Slide 1:

Developing and Implementing a Plan to Increase Access to Mainstream Services

Tracy D’Alanno
Colorado Department of Human Services
303-866-7361
tracy.DAlanno@state.co.us

Slide 2:

Developing a Plan

• Remember that plans can change
• Plan big and revise as you implement
• Pick no more than three to five priority areas for your state to tackle
  • Each priority area will likely have several goals, objectives and tasks

Slide 3:

Developing a Plan

• Learn what’s hot!
  • Ending Chronic Homelessness
  • Developing Permanent Supportive Housing
  • Accessing Mainstream Resources
  • Developing and Implementing HMIS Systems
  • Discharge Planning Across Public Facilities
• New & modified existing resources will likely follow hot issues

Slide 4:

Developing a Plan

• Moderate what’s hot with your priorities
  • While “Ending Chronic Homelessness” may be the new Federal issue, are there other top concerns that you want to address?
    • Increase in families with children?
    • Improved coordination within and across the Continuums of Care in your state?

Slide 5:

Developing a Plan

• Practice Inclusive Planning – Expand your Committee
  • Decision makers
  • Worker bees
  • Homeless providers
  • State mental health, substance abuse, Medicaid, TANF, public assistance programs, employment and vocational services, etc…
  • State and local elected officials
  • Housing Authorities
  • Department of Corrections
  • Department of Education
  • Department of Public Health and Environment
  • State and Federal VA Representatives

Slide 6:

Developing a Plan

• Practice Inclusive Planning – Expand your Committee
  • Identify who else needs to be at the table
    • I used the existing Policy Members to brainstorm who they thought was missing. Then we sent invitations from our Exec. Director with a packet of background information to invitees.
  • Challenges
    • Turf issues
    • Time constraints
    • Enrolling participation from persons who have the authority to make policy decisions

Slide 7:

Implementing the Plan

• Assign responsibilities
• Follow up
• Delegate
• Implement the quick successes, regardless of what priority they received
• Look for additional resources that support your goals

Slide 8:

Implementing the Plan:Things That Don’t Cost Money
Education and Communication

• We sent letters to each county department of health and county department of social services requesting that they do the following:
  • Identify a point person in their agency as the homeless contact
  • Encourage them to look at ways to simplify access to mainstream benefits for homeless persons

Slide 9:

Implementing the Plan:Things That Don’t Cost Money
Incorporate Strategies and Issues in Existing Required Contracts and Plans

• Worked with the various divisions within the Department of Human Services to require contracted agencies to include a discussion of how they were meeting the housing and service needs of homeless persons within required annual plans

Slide 10:

Implementing the Plan:Things That Don’t Cost Money
Execute New Policies

• The first cross-cutting interdepartmental programmatic policy developed by the department includes the following goal:
  • The Department of Human Services will address the needs of its homeless consumers by taking responsibility for planning, policy development, administration, and coordination of activities related to homeless service delivery through appropriate program areas

Slide 11:

Implementing the Plan:Things That Don’t Cost Money
Execute New Policies

• Follow-up policy with education to divisions and units within the department
• Power point presentation at staff meetings, toy gimmicks, flyers and posting information on web sites or internal Intranet

Slide 12:

Colorado Department of Human Services
Supportive Housing Council

Supportive Housing and Homeless Policy
Policy Statement The Department, through its various divisions, will maximize and coordinate affordable supportive houising and homeless resources for its consumers including: veterans, homeless persons, older Americans, refugees, families and individuals on public assistance, emancipated youth, and persons with disabilities. The Department recognizes that access to affordable supportive housing meets the Department's organizational goal of enabling persons to live in stable and safe environments. Finally, coordinating supportive housing resources accross the many divisions within the Department will help stream line consumer access to appropriate housing and supportive services.	Purpose of Policy: The purpose of this policy is to create a structure that will assure cross-program coordination, integration, and direction as a means to meet the Department's mission to design and deliver quality services to improve the safety and independence of the people of Colorado. The lack of affordable housing affects the lives of a significant number of citizens in Colorado. Many persons in need of affordable housing are comsumers, or potentially eligible consumers, of the Department. Four Point Strategic Plan Goal I: Reauthorize the Supportive Housing Council by giving it the authority to oversee the implementation of the Department of Human Services Housing & Homeless (SHHP) policy. Goal II: Involve appropriate DHS divisions/units in implementing the H & H policy. Goal III: The Department of Human Services will address the needs of its homeless consumers by taking responsibility for planning, policy development, administration, and coordination of activities related to homeless service delivery through appropriate program areas. Goal IV: Maximize and expand current housing & homeless related resources for consumers in the Department.
Implementing the Strategic Plan Members of the Supportive Housing and Homeless Council will be working with the various divisions and units within the Department to implement the Department's strategic plan. One task that each affected program area will be asked to complete is to include details in their annual planning documents on how they intend to address the affordable housing and homeless needs of their consumers. For more detailed information regarding the strategic plan, please either contact your council representative or see out web site at www.cdhs.state.co.us/ohr/shhp

Slide 13:

 Implementing the Plan:Things That Don’t Cost Money
Mainstream Service Coordination–

• Established a Mainstream Service Committee
• Committee includes representatives from various metro area county mainstream community providers and homeless service providers
• Committee focuses on the planning and facilitation of quarterly networking events to take place in each of the seven metro Denver counties

Slide 14:

 Implementing the Plan:Things That Don’t Cost Money
Mainstream Service Coordination–

• Once every three months, an event is held that includes presentations from mainstream providers and homeless service providers that work in that county
• Current program and referral information is shared between public and private providers
• Concepts that have worked well in other counties and areas are shared
• Events include networking time to allow agencies to build relationships and share ideas that will improve homeless persons’ access to services

Slide 15:

Implementing the Plan

• Find a leader, someone interested in overseeing or guiding the process
• As more experts get involved, feel free to revise your plan
• In a tight fiscal environment – develop and implement strategies that lay the foundation for increasing resources when the budget improves

Slide 16:

Implementing the Plan – Establishing a Foundation for Future Resources

• Use your non-profit partners and committee members to conduct education and advocacy toward increased public investment in housing and services
• We currently have requested dollars from a foundation that we would pass through to a non-profit agency who will then provide education and advocacy to the general public and the legislature for the development of a statewide housing trust fund

Slide 17:

Steal Ideas & Build on Current Activities

• You don’t have to reinvent the wheel
• Research what other states are doing and modify to meet your needs
• Coordinate your plan and activities with the Continuums of Care in your state

Slide 18:

How to Incorporate Your Efforts with Existing Efforts

• Partner your resources with agencies in the community. Some examples:
  • Project Based Assistance RFP to non-profit housing developers
  • Coordinate your PATH dollars with agencies applying for Homeless Super NOFA funding
  • Partner with your United Way to maximize and match resources

Slide 19:

How to Incorporate Your Efforts with Existing Efforts

• Partner your resources with agencies in the community. Some examples:
  • Identify the Continuums of Care in your state and coordinate your plans for:
    • Discharge planning
    • Access to mainstream services
    • Ending chronic homelessness plans
    • Co-location of services or simplified benefit application processes

Slide 20:

Example Discharge Strategy:

• Discharge Planning – See handout

Slide 21:

Outcomes – Increased Resources

• Grant application to Corporation for Supportive Housing to implement key Policy Academy strategies
• Comprehensive Drug/Alcohol and Mental Health Treatment Systems for Persons Who are Homeless Grants: Colorado Coalition for Homeless, Denver, Colo. -- $599,642 -- to implement a range of culturally competent and integrated substance abuse treatment and mental health services, coupled with housing, health care and supportive services for homeless adults

Slide 22:

Outcomes – Increased Resources

SAMHSA/HRSA Collaboration to Link Health Care for the Homeless Programs and Community Mental Health Agencies Grants:

• The Mental Health Corporation of Denver, Denver, Colo., Recovery Connection -- $232,696 
• Aurora Mental Health Center, Aurora, Colo. -- $199,970

Slide 23:

Outcomes – Increased Resources

Focused HUD Grants:
HUD Rental Assistance for Persons with Disabilities

• State of Colorado receives 400 rental assistance vouchers for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities Related to Certain Developments
  • Supportive Housing & Homeless Programs 200 units = $1,001,099&
  • Colorado Division of Housing 200 units = $1,199,114

Slide 24:

Outcomes - Other

• Representatives from the State Public Health and Environment Department join Policy Academy Team. Resulted in coordination between Policy Academy and new Department on bio-terrorism planning to include the unique needs of homeless persons. Memo outlining issues and concerns is developed and distributed to local bio-terrorism planning efforts

Slide 25:

Outcomes - Other

• Homeless Management Information System Usage (HMIS). Increased provider participation in the Computerized Homeless Information and Referral Project (CHIRP). Project is expanded to Colorado Springs and some providers in rural parts of Colorado

Slide 26:

Outcomes - Other

• Mainstream Committee established monthly meetings and trainings distributed across the seven counties between mainstream providers and homeless providers. Improved communication has resulted in homeless combined case management plans, increased TANF dollars to homeless providers for housing, simplified access to services, faster application processing 
• CCH implements new health outreach vans from Stout Street

Slide 27:

Biggest Challenge

• Finding time to implement academy strategies while performing existing job duties

Strategy:

• Requested foundation dollars to help staff the policy academy