OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

1. OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE • Christy Hahn, Homeless Services Operations and Policy Analyst, OHCS • Gus Bedwell, Veterans Integrator, OHCS • Pegge McGuire, Acting Director, Community Services Consortium July 12, 2019 Housing Stability Council • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS • What is Operation Welcome Home? • Why did OHCS and ODVA deploy Operation Welcome Home? • What did Operation Welcome Home look like in the community? • What were the overall successes and learning opportunities? • What happens next? • Questions/Comments • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

3. What is Operation Welcome Home? Operation Welcome home is a short-term campaign to help ten communities in Oregon end Veteran homelessness through intensive technical assistance. Three Goals: • Develop and implement a Veterans By Name List (VBNL). • Convene and deploy a Veterans Leadership Team (VLT) to prioritize Veterans for services in the community. • House up to 500 veterans across the ten communities. • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

4. Goals and Technical Assistance Membership and Mission Participating Communities • Goals for OWH were based on U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Federal Benchmarks and Criteria for Ending Veteran homelessness • Establishing and refining partnerships and service structures is necessary to effectively house Veterans experiencing homelessness • Remote and in-person technical assistance was individualized to each community • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

5. Technical Assistance Provider Membership and Mission Participating Communities • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

6. Ten Participating Communities Membership and Mission Participating Communities • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

7. Why did OHCS and ODVA deploy the Operation Welcome Home campaign? In 2016, Oregonians passed Measure 96 directing 1.5% of Veteran Lottery Dollars to Veteran Services. On March 31, 2017 Governor Brown announced that a portion of those funds would be used to end Veterans Homelessness in Oregon. Photo from ODVA May 2017 Veterans News Magazine • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

8. Measure 96 Membership and Mission Membership and Mission Emergency Housing Assistance (EHA) for Veterans: $350,000 Permanent Housing for Veterans: $760,000 Community Technical Assistance and Consultation: $150,000 Veteran Homelessness Integrator Position: $240,000 • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

9. What did Operation Welcome Home look like in the community? Community Services Consortium and its partners were selected as one of the ten communities to participate in Operation Welcome Home. Established in July, 1980, Community Service Consortium (CSC) is the state-designated community action agency for Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties. Pegge McGuire is the Acting Director at CSC, who oversaw their three-county campaign to collectively end Veteran homelessness. • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

10. Community Services Consortium Partners • Linn-Benton Housing Authority • Housing Authority of Lincoln County • Willamette Neighborhood Housing Services • Community Outreach Inc. • Signs of Victory • Samaritan Health • Lincoln City Warming and Navigation Center • County VSO’s • Oregon Cascades West COG • Linn-Benton CC • Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

11. Community Services Consortium Successes • Enthusiasm for the partnership and goal • Enthusiasm of the public for the targeted population • A number of successful veteran’s programs already in place • SSVF • GPD • Case management, navigation, and referrals • Outreach • Regular Stand Down events • VASH • VSOs • BNL and ROI examples from other areas • Existing BNL only needed expansion effort • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

12. Community Services Consortium Challenges • No additional funds makes adding services or capacity difficult • HMIS licensing limitations/capacity of smaller organizations prevents pass through funding • While partner enthusiasm was obvious, participation levels varied • VAMC support is variable, depending on the staff/supervisors • Lack of funding for additional housing options (e.g. shelters, transitional housing, affordable units) and lack of permanent housing in the pipeline, coupled with low vacancy rates, makes it difficult to provide a full continuum of housing types when the veteran is ready • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

13. Community Services Consortium A Few Notable Tidbits • Unintended duplication of efforts due to lack of overarching leadership in some communities • Communication, communication, communication-platforms, grueling work, the rumor mill • PSH commitment • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

14. Operation Welcome Home overall successes and learning opportunities OHCS and ODVA launched Operation Welcome Home on November 15, 2018 with an end date of July 31, 2019. • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

15. OWH Successes Communities who have established a Veteran By Name List: • Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson Counties • Clackamas County • Benton, Lincoln, and Linn Counties • Lane County • Marion and Polk Counties • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

16. OWH Successes Communities who have established a Veteran Leadership Team: • Jackson County • Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties • Clackamas county • Benton, Lincoln, and Linn Counties • Klamath and Lake Counties • Lane Counties • Marion and Polk Counties • Coos and Curry Counties • Yamhill County • Douglas and Josephine Counties • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

17. OWH Successes Successful Outcomes: • Communities have collectively housed 509 veterans as of July 10, 2019. • Increased collaboration in some areas: • Due to the exposure of gaps and processes by the technical assistance provider, the campaign has been able to assist some communities in identifying practical opportunities to work together in new ways. • Veteran By Name Lists and Veteran Leadership Teams were created. • Lane and Clackamas Counties made great advancements and are working towards future declarations that they have ended Veterans homelessness. • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

18. Oregon Housing and Community Services Report Learning Opportunities: • Utilizing Data • HMIS access and expertise, race/ethnicity data limited, tracking outcomes of participants • Many communities experienced challenges related to collaboration with community partners. • Additional engagement from Continuums of Care is needed. • More local executive level leadership is necessary to drive the initiative, direct resources, and connect with partners. • Local political support would move this work. More engagement and involvement from elected officials should be pursued. • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

19. What Happens Next Build a coordinated and concerted effort to prevent and end homelessness with a focus on ending unsheltered homelessness of Oregon’s children and Veterans. July 31 - Operation Welcome Home celebration and Grand Opening of Ash Creek Terrace Apartments in Independence July 30- 31 - ODVA and OHCS will host the 3rd Veterans Convening TBD - Executive Planning Meeting with funders and stakeholders • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE

20. FINAL THOUGHTS / CLOSING REMARKS OHCS Website: https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/pages/index.aspx OHCS Veteran Website: https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/Pages/best-practices-veteran-homelessness-prevention.aspx Christy Hahn, Homeless Services Operations and Policy Analyst, OHCS Christy.Hahn@oregon.gov Gus Bedwell, Veterans Housing Integrator, OHCS Gus.L.Bedwell@oregon.gov Pegge McGuire, Acting Director, Community Services Consortium pmcguire@communityservices.us • OPERATION WELCOME HOME UPDATE