Project 25 Report: Housing Homeless Reduces Costs

 

Project 25

Tommie Faccio, 57, found housing two years ago as part of Project 25. He has degenerative arthritis and prior to having a home and access to regular medical care, he averaged at least two ambulance trips to emergency rooms per month. Photo credit: Gary Warth, San Diego Union-Tribune

 

Project 25 out of San Diego, California, has issued its final report. Originally designed to offer a pathway off the streets for 25 (then increased to 34) of the most frequent users of San Diego’s emergency services, the idea behind Project 25 is simple: show how housing and medical care, delivered in concert, can reduce costs and improve health outcomes for people who are vulnerable and over-rely on crisis services.

The group of frequent users in Project 25 cost taxpayers and hospitals $4.3 million in responses to 911 calls and other emergency public safety needs in 2010. The initiative took these same people (who were also experiencing homelessness), found them housing, provided them access to preventative medical care and round-the-clock case workers, and costs dropped to $2.2 million in 2013. That’s a savings to the public of more than $2 million per year.

This was the hope of Project 25, a three-year pilot funded by the local chapter of the United Way, and its final report showcases data that proves it works. By taking people off the streets and providing them access to preventative and regular healthcare, Project 25  gave them a better life and saved a lot of money in the process.

CSH worked closely with the United Way in structuring Project 25 and framing the initial Request for Proposal.

We are pleased Project 25 will continue in San Diego under the auspices of Father Joe's Villages, which has received funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and is now contracting with several health plans to support individual frequent users. These actions should sustain Project 25 well into the future.

Hundreds Rally to Call on Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio to Create More Supportive Housing for Homeless

NY-NY RallyHundreds rallied in front of Governor Cuomo’s Executive Office in midtown last week to call for fully funding supportive housing. Supportive housing – housing which is combined with mental health and other support services – is proven to be cost-effective and successful in reducing homelessness for vulnerable New Yorkers. Every unit of supportive housing built saves more than $10,000 per year in taxpayer dollars through the reduced use of costly shelters, hospitals, psych centers and incarceration. “Supportive housing is the proven solution to ending chronic homelessness. It is significantly less expensive than the institutional alternatives that homeless people often cycle through– including shelters, psychiatric centers and hospitals. With the state facing record homelessness and the current NY NY III Agreement coming to an end, now is the time for a new statewide agreement for 35,000 units of supportive housing over the next 10 years,” said Laura D. Mascuch, Executive Director, Supportive Housing Network of New York. More than 20,000 households are found eligible for supportive housing in New York City each year, but currently there’s only one housing unit available for every five certified applicants – leaving thousands homeless. In 2014, Last year (2014), there was a record 24,766 applications for NY/NY housing — a 10% increase in demand over the prior year. “Reducing record homelessness in New York City will be impossible if Albany cuts cost-effective tools like supportive housing,” said Mary Brosnahan, President and CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless. “Governor Cuomo and Albany leaders need to step up and reverse these cuts, or thousands of New Yorkers will remain in homeless for years to come.” Hundreds of mental-health and housing providers, alongside clergy and activists formed the Campaign 4 New York/New York Housing, have called for the creation of 35,000 units of supportive housing over the next ten years. But Governor Cuomo proposed agreement would create just 5,000 new units of supportive housing — leading to years of increased homelessness in New York City and across the state. A new analysis from the Coalition for the Homeless estimated that failure to create 35,000 units of supportive housing statewide could add up to 7,600 to New York City’s homeless rolls by 2020, while costing taxpayers up to $1.35 billion over the next ten years. “The Governor made a bold commitment to ending AIDS in NYS. Part of his plan requires providing supportive housing to all those living with and at risk for HIV. Supportive housing solves homelessness, but it also does so much more. It is actually one of the most effective HIV prevention tools that we have. We need NY/NY IV housing now,” said Jennifer Flynn, Executive Director of VOCAL-NY. “Supportive housing is key not just to ending homelessness, but also to fulfilling New York’s historic goal of ending the AIDS epidemic. Studies show that supportive housing works and saves taxpayer money, because it pairs permanent affordable housing with the care that vulnerable New Yorkers need. Albany and New York City must come together to fully fund this proven resource,” said Kelsey Louie, CEO of GMHC. “A strong permanent supportive housing agreement will send a powerful signal to members of our congregations and the general public, advocates and stakeholders and the entire country that New York is serious in its determination to end homelessness – and will help to affirm the public’s faith that Government is committed to helping all citizens to live full and decent lives,” said Marc Greenberg Executive Director, Interfaith Assembly. “Supportive housing has proven to be the most cost-effective solution to alleviating homelessness.” Tony Hannigan, Executive Director, Center for Urban Community Services. “We can only get to an AIDS-Free New York when all New Yorkers are stably housed. We’ve long known that housing status is among the strongest predictors of access to HIV care, health outcomes, and transmission risk. Strengthening supportive housing is a key component of New York State’s Ending the Epidemic Blueprint, and we strongly urge the creation of 35,000 units of supportive housing across the State,” said Charles King, Housing Works President & CEO, and community co-chair of the Ending the Epidemic Task Force. “Homelessness is on the rise across New York and we have providers eager to develop more supportive housing to address it, but they’re stuck in a holding pattern because they lack the necessary commitment from the State and City. This isn’t a debate about supportive housing; we already know it works to end homelessness. What we need is for the Governor and Mayor to fully embrace NY/NY IV Housing by signing the agreement so we can move forward to get people off our streets and housed for good,” said Kristin Miller, director in New York for the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH). “The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies is pleased to join its advocacy partners in calling for a robust supportive housing plan that will meet the needs of disadvantaged residents of New York City and State. Housing is a the key element for promoting recovery for people with behavioral health issues (both mental illness and/or addiction). We urge the Mayor and Governor to craft a NY/NY 4 agreement that will substantially address the need and provide the shelter and services so desperately required for people to resume productive lives in the community,” said Phillip Saperia, CEO, The Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, Inc. “New York has been a leader in homelessness and affordable housing policies, and we have an opportunity to reinforce that leadership if the Governor and the Mayor sign a robust NY/NY IV agreement now. In addition to ending homelessness for people and families with significant barriers to housing, like mental illness and addiction, supportive housing is cost effective and financed through a highly successful model of public-private partnerships. However, without the guarantee of these funds, we will lose the chance not only to help get people off the street and into permanent housing, but also to leverage millions of dollars in private equity,” said Judi Kende, Vice President and New York Market Leader, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. The Campaign 4 NY/NY Housing includes more than 200 organizations. Participants in today’s rally includethe Coalition for the Homeless, Services for the Underserved, Community Access, CUCS, VOCAL-NY, Enterprise Community Partners, the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Good Shepherd Services, Housing Works, Homeless Services United, Association for Community Living, Interfaith Assembly on Homelessness and Housing, Supportive Housing Network of New York, Goddard Riverside Community Center, Henry Street Settlement, Project Renewal, and Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies.

Arizona Crosswalk: Improving Access to Medicaid Behavioral Health Services

As evidence continues to establish supportive housing as an intervention that stabilizes people with chronic illnesses, states are exploring ways to ensure Medicaid programs cover the services that supportive housing residents need. To this end, CSH has analyzed Arizona’s Covered Behavioral Health Services Guide and accompanying documents to determine the extent to which Medicaid benefits extend to non-SMI Medicaid members living in supportive housing and offers recommendations to align state Medicaid policy and supportive housing services. CSH presents this crosswalk report, complete with recommendations.

Houston Ends Veteran Homelessness

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CSH President & CEO Deb De Santis with Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Houston Coalition for the Homeless President & CEO Marilyn Brown, and officials from the US Department of Veterans Affairs and US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

 

 

 

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Deb De Santis, President & CEO of CSH, speaks last September in Houston, Texas, lauding the community partnership that worked together to build an infrastructure to quickly and effectively address the housing and services needs of veterans experiencing homelessness.

 

 

 

 

“More so than in any community in this country, the people of Houston came together to end veteran homelessness. This milestone reflects the countless hours and hard work of those on the ground – the members of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County and The Way Home Campaign – who broke down barriers, built new relationships, innovated, and are now ensuring a future where no veteran will ever be shut out from housing or services again.” Deb De Santis, CSH President & CEO

 

READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING THE END OF VETERAN HOMELESSNESS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS

 

DC Council Approves Plan to Address Homelessness

By Deborah De Santis

Back in March of this year, I touted an ambitious Strategic Plan to End Homelessness proposed by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and the local Interagency Council on Homelessness in our nation’s capital.

Mayor Bowser made the Plan a top priority and attracted nationally-recognized experts to her administration to get the job done. She has set concrete goals and timelines, relying on the kind of systems changing initiatives known to make a real difference in the battle to prevent and end homelessness.

I am happy to note that the significant housing development and rental assistance financing called out in the Plan have now passed the City Council.

The Mayor and City Council recognized the need to make a substantial investment in supportive and other forms of affordable housing. The price tag is in the hundreds-of-millions. But, and the evidence for this is solid, doing nothing – keeping people in temporary shelters and providing crisis services on the streets – will cost District taxpayers far more over the long run than creating quality, affordable rental units with health care access and community-based preventive services.

In a nutshell, the Mayor initiated and Council approved:

  • $100 million for the Housing Production Trust Fund for the preservation and production of affordable housing.
  • $8.8 million increase for the Permanent Supportive Housing Program. This includes an addition by Council of $1.8 million and, combined with the investment proposed by Mayor Bowser, will serve 110 families and 365 individuals through new supportive housing leasing and services. The investment makes great strides to end homelessness and improve the lives of people who have lived on DC’s streets for too long.
  • $9 million increase for Local Rent Supplement Program tenant-based vouchers. Increases from the Council include $5 million for traditional tenant-based vouchers and $2.3 million for Targeted Affordable Housing (TAH). Under the Interagency Council on Homelessness’ Strategic Plan, TAH meets an unmet need by serving families and individuals exiting rapid re-housing or supportive housing in need of ongoing housing assistance with right-sized supportive services.
  • $2.4 Million for Local Rent Supplement Program project and sponsor-based vouchers to produce affordable housing.

The bottom line is always the supply of affordable housing or the lack thereof, and access to health care and supportive services. In other words, many people would not face the prospect of homelessness if they had an affordable place to live and quality health care. It is clear Mayor Bowser, her advisors, and the District’s City Council all recognize these facts and are committed to making the necessary investments to tackle the root causes of homelessness.

As I stated before, they know all too well that failure to confront these problems head on today will lead to much bigger headaches tomorrow.

The Franklin and Eleanor Apartments

Expanded Project Profile

The Franklin and Eleanor Apartments are two developments providing a combined 110 residential units in a single rehabilitated hospital property in Bridgeport, CT. The Franklin Apartments has 48 units for low income residents, with 24 units targeted for supportive housing for homeless individuals, including homeless veterans. The companion development The Eleanor Apartments provide 62 units of affordable senior housing, with 35 units for seniors in need of additional assistance with activities of daily living.

Commonwealth Apartments

EXPANDED PROJECT PROFILE

The Commonwealth Apartments is an adaptive reuse of the historic Lucretia Mott School in Indianapolis, Indiana into 32 units of mixed income housing. Ten of the apartments are set-aside for supportive housing tenants. The mix in size of the units – efficiencies and 1-bedroom up to 3-bedroom family units enable a diverse household type in the development to meet the needs of the surrounding community. The Commonwealth Apartments is a component of a larger area plan to redevelop the near east-side of Indianapolis in conjunction with the Super Bowl Legacy project.

Essex County NJ Veterans Housing Academy

CSH, with the support of the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting initiative aimed at improving outcomes for homeless and vulnerable veterans in Essex County by increasing the military cultural competency of providers that serve them. The Veterans Housing and Services Academy will build the capacity of housing and human services providers in Essex County to offer accessible and culturally-competent services to homeless and formerly homeless veterans. The Academy will include eight half-day sessions centered around trainings led by experts on topics such as military cultural competency, issues affecting women in the military, legal issues, employment, families and common mental health issues for veterans. The trainings are targeted at field staff supervisors who work with case managers and veterans on a regular basis. Agencies may select up to two staff members to participate in the training series.

The Essex County Veterans Housing and Services Academy will be the third iteration of this unique training series. CSH held our first Veteran Supportive Housing Academy in New York City 2013 and our second in 2014; these rounds were made possible by support from Capital One. The Academy was developed in response to the recognition that there are gaps between civilian and military cultural knowledge that may decrease accessibility or quality of services provided to homeless and formerly homeless veterans. Both rounds of the Academy had great impact on the quality and range of services available to vulnerable veterans in New York City. Participating organizations implemented a number of programmatic changes in response to the lessons learned, such as changing language to make intake forms more veteran-friendly, implementing peer components of their programs and engaging staff around the importance of learning about veteran-specific issues. CSH is excited to be able to offer the Academy in Essex County, with the support of the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

The Academy will employ a ‘train- the trainer’ approach, equipping staff with best practices, tools and ideas on how to implement lessons learned through changes in organizational policy and service delivery techniques of frontline staff. Academy sessions will include facilitated discussions around ways to implement lessons learned and time for participants to share changes that their organizations have made as a result of the Academy trainings. In addition, CSH will work to help participants learn from each other and explore how to work together to provide more integrated, accessible services for local veterans.

The Kick-off event for the training series will be held June 18, 2015 and the first training session of the series will be held in Newark, New Jersey on June 25. If you are interested in applying, please complete the Veterans Housing and Services Academy Application and MOU and return them electronically to Janis.ikeda@csh.org by 5:00 PM Friday, May 29. If you have any questions, please reach out to Janis Ikeda via the email above or at 212-986-2966 x. 268.

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CSH Presents Award to Chula Vista City Council

CSH congratulates all of the nominees for a local CSH Supportive Housing Award bestowed recently during the 2015 San Diego Housing Federation Ruby’s dinner. This year’s nominees are: Citronica II, the 25 Cities San Diego Design Team, and the Chula Vista (CA) Housing Initiative. We are pleased to announce the winner is…the Chula Vista Housing Initiative, a partnership of the city, county, and local housing and service providers creating pathways from homelessness for some of the most clinically and socially vulnerable people in the community. See the photos of many smiling people from the San Diego Award’s celebration. CSH recently presented the award to the Chula Vista City Council.

CSH Approves First Loans in IL Loan Fund, Bringing Supportive Housing Opportunities Across the State

Earlier this week CSH approved predevelopment and acquisition funding to create much needed supportive housing in Illinois. Through our new Illinois Supportive and Integrated Housing Loan Fund, CSH is providing the tools and financing necessary to get supportive housing projects up and running. The first two loans are both great examples of bringing supportive housing solutions into a community setting – a goal of both CSH and the state of Illinois.

About the Projects

  • Melrose Park Veteran’s Housing will be a mix of affordable and supportive scattered site housing for thirty-five homeless and low-income Veteran families in the Chicago Suburb of Melrose Park. This $500,000 predevelopment loan to A Safe Have Foundation will be the first to close in our IL Loan Fund.
  • Beds Plus Care Supportive Housing will create 20 new permanent homes for formerly homeless individuals. This will be Bed Plus Care’s first endeavor in supportive housing. As a shelter provider, they saw the urgent need for housing solutions that included services to properly address the needs of the homeless population they served. The $450,000 acquisition and predevelopment loan from CSH will help Beds Plus Care purchase the property and begin construction.

 

More than just lending

In addition to lending, CSH can provide project-level Technical Assistance (TA) tailored to the specific needs of your supportive housing project. Examples of TA include helping to develop a Memorandum of Understanding among project partners, reviewing project Tenant Selection Plans and application and screening processes, assisting with coordination among project partners, and much more.

TA can be provided at any point throughout the project – from project concept to operations. If you are interested in discussing your project TA needs, please contact Betsy Benito, CSH Director in Illinois at betsy.benito@csh.org.

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