2015 COSCDA Program Managers Conference: Ending Youth and Family Homelessness Jasmine Hayes, USICH March 17, 2015

Roles of USICH  Coordinates the Federal response to homelessness  Maximizes the effectiveness of 19 Federal agency partners  Shares best practices  Drives collaborative solutions 2

Opening Doors 3 No one should experience homelessness and no one should be without a safe, stable place to call home. The Plan sets forth four bold and ambitious goals: 1.Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness by Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans by Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children by Set a path to ending all types of homelessness 3

Themes of Opening Doors 4 1.Increase leadership, collaboration, and civic engagement 2.Increase access to stable and affordable housing 3.Increase economic security 4.Improve health and stability 5.Retool the homeless crisis response system

Needs and problems families experiencing homelessness face Many of the needs of families experiencing homelessness mirror those faced by low income families.  Low human capital (low educational attainment, minimal job histories, low incomes)  Partner violence and childhood abuse  Health and dental needs (more acute and chronic than general population under 45 years of age)  Mental health problems (depression, anxiety, PTSD)

Defining an end to family homelessness Working together with our partners at the state, local, and federal level to strengthen the local crisis response systems, we will:  Ensure that no family is living unsheltered;  Shorten episodes of family homelessness by providing resources that enable families to safely reenter permanent housing as quickly as possible;  Link families to the benefits, supports, and community-based services they need to achieve and maintain housing stability; and  Identify and implement effective prevention methods to help families avoid homelessness. 6

Family Connection: Building Systems to End Family Homelessness A resource to help communities and stakeholders build and implement an effective housing crisis response system for families. 7

Key Areas of Action Four key strategy areas for Federal, state, and local action to end family homelessness: 1.Develop a centralized or coordinated entry system; 2.Ensure interventions and assistance are tailored to meet the unique needs of families; 3.Improve linkages to local mainstream systems to help families gain access to benefits, employment, and community-based services more quickly; 4.Develop and build upon evidence-based practices for serving families experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness.

Priorities and Opportunities Housing Trust Fund Invest in cost-effective solutions like RRH Target more intensive interventions like PSH to families with highest needs and greatest barriers to obtaining/maintaining housing 9

Priorities and Opportunities cont’d Learn from child welfare and supportive housing demonstration System of care approach to integrating and coordinated local, state and Federal resources to maximize access to range of supportive services Leverage existing mainstream Federal resources Highlight local efforts using combination of local, State and Federal resources – e.g., IVE, PSSF 10

Federal Framework to End Youth Homelessness 11

Federal Framework to End Youth Homelessness Strategy I: Getting to Better Data AA confident estimate of youth homelessness DData coordination, youth Point in Time (PIT) count strategy, and household survey Strategy II: Building Capacity for Service Delivery AA research-informed intervention model RReview research and apply to intervention strategies IIncreased evidence of effective interventions IIdentify and scale-up evidence-based practices and increase rigorous evaluation GGaps analysis IInvestigate funding and capacity needs of programs 12

Why a Youth Intervention Model?  Provides a consistent, collaborative approach to ending youth homelessness  Shifts the focus from individual programs to coordinated systems  Allows for flexibility to local context and circumstances  Shifts the focus from outputs to outcomes 13

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Vulnerable Subpopulations of Youth 15 Implications for Culturally-Appropriate, Effective Interventions  Higher levels of risk and trauma on average  Evidence-based interventions are available to:  Treat substance abuse and mental health issues  Promote healing and recovery from trauma  Build key skills and capacities in youth  Increase the capacity of service providers to:  Accurately identify service needs  Match those needs to appropriate interventions Youth in Foster Care LGBTQ Youth Juvenile Justice Youth Pregnant/ Parenting Youth Youth in Foster Care LGBTQ Youth Juvenile Justice Youth Pregnant/ Parenting Youth

What we’re doing now USICH Report to Congress on Federal Programs Integrating Runaway and Homeless Youth program data with HUD’s Homeless Management Information Systems Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act ACYF Planning Grants LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Capacity Building for LGBTQ Youth: 3/40 Blueprint Performance Partnership Pilots (P3) HUD Demonstration on Improving Self-Sufficiency 16

FY 2016 Budget - $5.5 billion in targeted homelessness assistance 67,000 new Housing Choice Vouchers $345M increase to Homeless Assistance Grants includes RRH for 15,000 families with children $177M in tenant-based rental assistance for families, Veterans, tribal families $20M for new Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers to serve youth and families $120M allocated to Housing Trust Fund Upward Mobility Project: Combine HUD and HHS block grant Increases in RHYA and Head Start IVE flexibility and CAPTA opportunities - prevention 17

For more information: Jasmine Hayes, Policy Director (202) Resources    homelessness-assistance homelessness-assistance  homelessness homelessness  in-response-to-homelessness in-response-to-homelessness 18

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