Family Homelessness Strategic Plan DRAFT 2016 -...

Family Homelessness Strategic Plan DRAFT

2016 - 2020

Ending family homelessness by 2020

what we’ve done, what we’ve learned, what we’re doing next, and how we’ll know it worked

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DRAFT - Family Homelessness Strategic Plan 1.11.16 of 34

Any family with a child sleeping outdoors because they lack a safe home is unacceptable. King County is committed to ending family homelessness and in 2014, invested $42 million in crisis response strategies to stabilize people currently experiencing homelessness in King County. Another $116.7 million went to sustain formerly homeless individuals in permanent housing, assuring they don’t’ return to the streets after exiting homelessness.1 Despite local efforts, over 400 families are sleeping in places not meant for human habitation and are waiting to access critical emergency housing. The Seattle/King County Region is at a critical juncture and is positioned to end family homelessness. There is local alignment and commitment to making family homelessness rare, and when the crisis of homelessness does occur, to ensure that it is a brief and one-time occurrence while ending racial disparities. The All Home Strategic Plan outlines this goal and commitment to end family homelessness by 2020 (also the Federal goal, as outlined in the Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness2). More is known about what it will take to end family homelessness than ever before. The region has powerful information and tools to understand the scope of the problem and measure change and impacts of local efforts. Locally, new and innovative strategies are being tested that are showing early and promising impacts for families experiencing homelessness. System leaders, funding partners and non-profit providers are coming together in communities of learning to push system change forward through discussions of successes and challenges. In the fall of 2008, King County developed a plan to refine the way in which family homelessness was addressed in our community. After a planning process, which included input from families experiencing homelessness, service providers, funders, and other invested community members, priority pillars of system changes were outlined in Moving Forward: A strategic plan for preventing and ending family homelessness in King County. The key areas of change included:

Coordinate Entry and Assessment

Prevention of homelessness for families most at risk

Moving families quickly to stable housing

Focus support services on housing stability and

Increase collaborations with mainstream systems. Moreover, there was emphasis on a cultural shift to focus on “housing first” rather than “housing readiness.” This philosophy empowers families to regain stability and address their needs and goals while in the security of their own housing. This Family Homelessness Strategic Plan explores key learnings derived from the implementation of the Moving Forward Plan and how they are informing the next chapter in ending family homelessness. The plan identifies successes to build on, strategies to refine, and gaps to be addressed and aligns with the All Home Strategic Plan.

1 All Home (2015). All Home Strategic Plan, 2015-2019.

2 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (amended June 2015). Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and

End Homelessness. Retrieved from: https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/USICH_OpeningDoors_Amendment2015_FINAL.pdf.

introduction

All Home Strategic Plan

In June 2015, the region adopted the All Home

Strategic Plan. The plan is a recommitment to

the vision of ending homelessness and outlines

key strategies towards making homelessness

rare, brief and one-time (over the next 4

years). The plan also makes a critical call to

action towards ending racial disparities.

The plan engages the entire community

towards these efforts, calling for increase

engagement of all residents and increased

leadership from business and faith leaders.

This work is also guided by common principles:

Involving the full community, including

those experiencing homelessness

Promoting equity and social justice in

funding and program design to address

regional and racial disparities

Addressing a person’s unique needs and

strengths by prioritizing appropriate

housing stability mechanisms

Prioritizing those whose health and

safety are most vulnerable

Moving people into housing first, and

employment fast, by progressive

engagement in services

Utilizing data-driven assessment of

needs and outcomes to drive policy and

investments

https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/USICH_OpeningDoors_Amendment2015_FINAL.pdf


To end family homelessness by 2020, we need to engage the entire community to prevent homelessness for families

most at-risk of becoming homelessness and quickly end family’s episodes of homelessness when it does occur with

housing and employment strategies. We will be looking closely at the following information to track our progress:

The number of families requesting homeless housing resources and increasing efforts to divert families from

entering the homeless housing system

The number of families exiting to a permanent housing solution and how quickly that occurs

The number of families returning to the homelessness system

These points will inform the

number of families that need

housing solutions each month

(Housing Placement goals).

Currently, with the number of

families on the placement roster

seeking services, those enrolled

in shelter and transitional

housing, and the number of

families newly entering the

system, we must house 132

families3 each month in order to

end family homelessness by

2020. This will also allow our

community the ability to have

housing resources available the

same day a family needs them.

(See Figure to the right.)

3 This is a moving target and will be impacted by changes in both the number of families requesting assistance through Coordinated

Entry and the rate at which families exit to permanent housing

We envision:

A time when no families which children are sleeping outside

There are timely housing solutions for all families that need them

An engaged and inclusive community leading to affordable housing options and living wage jobs

Guiding Principles:

We honor the rights and dignity of all people regardless of housing status, abilities, age, ethnicity, and race

Those who are the recipients of homeless housing supports help inform and make decisions about policy and system changes

System planning efforts include tools to critically evaluate the extent to which efforts eliminate racial disparities among people experiencing homelessness


what do we know about families experiencing homelessness?


Rare: Over 400 families are sleeping in places not meant for human habitation4

In 2014, 2,025 families were served in the homeless housing system5

After families experience homelessness and regain housing, they are at a higher risk of losing housing stability

within the first 6 months after exiting a supportive service program6

o 48% of families who participated in prevention services experienced 2-3 prior episodes of homelessness

o ~50% of families entering the homeless system are homeless for the first time

Brief & One-Time7 On average, family episodes of homelessness is 138 days

Generally, the rates of returns to homelessness are very low for families and have decreased over time

o In 2014, 3% of families returned to homelessness

o These rates differ by race – 46% of the families that return to homelessness after exiting permanent

housing are families of color (vs. 21% of families identifying as Caucasian)

82% of families that have exited RRH, have exited to permanent housing

62% of families who enrolled in Diversion were able to identify a successful diversion option

Despite longer lengths of stay in programs and concerted efforts to connect families with supports to increase

and improve incomes, families remain poor and overall, do not make significant gains in increasing income

o Families increase their income (from entry to exit) an average of $150

o Average income at exit is $781 (20% of families exit the system with employment)

People of color are disproportionately represented in the homeless system. 46% of the families served in HMIS

programs are families of color8 (as opposed to 23.4% in the general King County population)9. (See table below.)

Race Enrolled in Homeless

Programs (%)

King County Population

(%)

American Indian or Alaska Native Asian 2% .9% Asian 2% 15.2% Black or African American 39% 6.5% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

3% .8%

White 21% 71.5% Other 6% -

what we’ve learned from the Moving Forward Strategic Plan

Rare There is a need to focus on how we can best support households that fluctuate between literally homeless and

vulnerably housed. Households at 40-70% AMI lack supports around housing stabilization (particularly benefits)

and still face an income gap to support family and housing stability.

4 Family Housing Connection Placement Roster Data (as of December 31, 2015)

5 2014 King County HMIS data

6 2014 King County HMIS data

7 2014 King County HMIS data (unless otherwise noted)

8 2014 King Count HMIS data - Does not include 27% of households enrolled in HMIS with unknown race.

9 United States Census (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/.

http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/


It is not clear what characteristics of unstably housed families lead to homelessness

There is insufficient affordable housing in King County, particularly in the central, Seattle area

Families fleeing domestic violence have unique needs that do not always need to lead to homelessness

For families experiencing domestic violence, often the ability to stay in their home is the most stabilizing

and least traumatic solution for the victim and their family. This requires legal assistance and flexible

services to meet the individual needs of the family.

Brief & One-Time Family Housing Connection (coordinated entry for families) launches April 2012 and elevated new information

never explored at a systematic level, such as:

o Program-level screening practices with system-level impacts

o The practice of families moving between emergency shelters as they remained in need of homeless

housing resources but had not yet identified a next step housing solution

o A need to prioritize limited homeless housing resources for families most in need

During a recent analysis and evaluation of the family Coordinated Entry system10, the following strengths and

challenges were identified:

Strengths Challenges

The community sustained utilization and occupancy rates of shelter and transitional housing units

The system lacked a clear and transparent decision-making process, impacting provider and stakeholder buy-in

The intentional targeting of families staying in places not meant for human habitation assisted the community in prioritizing critical resources to the most vulnerable families

The referral process is primarily driven by program requirements as opposed to meeting the needs of families experiencing homelessness, reducing the system’s ability to quickly match the most vulnerable families with needed resources

Diversion services were added to the assessment process in order to prevent some families from entering the homeless housing system, further improving the targeting of limited resources

Multiple layers of screening occurs once families are referred to programs, further reducing the time it takes for families to quickly attain housing and increasing the time they spend experiencing homelessness

The community took on the challenging task of examining program barriers and fair housing requirements to improve access for families experiencing homelessness

Screening practices continue to create barriers to accessing homeless resources for families and decreases the

community’s ability to respond quickly to homelessness11

o 50% of referrals to homeless housing resources succeed in placement/intake

o 86 families have never received a referral – 6 of whom have been waiting since 2012

o 414 families received at least one referral but have never been accepted into a shelter or other program

– 30 of whom have been waiting since 2012

10

Focus Strategies (December 19, 2014). Family Homelessness Coordinated Entry System Analysis and Refinement, Final Report. 11

Family Housing Connection Placement Roster data


o Risk Mitigation Funds were made available in March 2015 with limited impact to removing screening

barriers

83% of transitional housing programs have not aligned with screening thresholds proposed

under this project

Rapid Re-Housing for Families begins November 2013 and includes a progressive engagement approach,

connections to Employment Navigators and an after-care model for services after a family exits

o Rapid re-housing is a viable strategy for many families, even as vacancies drop and housing costs soar

On average, it is taking families about 100 days to find and move-into housing (as opposed to

cumulative episodes of homelessness as families move from shelter to transitional housing)

On average, families are enrolled in RRH for 7 months

82% of families that have exited RRH, have exited to permanent housing12

o Learning Circles offer the opportunity to providers and funders to share experiences, best practices and

gaps in services to make improve services and make policy recommendations and have been replicated

as other interventions are tested and practiced

System Realignment efforts begin July 2014 as 5 agencies agreed to participate in the first phase of

implementation which increased our local understanding of what it will take to undertake realignment for

various types of transitional housing programs

o Through the efforts of realignment, as well as new projects coming online, the system will increase

permanent housing stock by approximately 300 units (about 40 of which will be Permanent Supportive

Housing for families experiencing chronic homelessness) in 2016 (See figure below.)

12

Rapid Re-Housing for Families Pilot HMIS program data


The Diversion pilot launched in January 2014, and in March 2015 the Shelter to Housing Project adds flexible

funds to existing shelter programs to continue diversion-like strategies

o Many families, with limited support and flexible assistance, have sufficient resources to avoid entering

the homeless system OR can leave quickly (from emergency shelter).

452 families enrolled in Diversion, 371 of whom have exited

62% of families who exited were able to identify a successful diversion option

While still a fairly new strategy, the Shelter to Housing project is also demonstrating early

successes in assisting some families to exit quickly from shelter to sustainable housing options

10% of families who exited shelter in 2014 to a permanent destination, and as of

November 17, 2015 13% of families have exited to a permanent destination. 13

The One Home Campaign launches in November 2014 in order to recruit and recognize community landlords

providing housing to families exiting homelessness

o Preliminary results indicate an opportunity and platform for greater landlord engagement and

coordination needed

o Coordination and clear messaging within the community is essential in order to recruit and maintain

landlords

o Housing owners and landlords are essential partners in housing solutions for families exiting

homelessness

Community Engagement There is power in involving the voices of families who have experienced or who are still experiencing

homelessness as an essential voice to inform how our community works and funds strategies to end

homelessness

Linking compassionate people with actionable opportunities is making a difference in the lives of families

experiencing homelessness

Engaging community partners such as landlords, homeowners, and the faith community is filling gaps in services,

yet there is an opportunity to strengthen and expand these partnerships

In Focus: Supporting Families of Color14 Families of color are disproportionately represented in the homeless system

o 46% of families in the homeless housing system are families of color (as opposed to making up 23% of

the general public)15

American Indian or Alaska Native Asian families exit to permanent housing from shelter at a significantly lower

rate than other racial groups; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander families exit to permanent housing at a

slightly lower rate than other racial groups (see chart below)

13

In 2014, 47% of clients did not know their exit destination at time of exit. As of 11/15/15, 48% of families did not complete an exit interview. These factors may over or under estimate the number of families who exited to permanent housing from shelter. 14

2014 King County HMIS Data (unless otherwise noted) 15

United States Census (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/.



Program Type Shelter RRH Transitional Permanent

American Indian or Alaska Native Asian 10% 82% 64% 100% Asian 36% 75% 71% N/A Black or African American 34% 69% 67% 67% Multi-Racial 27% 64% 63% N/A Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 32% 57% 63% N/A White 30% 64% 68% 50%

(The above chart shows the rates of permanent housing outcomes within each race group, by program type. For example,

10% of all American Indian/Alaska Native Asian households who exited emergency shelter exited to permanent housing.)

Of the families who return to homelessness, families identifying as Black or African American return to

homelessness at a much higher rate than other racial groups.16

Race Rates of returns

American Indian or Alaska Native Asian 2% Asian 2% Black or African American 39% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander

3%

White 21% Other 6%

People of color, particularly African Americans and Native Americans, are disproportionately represented in the

criminal justice system17. Racial profiling and discriminatory practices lead to increased arrests and convictions

for people of color. As it is standard practice for landlords and employers to utilize criminal background as a

standard way to screen people out of housing and employment, it is no surprise to see the institutionalized

racism of the criminal justice system follow families into the housing and homeless system. Current screening

practices may also perpetuate this practice.

The specialized needs and experiences of people of color and immigrant and refugees are important to this

region. Local service agencies, faith groups and community center offer programs and services to support their

housing and family stability needs. Challenges have existed in matching families at Coordinated Entry to these

resources while also supporting Fair Housing laws. The community is also seeking to better understand what

housing models are appropriate for these specialized populations. Language barriers, learning and adapting to

new cultures, trauma associated with recent experiences fleeing countries of origin, and systemic barriers may

indicate that some families may need greater levels of support. Whether this should occur before a family

moves into permanent housing or whether a longer, interim step is needed before accessing permanent housing

is a question to further explore.

Building cultural competence within programs is another key strategy of local interest. Many jurisdictions have

emphasized this value in competitive funding applications and in funding contracts with organizations. Local

jurisdictions, including King County have initiatives to address racial equity and social justice in their

communities. Building capacity within each organization to address the language and cultural needs of all

families who may require assistance, presents certain challenges as shared by local providers. Firstly, cultural

competence is defined and understood broadly and can be operationalized differently within each organization.

Secondly, hiring a diverse staff and providing interpretation services can be costly and difficult for some

organizations in order to respond to the very diverse community of King County.

16

2014 King County HMIS Data 17

SOURCE


Survivors of domestic violence face unique challenges associated with their housing and family stability.

Immigrant and refugee families who experience domestic violence experience additional challenges as they

work to gain citizenship status, particularly when their citizenship is linked to an abusive partner. These

circumstances can not only present specific needs and supports while stabilizing in housing, but also can create

additional barriers for persons applying for housing.

Our community is dedicated to looking upstream and addressing the systems that are often the largest

producers of families vulnerable to homelessness, particularly with institutions that have disproportionate

involvement of families of color18

o We need to engage with Child Protective Services and the Foster Care system as families navigate

reunification integrate

o The Immigrant and Refugee Prevention Navigation program is a strategy to fill a gap in services

identified by leading agencies whose main

Look out for the following markers:

Strategies relevant to making family homelessness rare

Strategies relevant to making family homelessness, when it does occur, a brief & one-time occurrence

Strategies relevant to eliminating racial disparities for families of color

Strategies relevant to engaging the community around family homelessness

What we’ve learned: key lessons and findings related to implementation efforts in the past 5 years as a result of the Moving Forward Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Family Homelessness

What we’re doing next: recommendations for the next four years, including priority activities and system activities

Data-driven culture: indicators and outcome measures and how we’ll monitor and assess progress in each area

18

SOURCE

family homelessness strategic plan—plan overview

Strategy What we’re doing next (items in orange are priority actions for 2016)

How we’ll know it worked

Housing Stability and Homeless Prevention Services

Continued investments in housing stability services and homelessness prevention services are essential to minimize the demand on the homeless housing services.

Support the implementation of Best Starts for Kids

Identify risk factors to help target resources to those most at risk of homelessness

Host learning opportunities to understand key indicators that best project the likeliness of experiencing homelessness

Fill the gaps for doubled up or couch surfing families

Decrease in number of families experiencing homeless Invest in resources for families who are not in their own home and who are not in a place not meant for human habitation

Flexible prevention for immigrant and refugees

Services must continue to evolve to meet the needs of families who may be new to the region or country.

Immigrant/Refugee prevention navigation addresses the unique housing needs

Increase collaboration amongst resettlement, housing and community service providers

Listen to immigrant and refugee service providers experts on what is needed for success

Share promising practices with other prevention services not specialized in immigrant and refugee

Work to increase mainstream resource collaboration and access

Decrease in number of families exiting resettlement program experiencing homelessness Non-refugee and immigrant specific providers trained in best practices learned by experts

Coordinated Entry for All

Our current Coordinated Entry system does not meet the needs of those who are at imminent risk of homelessness.

Create a landscape scan of prevention resources Explore how prevention resources can be coordinated to ensure fair and equal access to

resources Develop an integration plan

Create a landscape scan of prevention resources Identify the pros and cons for incorporating prevention resources into CEA Outline steps for integration

Connections to Community & Mainstream Systems

There is a need to better coordinate prevention assistance with mainstream services.

Engage with experts working in institutions frequently accessed by families at risk of homelessness

Provide public systems with guidance and examples of best practices to address housing instability

Increased collaboration with mainstream services

family homelessness strategic plan—plan overview

http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/constantine/initiatives/best-starts-for-kids.aspx


Support mainstream services’ capacity to effectively address high-needs families, including those experiencing domestic violence

Increase understanding of barriers faced by families attempting reunification

Affordable Housing There is a shortage of affordable housing in King County.

Advocate and support partners to preserve and create more affordable housing

Support local, state, and federal policies that increase tenant protections

Maintaining or increasing the budget for affordable housing



Employment Leverage mainstream employment services and improve access to employment services for families experiencing homelessness

Implement Front Door Employment Specialists (System Innovation Grant)

Implement The Connections Project: Home and Work

Incorporate financial literacy and empowerment strategies at all points of the system

Changes in income from program entry to exit (system-level and by program type)

System Realignment

Continue efforts to realign system towards 2020 system targets

Utilize SWAP to model system changes and refine system targets

Further explore the role of transitional housing for specialized populations

Identify the next group of agencies to undertake realignment

Explore housing strategies best needed for recent immigrants and refugees

Annual benchmarks for realignment are met (based on any refinement from SWAP tool)

Coordinated Entry for All

Implement Coordinated Entry for all populations

Implement Coordinated Entry for All Populations (aligned with CE Vision affirmed by CEH IAC and All Home Coordinating Board)

Continue efforts to reduce screening criteria to ensure programs are utilizing ‘screen-in’ approach, families can be connected to the resources they need when they need it, and coordinated entry functions seamlessly

Ensure families have access to homeless housing resources, including those prioritized as the most vulnerable (through standardized screening practices and mobile outreach)

Identify opportunities to connect families with critical community resources at the time of assessment

Evaluate assessment and referral outcomes and CE functions to assess for any unintended consequences, opportunities for refinement and other early gains

Pursue strategies to reintegrate the Domestic Violence community into Coordinated Entry

Benchmarks to be developed; will include measures to track timeliness and effectiveness of referrals, outcomes of assessment and placement, etc.

Landlord Expand a community-wide and coordinated strategy to engage landlords in efforts to quickly house Reductions in the overall length


Engagement Strategy

families

Develop a regional Housing Locator program to support rapid re-housing programs

Continue to build on the One Home Campaign

Connect with Community Pillar strategy (Zillow)

of time families spend looking for housing

Rapid Re-Housing Further refine rapid re-housing and build program model fidelity across the system

Improve connections to and coordination with shelters

Connect families to RRH as quickly as possible

Improve standardization across programs

Expand creative housing solutions

Coordinate with landlord engagement/recruitment strategies

Explore the utilization of existing housing resources

Explore refinement needed to RRH for recent immigrants and refugees

Reductions in overall episodes of homelessness and returns to homelessness (system-level and program type)

Connections to Community & Mainstream Systems

Improve systematic connections between community, mainstream and homeless systems

Develop timely referrals to needed resources at time of assessment

Identify and provide cross training opportunities

Ensure families are accessing all benefits for which they’re eligible and opportunities to streamline coordination with DSHS are explored

Track and engage in changes occurring in local behavioral and health care systems

Enhance connections between the child welfare system and homeless housing system

Improve coordination and partnerships between homeless housing programs and legal services

Increase access to financial literacy programs

Establish stronger connections to and build capacity for specialized programs serving persons of color and recent immigrants and refugees

Reductions in returns to homelessness; Improved relationships and connections to mainstream system as described by families and providers; Improved coordination between program types as described by families and providers

Diversion Continue to expand Diversion strategies and housing solutions for all families requesting homeless housing assistance

Expand and refine Diversion within the implementation of Coordinated Entry for All

Explore the continued role of shelter to support Diversion strategies for families who may not need lengthier or more intensive supports

Explore additional, non-traditional housing solutions

Reduction in the length of time families spend homeless and the number of families entering the homeless system

Communities of Learning

Continue to convene communities of learning to support systems changes

Incorporate conversations and learning specifically for persons of color within learning circles

Analyze accessibility and equity around service delivery to ensure services accommodate the needs of each family

Continue to refine strategies of engaging communities of learning to both empower and support providers as well as enhance local responses to end homelessness

Explore new opportunities or needs to convene learning circles

Continued positive responses from provider networks engaged in Learning Circles




System-Wide Strategies

Utilize a Race and Equity Tool in the development and analysis of strategies to prevent disproportionate impacts on people of color

Establish regular discussions about disproportionality in community and project-specific Learning Circles

Reported improvements in understanding and responses to families of color (as reported by providers and consumers)

Rare Fewer families of color proportionally to the general population experience homelessness

Deepen understanding around how impact of implicit or explicit bias may contribute to imminent risk of homelessness in prevention and housing stabilization programs

Continue to invest in prevention programs that support the unique needs of Immigrant and Refugee families

Explore the impacts of incorporating prevention services in Coordinated Entry on families of color

Explore how mainstream systems are not accommodating or working well for families of color

Evaluate legislative agenda and affordable housing advocacy efforts through the lens of racial equity

Access to CEA by race; Decrease disproportionality of families of color experiencing homelessness

Brief & One-Time Equal access to services & parity of outcomes for families of color

Continue to monitor for equitable access to system entry and parity in housing outcomes

Explore strategies to ensure that families of color and Immigrant and Refugee families have equal access to homeless housing resources and Coordinated Entry does not create barriers to access or matching to appropriate resources

Explore outcomes and benefits of various homeless housing interventions to determine effectiveness of promising practices for families of color

HMIS enrollments by race; Positive exits by race (looking for parity across racial groups and within programs)

Community Engagement

Increase in families and communities of color leading Family Homelessness efforts

Explore how to create spaces to elevate and incorporate the experience and voice of families of color to learn what they desire or need for housing stability

Analyze current outreach efforts to identify how additional communities of color can be integrated in FH stakeholder groups

Explore how to increase collaboration with faith based groups and churches with ethnically diverse congregates

Explore how to increase collaboration with tribes

Explore how to join or support legislative priorities outlined by communities and non-profits of color

Increase in leadership and All Home participation of minority led groups, governments (tribal), non-profits and faith organizations




Client Voice It is a community value to include family choice and empowerment into the experience of CEA and homeless services.

Create a culture of client voice and responsiveness in programming and policy setting

Before setting policy, voices from different ethnic and racial groups must be sought out to ensure cultural competency within systems

Establish a process for complaints, concerns and grievances

Create a feedback loop so families know how their voice and recommendations are being used and incorporated

Increase awareness amongst families around the opportunity to engage in the Pre-Meeting Coordinating Board forum

Provide compensation for families who are able and willing to use their time to inform the system

Regular and additional space for consumer feedback Consumer input is synthesized and shared Input leads to key system or policy changes Consumers see how their experience and voice impact systems change

Landlord Engagement Strategy

Expanding the current landlord base and building creative, non-traditional housing solutions holds a lot of potential.

Develop the role of “housing locators”

Explore ways to use social media to increase landlord connections

Organization and development of landlord information in a single database

Explore how to combat preconceived notions around characteristics or demographics

Explore and identify the early “warning signs” before a family falls out of housing

Reenergize One Home Campaign

Increase in landlord base Development of a landlord database Increase awareness and use of the One Home Campaign

Advocacy There is power in informing and organizing the advocacy efforts of stakeholders around legislative priorities.

Work with the All Home “Policy” sub-committee to maintain attention on legislative items related to family needs

Participate in Homeless and Housing Advocacy Day

Identify providers or families willing to provide testimony on behalf of legislative effort

Maintain or increase affordable housing investments

Public Awareness and Engagement Campaign

By building awareness around issues of homelessness, there are additional opportunities for new engagement and new strengths to enhance the effort to end homelessness.

Work with regional communities and neighborhoods to increase engagement around homelessness

Increased engagement of residents, both housed and not housed


Partner with the business community to increase employment opportunities for people experiencing homelessness

Strengthen social media platform by highlighting family homelessness awareness on the All Home website, Twitter and Facebook

Build off of the momentum fostered by the All Home @ Optimism event by hosting annual engage-raisers geared towards family homelessness

Collaborate with local partners who are already hosting public awareness campaigns

Engage local newspapers and encourage stories around family homelessness and poverty issues

Track increase viewing of family homelessness news through social media Bi-annual family homelessness engage-raisers will take place

Faith based organizations

Faith based organizations and churches offer an array of support ranging from basic needs assistance to emotional support.

Engage faith institutions or parishioners to gather what they are doing

Highlight partner successes and strengths

Integrate faith institutions and individual congregants in systems work

Increase in faith leader participation in systems work Identify which gaps faith organizations are filling

making family homelessness rare

While King County booms economically, income inequality and the ability for families in poverty

to maintain housing stability is further strained. It is not surprising why prevention service

providers assert that more and more families are seeking prevention services to maintain

housing.

The ultimate goal for making homelessness rare will be to decrease the number of families in King

County needing to access homeless services. Investing in prevention strategies will support

families at imminent risk of homelessness from being exposed to the trauma of experiencing homelessness. Beyond the

physiological and behavioral health issues that often worsen as a result of homelessness, living in a place not meant for

human habitation or in crowded shelters may expose families to communicable diseases, violence, malnutrition and

harmful weather exposure19. As a result of stress and unhealthy environments, families experiencing homelessness have

an increased chance of hospitalization or emergency room visits and may take longer to heal or regain health once a

health issue exists20 . For children who are reliant on structure and routine, it is difficult to maintain consistency in

school, leading to struggles with performance or not completing school altogether. To avoid potential health issues and

to support parents maintain stability for children, the continued investments in prevention strategies is crucial to

creating healthy, families in King County.

In order to make homelessness rare, quick and appropriate interventions are needed as soon as a family becomes at

imminent risk of homelessness. To maximize resources, it is essential to target efforts towards those who may be more

likely to experience homelessness. Although understanding around risk factors are improving, evidence shows that only

44% of families who demonstrate to have “high risk factors” for experiencing homelessness entered shelter within three

years of seeking prevention assistance and not receiving a prevention intervention21. In a community where families in

need of homeless housing and prevention resources far outnumber what’s available, strategies and national learnings

around how to prevent homelessness needs to be invested in and further studied.

The inflow of newly homeless families seeking services through Family Housing Connection (the Coordinated Entry

system launched in April of 2012) provides a sense of how many families are in need of homeless housing services.

When Family Housing Connection began, eligibility for resources included families who were at imminent risk of

homelessness. (This eligibility policy changed in January of 2014 to target those who were in a place not meant for

human habitation or shelter.) Although many families who present as being in imminent risk of losing housing may not

necessarily become homeless22, the data from Family Housing Connection prior to the change in eligibility for

coordinated entry reflects a potential number of households at risk of homelessness. The graph below demonstrates the

number of families requesting services before and after eligibility policies changes. With effective prevention services,

there is the potential to further reduce the inflow of people seeking homeless housing services thereby reducing the

number of families experiencing homelessness.

19

National Health Care for the Homeless Council (2011). Homelessness & Health: What’s the connection? 20

National Alliance to End Homelessness (2009). Homelessness Prevention: Creating Program that Work – A Companion Guide. 21

National Alliance to End Homelessness’ Family Conference (2014). “5.3 Homelessness Prevention and Diversion” 22

National Alliance to End Homelessness (2009), Homelessness Prevention: Creating Program that Work – A Companion Guide.


What will it take?

In order to reduce the number of families experiencing homelessness, a renewed commitment and refinement of

strategies is essential. Making family homelessness rare will require:

Investing in and learning from housing stability and homeless prevention programs

Strengthening local understanding of what might make a family more likely to experience homelessness so the

existing system can react quickly to respond to housing crises

Advocating for the preservation of existing affordable housing and creating more housing for those making

below 30% AMI

Coordinating with key partners in systems that often see families with higher risks of homelessness, including

Family Court, welfare, treatment centers, and the criminal justice system

what we’re doing next

The ability to prevent families from experiencing homelessness is both dependent on an integrated Coordinated Entry

system as well as having a system that is right-sized to meet the needs of families needing assistance. Strategies to make

family homelessness rare must target current resources to families most at risk of becoming homeless while moving

towards a coordinated model for prevention services. In order to accomplish this, there is the need to invest and better

understand predictors of what might lead to higher chances of homelessness.

Targeted Housing Stability and Homelessness Prevention services All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 1.1 Advocate and align systems to prevent people from experiencing homelessness

Housing can provide many physical and psychological benefits to parents and their children. In the most formative years,

maintaining housing stability can support children’s well-being for long term success. Continued investments in housing


stability services and homelessness prevention services are essential to minimize the demand on the homeless housing

services.

Action:

Support the implementation of Best Starts for Kids23, which fulfills a commitment to improve the health and

will-being of our community by investing in prevention and early intervention for children, youth, families,

and communities

Identify risk factors to help target resources to those most at risk of homelessness

Host learning opportunities with national researchers or providers to understand key indicators that best project

the likeliness of experiencing homelessness when faced with housing instability

Fill the gaps for the doubled up or couch surfing families

Flexible prevention resources to meet the unique needs of immigrant and refugee families All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 1.1 Advocate and align systems to prevent people from experiencing homelessness

In a region increasingly diverse, particularly in South King County24, homeless services must continue to evolve to meet

the needs of families who may be new to the region or country.

Action:

Continue implementation of the Immigrant/Refugee Prevention Navigator System Innovation Grant which

addresses the unique housing needs of vulnerable and at risk immigrant/refugee families

Increase collaboration and understanding among resettlement, housing and community service providers

Listen to local immigrant and refugee service providers and experts regarding what is needed for success

Share promising practices with other prevention services not specialized in immigrant and refugee so the whole

system increases competency in providing culturally appropriate services

Work to increase mainstream resource collaboration and access

Determine how prevention fits into Coordinated Entry and Access

All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 1.1 Advocate and align systems to prevent people from experiencing homelessness

Our current Coordinated Entry system does not meet the needs of those who are at imminent risk of homelessness.

Incorporating prevention services in Coordinated Entry can increase our communities’ understanding around the need

for prevention services and to be able to target those most at risk of experiencing homelessness. Without being

coordinated in our efforts, it is difficult to know if we are serving families who are at the highest risk for losing housing.

Action:

Create a landscape scan of prevention resources

Explore how prevention resources can be coordinated to ensure fair and equal access to resources, and best

support the needs of each individual family

Develop an integration plan

Advocate for policies that prevent displacement and promote affordable housing All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 1.2 Advocate and support partners to preserve existing and create more affordable housing for those making

below 30% AMI 1.3 Expand evidence-based pre-adjudication and post-conviction sentencing alternatives that minimize involvement in the criminal

justice system for people experiencing homelessness

Despite existing efforts, if institutions and systems resulting in barriers to housing do not change, then ending

homelessness will remain out of reach. All Home and advocacy partners will identify legislative priorities and how they

impact family homelessness.

Actions:

Advocate and support partners to preserve and create more affordable housing

23

King County (2015). Best Starts for Kids Initiative. Retrieved from: http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/constantine/initiatives/best-starts-for-kids.aspx 24

Census Data (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/.



http://www.census.gov/2010census/data/


Support local, state, and federal policies that increase tenant protections

how we’ll know it worked Over the next four years, our strategies to make homelessness rare will work if we are seeing fewer families seek out

prevention or homeless services.

Our 2020 goal:

Reducing the number of families that enter the homeless system

Fewer families are unsheltered or temporarily housed

Increased affordable housing funding and policies supporting renters who are experiencing homelessness

Racial disparities among people at risk of homelessness are reduced

The most appropriate intervention depending on the family’s need will be quickly accessed to prevent further

housing instability

Quarterly benchmarks will include:

Reducing the number of families that enter the homeless system

Fewer low-income households are spending more than half their income for housing

Change in income from program exit

Fewer people exit institutions directly to homelessness

Other indicators to include:

Improved relationship and connections to mainstream system as descripted by consumers and providers

making homelessness brief and a one-time occurrence

Over 400 families are sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation at a given

time and in 2014, over 2,000 families were served in homeless housing programs.

Prevention is a key strategy to ending family homelessness, but it is not sufficient. In

2014, families experienced homelessness for an average of 138 days, and 3% of all

families who exited to permanent housing returned to homelessness within two years.

The homeless housing system for families is seeing gains in both areas (from 152 days and 4.9% in 2012 and 147 days

and 4.5% in 2013)25. This indicates the strategies and efforts underway in the last three years are supporting incremental

gains in making homelessness brief and one-time for families. This is in spite of the environmental and economic

challenges faced in King County such as soaring rents, a tight housing market and minimal gains in annual earnings for

families living in poverty.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is challenging communities to reduce episodes of

homelessness to a length of 20 days. While an ambitious goal, it is also an important one for King County. Shortening the

length of time families experience homelessness while maintaining low rates of returns to homelessness reduces the

25

2014 King County HMIS


impact of trauma on parents and children, improves family stability, and creates capacity in the crisis response system

for others in need.

Reducing the length of time families spend homeless and improving the time in which families can re-establish their

routines and a sense of normalcy is a critical strategy for the homeless response system. Making homelessness brief has

tremendous benefits for each family and their children and the overall system. Family-level benefits2627 include:

Increasing parental autonomy, empowerment and self-worth

Reducing the impact of homelessness on children’s academic success

Reducing impacts of trauma on family social and emotional well-being

Reduces the crisis of reacting to unknown timelines and next-step housing placement

System-level benefits include:

Increasing the capacity to serve more families and more quickly respond to new families experiencing

homelessness

Targeting of more costly and intensive resources for the families with the greatest barriers to family stability

Improving system performance and remaining competitive for critical state and federal resources

On average, 110 new families are seeking homeless housing assistance through Coordinated Entry each month. Given

that and the number of families residing in Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing (who remain homeless), to

effectively end family homelessness by 2020, the community must house 132 families each month. Currently,

approximately 50-60 families are exiting to permanent housing each month. Reaching this target will ensure there is a

homeless housing response for the families who need them the day they need assistance.

What will it take?

No one strategy is sufficient to make the changes necessary to make homelessness brief and one-time. A true

integration of strategies will be essential towards achieving this goal. Sometimes, seemingly insurmountable challenges

limit a family’s ability to quickly attain housing in a competitive market. And in some cases, families themselves fear

returning to independent housing after having just gone through the crisis of homelessness. Making homelessness brief

requires a level of nimbleness and flexibility within the system and among the providers working with each family to

respond to the ever changing and varying experiences of families experiencing homelessness.

It will require:

Shifting resources and strategies within the existing system in order more quickly respond to the crisis of

homelessness, to serve more families overall and to more quickly assist families in attaining permanent housing

Ensuring equitable access and parity in outcomes for all families experiencing homelessness, including families

of color

Engaging new partners and landlords to collaborate in efforts to end homelessness

Expanding the types of housing solutions utilized for families – finding creative solutions and using flexible

resources

Expanding the network of partners to support families in maintaining stable housing over time

26

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (2013). College Access and Success for Students Experiencing Homelessness. Retrieved from: http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/toolkit.pdf. 27

The National Center on Family Homelessness (2016). What is Family Homelessness? Retrieved from: http://www.familyhomelessness.org/facts.php?p=tm.

http://www.naehcy.org/sites/default/files/dl/toolkit.pdf

http://www.familyhomelessness.org/facts.php?p=tm


what we’re doing next The community, including local non-profits, funding partners, and All Home are in the midst of an important phase of

work. It is a period of great growth and change. There are many efforts underway to support the goal of making family

homelessness brief and one-time, including refinements to Coordinated Entry, expansion of new strategies like

Diversion, and system realignment which is expanding permanent housing options for families experiencing

homelessness. The community is learning a great deal with new tools that highlight local data and trends, including new

and promising practices. This is also a time to acknowledge opportunities for systematic growth and development

including a greater understanding of both the needs and responses for specialized populations, like young parents and

families of color.

The following strategies will be addressed between 2016 and 2020:

Employment Services and Increasing Incomes to Afford Housing All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy 2.6: create employment and education opportunities to support stability

Connecting employment resources with housing services targeted to families experiencing homelessness, like those

provided to families enrolled in the Rapid Re-Housing Pilot, improve family’s employment and income outcomes and is

critical to their ability to successfully attain and maintain permanent housing. Next steps will include addressing

strategies needed to expand opportunities to improve incomes and employment outcomes for families experiencing

homelessness.

Action:

Implement Front Door Employment Specialists (funded by Building Changes, System Innovation Grant) to

quickly connect families with employment services at coordinated entry and leverage mainstream

employment systems.

Implement The Connections Project: Home and Work (funding and technical assistance provided by the

Heartland Alliance)

Incorporate financial literacy and empowerment programs in system planning efforts and identify opportunities

to support these strategies at all points of the homeless housing system

Coordinated Entry and Assessment All Home Strategic Plan: 2.1: address crisis as quickly as possible; 2.3: assess, divert, prioritize, and match people with housing and supports

Efforts to refine Coordinated Entry for families and align systems for all populations are underway. In March of 2015, the

Inter-Agency Council affirmed a vision for Coordinated Entry for All (CEA) that includes regional, decentralized access

points, a centralized referral entity, and integrating the coordinated entry database with HMIS. These decisions and

actions also align with the recommendations made by Focus Strategies in their analysis of the Family Coordinated Entry

System in 2014.

Action:

Implement Coordinated Entry for All Populations (aligned with CE Vision affirmed by CEH IAC and All Home

Coordinating Board)

Continue efforts to reduce screening criteria to ensure programs are utilizing ‘screen-in’ approach, families

can be connected to the resources they need when they need it, and coordinated entry functions seamlessly

Ensure families have access to homeless housing resources, including those prioritized as the most vulnerable

(through standardized screening practices and mobile outreach)

Identify opportunities to connect families with critical community resources at the time of assessment


Evaluate assessment and referral outcomes and CE functions to assess for any unintended consequences,

opportunities for refinement and other early gains

Pursue strategies to reintegrate the Domestic Violence community into Coordinated Entry

System Realignment All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy2.4: right-size housing and supports to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness

The local community is invested in continuing progress in system realignment. “Right-sizing” will allow the homeless

housing system to shift towards a Housing First approach, increase capacity utilizing existing resources to not only serve

more families but increase permanent housing stock, and positions the community to continue successful competition

for federal and state funding. Next steps will include examining and refining system realignment targets developed in

2014 (figure below).

Action:

Utilize SWAP (System-Wide Analytic Predictor tool) to model system changes as recommended by the Family

Homelessness Advisory Group and make any revisions to system targets established in June of 2014 as

needed

Further explore the role of Transitional Housing in our community by examining how it supports specialized populations like survivors of domestic violence, immigrants/refugees and young parents

o Engage in DV Housing First community of learning

Identify the next group of agencies to undertake realignment with coordination and support of local funding

partners and examining local impacts to regions within King County

Explore the housing strategies best needed for recent immigrants and refugees


Landlord Engagement Strategy All Home Strategic Plan: 2.5: increase access to permanent housing

Assisting families in quickly attaining permanent housing requires a stronger connection to private market landlords and

property owners. Many programs have developed landlord outreach strategies in order to identify housing for clients

enrolled in their programs. This approach can create significant overlap and competition for available housing units, as

well as confusion among landlords as many different providers offering various levels of assistance and incentives

approach them for housing. Efforts are needed to regionally coordinate landlord engagement to quickly connect families

in need of housing with housing solutions.

Action:

Develop a regional Housing Locator program to support rapid re-housing programs and families served in

these programs to identify and recruit landlords and explore opportunities for greater utilization of non-

traditional housing options

Continue to build on the One Home Campaign to publicly recognize and appreciate landlords in our

community who are renting to people exiting homelessness

Organization and development of landlord information in a single database

Explore and identify the early “warning signs” before a family falls out of housing and present landlords with a

solution

Connect with Community Pillar (Zillow) strategy

Rapid Re-Housing All Home Strategic Plan: 2.4: right-size housing and supports to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness;

Rapid Re-Housing is demonstrating to be a powerful intervention to quickly respond to family homelessness. Even as

King County faces an ever restrictive and competitive housing market, progressive engagement and tailored service

approaches ensure that families are supported to attain and sustain housing. An adaptable program approach and

flexible funds permit programs to expand and contract the intensity of services as needed – based on family and

economic factors. This approach is still fairly new to the community and there are opportunities to further refine the

model and the role of rapid re-housing in the system, ensuring that Housing First philosophies are consistently driving

implementation efforts.

Action:

Improve connections to and coordination with Shelter providers

Connect families to rapid re-housing as quickly as possible

Improve standardization across the system to ensure equity and fidelity for families

Expand the utilization of more creative housing solutions based on lessons learned from Diversion

Closely coordinate with efforts to improve landlord engagement/recruitment

Explore the utilization of existing housing resources (non-profit housing providers and other homeless set-

asides)

Explore refinement needed to rapid rehousing solutions for recent immigrants and refugees

Connections to Community and Mainstream Systems All Home Strategic Plan: 2.3: asses, divert, prioritize, and match people with housing and supports; 2.6: create employment and education

opportunities to support stability

As the homeless housing system makes shifts to operate more as a crisis response system, it will be equally important to

increase and improve ties to community and mainstream systems. These systems are intended to provide on-going

supports for people who face challenges to economic and family stability and are critical in supporting families in

maintaining housing stability in the long run. Examples include: Primary and Behavioral Health Care providers, Education

systems, Child Welfare, Employment, and DSHS. Provider input has indicated shifts in the family homelessness system


(through the implementation of Coordinated Entry and prioritization of families sleeping in places not meant for human

habitation) have also impacted the relationships between some of these community programs. Mainstream programs

have lost direct access to housing solutions for at-risk families they serve and could benefit from developing alternative

pathways to housing. While partnerships between homeless and community providers exist, they tend to require

significant coordination and gaps exist based on the knowledge and advocacy skills of individual case managers. Next

steps aim to improve systematic connections between community, mainstream and homeless systems

Action:

Develop timely referrals and access to needed resources at time of assessment (at Coordinated Entry)

Identify and provide cross-training opportunities to support community providers in developing housing

pathways for at-risk families and to train homeless providers in available resources for clients

Identify strategies to ensure families are accessing benefits for which they’re eligible and explore

opportunities to streamline and assist coordination of services between DSHS and homeless housing

programs

Track and engage in opportunities created by shifts in local behavioral health systems, Affordable Care Act

and the Medicaid Waiver

Enhance connections between the child welfare system and homeless housing system to ensure families

experiencing homelessness with reunification and other child welfare needs receive timely and continuous

support

Improve coordination and partnerships between homeless housing programs and legal services to support

families in addressing outstanding legal implications (active warrants, court fees, eviction histories, etc.)

Increase access to financial literacy programs for families experiencing homelessness in order to support families

in establishing household budgets and income goals to guide re-housing efforts, and to resolve credit and debt

barriers

Diversion Strategies All Home Strategic Plan: 2.1: address crisis as quickly as possible; 2.3: assess, divert, prioritize, and match people with housing and supports

Diversion will continue to play a critical role in quickly ending families’ episodes of homelessness through the use of

creative housing solutions and flexible client assistance. Diversion will also play an expanded role in working with

families seeking homeless housing resources avoid entering shelter and may be utilized as a way to improve targeting of

prevention resources through an analysis of risk factors.

Action:

Expand and refine Diversion within the implementation of Coordinated Entry for All

Explore the role of shelter in continuing to support Diversion strategies for families who may not need

lengthier or more intensive supports

Explore additional, non-traditional, housing solutions

how we’ll know it worked The strategies listed above will continue to reduce overall episodes of homelessness for families and drive down the

rates of returns to homelessness.

Our 2020 goals:

On average, families do not experience homelessness longer than 20 days

Families can access homeless housing assistance the day they need them


Between now and 2020, an average of 135 families attain permanent housing each month

Equal access to services and parity of outcomes for families of color: the same proportion of families of color

accessing the system obtain permanent housing resources


Length of episodes of homelessness (system-level and lengths of stay by program type)

Rates of returns to homelessness (system-level and by program type)

Housing Placement Rates (# of exits to permanent housing relative to in-flow and current HMIS enrollments)

Bi-Annual benchmarks will include:

Changes in income from program entry to exit (system-level and by program type)

HMIS enrollments by race

Positive exits by race (looking for parity across racial groups and within programs)

Other indicators to include:

Improved relationships and connections to mainstream system as described by families and providers

Improved coordination between program types as described by families and providers

Consistent messaging and communication about how to access services and descriptions of available

services/program models

community engagement

Making family homelessness rare, brief and one time requires everyone. On November 2,

2015, King County Executive, Dow Constantine, and Seattle Mayor, Ed Murray, declared

homelessness in a State of Emergency. This bold assertion was a significant step toward

supporting the All Home Strategic Plan by calling on local, State and Federal governments

to do more in resolving King County’s homelessness crisis. Moreover, it highlighted another

side to homelessness for many people, families and children experiencing homelessness.

We know government is but a piece of the solution and it will take the entire community to

engage and commit to ending homelessness. Efforts to engage stakeholders around family

homelessness include the One Home campaign, peer learning circles, the Family Homelessness Advisory Group, faith

and business contributions, and training. An example of one stakeholder participating in community engagement is

Seattle University through their Project on Family Homelessness28. Faith based and community organizations have

always filled the gaps where public services come short, creating access to employment, housing and emotional support.

What will it take?

Creating a sense of ownership around the issue of homelessness will take service homeless providers; it will take

business owners; it will take parishes and faith based organizations; and it will take you. It will require:

An increased engagement and coordination of highly involved stakeholders

A broadening of stakeholders to participate and understand where they can have impact on homelessness

An ongoing community-wide public awareness and engagement campaign

Increased visibility and expanded efforts taking place by faith institutions and individual congregants

28

Seattle University (2016). Family Homelessness Project. Retrieved from: http://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/departments/communication/csc/family-homelessness/.

http://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/departments/communication/csc/family-homelessness/

http://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/departments/communication/csc/family-homelessness/


Increased engagement and commitments from landlords and property owners

what we’re doing next There is a need to build off the momentum gained since the adoption of the Moving Forward plan. Efforts will continue in the Family Homelessness Initiative efforts to build community engagement through the following strategies: Client voice to inform homeless service programming All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 3.1 Engage residents, housed and unhoused, to take community action

Inclusion of family choice and empowerment into their experience of CEA and homeless services is important. With

flexible programming to allow for creativity and decision making on behalf of the family, solutions that meet the unique

needs of each family can be identified.

Action:

Need to create a culture of client voice and responsiveness in programming and policy setting

Before setting policy, voices from different ethnic and racial groups must be sought out to ensure cultural

competency within systems

Establish a process for complaints, concerns and grievances around the system to be expressed and addressed

Create a feedback loop so families know how their voice and recommendations are being used and

incorporated into long term planning

Increase awareness among families regarding the opportunity to engage in the Pre-Meeting Coordinating Board

forum

Provide compensation for families who are able and willing to use their time to inform systems change

Communities of Learning All Home Strategic Plan: 2.4: right-size housing and supports to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness

A strategy that has proven to be quite successful and supportive for providers as they engage in new strategies and

interventions is that of creating communities of learning or ‘learning circles.’ These groups bring partners together to

discuss a common strategy or challenge. Successes are celebrated and explored and challenges are discussed. There is

room to explore where refinements are needed and to push through challenges to stay on course.

Action:

Incorporate conversations and learnings specifically to address the needs of families of color within learning

circles

Analyze accessibility and equity around service delivery to ensure services accommodate the needs of each

family

Continue to refine strategies of engaging communities of learning to both empower and support providers as

well as enhance local responses to end homelessness

Explore new opportunities or needs to convene learning circles on an ongoing basis

Engage with mainstream systems All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 1.1 Advocate and align systems to prevent people from experiencing homelessness, 1.3 Expand evidence-based

pre-adjudication and post-conviction sentencing alternatives that minimize involvement in the criminal justice system for people experiencing

homelessness

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness newly adopted strategies on ending homelessness in December of 2015.

The need to better coordinate homelessness assistance with mainstream programs was strongly reinforced during the

convening.


Engage with experts working in institutions frequently accessed by families at risk of homelessness

Provide public systems with guidance and examples of best practices to address housing instability among the

families they are serving

Support mainstream services’ capacity to effectively address high-needs families, including those experiencing

domestic violence and other forms of trauma

Increase understanding of barriers faced by families attempting reunification

Find new ways to engage and build landlord base All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 3.1 Engage residents, housed and unhoused, to take community action

Some of the most essential stakeholders in the community are landlords. With rapid rehousing and diversion services being the most plentiful permanent housing resource in the continuum, expanding the current landlord base and building creative, non-traditional housing solutions holds a lot of potential. Action:

Coordinate with Housing Locator strategies (see Brief and One-Time Section)

Explore ways to use social media to reach out to and bring in potential landlords

Explore how to eliminate the preconceived notion that criminal background, limited rental history or limited

English proficiency innately equates to service need and rental risk

Reenergize One Home Campaign efforts amongst family housing providers

Engage Community Stakeholders in Advocacy Efforts All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 3.1 Engage residents, housed and unhoused, to take community action

Without moving the dial to align the law to support the right to housing, the proposed strategies in this plan can only get

so far. There is power in informing and organizing the advocacy efforts of stakeholders around legislative priorities.

Action:

Work with the All Home Policy Sub-Committee to maintain efforts around an annual legislative agenda and

coordinate advocacy efforts to highlight family needs

Participate in Homeless and Housing Advocacy Day

Identify providers or families willing to provide testimony on behalf of legislative effort

Launch on-going community-wide public awareness and engagement campaign to provide opportunities for action All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 3.1 Engage residents, housed and unhoused, to take community action

The need for new stakeholders is a priority! By building awareness around issues of homelessness, there are additional

opportunities for new engagement and new strengths to enhance the effort to end homelessness.

Action:

Work with regional communities and neighborhoods to increase engagement around homelessness

Partner with the business community to increase employment opportunities for people experiencing

homelessness

Strengthen a social media platform by bringing family homelessness awareness to the All Home website,

Twitter and Facebook

Build off of the momentum fostered by the All Home @ Optimism event by hosting annual engage-raisers

geared towards family homelessness

Collaborate with local partners who are already hosting public awareness campaigns like universities or faith

based organizations

Engage local newspapers and encourage highlighting stories around family homelessness and poverty issues

Build and collaborate the work being done by faith based organizations and parishioners All Home Strategic Plan: Strategy: 3.1 Engage residents, housed and unhoused, to take community action


For many families faith based organizations and churches offer an array of support ranging from basic needs assistance

to emotional support.

Action:

Engage with faith institutions or parishioners to gather what they are doing and how efforts can furhter

support to families experiencing homelessness

Highlight partner successes and strengths on the All Home website, newsletter and through partner platforms

Integrate faith institutions and individual congregants in systems work and identify how to build and learn from

their strengths

how we’ll know it worked By 2020, we will have implemented the strategies outlined in this plan and measure our success of community engagement by tracking the following goals: Our 2020 goal:

Increased engagement of residents, both housed and not housed

Maintain or increase affordable housing investments

Increase in landlord base

Increase in faith leader participation in systems work


Regular and additional space for client feedback

Increased awareness and use of the One Home Campaign as reported by housing and property owners and

landlords

The number of stakeholders who access family homelessness related stories through the All Home website and

newsletter


Focus groups occur, input is synthesized and shared, leading to key system or policy changes, and majority of

participants express feeling heard and can see impact of their work

Identify which gaps faith organizations are filling

Bi-annual family homelessness engage-raisers will take place

Other indicators:

Families will feel more supported by the community

ending racial disparities

People of color are disproportionately represented in the homeless system. 46% of the families served in

HMIS programs are families of color, as opposed to 23.4% in the general King County population29. With

29

United States Census (2010). Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/2010census/popmap/.



nearly half of children born in King County under 18 years old identifying as children of color30, the region is further

experiencing an increase in racial and ethnic diversity.

Given this country’s foundation of imperialism and struggle with race, addressing racial disproportionality in

homelessness is a difficult task. Historical trauma and oppressive systems continue to inflict families of color, which can

lead or contribute to the experience of homelessness. It is overwhelmingly agreed upon that homelessness can

exacerbate or create negative health outcomes and jeopardies the likelihood of healthy development and long term

success for young children31. Power and decision making is taken away from parents when they access welfare or

homeless services despite the intent to help, further marginalizing families. Although these conditions are not exclusive

to families of color, they are dramatically overrepresented proportionally to the general population as a result of unjust

systems of power.

All Home is committed to ensuring race and social equity in the homeless system and appreciates the complexity of the

social, economic and political factors involved in these issues. The Family Homelessness Strategic Plan calls out and

recognizes the dangers of implicit bias and internalized, institutional and systemic racism and how these oppressions

contribute to inequitable experiences of homelessness for families of color. However, what is currently being done falls

short or what it means to be an equitable or anti-racist system and in many circumstances upholds systems of

oppression. All Home must challenge to shift its culture and operations to include on-going analysis and understanding

of how policies and the current homeless system perpetuates or enforces systems of racism.

Internal evaluation and critical analysis for the purpose of outlining areas where All Home falls short of serving the most

vulnerable or fails to address racial disparities will be explored under this new plan. All Home will explore how to better

integrate systems’ change through the lens of racial equity. This will be explored through learning circles, the use of

racial equity tools and trainings, increase in consumer voice and seeking of expert community support.

What will it take?

Ending racial disparities begins with a critical examination of the Family Homelessness Strategic Plan’s development. In

partnership with the King County Equity and Social Team, this document is reviewed utilizing the Equity Impact Review

Tool. Community engagement opportunities include community dialogues focused on the equitable impact of future

strategies. A Consumer Advisory Group Council-sponsored Family Focus Group is also convened to discuss the needed

implementation of strategies outlined in the plan. Moving forward, All Home will continue to utilize local and other best

practices supporting efforts to end racial disparities. These include:

Critical examination of policies and systems which contribute to the disproportionate representation of families

of color in the homeless housing system utilizing available equity tools

Creating opportunities for families of color experiencing homelessness to contribute to the development of

policy and systems change recommendations

Moving past “families of color” as a homogeneous body to address the specific needs of specific racial groups

A commitment of public institutions and non-profit organizations to evaluate outcomes and impacts of current

strategies and explore refinement needed for equity among all families

External expertise and evaluation to combat the blindness that can result from being entrenched in the work

what we’re doing next

30

Blasingame, Brenda. King County Equity and Social Justice Annual Report, December 2015. (pg. 4). 31

National Health Care for the Homeless Council (2011). Homelessness & Health: What’s the connection?


The following strategies will be addressed between 2016 and 2020:

System-Wide Strategies

Utilize a Race and Equity Tool in the development and analysis of strategies to prevent disproportionate impacts

on people of color

Establish regular discussions about disproportionality in community and project-specific Learning Circles

Host community wide trainings and conversations around race and social justice

Integrate racial equity expectations and objectives into contracts and auditing practices

Aim to promote and support leadership of color

Making Homelessness Rare

Continue to invest in prevention programs that support the unique needs of Immigrant and Refugee families

Deepen understanding around how impact of implicit or explicit bias may contribute to imminent risk of

homelessness in prevention and housing stabilization programs

Explore the impacts of incorporating prevention services in Coordinated Entry on families of color

Explore how mainstream systems are not accommodating or working well for families of color

Evaluate legislative agenda and affordable housing advocacy efforts through the lens of racial equity

Making Homelessness Brief & One Time

Continue to monitor equitable access to system entry and parity in housing outcomes

Explore strategies to ensure that families of color and Immigrant and Refugee families have equal access to

homeless housing resources and Coordinated Entry does not create barriers to access or matching to

appropriate resources

Explore outcomes and benefits of various homeless housing interventions to determine effectiveness of

promising practices for families of color

Explore the possibilities of including cultural competency in contracts through required objectives and auditing

Community Engagement

Explore how to create spaces to elevate and incorporate the experiences and voices of families of color to learn

what they desire or need for housing stability

Analyze current outreach efforts to identify how additional communities of color can be integrated in Family

Homelessness stakeholder groups

Explore how to increase collaboration with faith based groups and churches with ethnically diverse congregates

Explore how to join or support legislative priorities outlined by communities and non-profits of color

how we’ll know it worked The strategies listed above will continue to reduce overall episodes of homelessness for families and drive down the

rates of returns to homelessness.

Our 2020 goals:

Equal access to services and parity of outcomes for families of color: the same proportion of families of color

accessing the system obtain permanent housing resources



HMIS enrollments by race

Positive exits by race (looking for parity across racial groups and within programs)

Implicit bias and racial equity community trainings

Implement community wide racial and social justice trainings/dialogues for service providers

Family Homelessness Strategic Plan DRAFT 2016 -...

Documents

Transcript of Family Homelessness Strategic Plan DRAFT 2016 -...