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Ending Homelessness in New London County

Ending Homelessness in New London County. Presentation by the Partnership to End Homelessness in Southeastern Connecticut. Homelessness Persists in Southeastern CT. We are working hard but… h omelessness remains a serious issue in our region. 2011 Snapshot of Homelessness in SE CT.

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Ending Homelessness in New London County

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  1. Ending Homelessness in New London County Presentation by the Partnership to End Homelessness in Southeastern Connecticut

  2. Homelessness Persists in Southeastern CT We are working hard but… homelessness remains a serious issue in our region.

  3. 2011 Snapshot of Homelessness in SE CT On a single night in January 2011, there were 288 people homeless in our community. • 51% of homeless were families • Nearly 30% were children • 40% had never been homeless before • Over 50% had high school education or higher • 20% of adults in homeless families were working • From 2010 to 2011, our providers sheltered over 1,500 homeless adults and children!

  4. Single Homeless Adults Over the most recent year, we sheltered: Unduplicated adults……………………………..…617 Veterans………………………………………………….65 Homeless Youth (ages 18-25)………………..….83 % who report no income at intake…………...51% Total bed nights of shelter……………..……21,241

  5. Family Homelessness From 2010 to 2011, NL County providers: Sheltered over 170 families Re-housed or prevented the homelessness of over 300 other local families Over ½ of adults in families cited domestic violence as a contributing cause to their homelessness

  6. Causes of Homelessness in Our Community • Shortage of Affordable Housing • CT is 6th most expensive state in the U.S. for housing costs • Income Instability and Poverty • Norwich-New London corridor is one of 10 slowest areas in the United States to recover from economic recession • small jobs gains more than offset by large layoffs at major employers • Limited safety net • Low monthly family allowance ends with minimal earned income • No public income assistance for homeless adults once unemployment benefits cease • Continuing need for treatment • Mental health • Substance abuse

  7. We need to stay focused on change Our goal must be to end homelessness HEARTH = Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing • Federal Plan to end Homelessness • “Opening Doors CT,” state strategy under HEARTH • New approaches to prevent, reduce homelessness: • Homelessness Prevention: targeted financial assistance, case management to help those at risk of losing housing to remain housed • Rapid Re-Housing: use resources to help homeless return to permanent housing as quickly as possible (rather than consuming same resources in extended shelter), case management to help stabilize

  8. We need to stay focused on change Our Goals: • No one (individual or family) is homeless longer than 30 days • Reduce new episodes of homelessness • Reduce return entries into homelessness

  9. Meeting Current Demand We are working hard to keep up with emergency shelter demand • Norwich and New London shelters are full but no homeless individuals turned away • Family Shelters have created a unified system for intake of homeless families • We are working to harder to: • Engage volunteer in the efforts to meet shelter demand • Identify funding sources (many traditional sources of funding are shrinking)

  10. Making our Resources Go Further • Collaboration between Partnership Agencies • Monthly meetings to coordinate efforts • Working together to avoid duplication, provide effective service • Creation of Community Care Teams • Norwich and New London • Provide coordinated services to families, singles • One Point of Contact for Families Facing Homelessness • NL County family shelters new unified intake process • One phone call to 2-1-1 = one intake with a case manager = placement in any one of four shelters that has availability • NL County is the first provider group in CT to adopt this best practice recommended by HUD

  11. Implementing Permanent Solutions Focus on Permanent Solutions • Increasing income • Job training and placement with local partner agencies • Improving access to SSI/SSDI for eligible citizens (SOAR) • Improving access to housing, shortening stays in shelter with Rapid Re-Housing • One waiting list for all Permanent Supportive Housing units

  12. Permanent Supportive Housing • Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH): an important solution for the chronically homeless • PSH = housing subsidy + supportive services • PSH is cost effective – compared to alternative forms of care frequently used by homeless individuals with behavioral health needs

  13. Daily Cost of PSH Compared to Alternatives

  14. Permanent Supportive Housing We need more units of this important resource. 10 Agencies, 22 programs provide 236 units of PSH in our community The current waiting period for PSH in Eastern CT is two to three years Our Goal: create 283 additional PSH units by 2016

  15. A Larger Supply of Affordable Housing Not all homeless singles and families need supportive housing: many simply need housing they can afford. • 20% of all working households in CT spent more than 50% of their income on housing in 2010 • Severe housing cost burden almost exclusively among those earning less than 80% of area median income Our region’s economy is driven by service: we need our minimum-wage workers • We need safe, affordable places to live and raise our children

  16. What we Need • Job creation with a focus on the long-term unemployed • Increased funding for Homelessness Prevention andRapid Re-Housing • Support for more Permanent Supportive Housing and affordable housing • Preservation of safety net services

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