2.04 Keys to effective emergency shelter Phyllis Cappuccio, Executive Director Covenant Shelter of New London

Our Journey to becoming a “Kick Ass” Shelter Our Goal: Change the culture and mission of the shelter to embrace the HOUSING FIRST model. For our shelter, HOUSING FIRST meant: Reducing or eliminating barriers for those needing help Reducing the amount of time people utilize emergency shelter Transitioning to a low-barrier- housing focused organization dedicated to moving families and individuals rapidly into permanent housing

Transitioning TO a Low-BARRIER, Housing-FOCUSED SHELTER Our structure: Covenant Shelter of New London- operating for 34 years Shelter for Singles and Families 7 family rooms with 25 beds (plus cribs and pack and play) 15 beds for adult males Accommodations for 30 additional people in our Warming Center during cold weather period (November 15- March 15th)

Where we started Traditional shelter model: 24-7 hours of operation Sobriety requirements Lots of Rules Low percentage of exits to housing Mandatory services Trying to solve all problems before securing housing Talk about staff resistance

Our Transition Plan Change culture to a “last resort/temporary” model Practice the “Housing First” model Change culture to a “last resort/temporary” model Adopt Low Barrier protocols

IMPLEMENT 5 Keys to Emergency Shelter IN 6 months Connecticut Learning Collaborative Technical assistance and training 6 months Cohort of shelters making similar transitions Staff worked as a team Collected monthly shelter outcome metrics- utilizing HMIS through the SE CT CAN % exits to housing Average length of time in shelter Returns to homelessness/shelter 90 day Housing Challenge to house as many people as we could after implementing the changes NO new resources

OUR Goals 1) Totally Eliminate Drug and Alcohol Testing by July 20th (6 months) 2) Review and Revise Program Rules by April 20th (3 months): Housing First Immediate and Easy Access Housing-Focused Services Rapid Exits to Permanent Housing 3) Plan to Transition Staff to New Approach by April 20th (3 months) Training Needs 4) Increase Monthly Exits to Permanent Housing by 25% (over baseline) by July 20th (6 months) 5) Decrease Average Length of Stay by 10% if current base line is 90 days or less; or Decrease Average Length of Stay to 90 days or less if current baseline is higher than 90 days by July 20th (6 months) Cynthia reviews and then does Activity #2

How did we embrace a HOUSING FIRST PHILOSOPHY? Start by changing the culture Language matters 1. Dropped our tagline: “Home between Homes” Reinforced the idea that the shelter is a temporary, short-term stop to permanent housing. 2. Adopted new terms- No longer a “resident” now a “guest” to reinforce the idea of short-term shelter stay 3. Dropped term “Case Manager” in favor of Housing Assistance Coordinator 4.Re-edited our house “rules” and re-named them “guest expectations”

How did WE LOWER BARRIERS? Eliminated drug or alcohol testing As long as guests were not disruptive-no questions asked. No one required to participate in programs- all programs offered were voluntary No one required to participate in housing savings as a condition of shelter stay

How did DEVELOP Housing-FOCUSED SERVICES? Nothing but housing! We cancelled all non-housing focused activities. Re-allocated the resources used to fund these programs to pay for additional housing assistance coordinator and a “barrier” flexible fund. All other services were either referred out or a representative from community partners came to the shelter to offer services. Parent Classes School Programs Kids Programs

How did WE INCREASE RAPID EXITS TO HOUSING? Every guest meets with a Housing Coordinator (either from our shelter or a CAN member) within 48 hours of intake Families receive “light touch” for first two weeks-but they are encouraged to start planning Everyone develops a housing plan Housing opportunities are posted on board every week Guests have internet access to search for themselves Shelter environment is at basic level- no unnecessary “home atmosphere” Of course- funds are available to assist with securing housing

How did WE USE OUR DATA TO MAKE CHANGES? We participate and share data collection with our 211/HMIS System We regularly monitor the length of stay and focused on those with the longest in-shelter time We share case notes through the data system to better coordinate with our CAN partners- all service providers can be on the same page We use spreadsheets from the Warming Center attendance records to identify individuals who have not been connected to services

HOW DID STAFF WORK THROUGH THESE CHANGES? Existing staff included four staff members with a combined 20 years at the shelter. Another staff member had over 10 years service at shelter Many staff had either worked for another institution which regulated substance abuse/behavioral health or were in recovery themselves. Change was not easy! Buy-in was slow All staff trained in Harm Reduction model All staff receive diversion training All staff engage guests in housing discussions

HOW DID CLIENTS WORK THROUGH THESE CHANGES? Clients learned that we intended to hold them responsible for actively seeking housing- many responded well Clients were informed that those with income were expected to contribute to their initial housing expenses –required if they wanted financial assistance Clients learned that we intended to apply DOH limits to length of stay- they became motivated

Outcomes Participating in the 90 day challenge yielded significant results Staff and guests have adopted philosophy For guests: -Shelter is no longer viewed as a place to stay indefinitely while they save money for housing farther into the future For staff: -They understand that the mission is HOUSING- referrals have increased to all our partners.

Doubled # of exits to permanent housing in 3 months 225% increase

% of EXITS TO Permanent Housing INCREASED

AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME IN SHELTER DECREASED BY HALF (by focusing on housing long-stayers) Focused on long-stayers

WHAT WERE OTHER OUTCOMES? Significant Change: Changed the goal of shelter to be completely focused on permanent housing for everyone Huge culture shift on part of staff towards housing first and away from need to address all issues Used data to look at outcomes instead of bed nights, people served, etc. Significant Success: Housing Challenge – doubled the # of people we helped to permanent house Challenge: Overcoming traditional “be all to everyone” case management mindset of staff who want to solve every issue for every guest before they could be housed Kay invites

Outcomes as of fy 2015-2016 Average shelter stay: Families- 45 days Singles < 28 Only one single in shelter over 90 days Number exited to housing: Families- 38 Singles- 109

Questions? ???