CENTRAL YOUTH NEEDS ASSESSMENT MEETING Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Agenda Introduction Needs Assessment Determining Priorities Wrap Up Brief Overview of Ending Homelessness in CT Youth Dashboard for the Central Region Housing Resources for Youth Needs Assessment Determining Priorities Wrap Up

Timeline of significant milestones in Connecticut 2015 January 2015 Governor Malloy launches Zero:2016 effort to end chronic homelessness in Connecticut February 2015 Coordinated Access is fully implemented when Greater New Haven CAN comes online August 2015 Connecticut becomes the first state to end chronic homelessness for veterans October 2015 All Connecticut CANs establish By Name List registries (BNLs) 2016 February 2016 Connecticut is certified as one of two states to end all homelessness for veterans July 2016 Statewide 90 in 90 challenge, in which CANs verified 90% of chronic clients in 90 days December 2016 All Chronic (Verified) homeless in Connecticut are matched to a housing resource

Connecticut operates as a coordinated statewide system Balance of State CoC Waterbury/Litchfield CAN Greater Hartford CAN Northeast CAN 8 Coordinated Access Networks (CANs) Central CAN Middlesex Meriden Wallingford CAN 2 Continuums of Care (CoCs) Fairfield County CAN Southeast CAN Greater New Haven CAN Opening Doors Fairfield County CoC 1 statewide system

Central Coordinated Access Network Berlin New Britain Southington Bristol Plainville

Serving Unstably Housed and Homeless Youth

End Youth Homelessness by 2020 Drive down the number of youth experiencing housing instability to as close to zero as possible; Enhance and coordinate systems and interventions to prevent new youth from entering into homelessness; When a youth does fall into housing instability/homelessness, quickly identify and rapidly provide the assistance necessary for them to achieve housing stability; and Ensure formerly homeless youth have the tools to remain in stable housing – employment, education, mediated family relationship or other permanent connections, appropriate services, etc. End Youth Homelessness by 2020 Unaccompanied Youth aged 13-24, young families with HOH under 25 years old

2017 CT Youth Count! Point in Time Count 2017 Estimated 4,396 Homeless and Unstably Housed Youth & Young Adults in Connecticut 74% between 18 – 24 years old 26% under 18 years old 29% identify as a member of the LGBTQ community 23% are pregnant or parenting (65% female) 17% indicated they feel unsafe in their living situation 18% indicated they have been encouraged, pressured or forced to exchange sexual acts for money, drugs, food, a place to stay, clothing, or protection. 41% indicated they had a chronic health condition, physical disability, severe mental illness, learning disability, or chronic substance abuse issue. Point in Time Count 2017 3rd Year of Decline in Overall Homelessness 24% Decline in individual homelessness since 2007 60% drop in chronic homelessness since 2014

Collaboration to Meet Goal YYA workgroup, YHDP ($6.5+), YETIs & CANs, YAH

Goals For Today Discuss existing data for your region on homeless youth and young adults Discuss current housing and emergency resources for youth under 18 and young adults 18-24. Briefly discuss existing and planned coordinated entry process for youth in your CAN region. These discussions will then inform discussion about gaps in service and prioritizing of region’s needs to serve housing unstable youth.

Created for YETI Needs Meetings 2017 | Questions/Comments – Contact beau.anderson@ct.gov

Created for YETI Needs Meetings 2017 | Questions/Comments – Contact beau.anderson@ct.gov

Central Emergency Shelters and their Capacity - Based on 2017 HIC Name Type Capacity Utilization Friendship Service Center Shelter (New Britain) Singles and Families 15 family beds (4 units) 16 male only 6 female only 98% Prudence Crandall Center (New Britain) Families, undesignated – domestic violence 15 family beds (5 units) 6 undesignated beds 95% Salvation Army – New Britain Corps Community Center Singles – males, seasonal (12/1 – 3/31) 30 male only beds 8 seasonal beds 79% St. Vincent DePaul – Bristol ES Families, undesignated 10 family beds (1 unit) 15 undesignated beds 92% Waterbury (9), Hartford (12) Short-term Family Integrated Treatment Program (S-FIT) 21 beds (under aged 18) Not in HIC Central Emergency Shelters and their Capacity - Based on 2017 HIC

Central Housing Inventory for Homeless (Based on 2017 HIC) Type ES TH RRH PSH Family Beds 40 (10 units) 16 (6 units) 4 (2 units) 91 (63 units) Single Males 46 Single Females 6 Undesignated 21 17 2 142 Veteran 23 Youth (under 18) S-FIT Young Adult 211 fund Start Program Seasonal Overflow Total 113 56 233 Youth/Young Adult Specific Programs: Start Program (The Connection) – RRH/ES aged 18-24 – serves approx. 80 statewide via RRH S-FIT Program – ES under 18 Friendship Service Center TH 211 Young Adult Emergency Funds

1. Engagement and Outreach How confident are you that you are reaching all youth and young adults? What programs exist dedicated to outreach for youth? I What engagement/outreach programs exist that include youth and have specific attention paid to youth? Do mobile services exist in this region that serve youth (such as mobile food, mobile healthcare, etc.)? Where do unstably housed youth and young adults go for help in your region?

2. Triage (Coordinated Entry) How does Coordinated Entry for youth and young adults work in your region? Diversion? Mediation? Youth Navigator role? Follow up with youth? Assessments?

2. Triage (Emergency Housing) Youth Specific (under 18) Young families Young Adult Specific Serves young adults/youth but does not have special services dedicated to them Serves adults but has specific accommodations such as private bathroom, designated areas, etc. for young adults Other emergency housing options used? (hose homes, churches, relative search, DCF, DMHAS, CSSD, DOC.) If there are no shelter or emergency beds available, what do you do for the above population? What are some barriers to using these emergency housing options such as a prioritization, specific demographic capacity, young adult choice – refusals?

2. Triage/Transitional housing Transitional Housing Usage. What are youth TH resources in your region? Criminal Justice? HHS funded? DCF? Do you utilize TH for emergency housing? How do you prioritize for TH? How do you prioritize for single young adults? How do you prioritize for young families?

3. Permanent Housing Options: What does your region have? Youth under 18 (DCF, family reconnection, other?) i Young adults (RRH, PSH, other (such as security deposit assistance, PHA preference?) RRH anything dedicated specifically to youth/young adults/young families? i What are the barriers to accessing these resources? Possible issues include: prioritization, length of time homeless v. youth status, involvement with CAN, systems v. provider driven i Affordable housing – what is your supply? What are your barriers to access? (such as need security deposit assistance)

4. Community Needs Question: How do you think the community could serve homeless youth better, without additional funding? Do you have a specific suggestion, strategy, or idea for improving services? How would you alter existing models to better suit needs of youth/young adults? Thinking creatively, if you had flexible funding, what assistance would help youth/young adults stay safe during housing crisis and/or help them get permanently housed in your region? If you had $200,000 to spend on ending youth homelessness, what would be your housing priorities (outreach/engagement – permanent housing) broken down by percentages?

Regional Prioritization Activity Voting Activity Please go around the room and place your sticker as a vote for the program you would like to see prioritized for your community.

Submit to Mimi Haley and Katie Durand by July 12, 2017. Written Needs Assessment Submission All interested stakeholders should collaborate with your YETI & CAN leads to complete a needs assessment for your region. YETI’s must incorporate community feedback into their needs assessment. Needs assessment posted on CCEH website, link will be shared with all in attendance and other interested stakeholders Submit to Mimi Haley and Katie Durand by July 12, 2017.