Minutes 05-12-2015 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness 2015 Plan to End Homelessness Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness • Orange County Ten-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness (2007) • Coalition of housing and service providers, local government and community members working together to end and prevent homelessness in Orange County • Leadership Team and workgroups • Housing • Employment • Services Overarching Goals Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (2010): 1. Set a path to ending all types of homelessness; 2. Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness by 2017; 3. Prevent and end homelessness among veterans by 2015 (2016 in NC); 4. Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth and children by 2020. Best Practices • 2009 HEARTH Act: Homeless Emergency Assistance & Rapid Transition to Housing • Homelessness System: 1. Emergency Shelter 2. Rapid Re-Housing (including services) 3. Permanent Supportive Housing (for disabled, including services) • Housing First: housing is health care • ENDING vs. MANAGING homelessness: trampoline vs. sticky safety net Chair McKee asked if there is an alternative for when residents are unable to comply with facility rules and regulations, or their own treatment plan. Jamie Rohe said people are not required to follow treatment plans, but treatment plans are available to them. She said there may be a disabled person with a mental health diagnosis plus a drug and alcohol addiction. She said previous thinking followed a "carrot and stick" approach; where the carrot was the housing and the stick was the treatment plan. She said it has been found that when people are in permanent housing, and are offered the option to choose or deny services, they are more likely to accept services offered. She said not everyone takes advantage of such treatment; however, the vast majority show improvements, such as drinking less. She added that there are other societal benefits, such as a reduction in trips to the Emergency room, the involvement of Police, the use of emergency shelters, etc. Chair McKee asked if the behavior of a small subset, that does not take advantage of the treatment offered, is being enabling by the removal of a consequence; such as the loss of housing. Jamie Rohe said she is not a Social Worker, and cannot speak with the authority of a front line case worker. She said it is her understanding from those who are experts in the field, that a person who resists treatment would be more likely to continue abuse drugs and alcohol, and not seek mental health treatment, while living on the streets; and therefore at much greater risk of death, than if they were to continue to receive housing.