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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 12-10-2013 - 8a 1 ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: December 10, 2013 Action Agenda Item No. 8-a SUBJECT: Emergency Shelter Future Needs Report DEPARTMENT: Housing, Human Rights and PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) Community Development ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier Homeless Housing Needs Assessment Jamie Rohe, 919-245-2490 PURPOSE: To receive a report from the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness regarding the future provision of emergency homeless shelter services in the County. BACKGROUND: During the January 2013 Board of County Commissioners Annual Retreat, Commissioner Penny Rich raised a question regarding the continued need for emergency shelter given the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service's plan to construct a new transitional housing project for men that will replace the current Community Housing emergency shelter facility. At that time, this item was referred to the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness for further deliberation and response. The Partnership has now completed its deliberation and the attached report has been prepared to respond to the question regarding the future of emergency shelters in Orange County. Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier and Homeless Programs Coordinator Jamie Rohe will present the report. FINANCIAL IMPACT: None. RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board receive the report as information. 2 12/5/2013 Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Homeless Housing Needs Assessment This report responds to the Orange County Board of County Commissioner's request to assess the Emergency Shelter needs of our community. Definitionsof homeless housing types: • Emergency Shelter: short-term shelter,often up to thirty(30)or sixty(60)days. • Transitional Housing: long-term shelter providing increased case management and services,often up to two(2)years. • Permanent Supportive Housing rental housing for people who are physically and/or mentally disabled and homeless and not capable of living independently; supportive services are provided and tailored to individual needs. • Rapid Re-Housing(F41-I): homeless people are thoroughly assessed and housed in subsidized and non-subsidized apartments and receive services to help them become self-reliant; program enrollment can be three(3)months to two(2)years. NOTE Department of housing and Urban Development (HUD)data demonstrates that FR-1 programs are highly successful and cost effective for ending homelessness and has determined it to be a best practice. The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service(IFQ)has begun site work on its new Community House that will primarily provide Transitional Housing for up to 52 men; the facility will also provide Emergency Shelter for up to 17 men when there are adverse health, safety, or weather conditions. The IFCiswilling to suspend Emergency Shelter services if/when another Emergency Shelter facility is operating in Chapel Hill or Carrboro. Unmet Need Calculation In order to determinethe unmet need for all housing typesand homeless services IFCs planned Community House must be considered within the context of our overall homeless system. HUD requires communities that receive federal homeless housing funding to conduct an annual Unmet Need Calculation: Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing staff and homeless street outreach workers are asked to estimate the percentage of their dients that need Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, or Permanent Supportive Housing to ultimately resolve their homeless situation. Note that HUD considers ff'l to be a best practice for housing many people who would have been served with transitional housing,HUD has not yet incorporated RW into its Unmet Need Calculation which was last updated in 2011 (there hasn't been notice when it intends to do so). For the 2013 Unmet Need Calculation,staff estimated that about 10%of the Emergency Shelter residents in Orange County(6.7 out of 67 residents at the January Point-in-Time Count) needed Emergency Shelter to ultimately resolve their homeless situation while 90%needed either Transitional Housing, Rapid FL-Housing or Permanent Supportive Housing. No unsheltered homeless people or Transitional Housing residentswere estimated by the homeless street outreach worker/staff to need Emergency Shelter to end their homelessness. Here are the findings: 3 12/5/2013 Emergency Sielter(ESj • no beds are needed for families(none currently exist-all IFCESbeds are for individuals) • there is a surplus of 57 beds for individuals(who need TH, 1`4�I-I or PSH) Transitional Housing(TH)/Rapid F;b-Housing(FBI--!) • there is surplus of 20 beds for families(who need PSH) • 38 additional beds are needed for individuals(who are currently on the streets or in ESj Permanent SApportive Housing(PSH) • 10 additional beds are needed for families(who are currently in ESor TH) • 47 additional beds are needed for individuals(who are currently on the streets, in ESor in TH) The OCPEH will annually conduct its Unmet Need Calculation and use these findingsto regularly update the goals and strategies of its Ran to Prevent and End Homelessness. HEARTH Act The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) incentivizes communities to adopt the federal Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing(HEARTH)Act goals for measuring the success of their homeless programs: 1. Fbduce the length of time people are homeless—goal is under 30 days. 2. Fbduce returns to homelessness. 3. Fbduce new homelessness. Note.in general, HUD incentivizes communities to increase their Permanent Supportive housing and Rapid FL-housing capacities, right-size 6nergency 97elter capacity and reduce Transitional Housing capacity-this is based on research showing the relative effectiveness and cost of these types of programs Fboommendations Based on Orange County's Unmet Need Calculation, HEARTH Act goals and evidence-based practices the OCREH recommends: 1. Our community should increase funding for Rapid F;b-Housing(administered by the Department of SDcial Services)and Permanent Supportive Housing(administered by Cardinal Innovations and the Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health) programs, both of which are evidence-based practicesfor helping people ultimately resolve their homelessness. 2. At present there is no need to invest in Emergency Sielter capacity.