THE INITIATIVE TO END HOMELESSNESS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

The Report of The Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness THE INITIATIVE TO END HOMELESSNESS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA The Report of The Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness

Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness Pastor William Andrews – Orlando Mr. Keylor Chan- District 3 - Seminole County Dr. Richard Baxley, M.D. – Orlando Mr. Richard Burton - Osceola County Chief Val Demings – Orlando Rabbi Steven Engel - Orlando Ms. Cara Eule - Osceola County Ms. Meredith Griffin - Osceola County Mr. Thomas Griffin - Osceola County Dr. Brendedette Hardy-Blake - District 5 - Seminole County Ms. Evelyn Herrera – Osceola County Mr. Warren Hougland - Osceola County Mr. Allan Jones - Orange County Mr. Steve Kodsi – Orlando Mr. J. Marsh MacLawhorn - Orange County Mr. Bryan Malenius - Orange County Dr. David Medley - Seminole County Mr. Paul Partyka - District 1 - Seminole County Mr. David Porter – Orlando – Co-chair Mr. Woody Rodriguez, Esq. - Orange County Ms. Margaret Sanders – Orlando Mr. Tracy G. Schmidt – Co-Chair Mr. Waldemar Serrano - Orange County Mr. Paul Sladek, Esquire- District 4 - Seminole County Ms. Krissy Todd - District 1 - Seminole County Mr. Brian Wilson, Esq. - Orange County

“The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” Big Goal “The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” William Faulkner THE INITIATIVE TO END HOMELESSNESS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

How Many of Our Neighbors are Homeless? In Orange, Seminole and Osceola Counties 3,823 individuals (Jan. 26, 2007 point-in-time) excluding children HSN estimates provided to HUD estimates 7,665 (2006) 4,419 Orange 1,542 Seminole 1,704 Osceola Estimated 2,400 children/parents not included Commission estimates 8,000– 10,000 per year 4,500 – 6,000 on any given day

Who are Our Homeless? Demographics 45% White 44% African-American 11% Other 17% Hispanic included above

Duration of Homelessness Who are Our Homeless? Duration of Homelessness 13% One week to one month 36% More than one year 19% One to three months 32% Three months to one year

Who are Our Homeless? Education Level 32% 21% 25% have post-secondary school educations 21% have high school diplomas 25% have no high school diplomas

Who are Our Homeless? Family Status 41% live in family units 28% are children 42% homeless children under age 6 Employment Status 45% are employed every day Veterans 40% have served our country

Should We Allow this to Continue? 2007 Survey of Tri-County Voters 62% stated that homelessness was a problem in their respective county 73% said not enough is being done to fight the root causes of homelessness 59% said that establishing programs and solutions to end homelessness should be a high priority for our community and elected officials

Why is Homelessness not a Front and Center Issue? Silent Suffering Homelessness happens every day One unnoticed person/family at a time What if this past summer we had “Hurricane Tempest” leaving 9,000 families/individuals homeless in one day? Community would rally Resources would come forward People would care

History In 2000, the National Alliance to End Homelessness published a plan The impetus to end homelessness needs to occur at the local level Four main strategies Plan for outcomes Close the front door Open the back door Build the infrastructure

History Since 2000, across the US More than 180 plans have been completed More than 130 are in development Of those completed, most communities created plans to end homelessness More than half identified a body to take responsibility for implementation

History In Central Florida Facilitated by Robert Stuart Central Florida Homeless Visioning Group met from January through April 2007 Facilitated by Robert Stuart Representation from Orange, Osceola and Seminole and Orlando Recommended a Regional Commission to develop a plan Chair, six representative from each of the four districts Equally funded by the four districts

History The Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness launched on June 11, 2007 Five main goals Housing -- Provide a range of housing opportunities Prevention -- Identify critical steps to prevent homelessness Supportive Systems -- Create and strengthen supportive structures, services and systems Healthcare -- Strengthen and expand services Implementation -- Establish a regional permanent body to deal with homelessness and implement a 10 Year Plan

Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness Met June 2007 through December 2007 Researched issues Studied best practices Evaluated current processes and resource allocations Identified gaps in services or resources Searched for ways to leverage existing resources Focused on results-oriented recommendations

Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness Four Sub-Committees Housing Assessment and Health Prevention and Self-Sufficiency Supportive Systems and Community Assets

A Note…. Central Florida is blessed to have numerous public and private dedicated providers of services to the homeless They are passionate and selfless in their service The Commission’s recommendations are intended to support these organizations in their invaluable efforts

Recommendations Implementation Establish a permanent public/private partnership to enact the strategies of the 10-year plan and systematically address homelessness in Central Florida

Recommendations Housing 800 emergency shelter beds Establish a local Homeless Housing Trust to facilitate the generation of housing and housing options Implement rapid re-housing by offering sufficient housing capacity: 800 emergency shelter beds 1,425 transitional housing beds 700 permanent supportive housing beds Spearhead the development of affordable housing Reduce barriers preventing the obtainment of housing

Recommendations Prevention/Self-sufficiency Enhance educational, job training and employment-related options Homeless Employment Collaborative Ensure that homeless have a housing plan upon release from correctional or healthcare facilities Ensure that all children in foster care have a housing and employment plan upon reaching the age of majority

Recommendations Prevention/Self-sufficiency (cont’d) Create a Family Homeless Prevention Assistance Program to reduce the number at risk for eviction or foreclosure Provide opportunities for reunification with family members

Recommendations Supportive Systems Institute a “No wrong door” referral process Implement Service Point as the system-wide tool to facilitate coordination of services Create a network of at least four 24/7 drop-in centers to provide assessment, referral and direct delivery of urgent need services Develop transportation resources to assist in the return to self-sufficiency

Recommendations Supportive Systems (cont’d) Develop a comprehensive regional outreach program Enhance and expand results-oriented support service programs Support implementation of the Housing First model to maintain client housing stability and leverage federal funding Add approximately 180 case managers Remove barriers to community reintegration Homeless Court

Recommendations Healthcare At least 3 homeless healthcare centers Establish a formal regional homeless health services network to oversee the planning and delivery of healthcare services Establish a coordinated traceable system of healthcare delivery At least 3 homeless healthcare centers Establish a centralized pharmaceutical supply and distribution system Broaden mental health and substance abuse services

Recommendations Healthcare (cont’d) Create a system to provide a “medical home” for primary care, disease prevention and patient accountability Increase specialty housing for those recently discharged from healthcare facilities

Cost of the 10 Year Plan Annual expense of approximately $50 million 1.9% of total local government spending Capital Cost of approximately $110 million over 10 years Cost savings not quantified yet; therefore costs overstated Public/private dollars Creative new sources of revenue

Critical Requirement for Success Community, political and civic will A regional, cooperative approach “A Team” leadership A permanent commission: Local government Business Faith Non-profit A plan – a road map Philanthropy Legal Healthcare Education

This is a Legacy Opportunity What does this generation of leadership want to be known for? One sided? World Class Hotels & Entertainment Venues Medical City Quality of life for the mainstream Well rounded, full legacy including reaching back and truly caring for the homeless and systemically solving the issue. OR

Next Steps Launch the permanent Central Florida Commission on Homelessness

Composition of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Key Stakeholder Groups to be Represented on the Commission Political community Business community Homeless Services Provider community Healthcare community Philanthropy community Faith community Legal community Training and Employment community

Composition of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Leadership CO-CHAIR Mayor Buddy Dyer City Of Orlando CO-CHAIR Mayor Richard Crotty Orange County MANAGING CHAIR Chairman Ed Timberlake Central Florida Seaside Bank FOUNDING MEMBER Chairman Brenda Carey Seminole County FOUNDING MEMBER Commissioner Paul Owen Osceola County

Composition of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Membership (21 Members) Osceola County Commission (Founding Member) plus two business leader appointees. Commissioner Paul Owen Meg Crofton, President, Walt Disney World Resort TBD Seminole County Commission (Founding Member) plus two business leader appointees. Commissioner Brenda Carey

Composition of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Membership (21 Members) continued City of Orlando (Co-Chair and Founding Member) plus two business leader appointees. Mayor Buddy Dyer Rasesh Thakkar, Senior Managing Director, Tavistock Group Alex Martins, Chief Operating Officer, The Orlando Magic Orange County (Co-Chair and Founding Member) plus two business leader appointees. Mayor Richard Crotty Clarence Otis, Chairman/CEO, Darden Restaurants Tracy Schmidt, Chief Financial Officer CNL Financial Group

Composition of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Membership (21 Members) continued Community/Business Champion (Managing Chair) Ed Timberlake, Chairman, Central Florida Seaside Bank President/CEO, Heart of Florida United Way (Provider Community) Robert H. Brown President/CEO, The Central Florida Partnership (Business Community) Jacob Stuart

Composition of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Membership (21 Members) continued Executive Director, Homeless Services Network (Provider Community) Cathy Jackson Senior leader of the Faith Community (rotates) Sister Elizabeth Worley, Chancellor for Administration/COO, Diocese of Orlando Senior leader for the Health Care Community (rotates) John Hillenmeyer, President/CEO, Orlando Regional Healthcare System

Composition of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Membership (21 Members) continued Senior leader for the Job Training and Employment Community (rotates) Gary Earl, President, Workforce of Central Florida Senior leader of the Philanthropy Community (rotates) Mark Brewer, President/CEO, Community Foundation of Central Florida Senior leader of the Legal Community (rotates) Chief Judge Belvin Perry, Jr. 9th Circuit Court

THE INITIATIVE TO END HOMELESSNESS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA