COLLABORATIONS TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS: PRELIMINARY REPORT ON CONNECTING HVRP-SSVF PROGRAMS

Transcription

1 COLLABORATIONS TO PREVENT AND END HOMELESSNESS: PRELIMINARY REPORT ON CONNECTING HVRP-SSVF PROGRAMS BY: GARY SHAHEEN, MPA, NICOLE LACORTE-KLEIN MA, CRC AND JOHN RIO, MA, CRC Please share your thoughts about this field report and your interest in an MI training series to Gary Shaheen, MPA, Director of Community Based Technical Support Initiatives, Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Syracuse University, at Preparation of this item was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under cooperative agreement HV This document does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the DOL, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. INTRODUCTION U.S. Department of Labor, Veteran Employment and Training Services (DOL-VETS) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs (HVRP) primarily assist veterans who are homeless and job-ready to obtain employment, keep employment, and increase their wages. Housing assistance, benefits assistance and other supportive services provided by HVRP case managers are included as allowable HVRP-funded activities, as well as reimbursement to employers for On-the-Job Training (OJT) or training/credentialing programs. Grantees provide an array of services utilizing a case management approach that directly assists homeless veterans and provides critical linkages for a variety of supportive services available in their local communities. The program is employment-focused, and veterans receive the employment and training services they need in order to re-enter the labor force. Job placement, training, job development, career counseling, and resume preparation are among the services that are provided by these programs. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Programs are primarily focused on helping veterans and their families obtain and maintain permanent housing and access to certain required and supportive services. Rapid rehousing, case management access to VA benefits, and access to other benefits are required services while employment services, legal assistance, and other services are recommended but optional. In addition, grantees may also provide time-limited payments to third parties (e.g., landlords, utility companies, moving companies, and licensed child care providers) if these payments help veterans families stay in or acquire permanent housing on a sustainable basis. In this field report, we consider the opportunities for HVRPs and SSVFs to partner in meaningful and ongoing ways in order to ensure that veterans who are homeless, and who meet the eligibility requirements for both programs, get the assistance they need. Ending veteran homelessness requires not only a permanent roof overhead, but the income to sustain that housing and meet personal needs. The integration of housing and employment services is important to avoid siloed, fragmented or duplicative services that can occur, even in the same agency, when two or more programs pointed towards similar goals operate independently. THE CHALLENGE AND THE OPPORTUNITY When assessing a veteran s eligibility for HVRP and SSVF, both programs use the same definition of homelessness (Appendix I). Each program also has its own, separate criteria. On the surface, these programs may not seem compatible one focuses on housing, the other on jobs. However, despite being grants from two separate federal agencies, they share the mission of ending veteran homelessness, improving housing stability, and increasing income. HVRPs are primarily tasked with assisting veterans who are homeless, or at-risk of homelessness, to obtain employment, keep employment and increase their wages. Housing NOTE: From the IVMF and its partners Syracuse University, the Burton Blatt Institute and Advocates for Human Potential Inc. provided training and technical assistance to Homeless Veterans Reintegration Programs as the National Veterans TA Center. This was done under a cooperative with the U.S. Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Service.

2 DEFINITION OF HOMELESS for HVRP and SSVF Programs The term homeless or homeless individual found at 42 U.S.C (a), as amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009 (P.L ) includes: 1) Persons who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; 2) Persons living in supervised public or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living arrangements; 3) An individual who resided in a shelter or place not meant for human habitation and who is exiting an institution where he or she temporarily resided; and 4) Persons with a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. Inadequate nighttime residence examples include but are not limited to, sleeping in the streets, in the woods, in public parks, in cars, on outside benches, under bridges, in tents, in caves, and under a lean-to. Additionally, under the HEARTH Act, the term also includes an individual or family who will imminently lose their housing, has no subsequent residence identified, and who lack the resources or support networks needed to obtain other permanent housing. Evidence that an individual or family will imminently lose their housing includes: a court order resulting from an eviction action that notifies the individual or family that they must leave within 14 days; having current primary night time residence that is a room in a hotel or motel, but lacking the resources necessary to reside there for more than 14 days; or credible evidence, including a credible oral statement from the individual or family, indicating that the owner or renter of the housing will not allow the individual or family to stay for more than 14 days. Finally, under the HEARTH Act, the term also includes unaccompanied youth and homeless families with children and youth defined as homeless under other federal statutes who have experienced a long term period without living independently in permanent housing; have experienced persistent instability as measured by frequent moves over such period; and can be expected to continue in such status for an extended period of time because of chronic disabilities, chronic physical health or mental health conditions, substance addiction, histories of domestic violence or childhood abuse, the presence of a child or youth with a disability, or multiple barriers to employment. assistance, benefits assistance, and other supportive services provided by HVRP case managers are allowable HVRP activities, as well as reimbursement to employers for OJT or training/credentialing programs. However, veterans who have been homeless, but are stable in permanent housing at the time of intake, are not eligible for HVRP. SSVFs focus on helping veterans and their families obtain and maintain permanent housing. SSVFs serve veterans and their families by providing housing, case management, benefits planning and other services, including employment assistance, for those who fall into three categories. Category One are veterans and their families at imminent risk of losing their housing and becoming homeless; Category Two are veterans and their families who have lost their housing, are currently homeless, and are expected to obtain housing within 90 days; Category Three are veterans who have exited permanent housing within the last 90 days. Direct case management support is intended to be intensive for a 90-day period. SSVF staff is not required to exit individuals when housing is secured and can continue to carry veterans on their program rolls past the 90 day intensive period, even though direct services may no longer be provided. As this report goes to press, over 50 percent of DOL-VETS HVRPs also receive SSVF funding from the VA. As VA SSVF programs expand their services to include even more veterans and families at risk of homelessness, there are likely to be even more opportunities for HVRPs and SSVFs to partner in the future, even if they are not co-located within the same agency. Nonetheless, coordination and collaboration between these two programs, which are funded and overseen by two federal agencies with differing program eligibility requirements, reporting requirements, outcome requirements and data management systems, can be challenging. Information used in this field report was generated while meeting with grantees (with co-located SSVFs) about their HVRP direct training and technical assistance (TA) needs. We sought to understand how training and TA maximizes opportunities for cross-program partnerships to improve HVRP employment outcomes. We also sought to uncover what partnership challenges grantees face, and how these can be characterized (regulatory, administrative, admission criteria, service delivery factors and expected outcomes, and other criteria). Not surprisingly, we found a wide range of challenges that suggest that future training and TA to these agencies on the topic of HVRP- SSVF collaboration may be useful in improving their HVRP outcomes. We also found that some agencies have implemented practices and procedures intended to maximize the utilization of both programs to benefit veterans who are homeless. These innovations could point the way for improved practices that can be presented at future training sessions. COLLABORATIONS: WHAT THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY ARE NOT Although literature on forming and sustaining collaborations may be of value in understanding how HVRPs and SSVFs can better integrate their services, this paper focuses on ways that departments within one agency, which may be separately responsible for the agency s HVRP and SSVF, can work better together. Michael Winer and Karen Ray provide a definition of coordination that could apply as well to intra-agency as it does to interagency coordination program integration. Distinct from Winer and Ray s least integrated dimension: Cooperation where informal relations between entities may exist, but there is no common mission, structure or planning, Coordination principles are implemented when: People (who are) involved in a coordinated effort focus their longer-term interaction around a specific effort or program. Coordination requires some planning and division of roles and opens communication channels between organizations. ( The Collaboration Handbook, 1994) Our initial inquiry found that based upon the above definition, most agencies we spoke with included some of the more formalized HVRP-SSVF integration that approaches the Winer/Ray definition of coordination as used between organizations. We suggest that future inquiry into the extent and depth of HVRP-SSVF coordination begin with creating a more complete definition and guidelines for such interactions as it applies to coordination between programs within the same organization. SERVICE INTEGRATION BETWEEN HVRPS AND SSVFS For purposes of this field report, the IVMF categorized cross-program interaction within three service components provided by HVRPs: 1. OUTREACH, ASSESSMENT AND ENROLLMENT: Characterized as the point of contact when individuals are identified/referred; eligibility for one or both programs is established; extent of employment need is determined by a formal or informal program assessment; and, individuals are formally enrolled into either or both programs with corresponding entry of information into their respective databases. 2. EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVISION: Characterized as the actual direct provision of services by a qualified employment staff to include, but not be limited to: employment goal development, employment and income assessment, job development, job retention or job advancement planning, employer marketing and job matching, providing or brokering job skills training or On-the-Job Training (OJT), job placement or re-placement, post-employment follow-along support. 3. EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTIVE SERVICES: Characterized as case management or other assistance to help veterans either receive, keep or advance in employment by ensuring stability in other areas of their lives. These can include assistance in finding permanent housing or rapid rehousing, benefits planning assistance, legal assistance, child and family supportive services, access to mental health and/or substance abuse and other treatment, and transportation. In addition, understanding how to better support HVRPs in meeting their outcomes through more effective SSVF interactions also means understanding how these programs interact administratively. To that end, we identified three major areas of potential administrative interaction: MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT: Characterized as both programs directly managed or supervised by the same agency manager/director. INTEGRATED SERVICES: Characterized as both programs staff communicating and sharing information regularly, including job leads, about their respective caseloads in joint services planning sessions. Since both programs also help veterans who are homeless obtain housing and other supports, we look for indications that service integration includes communication between staff of both programs providing these supportive services. COMBINED SERVICES: Characterized as one or more employment services functioning for both sets of clientele, which are addressed by the same staff shared between the two programs. EXAMPLES OF COORDINATED ACTIVITIES IN CO-LOCATED PROGRAMS The list below offers some practical ways that some HVRP/SSVF providers that have co-located programs coordinate services between their programs. These are offered as possible activities that may be considered by other HVRPs when connecting with SSVFs operated either inhouse or by other agencies. In some cases, the agency may also link to other employment supportive services provided either through the VA and/or Department of Labor; however, this summary is limited only to interactions between their HVRPs and SSVFs. OUTREACH, ASSESSMENT AND ENROLLMENT Outreach staff provides information on both programs during outreach. The intake form is used for all clientele, and then screened by Case Mangers (CM). CM s conduct needs assessments. If veterans meet homeless criteria, they are referred immediately to the HVRP. Vets are co-enrolled in both programs if they meet homeless and Category Two/Three SSVF definitions. If they are job-ready, they are enrolled in classroom training, education assistance and job development network. If they are determined to be Category One, the SSVF CM provides links to employment assistance. Outreach materials are developed and used by both programs. One agency staff member coordinates enrollment for both programs. The agency distributes a fact sheet and description of both programs for inclusion in its outreach materials. An Assessment Application is provided to a veteran when he/she comes into program and determination is made for enrollment in either HVRP or SSVF services. CM s conduct outreach in the community and discuss both programs with veterans who are homeless. Flyers, informational cards, and overview of both SSVF and HVRP programs are distributed by the outreach teams. The agency distributes flyers during outreach that describes both programs. Veterans are enrolled into SSVF and, if they are currently homeless and state that they are interested in employment, they are referred to HVRP. Collaborations to Prevent and End Homelessness Preliminary Report on Connecting HVRP-SSVF Programs

3 EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVISION Staff of both programs share job leads. CMs of SSVF assess current employment status, interest, and provides referral to training and/or HVRP employment staff. Veterans are enrolled in both programs. They participate in classroom training, provided in-house, including employment goal development and planning. If the veteran has no income and meets the definition of homelessness, he/she is immediately referred for HVRP services (and could also be referred to other types of VA and/or DOL employment resources). Outreach workers from HVRP attend job fairs, health fairs, receive job openings and are a direct resource for veterans in SSVF. CM s working in both programs meet regularly and work together to secure employment opportunities. Veterans from both programs are enrolled in a four-week Professional Development Class that includes resume, interviewing skills and career exploration. HVRP creates hot sheets with employer contacts and shares this information regularly with CMs from both programs. EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTIVE SERVICES CMs of both programs meet to discuss housing and employment plans for retention including job advancement, promotions, and impact on housing status on a regular basis. Senior business developers supervise job developers who have created database of over 800 employers. Staffs from both programs have access to the centralized database to share placements. CMs from both programs provide budgeting and housing and connect with community resources that provide parenting classes. Within the first two weeks of a veteran being enrolled in SSVF, he/she is referred to HVRP. Employment services are coordinated through HVRP CM and also provide job retention services. This is coordinated with the SSVF CM so the individual remains employed and in stable housing. Managers and CMs work with veterans and look for job leads in the community. Community resource counselors from SSVF programs meet with HVRP and other community providers regularly. In the list below, we see the HVRPs that also operate an SSVF and how they compare across the management and services administration dimensions. MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT They operate as two different program managers, supervised by the same director. Both programs have the same program manager. Weekly staff meetings with staff from both programs. Grants compliance manager oversees both programs. One SSVF grant has two different managers one for urban, and the other for rural areas. Separate program managers for each program. INTEGRATED SERVICES There is ongoing communication between staff who share clients. Two programs are treated as one big program whereby social workers in SSVF will address housing issues, and CM s from HVRP will address all other needs-jointly. Intra-office collaboration-representatives from both programs regularly connect with housing resources. All staff meets for treatment team meetings two times per week. Intake coordinator is the contact person for both programs. Service coordinator focuses on employment and works directly with CM for HVRP. Housing specialist is the same for both programs. No centralized intake coordinator currently, but being reviewed. CM from both programs have good rapport and open communication about shared veterans. COMBINED SERVICES Director of training services works with and provides classroom training for veterans in both programs. Clients who receive services in both programs have CMs who share responsibilities including housing and employment management. Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with agencies who serve in rural areas-combine employment services with existing agencies. Internal employment team meetings and participation in employment consortium. Programs are located in the same building. Working on creating a web-based system that will capture information from both programs and allow for more integration of services. EMERGING TRAINING NEEDS The primary purposes of this report are to identify how HVRPs and SSVFs might coordinate their services, as well as to identify the types of future HVRP training and TA that may be of value in order to provide improved employment outcomes for HVRP participants. A number of themes emerged that suggest directions for future HVRP training. 1) PROGRAMS PROVIDE JOINT MARKETING: Joint marketing of HVRP and SSVF services, especially during outreach to offer the veteran services that are most appropriate to their needs that they qualify to receive. Training/TA Recommendation: Review marketing materials and assist HVRPs to improve materials in order to attract more veterans eligible for HVRP services into the program. 2) PROGRAMS PROVIDE JOINT INTAKE AND ASSESSMENT: By using the same intake form, it appears that a better determination of the appropriate level of service can be made. Training/TA Recommendation: Review intake and assessment forms and assist HVRPs to improve materials to incorporate more strengths-based and needs-reflective criteria in order to facilitate the HVRP service delivery most appropriate to address employment needs. 3) PROGRAMS CONDUCT JOINT EMPLOYMENT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT: When both programs share job goal development, training, job leads and employer contact information, veterans can access employment resources more quickly based upon their need and eligibility criteria. Training/TA Recommendation: Review training programs and curricula as well as employer development practices and databases. Assist HVRPs to improve materials and methods to leverage more and better job opportunities for HVRP participants. 4) PROGRAMS IMPLEMENT INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT AND STAFF FUNCTIONS: Veterans are better served within agencies operating HVRPs and SSVFs when the services they are eligible to receive are coordinated and staff uses best practices for integrated case management, data sharing, and follow-along services. Training/TA Recommendation: Provide direct training/ta on integrated team planning, communication, and services coordination to improve the frequency and effectiveness of joint HVRP/SSVF program services delivery and quality standards. It remains to be seen if interaction between HVRPs and SSVFs will result in better employment and supportive services for HVRP customers and improve employment outcomes. Collaborations to Prevent and End Homelessness Preliminary Report on Connecting HVRP-SSVF Program

4 HVRPS PARTICIPATING IN THE DISCUSSION VETERANS OUTREACH CENTER, INC. 459 South Avenue Rochester, NY GOODWILL OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY 1080 North 7th Street Santa Clara, CA VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA OF KENTUCKY 933 Gross Avenue Louisville, KY VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA ILLINOIS 47 West Polk Street, Suite 250 Chicago, IL ST. PATRICK S CENTER 800 N. Tucker Blvd St. Louis, MO Winer, M. & Ray, K. (1994) The Collaboration Handbook. Amherst A. Wilder Foundation, St. Paul, MN SUMMARY Overall, we found that the small sample of joint HVRP/SSVF programs most frequently engaged in some level of cooperation at least, and coordination at best using the Winer and Ray criteria. While the themes and training/ta responses provided above appear appropriate to the small cadre of HVRPs we contacted, it remains to be seen if interaction between HVRPs and SSVFs will result in better employment and supportive services for HVRP customers and improve employment outcomes for veterans who are homeless. Answering this question will also assist the Federal Agencies in developing and providing training and technical assistance that improves coordination of HVRP and SSVF services that demonstrably achieve improved HVRP outcomes. Future work must be done with a larger number of HVRP/SSVF grantees to understand the benefits of closely aligning HVRP and SSVF programs and the positive effects it may have on improving employment outcomes for veterans who are homeless. Questions Used to Explore HVRP/SSVF INTEGRATION OUTREACH: Have you developed any outreach materials that publicize both programs at your organization? What are they, how effective have they been, and what materials development assistance do you need? When your outreach team represents your HVRP program at partner meetings, do they also discuss SSVF? Does the process increase enrollment into your SSVF program and lead to better services integration? What assistance do you need to increase cross-program collaboration? ENROLLMENT: How does your enrollment process work when a veteran is eligible for services through both programs? What is the enrollment process, what tools and methods do you use, and how effective are they? Do you need assistance with improving your enrollment process and tools? What challenges have you encountered when working with veterans who may be eligible for both programs? Can these challenges be addressed through cross-staff training, materials development or other areas that we can help you with? Do two separate people do enrollment for each program, and if so, how do they coordinate with one another? Do you need assistance in helping to refine job roles, descriptions, or methods from the NVTAC? PLACEMENT INTO EMPLOYMENT: Do employment counselors share job leads? What assistance do you need in developing an employment consortium that links your program with other homeless veterans employment programs and improves employer marketing efficiencies? PROVIDING POST-EMPLOYMENT FOLLOW-UP SERVICES: Who conducts follow-up services? How is information on follow-up services shared following placement? Do you need assistance in improving communication and collaboration for integrated team approach to employment from our TA Center? CONNECTION TO HOUSING RESOURCES: How does SSVF staff ensure that co-enrolled veterans placed into housing are recorded with HVRP? What training and TA do you need to improve coordination between staff assigned to housing supports and those assigned to employment? INTRA-OFFICE COLLABORATION: Do program managers meet regularly for updates and to share experiences? Do they share cases; e.g. make hand-offs, work as integrated teams, back each other up? Would training and TA on these topics be useful? Does your process for employment team planning include identifying as an HVRP candidate for an SSVF and connecting both programs case management, housing, training, other resources including co-training between staffs? Collaborations to Prevent and End Homelessness Preliminary Report on Connecting HVRP-SSVF Programs

5 700 University Avenue, Suite 303 Syracuse, NY p f e vets@syr.edu w vets.syr.edu IVMFSyracuseU