10-Year Homeless Action Plan 2014 UPDATE

Why a Plan Update? 1)Great Recession reversed progress made under the 2007 Plan 2)Depressed housing industry & loss of affordable housing funding rendered some strategies obsolete; 3)HEARTH Act of 2009 gave rise to the first Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness 4)Upstream and Health Action “collective impact” efforts

One of the nation’s least affordable housing markets

Homelessness in Sonoma County  4,280 homeless people on any given night  Estimated 9,749 residents experience homelessness every year  Regional homelessness rate is almost four times the national rate.

3 Key Strategies Housing + Health + Income

4,128 units of Permanent Affordable Housing  1,015 units affordable to 30% of Area Median Income (no services)  2,154 Permanent Supportive Housing (long-term services)  330 facility-based SROs via acquisition/conversion  389 set-asides in affordable housing developments  330 master-leased units in existing housing  1,105 units in existing housing created with rental assistance

Permanent Housing vs. Costs of Chronic Homelessness

4,128 units of Permanent Affordable Housing  959 units of Rapid Re-Housing (with short-to- medium term case management)—rental assistance in existing housing  Focus on what’s needed to END homelessness  Acknowledges short-term need for emergency measures  Recommends research, planning, & aligning these measures with the Plan  Suggests some shelters & transitional housing eventually be converted to permanent facilities

4,128 units of Permanent Affordable Housing  Existing housing (rental assistance & master- leasing): 2,394 units  New Construction (set-asides & conversions): 1,734 units  1,404 new $350,000 = $491.4 million  330 $200,000 each = $66 million.  Total construction cost $557.4 million  Local investment needed = $167.2 million

Health  Enroll homeless persons in health coverage  Establish primary care  Ensure access to mental health and substance abuse treatment (parity)

Income Offsets Housing Costs  Economic Wellness: bundled benefits, financial education, asset-building  Disability Benefits Initiative for half of homeless adults presumed eligible  National best practices to increase first- time approval rates  Work-Readiness Initiative for half of homeless adults who are not disabled  At $9 min. wage + bundled benefits, a person can be self-sufficient in housing

Build the Capacity to Scale Up  Evidence-based practices  Put EBPs in use onto Upstream Portfolio, especially Housing First, Rapid Re- Housing  Use opportunities presented by Affordable Care Act  System-Wide Coordinated Intake  Match with street outreach & homeless prevention services

care.wikispaces.com/Sonoma+County%E2%80% 99s+10-Year+Homeless+Action+Plan Jenny Abramson, ,