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ASHEVILLE-BUNCOMBE
COUNTY'S (NC) 10-YEAR PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS
1st Annual Progress Report 2006--Outcomes
September 2006
Leading the Way: Designation of a Lead Entity
The Affordable Housing Coalition of Asheville and Buncombe County was chosen to be the lead entity for the implementation of the 10-Year Plan because of the agency's established relationship with service providers, funders, elected officials, law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders. Subsequently, a coordinator was hired with expertise in grant writing, management, homelessness, and mainstream resources.Buncombe County and the City of Asheville joined together to fund the coordinator position. In addition, the City of Asheville gave financial support that has allowed Pisgah Legal services to hire an additional staff attorney to work on homeless prevention as well as expand the homeless prevention project and a disability assistance project for people who experience homelessness.
Opening the Back Door, 2005-2006 Goal: Provide Housing First accommodation to 30 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness
There has been an increase in Permanent Housing by 45 Units
Shelter Plus added 12 new units. Shelter Plus Care is a program designed to support individuals with Mental Health disabilities. These various programs work together to provide housing & supportive services. HUD Continuum of Care grants as well as local and state funding account for a majority of the funding Shelter Plus Care receives.
This fall, the opening of the Woodfin & Griffin Housing First Apartments will add 33 new units. The Woodfin and Griffin are two new developments funded through a combination of local, state, and federal funding. Coordination with Mountain Housing Opportunities, the Housing Authority, Clay and Harris property management companies, and Hospitality House has created a dynamic Housing First program for 33 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Individuals will be responsible for rent, either through employment or state & federal entitlements and will have supportive services worker who will help them access the services they need to maintain their home. This project will be evaluated by a doctorate student from UNC Chapel Hill, and is part of a larger study involving another city in North Carolina.
Developing the Infrastructure, 2005-2006 Goal: Develop the Homeless Information Management System (HMIS)
Asheville-Buncombe has a representative sitting on the North Carolina Housing Information Network (CHIN) Steering Committee. The HMIS System went on-line for use in May, 2006. 6 agencies are currently registered and have staff trained to use HMIS.
A relationship exists between local HMIS representatives and state HMIS administrators; technical support and additional training are ongoing.
(For
the complete report, visit the Asheville-Buncombe County 10-Year Plan website
at www.abchomeless.org.)
DENVER'S ROAD HOME YEAR 1 REPORT AN EXEMPLARY AND REPLICABLE TOOL FOR INFORMING AND ENGAGING THE PUBLIC
September 2006
Denver’s Year One report card to the community on progress in implementing
its 10 year plan, Denver’s Road Home, gets an A not only for meeting/exceeding
all 8 first year goals but also for heeding the spirit of Mayor Hickenlooper’s
promise that the 10 year planning process would allow local government to
say, “ ‘Here’s your investment; here’s what
we delivered” and would “end much of the frustration of just
throwing money at the problem without having any results.”
The report, prepared by the Denver Commission on Homelessness chaired by
Denver Department of Human Services Manager Roxanne White, is concisely
written to identify the purpose of each goal, the 1st year performance target,
the result, and next steps. It provides an exemplary model other 10-year
planning communities may wish to consider for keeping the community informed
of the results of their investments, which in turn strengthens the civic
will to move forward with the plan.
In his preface, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper reports that in this first
year of plan implementation, “423 new units of housing have been added,
701 homeless people have been assisted in finding work, 677 individuals
received treatment services, 156 families received eviction assistance,
and 121 families have been partnered with our faith based mentoring teams.” Mayor
Hickenlooper acknowledges the partnerships with the Mile High United Way,
the Downtown Denver Partnership, and local foundations, businesses, the
faith based community, and individuals which have funded 100% of Year 1
costs, raised more than 70% of the funds needed for Years 2-4, and allowed
$2.5 million to be distributed to 16 homeless service providers for 2006-07.
Altogether commitments of $32 million have been secured for the next four
years of the plan’s implementation.
Also acknowledged in the report is the support of hundreds of community
volunteers and 40 businesses in Denver’s two Project Homeless Connect
events which helped more than 1200 homeless individuals and the partnership
with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, exemplified
by the Council’s choice of the Mile High City to host the first National
Summit for Jurisdictional Leaders held in May.
Denver’s Road Home Year One Results:
Goal 1 Create permanent and transitional housing units
Target: 320 units
Result: 423 units
Goal 2 Add day and 24 hour shelter beds
Target: 135 beds
Result: 140 new day beds and a revised zoning code allowing temporary
shelters to be placed in churches and other places of workshop for up
to 120 days.
Goal 3 Prevent Homelessness by providing one time eviction, foreclosure
and utility shut off assistance
Result: homelessness avoided for 156 families
Goal 4 Improve access to public assistance and outpatient mental
health benefits to pay for substance abuse treatment and mental health
services
Target: help 504 individuals access benefits for services
Result: 677 individuals accessed benefits
Goal 5 Public Safety and Outreach
Target: Improve public safety through better outreach to the
homeless
Result: 21 additional outreach workers hired; expanded services in downtown
area; increased collaboration with police through new “sit and lie” ordinance
Goal 6 Create Employment Opportunities
Target: create 580 employment opportunities together with increased
training and education, and expand employment pilot programs
between local business and homeless people
Result: 701 individuals obtained employment; 4000 voice mail boxes made
available; 2 job development positions funded within city/county; Homeless
youth pilot program created providing 20 jobs/internships at downtown
hotels
Goal 7 Increase Community Awareness and Coordinated Response to
Homelessness
Target: increase awareness and financial support for Denver’s
Road Home plan
Result: In March, a website, www.denversroadhome.org,
created and donated by Foci of Denver; 40 news articles, 8 editorials
and op eds; 14 radio shows; 17 television reports; monthly COMCAST funded
public service announcements
Goal 8 Zoning, Urban Design, and Land Use
Target: amend zoning code to allow emergency shelters to operate
a capacity and permit establishment of new emergency shelters.
Result: zoning revisions approved and process developed to work with
neighborhoods on establishing shelters.
DALLAS
REPORTS PROGRESS OF 10-YEAR PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND 26% REDUCTION
IN CHRONIC HOMELESSNESS
 September 2006. When the Dallas 10-Year Plan, developed by Mayor Miller and city officials in partnership with the United Way, the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance, and Deloitte Consulting was unveiled in June 2004, the number of persons experiencing chronic homelessness in the Dallas metro area had been increasing at an average rate of 9% for four years. This year, two years into the Plan's implementation, the City's annual Point in Time count revealed an overall decrease of 3.3% in the number of homeless persons and a 26% decrease in the number of persons considered to be chronically homeless.
10-Year Plan accomplishments include:
creation of 140 units of permanent and transitional housing and a 20-unit Safe Haven project $23.8 million bond approval for a new Homeless Assistance Center and SROs establishing Project Reconnect, an ex-offender re-entry program.
Implementation of "The Next Big Step" will merge the Mayor's Task Force and the Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance into a stronger authority on homelessness which will include responsibility for the Homeless Assistance Center scheduled to open in 2008; a greater focus on mental health and substance treatment service delivery; and creation of a network of SROs.
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