card: City general funds ($2.4 M) to move people from the street housing

• Short-term Rent Assistance (STRA) combines funds from City, County, PHA into one fund

Goals/outcomes: After 2 years

Outcome 2 Year Goal

Cum.

% achiev

edChronically

homeless who have homes

565 1,039

184%

Families housed 500 717 143% (high resource

using families)150 342 228%

Permanent supportive housing opened

260 480 185%

(added to pipeline)

420 379 90%

Street Count OutcomesJanuary 23, 2007

1284

2355

386

1438

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Overall Chronic

2005

2007-39%

-70%

Reduced Use of Emergency Systems

(Central City Concern’s Community Engagement Program)

0

20

40

60

80

1 2

Jail/ Arrests Hospitalizations

Utiliz

atio

n in

Day

s

Pre CEP

Post CEP

CEP saves 35.7% ($15,006 per person) in resources for chronically homeless people.

What makes a 10YP successful

Identify your community’s challenges & opportunities

Seek commitment and creativity at the political, bureaucratic, and provider level

Hire dedicated staff to lead the planning and implementation effort

Follow a clearly defined goal of ending and preventing various types of homelessness

What makes a 10YP successful, cont.

Replicate best practices from other Cities and Jurisdictions

Engage the most vocal critics Simplicity and flexibility allow

for change down the road Celebrate successes!

Short & long-term problems:

•What if you don’t have enough emergency shelter or housing?

•While your state/community implements a long-term housing and service plan, how do you solve immediate needs of people sleeping outside?

Short & long-term solutions

• Build affordable housing and permanent supportive housing

• Locally funded short-term rent assistance

• Purchase a motel/apartments, operated by nonprofit (ex. Seattle’s Aloha Inn, Alaska’s Safe Harbor Inn)

• Identify “low-impact” camping areas

Portland’s Dignity Village

• Formed in 2002• State statute permits a

jurisdiction to designate emergency camps if housing emergency exists

• On City land, with management agreement

• Became nonprofit org.• 60-person capacity

Remote location, few neighbors

Semi-permanent structures, recycled materials: cob,

straw bale, wood

Why residents like living at Dignity Village: pets…

…a sense of community

…safety, security…

Resources• Portland’s 10-year plan and outcome reports:

www.portlandonline.com/bhcd• Nonprofit motel: Safe Harbor Inn, Alaska

www.safeharborinn.org

• Homeless-run communities:– Dignity Village, Portland, OR: www.dignityvillage.org– Aloha Inn, Seattle, WA: www.alohainn.org

Sally Erickson, Ending Homelessness TeamCity of Portland, Oregon, Bureau of Housing & Community

Developmentserickson@ci.portland.or.us 503-823-0883