1. KNOXVILLE-KNOX COUNTY, TENNESSEE Development and Implementation of a Jurisdictional Homelessness Plan

2. Overview Background Plan Development Plan Strategies Key Successes Critical Challenges Moving Forward

3. Background Knoxville-Knox County Homeless Coalition formed in mid 1980’s Coalition, with support from City and County Community Development has coordinated HUD’s Continuum of Care process. As USICH began advocating for jurisdictional homelessness plans, Coalition asked City and County Mayors to look into creating a local TYP. 2004 – Task force appointed by City and County Mayors to develop a TYP.

4. Plan Development  Task force included representatives from City and County government, law enforcement, emergency services, HUD, Homeless service and shelter providers, business community, a downtown resident, philanthropic community.  Task Force was charged to  Review extent of homelessness and available services  Solicit input from community stakeholders  Define problems specific to chronic homelessness  Review national best practices  Identify strategies and models that will work locally  Produce a plan to end chronic homelessness with action steps and timelines

5. Plan Development  Task force divided into subject area working groups and examined the problems, best practices, and brought in other stakeholders to participate.  Task force established guiding principles for plan development  Focus on chronic homelessness  Identify leadership and accountability to assure plan implementation  Focus on coordination of efforts  Focus on permanent housing  Look at the issue as a community-wide problem  Focus on measurable outcomes that end homelessness  Leadership and accountability  Plan called for accountability that went directly to the city and county mayors. The TYP office would not be assigned to an existing office as an added task that would ultimately get lost in the bureaucratic shuffle.

6. Knoxville-Knox County Ten Year Plan  Key strategies ( adopted in 2005)  ‘Housing First’  Stop institutional discharging to the streets  Increase coordination and effectiveness  Increase access to economic opportunities  Implement HMIS  Shift from emergency response focus to permanent solutions  Strengthen partnerships with faith-based organizations  Increase community ownership  Prevent homelessness

7. Key Successes  Established TYP office accountable to Mayors  Project Homeless Connect  Vastly improved HMIS implementation  Several hundred permanent supportive housing placements using existing housing resources  Opened 57-unit Minvilla Manor, PSH in historic building, housing first for formerly chronically homeless  Began development of Flenniken Housing, 48-unit PSH, housing first for formerly chronically homeless, opening late 2011.

8. Key Successes  Implemented homelessness prevention program in public housing apartments for disabled and elderly, providing case management for those identified as at-risk for eviction.  Implemented Circles of Support, a faith-based mentoring program for formerly homeless individuals now living in PSH.  Raised over $1.5 million in private funds to support start-up initiatives

9. Critical Challenges  Attempted start-up of employment training/placement program specifically for current and formerly chronically homeless just as economy went off a cliff  Fiscal complexity of developing new PSH units  Access to federal supportive services resources  Weak/nonexistent state ICH  Difficulty shifting from private start-up financing of programming to ongoing public financial support  Sustaining political will in the face of NIMBY and transition in elected offices  Public communications to build and maintain public support

10. Moving Forward Suspended new housing development New public input process Continue smaller TYP office to maintain coordination efforts Seek SAMHSA and other supportive services dollars Publish PSH Cost-Benefit study Move forward with new “systems design” process Seek support from next City administration

11. Contact Info Michael Dunthorn Project Manager Knoxville-Knox County Ten Year Plan Office 400 Main Street, Rm. 512 Knoxville, TN 37902 (865) 215-3103 mdunthorn@cityofknoxville.org