1. Community Exchange: Ending Family Homelessness
Kelly King Horne, Homeward

2. Transforming how we respond to family homelessness in RVA
Context setting with data
What problems were we trying to solve?
Timeline of adoption and integration of rapid re- housing into community’s response to homelessness
Why this matters
Discussion

3. Greater Richmond Continuum of Care
Established in 1997
Homeward was created in 1998 to facilitate the CoC funding program
More than $4.5 million in HUD funds targeted to homelessness each year; $1.6 million in state funds
2017 PIT = 662 (down from 1150 in & 2009)
Region = approx. 1.3 million individuals (560K households)
Poverty rate > 20%
AMI= $69K
Map retrieved from

5. Understanding the need for change
Started getting good data in 2007
Back of envelope calculation of cost of Transitional Housing for one household = $35,000
Shelters “always full”; high turn-away rates
Case managers did not pull credit reports or discuss housing with their clients
They did help with parenting skills and budgeting.
HUD funding included poor performing supportive service programs.

6. Could this be done differently? Changing our thinking, 2006 - 2007
Housing and housing stability become key concepts as we learn more about Housing First
Started attending national conferences; connected with other communities
Introduced concept of “Barriers to Housing”
Trained case managers on reading credit reports
Started working on a Ten Year Plan with system indicators

7. Housing & employment markets crash: 2007 – 2008

8. Introducing Rapid Re-housing to RVA: 2007
February: Rapid re-housing discussed at National Alliance to End Homelessness conference July: Homeward pays for 10 executive directors to attend Summer NAEH conference September: Rapid Exit (MN) invited to 1st annual Best Practices Conference; Community champion attends RRH session

9. Housing Stabilization
2008- Mapping out how RRH fits into our community
Ten Year Plan Model
Current Model
Housing Placement
MH/SA Services
Shelter
Child Care
Employment
Family Services
Family Services
MH/SA Services
Child Care
Shelter
Employment
Housing Stabilization 9

10. The year we get money: 2009
Homeward raises $100,000 for collaborative RRH pilot (with help of Community Champion) HPRP released and includes RRH Transitional housing provider convinced to try RRH

11. The year the state adds leadership: 2010
Governors’ Coordinating Council on Homelessness formed Rapid re-housing is identified as a key strategy in the state’s efforts to reduce family homelessness Gov. McDonnell sets goal of reducing family homelessness by 15% across the state

12. Years of building capacity: 2011 - 2014
Statewide & local capacity-building for rapid re-housing Regional learning collaboratives Development of housing navigators/ housing brokers State shifts funding to RRH from TH and emergency shelter 100- Day Challenge to cross gubernatorial administrations

13. Years of quality improvement & expansion of subpopulations: 2015 - present
Solidifying practice and developing standards Expand RRH for single adults and youth Connections to employment and workforce providers Revisit role of emergency shelters in facilitating housing placements

16. Why this matters– for RVA Questions & Discussion