Ending Family Homelessness:

Key Strategies

July 15, 2015

National Alliance on Ending

Homelessness Conference

.

Strategies to Re-tool Spokane’s Family Homeless System

Provide an overview of changes made over the past 4 years.

Access to services

Programmatic adaptations

Intentional adjustments to funding

The results we have seen aren’t a result of additional funds

Spokane County- approx 485,000 residents

• 215,000 within the City of Spokane

1,763.79 square miles Median household income, 2014-

$49,233 Persons below poverty level, percent,

2009-2013 15.4% Average rental vacancy rate: 4.3% 2015 Point in Time: 1033 Total Persons US Census Bureau 2007-2014 reports

Early Planning

Community driven discussion about coordinated

entry and rapid re-housing

Learning from HPRP implementation

Washington State requires coordinated entry for

homeless and local funds

System Overview - 2012

All 155 units of emergency shelter / transitional

housing kept their own waitlist

Minimum 3 month wait for emergency housing

Families at top of list received emergency housing

Very few options for permanent housing to exit the

system

2012 Snapshot

38%

62%

Point In Time Total Households with Children

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

275 170

Total Households Served in Temporary Housing

2012 2013 2014 631

2012 2013 2014 Housing Inventory by Permanent and Temporary Housing Type

What We’ve Learned / Adjustments Made Mismatch of units and identified need

Long wait for emergency units and empty transitional

Projects denying families /program barriers

Adjustments

Moved to an interim housing model

Immediate changes in our capacity issues

Ending Family Homeless pilot project

2013 Snapshot

38%

62%

44%

56%

Point In Time Total Households with Children

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

275 170 152

Total Households Served in Temporary Housing

2012 2013 2014 631 908

2012 2013 2014 Housing Inventory by Permanent and Temporary Housing Type

Continued Adjustments - 2014

Shift funds to what was working- rapid re-housing – Causes reductions in other areas

Integrate rapid re-housing strategies into temporary housing

Reclassify two CoC funded projects from transitional housing to rapid re-housing

Fully implement progressive engagement

New leadership at our housing authority

Housing Inventory by Permanent and Temporary Housing Type

2014 Snapshot

38%

62%

44%

56%

Point In Time Total Households with Children

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

275 170 152 146 121

Total Households Served in Temporary Housing

2012 2013 2014 631 908 1175

2012 2013 2014

57%

43%

Continued Challenges / Gaps

Continued difficulty indentifying households with children for permanent supportive units

Enhancing coordinated entry diversion component

Landlord identification and support

Newly identified gaps

GAPS / NEEDS – Households with Children

1 2 7

15

21

61

69

63

71

83 88

103

60 59

32 30

16 15

3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

799 VI-FSPDATs Completed on Families 5.28.15

VI-SPDAT Score

6 % No Intervention

54% Rapid Re-housing or Transitional

Housing

40% for Permanent Supportive

Housing

Summary Re-tooling your homeless system doesn’t require a huge

infusion of additional funds

Implement a Coordinated Entry System that works for your community

Bring all stakeholders to the table and provide data on what you are learning

Be prepared to have difficult conversations and address concerns

Flexibility is critical

Don’t wait until you figure it all out to start moving forward

Thank You

Sheila Morley City of Spokane Homeless and Human Services Program Manager smorley@spokanecity.org 508-625-6052