1. Ending Chronic Homelessness – Are we there yet?
Ana Rausch, MA, Senior Research Project Manager,
Coalition for the Homeless

2. Coalition for the Homeless
Mission:
To provide leadership in the development, advocacy, and coordination of community strategies to prevent and end homelessness.
Role:
Coordinate the community response to homelessness
Lead agency for the TX-700 Continuum of Care (CoC)
Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) lead.

3. Key Concepts: Overview of the Coordinated Access System
Review the Coordinated Access Refinement Process used to revamp vulnerability tools and housing placements
Overview of Navigation Workgroups and “surges”
Review data used and how it’s used

4. Cities that Fit into Houston
TX-700 CoC = 3,739 sq miles
From: Knudson,LP

5. Just for Fun!
Houstonia Feb 2016

6. Homeless in Houston - 2018 PIT
Unsheltered number in 2011 was 50% but was 32% in 2017
Increase due to Hurricane Harvey

7. 2018 PIT - Breakdown 12% increase compared to 2017
51% decrease since 2011
18% unsheltered reported being homeless due to Hurricane
Increase in number in PSH
162% since 2011
Approximately 1 in 4 identified as chronically homeless
Zero unsheltered & 9 sheltered chronically homeless family identified
1 in 2 had mental health & substance abuse problems
1 in 7 was a veteran
Veteran numbers at steady state level – 2/3 are in shelters

8. Chronic Homelessness PIT
Increase in sheltered count due to significant outreach and engagement efforts.
Shelters designated bridge beds and allowed longer stays for clients in navigation
Again the unsheltered increase due to Harvey

9. Coordinated Access (CA)
Rolled out January 1, 2014
PSH Only
Centralized Waitlist
VI Prioritization

10. CA Expansion Rolled out January 15, 2015 Added RRH (youth & families)
Centralized Waitlist
RRH Next-Step Assessments (sub-pops)

11. Coordinated Access Houston Highlights
Access Points
13 Hubs
Shelters, drop-in centers, ministries
Outreach Teams dedicated to CA
Call-in option
Assessments
Match to PSH, RRH, Income, SOAR
Consent is electronic
Vulnerability tools prioritize populations
20+ Navigators
HMIS
All matching
Bed availability
PSH, RRH, Income, & SOAR Waitlist prioritization
Referral outcomes
CA part of NOFA Scoring

12. RRH – families not rolling off
CA Refinement Lab – July 2016
VI – no longer working
RRH – families not rolling off
Hubs – needed better access

13. Vulnerability factors for single adults
Housing Prioritization Tools
12/16/16
Vulnerability factors for single adults
Vulnerability factors for families
Vulnerability factors for youth
The 3 Housing Prioritization Tools that were developed addressed the needs of the 3 subpops that we were prioritizing.
For single adults we looked at severe and untreated physical & mental health problems
For families we looked at risk of child removal and inability to maintain a lease
For youth we looked at what factors contributed to becoming chronically homeless
Once people were reassessed it was obvious right away that the tools were working

14. Mayor’s Housing Challenge
March 2017
Community Concerns
encampments
City of Houston Mayor deadline
Meeting with partner agency leadership
CEOs & Executives
Staff commitment
PSH case managers
Navigators
Outreach
Meetings scheduled
Waitlist was hovering at around and not changing so we saw the end in site
Using technology with the PIT helped us identify “hot spots” so we could target outreach/navigation

15. Mayor’s Challenge – reports used
Referrals that have no response
Initial data clean-up
Goal is 7 days
All Open Referrals
There were over 1000 open referrals in the system. Most of those had been housed.
Providers were not used to acknowledging referrals in the beginning.
The initial data clean-up and understanding took almost a month of meetings.

16. Mayor’s Challenge – reports used (cont.)
Accepted referral no bed check-in
Troubleshoot with housing authority & navigators
Accepted Not Housed
There were a lot of clients that had been accepted but had not moved in.
Often these were clients going to programs with a housing authority voucher.
Sometimes it was just errors.

17. Mayor’s Challenge – reports used (cont.)
Units available for all of CoC
Compare units to referrals
All Vacant Units
Often units are showing as empty however there’s a client enrolled in that program.
Open units are compared to referrals that are out to ensure no clients fall through the cracks.

18. Mayor’s Challenge – Results

19. Mayor’s Challenge – Results (cont.)
Goal met in August
461 HHs, 548 Individuals
Waitlist at 291 down from 511
Avg housing rate at 95 down from 167
Goal was met ahead of the September deadline.
This was despite the voucher freeze. City kicked in with HOME dollars to supplement.

20. Hurricane Harvey – August 2017
Source: NOAA

21. Tidwell St Before Tidwell St After
Source: Houston Chronicle

22. Source: Houston Chronicle

23. After Harvey Effects Increase in unsheltered count
18% reported being homeless due to Harvey
Thousands of affordable housing units destroyed
Houston Housing Authority estimated 1000 in its inventory
122,000 homes damaged, 1000 destroyed
Staff resources re-routed to house over 900 individuals out of Red Cross shelters
Decline in the number of people housed monthly

24. Change Needed By January 2018, PSH waitlist was over 600
Average number of individuals housed decreased from 66 to 35
No since of urgency
Mayor’s Housing Challenge shifted to Ending Chronic Homelessness
The weekly Navigation Workgroup meetings started back up again in April 2018.
New goal was set.
It became obvious that without a structured approach providers would go back to old ways.

25. What’s happening with inflow?
Look at the Data
What’s happening with inflow?
How many are “aging” into chronicity and what can we do about it
Those who were turned away and reassessed at another point in time
Those who were assessed for the first time and self-reported being chronic
Inflow, who is being assessed and placed on the waitlist.
What can we do to prevent Assessors from placing ANYONE on the waitlist?

26. Timing into chronicity
What the Data Showed
Newly Assessed
We were assessing new people per month
Avg 80% had less than 20 service dates in HMIS
Timing into chronicity
30-40 per month
Previously on PSH waitlist & not housed
Were removed due to 90 days no activity in HMIS

27. Strategies Implemented
Newly Assessed
Changed PSH waitlist placement procedure based on data collected
Easily displayed on client’s dashboard so Assessors can see
Timing into chronicity
Open RRH for non-chronic singles
HOME, TIRZ, ESG funds for “diversion” & quick assistance
Previously on PSH waitlist & not housed
Stopped removing from PSH waitlist
Continuous engagement for this high-need group
Encampment Initiative
Intense effort towards closing encampments

28. Encampment Initiative
Three major encampments:
Wheeler
73 residents identified on 3/23/18
Chartres
~140 residents identified on 3/26/18, with the highest being 203; population greatly fluctuates in this area
Pierce
~69 residents identified on 5/10/18, with the highest being 151
These encampments are located within the core of the city & very visible to the public.
Residents and tourists (Minute Maid) have to walk through them.
Extreme protest by constituents to the Mayor & City Council Reps.

38. Barriers to Engagement/Housing
Substance Use
Frequent Incarceration
Unable to Locate
This is the primary reason why some Wheeler Residents remain in Navigation
Moving from one encampment to another
Criminal Record
Difficult finding a willing landlord
Inconsistent Cooperation

39. New Client Dashboard Data from: Clients newly assessed
Clients referred and not housed (no show or unable to contact)
Clients timing into chronicity
Clients placed on PSH waitlist multiple times
Yes/No on the client dashboard
5 service months (or lack thereof) in the past year was the most common variable in the populations described above

40. Chronics Take-Down Calculator

41. Looking Ahead PSH Waitlist
Dropped to 260 once assessment changes implemented
Progress
413 households housed from April – September 2018
Navigation Workgroup
Continues through the end of 2018 then re-evaluate
Housing Prioritization Tools
Revised and new tool will be implemented by the end of October
Looking at true vulnerability not predictors of success

43. The Way Home is the collaborative model to prevent
Thank You!!
The Coalition for the Homeless leads in the development, advocacy, and coordination of community strategies to prevent and end homelessness.
The Way Home is the collaborative model to prevent
and end homelessness in Houston, Harris, Ft. Bend, & Montgomery Counties. For more information visit
Ana Rausch, MA