1. Justice Involved Supportive Housing Program
The Network Conference
June 1, 2017

2. Kristin Miller, CSH – Moderator
Jennifer Scaife, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice
Carolyn Slade, The Fortune Society
Angeles Delgado, LMSW, CAMBA
Ian Alcazar, Urban Pathways
Rebecca Sievers, Office of Housing, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)

3. Homelessness is an institutional circuit
Shelter
Jail
Detox
Emergency Room
Street
Hospital (IPT)
Psych Center
Drug Treatment
People experience a revolving door of not one, but multiple crisis service settings, so much so that their homelessness can be described as an “institutional circuit.”

4. Breaking the Cycle ~ USICH, August 2016
“In order to end homelessness, we must reduce the number of people who enter the criminal justice system from homelessness and prevent homelessness among people leaving criminal justice settings.”
~ USICH, August 2016

5. Supportive Housing for Frequent Utilizers (FUSE)
FUSE is a CSH signature initiative that helps communities use data to identify and engage high utilizers of public systems and place them into supportive housing to break the cycle of repeated use of costly crisis services and involvement in shelters and the criminal justice system. There are three essential pillars to FUSE: data driven problem-solving, policy and systems reform, and targeted housing and services.

6. FUSE Evaluation
Jail days were lower Over the 24 months after housing placement, FUSE participants averaged 29 jail days vs. 48 jail days for the matched comparison group
FUSE participants stayed housed At 24 months, 86% had permanent housing
Shelter use declined dramatically. FUSE participants averaged 15 days in shelters in the 24 months after FUSE housing placement compared to a comparison group who averaged 162 days in shelters over the same time period
FUSE participants averaged just over two-weeks of shelter stays in the 24 months after placement into housing as compared to the 164 days in shelters spent by the comparison group. Overall FUSE generated a $15,000 cost offset for each participant.

7. Integrated Care for the Chronically Homeless
35 Communities Strong
Hennepin Co FUSE
Washtenaw FUSE/SIF
King Co FACT
Detroit FUSE
Columbus BJA FUSE
Lane Co. FUSE - Planning
Rhode Island FUSE
Pittsburgh FUSE
CT FUSE
Iowa City FUSE - Planning
CT SIF
Hudson Co FUSE
KCC/SIF
Denver FUSE
Chicago FUSE
NYC JISH
Penn Place FUSE (Indy)
Wash. DC FUSE
Clark Co FUSE - Planning
Fredericksburg FUSE
Louisville ACT
10th Decile Project
Just in Reach 2.0
Richmond FUSE
MeckFUSE
Travis Co BJA
Project 25
Maricopa Co FUSE
Tarrant Co. FUSE
Orlando Hospital FUSE
Notice how many “red states” have FUSE initiatives – sensible, better outcomes at cost savings.
Re-entry FUSE
Palm Beach County FUSE-
Planning
Integrated Care for the Chronically Homeless
Houston 1185 Program
Health FUSE
Miami Coalition LIFT –
Planning
Health + Reentry focused FUSE

8. The mayor’s TASKFORCE ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH and THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE system
Jennifer Scaife, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice

9. Justice Involved Supportive Housing (JISH)
targets individuals who continuously cycle through shelter, jail, and emergency room services.
Supportive housing for justice involved people was a recommendation of the Mayor’s Task Force on Behavioral Health in the Criminal Justice System

10. Characteristics of JISH Clients
Tend to face low-level misdemeanor charges
Cycle through jail for short periods of time
Have significant behavioral health needs and extensive substance use
Struggle with homelessness
Tend to be older than the average jail population (47 years old on average)

11. Permanent supportive housing for this population has been shown to result in:
Fewer returns to jail: 40% reduction in days spent in jail and 38% reduction in jail admissions over two years
Less shelter use: 90% reduction in both shelter admissions and days in shelter over two years
Improved health outcomes: 55% reduction in days in a psychiatric hospital over two years

12. To date, 102 individuals have been housed through JISH
Supportive housing saves the City an estimated $1.5 million per year by reducing jail, shelter and crisis system use

13. Choosing JISH participants: data matching process
Step 1: MOCJ identified 400 individuals with at least 5 jail and 5 shelter admissions in any 4-year period
Step 2: MOCJ randomly selected 200 individuals from original group of 400 for JISH
Those not selected for JISH serve as a randomized control group for evaluation purposes

14. Evaluation
MOCJ randomized eligible individuals into the program and comparison cohorts. MOCJ will use administrative and program data to determine whether the JISH program has an impact on
recidivism and related criminal justice outcomes
homelessness and service utilization
substance use and mental health
MOCJ may also explore whether the program has particular benefits for subgroups of participants (i.e. types of criminal histories or types of behavioral health needs)

15. Evaluation (cont)
MOCJ will also engage an external research partner to conduct interviews and/or focus groups with program participants and program staff
Purpose of these interviews/focus groups will be to gather data on how well the program is functioning, barriers to program performance, and suggestions for program improvement

16. Supportive Service Provider Role
DOHMH assigns JISH referrals to one of three agencies
Once client information received, outreach expected to be conducted within two business days
A Face-to-Face meeting is scheduled to complete a screening to determine client eligibility
Each client is assigned a Case Manager and Recovery Peer Specialist (CM & RPS) who ensure that the referent is enrolled into the JISH program through an intake process.

17. Supportive Service Provider Role
The referent housed in an apartment (can be single or shared) and is responsible for paying 30% of income to rent
Once housed, tenant meets with their CM and/or RPS minimum of 4 times a month
If needed tenant is linked to various services (mental health, PCP, substance TX, vocational, educational etc.) within and outside participating organizations
Individualized Service Plans formulated with emphasis on housing, criminal justice involvement, substance use, mental health, social services

18. PROVISION OF SERVICES TO CLIENT Carolyn Slade The Fortune Society

19. Engaging Private Landlords and Realtors
Angeles Delgado, LMSW
Vice President, Health and Housing Services
CAMBA

20. The Private Market
Private market landlords are critical to the success of all scattered site housing programs. They play an important role in achieving the goal of ending homelessness in New York City.
Therefore, developing strong and trusting relationship with landlords is critical not only to keeping current apartments, but also in obtaining and renting new ones.

21. The benefits to landlords who rent apartments to agencies
Financial Benefits
Secure monthly rental payments
Replacement or payment for property damage covered in the lease
No financial loss due to having to evict tenants
Possible financial incentives (broker’s fee)
Benefits of CAMBA Staff’s Oversight
Less interaction with our clients/tenants
Landlords have access to program staff if a problem arises
Landlords know that our clients are receiving ongoing case management services
CAMBA’s operational staff can make minor repairs
Less time spent resolving tenants’ problems

22. Engagement Strategies
Letters and calls introducing the agency and its services
Invite landlords/realtors to meet the team
Explain the process of renting to agencies, master leasing, and subleasing
Respond quickly and address tenants’ disruptive behaviors
Ask exiting landlords to recommend other landlords who may be interested in renting to the agency

23. Successes
After lots of legwork, phone calls, and exploring new frontier, JISH has leased all 30 units.
In 2010, 90% of CAMBA’s supportive housing units were in Brooklyn.
With JISH, CAMBA established new relationships with landlords in the Bronx.
26 units (87%) are in the Bronx
4 units (13%) are in Brooklyn
Units leased
10/15/15 = 1 unit
3/15/16 = 7 units
10/15/16 = 17 units
4/1/2017 = 30 units

24. Challenges
De-stabilization of affordable housing. Non-profits do not have rent stabilization protections.
Competing with other non-profits and regular renters for a limited pool of apartments.
High cost of housing and limitations on rental amounts.
As demand has increased, so has rental cost. Landlords have become more selective. Although landlords do not say it, they reduced the number of apartments they rent to agencies or “programs.” This has had a significant impact on the number of units and the quality of those units.
Apartments could be in multiple boroughs, which increases staff response time or a client’s travel time to the office.
“Program buildings”- buildings which have multiple agencies renting a % of the building until a large # of the total units are rented to “programs.”
Landlords offering poorly maintain buildings.
Walk-up units in higher floors without an elevator.

25. Lessons Learned Strike out into new areas and boroughs.
Seek to develop strong working relationships with landlords renting apartments to your program. Responsiveness to their concerns is important and helps this.
Look for staff with experience in housing and with identifying apartments and working with landlords.
Train staff on doing outreach to landlords/realtors and promoting the benefits of renting to agencies.

26. Government Partner Engagement Ian Alcazar, Urban Pathways

27. Senior Program Specialist, DOHMH, Office of Housing Services
JISH Outcomes
Rebecca Sievers, MA, MPA
Senior Program Specialist, DOHMH, Office of Housing Services

28. Q&A
Contact Information:
Kristin Miller:
Jennifer Scaife:
Carol Slade:
Angeles Delgado, LMSW:
Ian Alcazar:
Rebecca Sievers, DOHMH:
Planned questions:
Can I refer clients to the JISH program? Rebecca
I am an attorney. What happens if I am working with a client who is in the JISH program, but he/she has been rearrested? What should I do? Randi and Carolyn
I have a client who I know has been in and out of the shelter and jail system over the last few years, and I am sure has had 4+ stays in each. What should I do? Rebecca