Exercise in considering other avenues to address homelessness

• Data that Clayton Aldern with the County provided some time ago showed us that the speed and volume of housing through programs in the homeless system is increasing, but he showed us that homelessness is increasing more rapidly. 
• We always want more money, but we are looking for some other ideas. (I don’t know, I’m kind of fond of more money for programs – ed.)
• This will be a first brainstorming session. 
• What else could we do – what services – if we could offer the homeless more direct services. 
  • Pay for housing for 6 months while they work on getting a job
  • Shennetta – a change of mind – we are trying to give them things they need – but they know what they need.  They need a safe place to disclose what they need.  Instead of going out one-on-one, if there was a place for them to have a voice of their own.  We are trying to aid them in what they feel like they.  “Conversational Outreach”
  • Community advisory councils – different communities have different needs
  • Carolyn Read – I think everyone has a right to have a safe place – focus on the choke points – enough shelters.  Pets often stop people from coming into shelter
  • Carolyn Read – it  appears to be very confusing – it all seems hard to navigate.  Not sure where to go for what.  Is there a way we can make storefronts for entry that aren’t confusing about where to go. 
  • Larry – is there a way we can evaluate ourselves on how we are doing.  Look at response self-evaluation
  • Kelly – 211 is a great resources
  • Brandon – I’m a big advocate for peers.  I did 10 ½ years of incarceration and meth use, and 9+ years in AA.  Was part of positive interactions, MCERT, responses to the negative impacts of homelessness.  Feel like we’re enabling folks.  I’d like to see a phased system – if people want change, move them into their different phases – with peers and case management.  People impacted by Substance Use and Mental Health, the more we enable them the more they are going to take.  If we had a location where people ran their own place.  I get nervous – so I never say what they want to say – they need a location that is a safe spot. 
  • Carrie Ching – I understand where you are coming from, at the stability site, but we should be able to find some best practices.  Are you thinking that when someone is ready on the street, that they would work.  I think we could form some best practices
  • Theresa – we need to be certain that people’s needs are met.  When people make poor choices, that isn’t the same as enabling.  We need some clear paths for people who are doing well to get an extra leg up. 
  • Theresa – I’d love to have a day where we go through the list on who is doing what – and feed it into the resource guide. 
  • Maureen – the worst thing you could do is give me a blank piece of paper.  What strikes me is that the hardest jobs are the front line outreach jobs.  We need to figure out how to better invest in our front line staff.  Part of it is information to clients, so they aren’t making 45 phone calls.  Some is about how we can challenge our assumptions.  How many knew about medially assisted treatment 6 years ago.  New services come on line and it is hard to always know about them.  A question is how can we invest in our staff. 
    • Larry – I’m always interested in how we can better do that.
  • CC - we lose people who don’t have all their paperwork.  At Randall Townsend, everyone who is in process working on their paperwork can show up at set times and know someone is there – and can always go there to turn in paperwork, to have a cup of coffee, and that has helped us a lot.  That is a simple thing that helps us a lot.
  • CC – I’m in MH recovery, and if someone stopped providing services because the thought they were enabling me, I’d be dead.  I needed shelter and clothing, and once I was stable enough to think straight, then it was 100% my responsibility.  People need to be honored for where they are, and we’ll help the people who are ready, and help the folks working on getting ready to get ready.
  • Pamm – on the Daily Meaningful Activitiy committee, we work on how to help folks that need housing to  get housed.  We are working on developing trust.  We are working to build trust so we can help
  • Pamm – bad homeless problem in Vancouver BC – city bought a couple apartments for the folks experiencing homeless, where folks can stay who are homeless. 
  • Patty – best training I’ve gone through – we want to see people succeed.  The Trauma informed care was life changing.  Basically everhone who is homeless has experienced trauma.  Larry – trauma informed care would be valuable for
  • Kelly – require financial education – make mandatory.  How could we get smaller organization equipped to do this work.  We can push this out into the community
  • Don – Everything I’ve heard is good.  We do jobs, I’m at the mission 4 or 5 days a week – we have wraparound programs – everything is about partnerships.  When we partner up we are strong, very strong.  If we aren’t there to meet us on the grounds, they aren’t there to meet us where we are.  I’m always on site, whether it is with the gangs or what. 
  • Larry – what about prevention –
    • Molina - I work with children – I can look at the kiddos that come across our caseload, ,I can see kids where things are not going to go good.  I see kids where they have no one in the world.  These kids are going to be on drugs and homeless.  We need to look at it differently – each of these are complicated issues.  We need ways to help kids in crisis and support families.
    • Katie – just returned to the Veterans Administration, was managing a Behavioral Health crisis program for teens – these kids often have no options.  We need a lot more money.  We have the services, just not enough  of them.  Many people are not capable of getting to a place where they are able to help themselves.  We need money and financial investments.  We are not investing in these systems. 
    • Seniors – have some special needs, it seems there is always another senior getting kicked out of their house. 
  • What could we do radically different so we had no one unhoused. 
  • Gerrit – do your research – that data is all out there about why we do what we do, and best practices for many of the situations you are describing.  (It was killing me not to jump in with research to bolster or challenge so many of the point brought up… -ed.)