24-Hour Hotline and Central Intake for Homeless Families Launched 10/09. Annual Report of the Memphis and Shelby County Emergency Housing Partnership

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1 Dec Annual Report of the Memphis and Shelby County Emergency Housing Partnership Introduction of HPRP plus the combined effort of family shelter and transitional housing providers reduced family homelessness by 6% in year one alone. Page 2 Measuring The Impact 6% One-year reduction in families experiencing homelessness (FY09 vs. FY10) 14% Reduction in the length of time families spend homeless. 1,136 People who would have been homeless last year without HPRP. 92% 0 Proportion of families who remained stably housed 6 months after assistance was provided. Number of families who required emergency shelter within 12 months of receiving assistance. See p. 3 for complete results Hour Hotline and Central Intake for Homeless Families Launched 10/09 We are at war with the conditions that cause individuals and families to go without shelter. - Mayor A C Wharton, Jr. With funding from the City of Memphis and the Tennessee Housing Development Agency authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Memphis leaders sought to restructure the service delivery system for families who experience homelessness. Beginning in October of 2009, the Memphis area family shelter and transitional housing programs agreed to close the front door to homelessness by foregoing their own intakes and joining in a centralized intake. The intake has two components: a 24-hour hotline manned Shelter and Transitional Housing Programs Participating in the Partnership: Salvation Army, MIFA, Memphis Family Shelter, MIHN, Sophia s House, YWCA, Agape, Shield, and Trinity Coalition more on 2

2 Hotline Number: 260-HOME ( ) The Hotline responded to more than 18,000 requests for help. MIFA staff conducted face-to-face assessments of more than 5,000. during the day by Tennessee Community Services Agency (TNCSA) and in the evenings and weekends by the family shelter and transitional housing providers. The hotline screened more than 18,000 requests for help. Approximately one-third were referred to MIFA for further assessment. Nearly 1,000 were assisted in applying for Food Stamps and other public benefits through Seedco. At MIFA s Vance Avenue location, more than 5,000 households who reported they were homeless or about to become homeless received housing counseling and assessment for Homeless Prevention, Rapid Rehousing (HPRP), and Shelter resources. HPRP in Memphis provides emergency financial assistance to prevent eviction and/or short-term rental subsidies and utility assistance to reestablish housing for those who have become homeless. It also provides supportive services for families statistically at risk for child maltreatment. After mediation, consultation and eviction prevention services, only 328 families (6%) had to be placed in shelter or transitional housing. Moreover, despite the overwhelming demand for help and the high rate of joblessness, family homelessness in Memphis actually decreased by 6% over the previous year. By contrast, the most recent data available nationally shows a 7% increase in the rate of family homelessness. Homeless Families 7% National Trend (07-09) Memphis Trend (09-10) -6% Length of Homeless Episodes Among Families Declines Research has long held that homelessness itself is a traumatic experience that takes a significant toll on the families who experience it. While avoiding homelessness is the best course of action, reducing the length of time people spend homeless also has benefits. As a result of the resources available through HPRP, families now have access to security deposits, first month s rent, and supportive services to help them leave emergency shelter or transitional housing more quickly. Even with the high rates of unemployment and unprecedented competition for the jobs that exist, homeless parents were able to find jobs and income to qualify for HPRP and therefore leave homelessness more quickly. Overall, the length of homeless episode for shelter and transitional housing residents was reduced by 14%. (See table on page 4.) 2

3 Complete Data from Year One 18,000 calls to the Hotline (TNCSA and after-hours) 5,000+ screened (face-to-face) by MIFA 263 receive support from TNCSA or Agape Family Housing Advocates 5,400 referred to MIFA for shelter or eviction prevention. 860 assisted with public benefits. 96 placed in emergency afterhours housing. 4,200 receive mediation and/or housing counseling. 465 households receive financial assistance. Of those, 0 require subsequent placement in shelter. 328 households placed in shelter or transitional housing. 30% score high or very high risk of child maltreatment at assessment, most score at reduced risk level at reassessment. 93% stably housed 3 months after receiving financial assistance. 86% stably housed after 6 months. How has the Partnership and introduction of HPRP impacted shelter, transitional housing providers, and those in need of help. A survey of agencies involved in or affected by the introduction of the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing program (HPRP) responded to a survey that allowed them to respond anonymously to questions concerning the impact of HPRP on their program. The results of the survey showed primarily positive outcomes (70%) and some negative impacts of the program. Among the positive outcomes, agencies were able to reduce the amount of resources spent on conducting client intakes and assessments. 90% of respondents felt the program had a significant positive impact on program participants by providing alternative resources (to shelter and transitional housing) and that participants felt more optimistic about their future as a result of HPRP. As for negative impacts, 22% of respondents indicated HPRP had decreased demand for their programs and that clients often feel entitled and therefore do not have to follow program rules. 3

4 Data Snapshot: Comparison from Previous Year/Impact of HPRP Families Entering Shelter Families Entering Transitional Housing (TH) Total Families Homeless Length of Stay in Shelter FY FY Length of Stay in TH Supportive Services Resource Plays A Key Role in Participants Success In addition to the mediation, shelter intake, and emergency financial assistance provided through HPRP, homeless and imminently homeless families have access to home-based supportive services. (These are separate and apart from those provided through the emergency shelter and transitional housing programs.) All families who qualify for assistance through HPRP complete a brief interview using a risk assessment tool known as Structured Decision Making (SDM). SDM has been found in repeated national and statewide evaluations to be highly predictive of future risk of child maltreatment. The tool has been adapted for use with welfare recipients in California and for homeless families in Virginia and in Memphis. As part of the HPRP program, household heads who receive a score of high or very high risk of abuse and neglect and are at imminent risk of homelessness are referred to a Family Housing Advocate at either Agape Child and Family Services or TNCSA. Families who are homeless and receive a score of moderate or higher are also referred to the Family Housing Advocates. The Family Housing Advocates are trained in culturally competent techniques and SAMHSA s evidence-based VanDenBerg Wraparound principles that focus on strengthening participants connections to natural assets and resources in their community or neighborhood. The effectiveness of their services is measured by housing stability 3, 6, and 12 months after HPRP financial assistance was received. The chart below provides information concerning housing stability. 94% 92% 90% 88% 86% 84% 82% Housing Stability + Etiam eu ipsum. Donec ac arcu. For maybe a year, I was going from church to church looking for help. You can see the impact on my children. Michelle, homeless mom speaking about her experience before finding the Emergency Housing Partnership Slow Start-Up as Program Begins Participation in Financial Assistance nearly doubled between the first and second six months of the program: Oct March: 33/month April Sept: 60/month 80% Stable at 3 months Stable at 6 months 4

5 Just enough assistance? Federal authorization for the HPRP program directs communities to identify strategies to provide just enough assistance. The express goal of the program is to identify households who would be homeless without emergency rental assistance but at the same time can be selfsufficient after a relatively short period of assistance. Communities across the country have struggled to meet the somewhat conflicting goals of the legislation. Memphis adopted a strategy similar to that of the Hennepin County, MN (the local program upon which the federal initiative was based) that provides very short duration of typically one to three months. In Memphis, the program allows families to receive an additional period of assistance, or a double dip if unexpected job loss or illness cause them to fall behind again. 20% of HPRP households required a second period of assistance in the first year. Thus, the vast majority of households can avoid homelessness with a relatively modest amount of resources, typically $1,200 or less. Double Dips Single Event Households with 1 or more Assistance Periods Housing Specialist Plays Key Role An additional service component in the Memphis and Shelby County Emergency Housing Partnership is the Housing Specialist. The Housing Specialist, staffed by the Community Alliance for the Homeless, reaches out to landlords to identify willing partners in the project -- those who will overlook poor credit or criminal histories and/or who lease units that are within affordable range for our clients. The Housing Specialist conducts the unit inspections required by the US Department of Housing and also conducts follow-ups to determine housing stability of those who were not assigned a Family Housing Advocate. Housing Specialist Stats 121 Inspections Completed. 254 Clients assisted with housing search. 2,200 Affordable units identified SUCCESS STORY I was assigned Ms. A earlier this year. She is a single parent to a beautiful little boy. At the time that I received Ms. A as a client, she was living with family that used drugs. Ms. A was struggling to stay clean and take care of her son. With MIFA s help, we were able to re- house Ms. A in July. Since then, she has made strides in her drug rehabilitation, has kept her rent and utilities not only paid but also on time. Ms. A also recently found employment and is currently working towards buying her first vehicle and returning to school to further her education in the New Year. I believe Ms. A is a shining example of what the HPRP program can do for the city of Memphis and that there are only good things for Ms. A s future. Kim H., Family Housing Advocate, TNCSA. 5

6 Annual Report of the Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Housing Partnership Dec The Future of the HPRP Program Is Unclear The HPRP program was funded with time-limited Recovery Act funds. Those funds expire between September 30, 2011 and January 1, 2012 (depending on the rate of families who qualify for assistance for the rest of fiscal year 2011.) City and community leaders both through the Mayors Committee to End Homelessness and non-profit generated grant applications are seeking strategies to continue this successful effort. Simultaneously, the Emergency Housing Partnership has begun a process of assessing ways to scale down or target more limited resources in the future. + City of Memphis, Division of Housing and Community Development 701 N. Main Street Memphis, TN, [Recipient] Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Address Line 3 Address Line 4