Santa Cruz County Smart Solutions to Homelessness Summit

1. Welcome!
Creating Smart Solutions to Homelessness:
A Countywide Community Engagement Summit
Saturday, Dec. 1 - Cabrillo College, Aptos CA

2. Welcome
Margarita Cortez
- Executive Director, Pajaro Valley Loaves
and Fishes
Don Lane
- Mayor, City of Santa Cruz

3. Important, vital and
amazing work is already
happening in Santa Cruz
County…and beyond!

4. How homelessness affects
our life and work
+ video was shown at this time +

5. Agenda &
Group Agreements
Gary Merrill
- Former Executive Director, Santa
Cruz County Business Council

6. Agenda
Morning session: Afternoon session:
• Welcome
• Current Situation
• Community
Perspectives • Smart Solutions
(10 min break )
• Group Agreements
• Table Session #2
• National HUD
• Personal Commitment
Framework
• Program Evaluation
• Community Action • Adjourn
• Table Session #1
- Lunch & Optional
Table Discussions

7. Group Agreements

8. Assumptions
• This is not just another meeting. This is an opportunity to
reinvent the future for all people who are impacted by
homelessness.
• We are all here because we want to help create a better
community for people experiencing homelessness.
• We are all unique, yet we all have the power to work
together toward common goals.
• We all have a stake in the outcome of this work -
personally, professionally, for our community.

9. Assumptions…continued
This summit will not provide all the answers.
This gathering is the beginning of an inclusive
community-based planning process that will
help us leverage funding, utilize evidence-based
practices and better collaborate for success. It is
up to each of us to commit to taking the
outcomes of this planning summit forward.

10. Etiquette
• This process is about starting with the big picture, or
the “50,000 foot view”. Please trust the process and
try not to get bogged down in the details. Details will
come later in the planning process.
• Your commitment to stay for the entire session is
appreciated! Each piece builds on the next and your
input and participation is essential.
• Please be mindful that taking calls, checking email
and texting is very distracting to group participants
and your facilitators.

11. Etiquette…continued
• Allow everyone a chance to share and be heard.
• Listen with a “beginnerʼs mind”, allowing new and
innovative ideas to be shared as well as those youʼve
heard many times.
• Strive to listen closely to each other and suspend
judgment.
• Listen for commitment for positive change behind
critique or complaints.
• Try not to take anything personally, and try not to
make comments about any one individual.

13. How Santa Cruz County
fits into the National HUD framework
Julie Conway
- County of Santa Cruz Housing
Program & HAP Coordinator

14. Activities funded by the
jurisdictions through the HAP
• Emergency Winter Shelter
- North County at the Armory
- South County at the Salvation Army (*not
funded in FY 2012/13
• HAP Consultant and Grantwriter
• Homeless Management Information
System (HMIS)
• Biennial Homeless Census and Survey
• Ten Year Plan Implementation

15. Biennial Census

16. Santa Cruz County
Homeless Action Partnership (HAP)
TEN YEAR PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS (2003 - 2013)
Plan Mission: To develop and implement a coordinated system of
housing and services for preventing and ending homelessness in
Santa Cruz County.
Key Plan Strategies:
• Opening the back door of homelessness: providing more housing.
• Closing the front door of homelessness: preventing housing loss.
• Local and regional engagement and collaboration: working together
on common purposes.
• Integration of services: coordinate the health, social, mainstream and
employment services people need.
• Outcome-based accountability: using data to better understand what
works.

17. 2011 Santa Cruz County HAP Awards
Agency Program Name Project Type/Target Population Funding
Permanent supportive housing:
HSA/Homeless Persons’ Health M.A.T.C.H. $361,339
Project (HPHP) chronically homeless adults with alcohol
issues
Families in Transition (FIT) Clean and Sober Transitional Transitional housing: Families with $181,158
Housing children
Homeless Services Center Page Smith Community House Transitional housing: Single adults $142,591
FIT Scattered Site Transitional Housing Transitional Housing: Families with $182,448
children
SC Community Counseling Center Freedom Cottages Permanent supportive housing: $15,353
Homeless adults with a disability
Housing Authority/ FIT Brommer Street Transitional Transitional housing: Families with $56,000
children
SC Community Counseling Center Anderson House Permanent supportive housing: $41,540
Homeless adults with a disability
Salvation Army Corner House Permanent supportive housing: Single $83,137
disabled women with children
Pajaro Valley Shelter Services Sudden Street Transitional Housing Transitional housing: Families with $13,623
children
Community Technology Alliance HMIS DATA/all populations $89,985
Permanent supportive housing:
Housing Authority/HPHP Shelter Plus Care I - III chronically homeless adults & with mental $417,504
disabilities
Housing Authority/HPHP Shelter Plus Care IV Permanent supportive housing; $13,848
chronically homeless with disabilities
Permanent Supportive Housing:
HPHP M.A.T.C.H. 3 chronically homeless with co-occuring $67,559
disorders
$1,666,085

18. Nuevo Sol—$1.4MM Housing
First Mod-Rehab Project

19. More Information
• County Housing Section website for the HAP:
http://www.sccoplanning.com/PlanningHome/Housing/Countywid
ehousingprograms
• HUD Homeless Assistance Programs
http://portal.hud.gov/homeless/programs
• U.S. Inter Agency Council on Homelessness
http://www.usich.gov/

20. Community Action
Jerry Neuman
- Chair, Business Leaders Task Force,
Home For Good, Los Angeles

22. Problem Solution Progress
Homelessness in L.A. County
 51,000 homeless people
 12,500 chronically
homeless
 6,300 episodically
homeless veterans

23. Problem Solution Progress

24. Problem Solution Progress

25. Problem Solution Progress

26. Problem Solution Progress

27. Problem Solution Progress
1. Proactive, Coordinated
Outreach
2. Coordinated Entry
3. Effective Low-Barrier
Shelters &
Permanent Supportive
Housing
4. Community-wide after-care

28. Problem Solution Progress
Permanent Supportive Housing
 Focus on permanent
housing as first, most
critical goal
 Provide supportive
services after people are
housed
 Permanent supportive
housing is 40% less
expensive than leaving
people on the streets

29. Problem Solution Progress
Ed Givens
Ed lived on the streets of
Skid Row for over 30
years. He was an
alcoholic and his health
had deteriorated. He was
at risk of dying on the
streets.
before housing

30. Problem Solution Progress
Ed Givens
After 4 years in permanent
supportive housing, Ed is
sober, healthier and thriving.
after housing

31. The Home For Good Strategy

32. Problem Solution Progress
Progress: Year 1

33. Problem Solution Progress

34. Problem Solution Progress
 Leadership: Business Leaders Task Force provides
leadership and accountability
 Cross sector engagement: 120+ signatories
 Build public will: 10,000 people participated in HomeWalk,
5K walk/run
 Engage funders: launched Home For Good Funders
Collaborative with $83M in public and private resources
 Facilitate innovation: reduced Veteran housing process
from 168  100 days

35. Barbara Poppe Charlie Beck
Executive Director Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Chief of Police
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness City of Los Angeles City of Los Angeles
Donna Beiter
Steve Hilton Medical Center Director
President & CEO Mayor Bob Foster Department of Veteran Affairs
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation City of Long Beach
Supervisor Mark-Ridley Thomas Councilmember Bill Rosendahl
Sheriff Lee Baca
2rd District 11th District
County of Los Angeles
County of Los Angeles City of Los Angeles
Nan Roman
Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr.
President & CEO
3rd District 10th District
National Alliance to End Homelessness
County of Los Angeles City of Los Angeles
Supervisor Don Knabe Rabbi Klein
4th District Mayor Richard Bloom Our Faith Matters Leadership Council
County of Los Angeles City of Santa Monica P.A.T.H.

36. Get Involved!
 Sign the pledge at www.homeforgoodla.org
 Join us on Twitter & Facebook @homeforgoodla
 Participate in HomeWalk, Saturday, November 17th
 Get to know your local homeless services organization
 Make personal connections with homeless people
 Advocate to help end homelessness

37. Table Session #1
What does success look like?
• Imagine Santa Cruz County with
dramatically less homelessness…
• What are you experiencing, in your daily
life, neighborhood, business?
• How are agencies and organizations
operating differently than they did
before?

39. Current Situation
what the data tell us…
Mary Lou Goeke
- Executive Director
United Way of Santa Cruz County

40. Sources & Types of Information
National Data Source:
• US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development
Local Data Sources:
• 2011 Santa Cruz County Homeless Census &
Survey
• 180/180 Campaign Survey Results

41. Federal Definition of Homelessness
• An individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and
adequate nighttime residence, or
• An individual who has a primary nighttime
residence that is:
– A supervised shelter providing temporary living
accommodations, or
– An institution that provides a temporary
residence for individuals intended to be
institutionalized, or
– A public or private place not designated for, or
ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping
accommodation for human beings.

42. Snapshot of National data -
with local comparisons
• 636,017 people experience homelessness on any
given night in the United States
2,771 in Santa Cruz County
• 37% are members of families with children
17% in Santa Cruz County
• Roughly two-thirds men and one third women
Same in Santa Cruz County
• 5% are minors unaccompanied by adults.
3% in Santa Cruz County

43. …continued:
• 35% are Caucasian
65% in Santa Cruz County
• 49% are African American
6% in Santa Cruz County
• 13% are Hispanic/Latino
23% in Santa Cruz County
• 13% are Employed
11% in Santa Cruz County
• 62% have High School Diploma, GED or more
64% in Santa Cruz County

44. Over 5% of the individuals who use the
homeless shelter system identified prison,
jail, or juvenile detention as their living
situation prior to entering the shelter system.
7% in Santa Cruz County reported
that immediately before they became
homeless this time they were in jail
or prison.

45. • 9% had been in foster care during their youth
12% in Santa Cruz County had been in foster
care during their youth
• 22% are considered to have serious mental illness or
are disabled.
In Santa Cruz County 18% self-report serious
mental illness and 26% report physical disability
• 30% have substance abuse problems
38% report substance abuse problem in Santa
Cruz County
• 58% report having trouble getting enough food to eat.
31% in Santa Cruz County

46. Other important data points…
• 67% lived in Santa Cruz County before they
became homeless
• 77% were unsheltered
• 23% were sheltered in some kind of facility or
program
• 45% have been homeless more than one year
• 4% of local housed residents reported having
someone staying temporarily with them who
would otherwise be homeless

47. Point-in-Time comparisons (2011):
Los Angeles County 45,422
Santa Clara County 7,067
Fresno County 5,135
Sonoma County 4,541
Santa Cruz County 2,771
Monterey County 2,699
San Luis Obispo County 2,129
Mendocino County 1,456
Marin County 862
Yolo County (Davis) 468
Napa County 230

48. Chronic Homelessness
The Federal government defines a chronic
homeless person as someone with a disabling
condition and who has either been homeless for
a year or more or has had at least four episodes
of homelessness in the past three years.
“Disabling condition” -- includes a physical or
developmental disability, mental illness, severe
depression, post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), chronic health problems, or substance
abuse.

49. Survey findings from
180/180 campaign
• Set out to survey the most vulnerable,
chronically homeless men and women in
Santa Cruz County -- meaning people with
serious health conditions and risk factors
who are most likely to die if not moved into a
healthier situation.
• Completed more than 440 one-on-one
surveys with 251 (57%) found “vulnerable”.

50. 180/180 findings:
• 75% male / 24% female
• 12% are Veterans
• 26% are over 60 years of age
• 22% had been in foster care
• 8 years = average length of time homeless
• 20 years = average length of residency in
Santa Cruz County
• 19% most often sleep in a shelter / 16% in
vehicle / 54% outside (parks, benches, streets)

51. 180/180 findings, continued…
• 46% have a permanent physical disability
that limits mobility
• 42% have had a serious head or brain
injury that required hospitalization
• 49% had been in the Emergency room in
the 3 months prior to the survey date
• 55% have been the victim of violent attacks
since becoming homeless

52. Smart Solutions
Monica Martinez
- Executive Director
Homeless Services Center

53. Solutions to
Homelessness

54. Temporary Law
Local Shelter Enforcement Psychiatric
Ordinances Hospital
Emergency Jail &
Healthcare Courts
Detox &
AddicCon
Counseling Basic Needs
Spiritual
Food Support

55. Smart Solutions to
Homelessness
• Evidence-Based
• Cost Effective
• Create Measurable Results

56. Smart Solutions are Evidence-Based
Portland Minneapolis Chicago
Jail Discharge Planning Rapid Re‐housing Housing First
57% of Homeless Inmates 43% ReducCon in 12% ReducCon in
Housed Upon Release Homeless Families Total Homelessness
Boston
San Francisco Inter‐Agency Collabora7on
Suppor7ve Housing 21% ReducCon in
28% ReducCon in Homeless Veterans
Chronic Homelessness
Cincinna7
Centralized Intake
Long Beach 46% ReducCon in
Recupera7ve Care Homeless Families
$3 million Total Annual Tulsa
Savings for Hospitals Family Interven7on
80% of At‐Risk Youth
TransiConed to a
Safe Place

57. Smart Solutions Are Cost Effective

58. Smart Solutions Have Measurable Results
 Numbers Served
 Increased Housing Placement Outcomes
 Decreased Number of Street Releases from Institutions
 Decreased Cost of Emergency Care
 Increased Housing Stability and Retention
 Decreased Length of Episode of Homelessness
 Decreased Total Homelessness

59. Four examples of
Smart Solutions
to reduce and end homelessness:
1. Permanent Supportive Housing
2. Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-
Housing Program
3. Transition Age Youth Programs
4. Transitional Job Programs

60. Smart Solution example #1:
Permanent
Supportive Housing
Christine Sippl
- Director, County of Santa Cruz
Homeless Personsʼ Health Project

61. Smart Solution example #1:
Permanent Supportive Housing
(primary target is chronically homeless)
After decades of investing in caring and compassionate
shelter and feeding programs across the US, how did
we end up with so many people who became
chronically homeless – for years ?
“Every system is perfectly designed to achieve exactly the
results it gets. So if we keep doing what we are
doing….weʼre bound to keep getting the same results”
- Batalden / Deming

62. The Un-Normal,
“Hockey Stick Shaped Curve”
for public expenditures related to homelessness
Facts:
• 80% homeless for a very short time
• 10% episodically homeless
• 10% chronically homeless

63. Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)
what it is and what it isn't…
• Itʼs NOT: newly built nor a special kind of
building
• It IS: A bundling of resources and assistance
that allow someone to access and sustain
housing who would likely never accomplish this
on their own

64. The “H” in PSH
Housing
• Typically rental housing (SRO, studio, 1 bedroom, alone,
or shared)
• Not shelter, not a transitional housing program, not
sleeping on someoneʼs couch
Must be affordable to people with extremely low
monthly incomes
• Soc. Sec. income for disabled: $865
• General Assistance from County: $325
• Minimum wage half-time job after taxes: $625

65. The “H” in PSH
We make the “H” affordable through
a rent subsidy
• Federal, State, Locally funded rent assistance
programs
• Many Program Options

66. The “P” in PSH
Permanent – Means
your name is on the
lease, and as long
as you follow the
rules of your lease
and pay your rent,
you get to stay in
your housing,
permanently.

67. The “S” in PSH
Support – Means that the support needed to qualify
for, find, apply for, lease up, enter and sustain housing
is provided
• Level of support needed varies by person and
through time
• Every thing from learning how to shop and cook to
help getting through a mental health crisis

68. The “S” in PSH
Best Practices - Housing Support
• Individual goals, needs and priorities
• Integrate treatment and services
• Vary support
• Recovery and Re-integration
• Dreams, Skills, Training, Employment

69. PSH – What Else?
• Remember – who is PSH for?
• “Housing First” approach essential
• Housing is Treatment
• Science of Motivation and change

70. What makes PSH a
Smart Solution?
Proven and Evidence Based – Studied
and documented
• 2004 NYC Pathways Program
• 2008 Seattle 1811 Eastlake
• 2009 Chicago Housing and Health Partnership
• 2010 Key Strategy - National Plan to End
Homelessness

71. What makes PSH a
Smart Solution?
Measurable Results
Communities carefully measure their
PSH Outcomes:
• Housing retention periods
• Reduced post-PSH emergency services
• Improved self-care management
• Fewer chronically homeless people counted
• Increased employment in the community

72. What makes PSH a
Smart Solution?
Saves Public Money
By Stopping the
revolving door
• Streets
• Ambulance
• Jail
• Hospital
• Shelter
• Streets

74. What makes PSH a
Smart Solution?
• Saves Public Money AND
• Lets us use it in ways that are Truly Effective
Less emergency service resources for
chronic homelessness equals more
resources for the 80% who succeed with
just a little bit of help

75. Smart Solution example #2:
Homeless Prevention and Rapid
Re-Housing Program
Norma Sanchez
- Program Coordinator,
The Shelter Project, Community
Action Board of Santa Cruz County

76. {no slides for this section…
…speaker used notes}

77. Smart Solution example #3:
Transition Age Youth
Program
Susan Paradise
- Program Manager, Transition Age
Youth Programs, Santa Cruz
Community Counseling Center

78. Focusing on Foster Youth:
A Smart Solution to
Prevent Homelessness

79. SCCCC Transition-Age Youth
Programs
• Transition Age Youth Programs serve
current and former foster youth ages 15-24.
• Our mission is to support and empower
youth in making a healthy transition into
successful adulthood
SCCCC = Santa Cruz Community Counseling Center
TAY = Transition Age Youth

80. Youth in Foster Care
• Upon entering foster care, the majority of
youth have experienced the psychological
risk factors of abuse and neglect, exposure to
illicit drugs, and poverty.
• Entering foster care, youth experience the
trauma of being taken away from their
siblings, support systems, and only family
theyʼve ever known.

81. While in Foster Care
• 30% of youth have eight or more placements
with foster families or group homes.
• 65% experience seven or more school
changes from elementary through high
school.
• Every time one of these changes occurs, it is
another disruption, another loss, another
trauma.

82. Why focus on youth leaving
the foster care system?
Young adults aging out of the foster
care system have not yet failed into
homelessness, poverty, or
incarceration — but statistics show
us that many soon will.

83. What we know about youth
leaving the foster care system
Upon exiting the California Foster Care System:
• 65% face an imminent housing need
Within 12 to 24 months:
• 40% will be unemployed
• 25% will have been incarcerated
• 50% will have experienced homelessness
Within 30-48 months:
• 60% of the females will have children of their own
Over time:
• 40-50% will never complete high school
• Less than 5% will complete college
• 50% suffer from chronic health conditions
• 50-60% have moderate to severe mental health problems

84. What we know about youth
leaving the foster care system
• 25% of foster youth cope with symptoms of
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after
leaving foster care. This is double the PTSD
rates of veterans returning from recent wars,
and over six times the rate among the
general U.S population
• 33% of all foster care alumni have no form of
health insurance

85. What do we know about the
relationship between homelessness
and foster care?
• 27% of the homeless population spent
time in foster care.
• Parents with a history of foster care are
twice as likely to see their own children
placed in foster care or become
homeless.

86. What does it cost?
Annually, failure to take action to improve
outcomes for foster youth costs the nation:
• $4.8 billion in criminal justice–related costs;
• $116 million in costs stemming from unplanned
parenthood;
• $749 million in loss of earnings due to foster
youthʼs lower rates of educational attainment
and employment.

87. Costs for Non Foster Youth
• 50% of youth ages 18 to 24 live at home, and
over 60% receive economic support from their
parents.
• Youth generally do not achieve self-sufficiency
until the age of 26, and receive an average of
$50,000 in parental support during their
transitional years.
• The next slide gives some examples of this
kind of costs associated with this support

88. Support typical young people
take for granted
• School supplies, books, and tuition
• Transportation to and from school or work
• A safe and stable place to do homework
• A welcoming place to go during holidays
• Clothes for job interviews/ work uniforms
• A California ID/ Copy of birth certificate
• A bed, sheets, blankets, towels, etc.
• Role models for educational and career
success

89. Supporting Foster Youth
• Unlike their peers in the general
population, foster youth almost always
lack the familial support young people
often take for granted.
• To have a shot at making a successful
transition into adulthood, foster youth
will need community support.

90. Level the Playing Field
• Foster youth who receive services and
support to improve their outcomes will rely
less on government aid, earn higher wages,
pay taxes, and make more positive
contributions to their community throughout
their lifetimes.
• The following slide lists 5 evidence-based
practices to prevent homelessness among
foster youth.

91. Smart Solutions to Prevent
Homelessness
• Promote Educational Attainment
• Connect Youth with Employment and Career
Training
• Enhance Access to Safe and Affordable
Housing
• Help Youth Access and Manage Health Care
• Help Youth Build Stable and Lifelong
Relationships

92. SCCCC TAY Programs
Start Early
• In line with these best practices, we start
early.
• Every foster youth in Santa Cruz County is
referred to TAY Programs at age 15.
• We support youth in attaining independent
living skills including education, employment,
housing, money management, nutrition, and
healthy relationships.

93. SCCCC TAY Programs
Start Early
• Workshops at Cabrillo to help youth feel
comfortable on a college campus
• Educational Rewards Program that pays
incentives for academic progress.
• Driverʼs Training Program
• Experiential Job Group – assistance with
resumes, applications, work clothes, and
interviews that lead to real jobs.

94. SCCCC TAY Programs
Resource Center
Opened in response to increasing numbers of
homeless former foster youth
• Safe and welcoming drop in environment
• Independent study class, computer lab
• Laundry, shower and hygiene supplies
• Hot meal and free bag of groceries
• Social activities and support
• Moms' Support Group
• Connections to resources and benefits

95. Transitional Housing for
Former Foster Youth (TVP)
• Partnership with Santa Cruz Housing
Authority- 8 slots
• 18 month transitional Section 8 vouchers
• Assistance for youth finding and maintaining
housing out in the community
• Weekly counseling and life skills coaching
• Incentives for educational and employment
progress

96. Transitional Housing for Former
Foster Youth (THP Plus)
• State Funded – 15 slots
• 24 months of supported housing for former
foster youth between ages 18-24.
• Participants receive assistance with
• Rent and utilities
• Food
• Educational expenses
• Savings account

97. THP Plus (continued)
• They also receive emotional support, weekly
counseling and life skills coaching, and
connections to community resources.
• The financial support in this program
declines over time so that youth are actually
living independently at the end of 24
months.

98. THP Plus Works
Statistically, youth participating in Californiaʼs
THP-Plus have experienced success:
• Increasing rates of employment
• Increasing level of wages
• Increasing community college enrollment
• AND 92% EXIT INTO STABLE HOUSING 

99. Annual Cost / Benefit Analysis
• Housing a former foster youth in a program
providing supportive services costs an
average of $25,000
• Without services, homelessness may lead to
these more likely outcomes:
• Incarceration for the same young adult in a
California prison is $47,000
• Residence for the same young person in a
mental health facility is $215,000

100. What can I do to be part of the
smart solution?
• You donʼt have to be a professional to mentor
a current or former foster youth in some way
• Tutor a former foster youth
• Employ a former foster youth
• Rent to a former foster youth
• Become a foster parent to a teenager
• Support current programs that work 

101. Smart Solution example #4:
Employment Solutions to
Homelessness
Darrie Ganzhorn
- Executive Director,
Homeless Garden Project

102. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Transitional Jobs (TJ) is a workforce strategy
designed to overcome employment obstacles
by using time-limited, wage-paying jobs
that combine real work, skill development,
and supportive services, to transition
participants successfully into the labor
market.

103. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
National Transitional Jobs Network (NTJN)
Working to End Homelessness: Natʼl Community of Practice
Goals:
• Identify and advance best practices & a federal policy
agenda for workforce solutions to homelessness;
• 20 practitioners from 14 states
• Serving a variety of individuals experiencing
homelessness
• Using Transitional Jobs models

104. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Goals of Transitional Jobs:
 Stabilize individuals and families with earned income
 Learn the expectations of the workplace
experientially
• Address barriers to work
• Build a work history and references
 Access incentives like the Earned Income Tax Credit
• Gain skills and experience to transition into
unsubsidized employment

105. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Barriers to Employment:
• Low education and literacy • Physical disabilities
• Work history gaps • Mental health issues
• Lack of transportation • Substance use issues
• Family obligations • Fear of losing public benefits
• Lack of stable address or • Criminal records
phone • Weak labor markets
• Lack of hygiene or clothing • Weak social skills or networks
• Low self-esteem • Discrimination
• Poor health

106. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Program Structures Vary
 Scattered site
 Work crew
 Social Enterprise (HGP Model)
 Tiered: with graduated levels of participant
responsibility and stress
 Stepped: TJ in which participants are
transitioned from full to partial wage subsidies

107. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Social enterprise:
“An organization or venture within an organization that
advances a social mission through market-based strategies.”
Focus:
Roberts Economic Development Fund, a San Francisco-
based venture philanthropy organization that creates jobs
and employment opptʼs for people facing the greatest
barriers to work. REDF has supported more than 50 social
enterprises.
REDF has pioneered Social Return on Investment metrics
and analysis

108. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Roberts Economic Development Fund:
Founded in 1997: The 50 social enterprises have:
 Employed 6,500 people;
 Earned revenues of more than $115 million;
 Three-fourths (77%) of social enterprise
employees interviewed two years later were still
working;
 Average employee wages had increased by nearly
one-third (31%) and monthly incomes had almost
doubled (90%).

109. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
IPS (Individual Placement and Support)
Employment
An evidence-based practice developed at Dartmouth
that is designed to help people who have serious
mental illness work at regular jobs of their choosing.
This model is well defined by eight practice principles
and a 25-item fidelity scale.

110. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
IPS (Individual Placement and Support)
Employment
Results:
Mean competitive employment rate of 62%
compared with 23% for traditional vocational
service
(16 randomized controlled trials)

111. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Outcomes of TJ Programs:
• Highly successful at getting people with barriers to
employment successfully working again.
• Participants show increased wages and less reliance on public
benefits over time.
• Reduced recidivism for people recently released from prison.
Participants were less likely than control group members to be
arrested, convicted of a crime, or incarcerated.
• TJ program impacts on employment and recidivism are stronger
for those who are more disadvantaged or at higher risk of
recidivism.

112. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
Outcomes of TJ Programs:
• Financial benefits far outweigh its costs. Based on a highly rigorous ROI
analysis, the CEO TJ program in New York generates between $1.26 and
$3.85 in benefits per $1.00 of cost.
• Economic ripple effect: Stimulates economic activity at businesses where
participants spent earnings and at businesses that sell goods and services to
those businesses where the “first round” of spending occurred.
• Total wages earned by JobStart participants: $3,936,423
• Proportion of wages spent in retail sector 70%
• Initial Increased demand $2,755,496
• Subsequent demand $2,327,292
• Total $5,082,788
Increased Household Earnings $1,228,676
Increased employment 44

113. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
“Letʼs put the jobless back to work in
transitional jobs that can give them a
pay-check and a sense of pride.”
- Barack Obama, June 16, 2007

114. Employment Solutions to Homelessness
"Being jobless and accepting handouts makes me feel like society
places no value on the work that I have done and can do. Working
at the garden, I feel valued and productive." - HGP Trainee
"A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire
for the mind as well as the body. - Benjamin Franklin

116. Table Session #2
Achieving Results
1. What are our assets and strengths as a
community that will help us achieve our vision
to reduce and end homelessness through
smart solutions?
2. What might get in our way as we work towards
our vision?
3. What can you, and people in your stakeholder
group, do to implement smart solutions?

117. What happens next?

118. Each and every one of us
is part of the solution

119. What will you commit to?
 Volunteer
 Be an Educator
 Take a Leadership role
 Donate Money
 Advocate

120. Thanks to our Sponsors…

121. …and thanks to everyone
else who made this event possible
• Summit Planning team
• Appleton Foundation
• Ted Altenberg -- website development
• Steve Coulter -- AV equipment
• Santa Cruz Street Kitchen -- lunch
• Second Harvest Food Bank -- water &
Spanish language translation

122. • learn more
• stay connected
• get involved
www.smartsolutionstohomelessness.org