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Connecticut HPRP Training

Connecticut HPRP Training. ASSESSMENT AND HOUSING RETENTION December 12, 2009 SPONSORED BY THE CT COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS. Agenda. Introduction to the session What are we trying to accomplish? Who are we serving? What are the people we serve asking for?

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Connecticut HPRP Training

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  1. Connecticut HPRP Training ASSESSMENT AND HOUSING RETENTION December 12, 2009 SPONSORED BY THE CT COALITION TO END HOMELESSNESS

  2. Agenda • Introduction to the session • What are we trying to accomplish? • Who are we serving? • What are the people we serve asking for? • Housing Focused Case Management • Assessment and Housing Retention Plans • Case Studies

  3. HPRP is a step toward transformative change

  4. HPRP Program • Goal is to use resources to achieve meaningful impact in reducing homelessness • Time limited focused intervention • Dependant on effective transition to mainstream resources • Outcome driven • New HEARTH Act will continue prevention and re-housing aspects of HPRP

  5. Housing Stability requires linkages between homeless and mainstream services

  6. Intended Outcomes of Connecticut HPRP Program • Reduction in length of stay in homeless shelters or in homelessness • Reduction in the number of persons experiencing homelessness for the first time • Reduction in number of repeat episodes of homelessness • Successful housing retention and stability • Increases in income • Most will be documented through HMIS

  7. Relationship Between HPRP and HEARTH Act • Hearth Act provides Emergency Solutions Grant (20% of federal funds for homeless assistance) • Includes traditional shelter and outreach of the Emergency Shelter Grant Program • Expands eligible services to include homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing • 40% of ESG grant must be spent on prevention and rehousing • Expands definition of homelessness to include those at imminent risk of homelessness • Losing housing in next 14 days with no place to go and no resources or support networks to obtain housing

  8. Who are we serving? • Families and individuals in a temporary crisis and at risk of losing their housing. • Families and Individuals chronically at risk of losing their housing. • Families and Individuals who are in imminent risk of losing their housing and out of options. • Families and Individuals who are currently homeless or living in a place not fit for human habitation.

  9. Categories of Assistance • Prevention • Diversion and Rapid Re-Housing Refer to Screening Tool

  10. What do we know? • On the night before entering shelter: • 40% of homeless people came from another homeless setting • 40% moved from a housed situation • 20% came from institutions, hotels/motels, or unspecified • Most common prior living situations • 28.5% staying with family/friends • 24.3% staying in another homeless facility • 13% streets or places not meant for human habitation • 13% from a home they owned or rented

  11. Use of Homeless Services • Few homeless people move from shelters to transitional housing to permanent • Individuals • 65% stayed in shelter for less than 7 days • Median LOS in shelters: 18 days • 5% were sheltered for 6 months or more • Families • 50% stayed in shelter for less than 7 days • Median LOS was 30 days • 10% were sheltered for 6 months or more

  12. What are people looking for? • Safe affordable housing • Some people will have lost jobs and are behind on bills and rent • Some people have been barely making it for a long time • Some people will be in crisis and about to lose their housing • Some people will be homeless or have been homeless in the past • Some people will not have had stable housing before

  13. Everyone is looking for: • A safe affordable place to live • Community • Services appropriate to their needs • Choice • Money enough to live on • A role in the community and in their families • A chance for their children and themselves to get ahead

  14. Housing Focused Case Management:Stages in the Process • Outreach and Engagement • Assessment and Education • Goal Setting and Housing Retention Planning • Evaluate Progress on Goals and Revise Accordingly

  15. Housing-Focused Case Management Tasks • Determine eligibility and program type • Educate people about available housing options and prepare for the expectations of each • Establish housing stability as a service goal • Identify skills and supports needed to maintain chosen housing option • Assist people to secure or increase their incomes • Refer or provide other needed assistance

  16. Housing-Focused Case Management Tasks • Plan for and assist in housing retention tasks • Paying rent • Clearing up debt • Unit/apartment maintenance and upkeep • Complying with the lease and following house rules • Accessing services and supports • Revise Housing Retention Plan as needed

  17. Engagement Strategies • Introduce yourself and how you can be helpful • Repeated, predictable, non-intrusive patterns of interaction • Listen to felt needs • Respecting boundaries • Allowing people as much control as possible over interactions • Be patient and persistent

  18. Goal-Based Assessment • Assessment is a product and a process • Assess the history of housing successes and failures • How person/ family became homeless, lost employment/ income • Successful housing situations • Preferences • Financial issues, credit problems • Uninsured with medical needs • Concrete needs such as transportation or child care • Implications of disabilities or service needs on housing stability • Understand participants’ short and long term goals and their plans to resolve or improve their situations Refer to Prevention Application Tool

  19. Participant Education • Housing options, eligibility and expectations of each • Eligibility for resources including on-going rental assistance, benefit income, job training or transportation services • Expectations of tenancy • Rent payment • Quiet enjoyment • Maintaining apartment • Financial realities • Application process and timelines

  20. Finding Common Ground • Negotiation Strategies • Link proposed option to client’s aspirations • Frame move as intermediate and identify future options • Reflect on persons experience in housing to better understand current needs • Open up discussion of other options • Test available options with peers • Negotiate to improve skills/resources to access/maintain preferred option

  21. Finding Common Ground • Worker should be forthright about the reasons for assessment and what they are able to access • Worker has to be clear that this is a time limited resource • Worker should anticipate reactions to disagreement and remain connected

  22. Developing the Housing Retention Plan Listen to the Participants • Elicit and listen to the family or individual and reflect back to clarify and check understanding. • Goal setting is an individual process • Empathize about goal setting and unmet goals • Be clear about what you can or can not provide • Listen to person’s perception of past successes and struggles in accessing or maintaining housing • List and discuss strengths that may facilitate reaching goals • List and discuss resources that may assist in reaching goals

  23. Developing the Housing Retention Plan • Positively reinforce all achievements along the path toward reaching goals and objectives • Normalize any setbacks that may occur and help the person develop alternate strategies or new objectives that are attainable • Do not over promise: The resources here are time limited and not designed to meet all needs

  24. Housing Plan Goals • Assessment and Goal-Setting: Housing Stability • Housing retention issues (identify factors that precipitated current crisis and past housing instability) • Income (does individual or family qualify can they maintain housing on present income) • Employment (is the employment steady and sustainable) • Rental history (is the person housed, is it sustainable, is housing access going to be difficult) • Utilities (are the utilities active, are there arrears, is it in the name of the head of household, can it be connected) • Credit (are there delinquencies, consumer debt, does it affect ability to pay rent, get utilities turned on, can the household access housing) • Legal (evictions, warrants, claims, etc) • Other supports needed to maintain housing

  25. Housing Plan Goals • Assessment and Goal-Setting: Financial Stability • Education and Training • Relates to job skills and ability to access a higher paying job • Access to Health Care • Can the individual or family access and do they have insurance? • Childcare • Access to childcare to cover work hours, cost and location • Transportation • Is this a barrier to increasing income? • Other Areas to Support Housing Retention • Maintain apartment and comply with lease • Negotiation skills • Support systems • Social Services

  26. Components of the Housing Plan • Goals • Goals set as a team of clients and worker • Focus on the issues that affect housing retention – base on what caused the current crisis and previous episodes of housing instability • Immediate and longer term goals clear • Focus by phase • Use the plan for the intervention • Steps to reach goal clearly defined and measurable • Longer term needs require connections to other resources.

  27. Components of the Housing Plan • Client and Worker Role • Separate Plan for Prevention and Diversion / Re-housing • Reflects areas of the assessment • Prioritizes areas for work • Sets time frames for work to be accomplished

  28. Components of the Housing Plan • Resource Identification • Clearly defines resources needed to access and/or maintain housing including: income, rental voucher, credit repair, legal services, employment assistance/support, financial planning and management, access to affordable medical services and/or child care, educational support (for HoH and/or children), access to social services such a mental health, substance abuse, etc.

  29. Resources and Referrals Develop protocols Identify Resources • Job training • Unemployment Insurance • Social Security (SSA, SSI, SSDI) • Child Support Assistance • Veterans Administration • Public assistance, TANF • Medicare • Medicaid • Food stamps • WIC • Child Care subsidy (TANF) •  Domestic Violence Services • Services for People with Physical Disabilities • Ryan White Program • State Children’s Health Insurance • VA Medical Services • TANF Transportation services • Medicaid Transportation Services • S+C , SHP subsidy • Section 8, Public housing • HOPWA • Chemical Dependency Services • Mental Health Services • Health Clinics with sliding scale • MRDD Services

  30. Evaluating the Housing Plan • Measure Success • Uses documented steps to reach goal and benchmarks set • Uses phases to gauge expectations and progress • Identifies need to renegotiate goals and resources

  31. Programmatic Interventions • Allowing time for engagement • Allow time and assist in assembling needed documents: • financial assistance • housing applications • Conduct 0n-going assessments • Track outcomes • Teach advocacy skills • Build motivation • Celebrate successes

  32. Thank You Questions? Contact Suzanne Wagner suzanne.wagner@earthlink.net (917) 612-5469

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