10/01/2018

CSH Pay for Success Grants Help Communities Improve Healthcare Delivery & Decrease Costs

Providers in Lake County, Illinois, Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and Ventura County, California to Receive “Pay for Success” Expertise

The national nonprofit CSH (Corporation for Supportive Housing) has named three local area-providers across the country to participate in initiatives focused on delivering stable housing and improved medical and mental healthcare to people unhoused or leaving institutions who frequently use costly crisis services. The aim is to see frequent users of emergency care better served through cost-effective supportive housing developed with the use private-public-philanthropic funding and contracting mechanisms found in Pay for Success partnerships.

The three community providers selected by CSH are Lake County Community Development in Lake County, Illinois, Community Human Services in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and Ventura County, California. With their new grants, each provider will receive expert assistance to properly identify frequent users in their communities and devise local solutions that use supportive housing as the bedrock to address unnecessary trips to emergency rooms, avoidable incarcerations and increases in chronic homelessness.

“The common denominator in every one of these areas is the need for more supportive housing and the resources to make it happen,” said Deborah De Santis, President and CEO of CSH. “These grants set the stage to explore how communities can create more supportive housing by leveraging Pay for Success financing and contracting, using the private and philanthropic dollars that come with it, and ensuring scarce resources are spent effectively and only for successful outcomes,” said Ms. De Santis.

“This technical assistance could be the difference-maker in Lake County’s ability to assemble resources and partnerships in the hopes of increasing permanent supportive housing for high utilizers of the jail with behavioral health challenges who belong in supportive housing, not the jail,” said Jodi Gingiss, Community Development Administrator, Lake County Planning, Development and Building, Community Development.

“We've been able to really change how our community looks at social determinants of health and how it can help end homelessness,” said Jeremy Carter, Chief Housing Officer of Community Human Services. The momentum of this project has been built off of the success of the last decade working with UPMC Health Plan, which has been such an incredible and supportive partner in this work. Having the Corporation for Supportive Housing involved in this project will help us take this to the next level, leverage expertise from around the country, and scale this project to a level this region has not seen before in terms of homeless assistance programs. We are very enthusiastic and thankful for the partnership with CSH to help our project realize its full potential and help hundreds of more people experiencing housing instability and unplanned care medical visits, said Mr. Carter.

“The County of Ventura is honored to have been selected by the Corporation for Supportive Housing to receive technical assistance to facilitate our readiness to implement Pay for Success strategies to end chronic homelessness,” said Mike Powers, Ventura County Executive Officer. “CSH’s expertise and experience working with supportive housing providers to assess operational capacity, fiscal management and service delivery comes at a critical juncture, as we prepare for an unprecedented infusion of funding from the State. Having recently launched the 20th Pay for Success project in the nation – Ventura County Project to Support Re-entry – we are excited to promote the expansion of PFS beyond reducing recidivism.”

Each recipient of the grants will receive services and resources from CSH depending on their current plans and the future needs associated with their respective projects. CSH is nationally recognized for its expertise in structuring and investing in Pay for Success projects specific to supportive housing creation.

In addition to the resources provided by CSH, awardees also will get guidance and technical assistance from the Nonprofit Finance Fund.

Issued by CSH, these new grants are made possible through funding received from the Corporation for National and Community Service.

 

BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS

Lake County Community Development, Illinois

 CSH will be working with Lake County Community Development (LCCD) to further an outcomes-focused initiative to reduce the number of people with behavioral health issues who are detained in Lake County Sheriff’s Adult Corrections Facility when they could be better served in supportive housing. LCCD is working in partnership with the Lake County Health Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice System, Nicasa Behavioral Health Services and Thresholds, Inc.

Supportive Housing funded through a Pay for Success (PFS) effort would add much-needed resources to the High Utilizer and Behavioral Health Treatment Court Collaboratives, which has identified high-need individuals that lack stable housing and complementing supports as priorities. Many of the individuals served in these programs are leaving the justice system and entering an unstable housing situation or homelessness. While the groundwork for identifying these individuals and providing case management has been laid, the lack of supportive housing continues to hamper progress.

CSH will be working with the Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) as a partner in the delivery of capacity building and technical assistance.

CSH and NFF will work with Lake County and its service partners to build local abilities to successfully participate in a PFS initiative and advance efforts underway to design an intervention model that will best meet the needs of the identified target population. CSH will help further develop the implementation plan and strategy.

Community Human Services, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

CSH will be working with Community Human Services and the UPMC Health Plan to further the development of a Pay for Success (PFS) supportive housing initiative that would assist individuals who are homeless or experiencing other types of housing instability that may impact their health. Participants in the project also must meet UPMC Health Plan criteria for unplanned healthcare costs. A supportive housing intervention will permanently house these members and improve their health while decreasing utilization of other emergency and crisis services.

Community Human Services has already collaborated in the planning process with UPMC Health Plan to identify a population to serve, PFS payment structure and outcomes, and overall functions of the program. Currently, the existing supportive housing Community Human Services and UPMC Health Plan currently operate serves 25 individuals at any given time. The plan is for investments from PFS to generate enough resources to create supportive housing to serve 100 individuals at any given time and perhaps even 250 per year. This will quadruple the program size and will require additional local capacity building to successfully manage.

CSH will provide assistance to Community Human Services and UPMC Health Plan in planning for staffing, operational support, and financial resources for administrative capacity. CSH also will guide the development of the intervention design, outcome metrics and a performance tracking plan.

A significant part of what makes this initiative unique is the history of a managed care organization and insurer and social service agency already working together on a successful supportive housing program for the past eight years. Data from the current program suggests the intervention saves community and UPMC Health Plan resources, and decreases homelessness among individuals.

In addition, the local homeless Continuum of Care has indicated there is a shortage of supportive housing to serve homeless individuals. PFS-financed supportive housing could contribute to decreasing the housing gaps for this population.

CSH will be working with the Nonprofit Finance Fund as a partner in the delivery of capacity building and technical assistance.

Ventura County, California

CSH will be working with the County of Ventura, California to further the development of a Pay for Success (PFS) initiative targeted to homeless individuals who are the highest utilizers across multiple public systems with an emphasis on high utilization of medical care.

The County of Ventura intends to start a PFS project this summer to provide master leasing through supportive housing. The goal is to initiate this project as a pilot to utilize existing vouchers and tenant-based rental assistance.

The housing assistance will be partnered with a qualified service provider offering supportive services and landlord/property management assistance. The initial pilot will utilize existing housing vouchers but additional housing assistance is anticipated through the leveraging of State and Federal funding.

CSH will provide technical assistance to build capacity among service providers in providing supportive housing in a PFS model. The PFS model will reinforce outcomes-based contracting and focus on system performance throughout the homeless service system. CSH will further assist in developing an overall housing and services plan, costing service delivery and identifying appropriate outcomes and data tracking options for the initiative.

CSH will be working with the Nonprofit Finance Fund as a partner in the delivery of capacity building and technical assistance.   

ABOUT CSH

CSH has been the national champion for supportive housing for 27 years, demonstrating its potential to improve the lives of very vulnerable individuals and families. It is a leader in structuring Pay for Success financing and contracts, having amassed experience as conveners, coordinators and investors. To date, CSH has engaged more than 20 communities across the country in Pay for Success endeavors.  CSH has earned a reputation as a highly effective, financially stable organization, with strong partnerships across government, community organizations, foundations, and financial institutions. CSH is advancing innovative solutions that use housing as a platform for services to maximize public resources and build healthy communities. Visit us at www.csh.org

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