Agenda - 04-24-2007-2c - Laserfiche WebLink

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_...,.- _......_ _ ..... _ . ,n,.„__,..,._ _. _ , Insufficient Income- The most significant factor facing households when consider- viii~i ing housing affordability and availability is income. The median household income (MHI) for residents of Orange County, as reported in the US Department of Hous- ~, . ing and Urban Development for 2006 was $61,700. Inadequate Services- Chronic homeless people often have to deal with physical or mental disabilities, physical or mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse, or domestic violence. According to the 2000 Census, over 6,412 persons (5.42%) in Orange County had a physical disability, 5,221 (4.42%) had a work disability, 3,883 (3.28%) `t had a mental disability, 2,588 (2.19%) had a sensory disability, and 1,876 (1.59%) ` had aself--care disability. There were nearly 24,630 (20.83%) disabled people in the county in 2000. Inadequate Discharge Planning- When people are released from public institu- tions or public systems of care without adequate discharge planning, they are. more likely to become homeless. The populations included in this category would be peo- ple discharged out of correctional institutions, hospitals, and mental health institu- tions and children aging out of foster care. host ®f Chronic amelessaess According to the results of research conducted by the Center for Mental Health Pol- icy and Services Research at University of Pennsylvania in 2001, the service re- ductions resulting from supportive housing were reported to save the public $12,145 annually for each individual placed. About 95 percent of the cost reduc- tions are associated with reductions in healthcare and shelter services. Based on estimates from examples across the country, Orange County spends up to $1,600,000 per year on the chronic homeless population and could save up to $860,000 per year through the implementation of the plan. Plaoin as nai~sis of Locai aioss er~ieas The lead organization for the Orange County Continuum of Care is the Orange- Person-Chatham (OPC) Area Authority. The Partnership to End Homelessness Steering Committee, a large group comprised of civic leaders, stakeholders, and policymakers throughout the community, was created to guide the 10-year planning process. The Partnership to End Homelessness Working Group, a collection of town, county, and social service agency staff, is involved with the daily activities of the 10-Year planning process and provides recommendations and updates to the Steering Committee. "Monthly . Supplemental Securiiy Income (SSl) payments for individuals are $603 in North Carolina. if SS/ represents an individuals sole source of income, $181 in monthly rent is affordable, while the FMR for a one-bedroom is $573." - National Low-Income Housing Coalition An inventory of homeless service organizations in Orange County is provided in Section 2 of the Plan. As reported in the 2006 Continuum of Care, there were 64 individual beds in emergency shelters, 24 individual beds in transitional housing, and 90 beds in permanent supportive housing, including those for those experienc- ing chronic homelessness in Orange County. There was an unmet need of 161 r individual beds and 39 beds for those experiencing chronic homelessness in 2006. ~:"..