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Destination: Home > Updates > Archives ArchivesDestination: Home Updates & Progress Reports
2008 2008 Progress Report February 2008 2008 Priority Strategies 2007 December 2007 2007 Accomplishments 2006 October 2006 2006 Accomplishments 2005 2005 Report August 2005 Commission on Homelessness February 2005 Accessing the 10-Year Plan
Progress Report - February 2006 Vol. 2, #1
EndorsementsWe continue to actively solicit endorsements, both from organizations and individuals. Copies of the endorsement statement can be found in the plan. Please send in your endorsement if you support the spirit and philosophy of Destination Home. We welcome recent endorsements from:
Please note that an endorsement acknowledged in the last issue was incorrectly identified. The correct acknowledgement should read: Community Outreach - YMCA of Southwestern Indiana.
Public Awareness activities
If you would like to schedule a speaker or presentation or want promotional materials, please contact the Resource Coordinator. 2006 Targeted Strategies
Close the Front Door to Homelessness - PreventionStrategy 1: Develop a homeless prevention system to identify and assist people most likely to become Homeless. Goal for 2006: Complete the creation of the rating scale to identify those at-risk of loosing the housing and begin training service providers on the purpose and use of the rating scale.
Strategy 2: Establish an oversight initiative that develops and coordinates resources required to prevent homelessness that includes rent and mortgage assistance, legal assistance and other supportive services. Goal for 2006: Begin identifying resources for this initiative.
Strategy 3: Develop a "Housing First" program for 750 households. Goal for 2006: Begin to develop resources for this initiative. The households will be identified through the prevention system and use of the rating scale.
Strategy 7: Create a Community Discharge Plan to prevent release from a publicly funded institution resulting in immediate homelessness. Goal for 2006: This strategy was begun in 2005 by convening the working group to develop the community discharge policy and hopes to complete this task before the end of 2006
Build the Infrastructure – HousingStrategy 2: Develop a program to move 1000 currently low-income renters into homeownership through assessment, training and down-payment assistance The implementation of this strategy has been transferred to the Department of Metropolitan Development because it mirrors the Front Door Pride initiative.
Build the Infrastructure – Services Strategy 7: Provide training for community service providers Goal for 2006: Promote the incorporation of the Strength Based model into services The Training and Certification Committee of the Policy & Planning Council for Homeless Services has developed a curriculum for homeless service providers that will include this topic. The first training in this series is scheduled for March 2006. Once the strength-based training is established, it will be promoted to other community members. Status of Strategies Begun in 2005
Closing the Front Door to Homelessness – PreventionStrategy 5: Develop a year-round utility subsidy program for the 30% area median income population. Vectren has completed year one of the two-year pilot program called the Universal Service Fund. The Commission on Homelessness will review their data and make an initial determination about the effectiveness of this program in achieving this outlined strategy. – Services Strategy 2: Increase existing Individual Development Account (IDA) program IDA’s are matched savings accounts for low-income individuals and are a proven approach to helping lower-income individuals save and build assets. The savings and match may only be used to purchase an approved asset such as homeownership, postsecondary education, job training or micro-enterprise development. Expanding the IDA program is identified in the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority Strategic Plan. We will encourage IHCDA in this expansion and work to see that our community has access to this valuable resource. - Services Strategy 1: Improve/Develop Transportation Options for low-Income Individuals In addition to the Bike-to-work program, a local community collaborative group, Partners In Caring, is working to increase the transportation options available to lower income individuals. They are investigating best practices from other communities who have established community transportation to supplement mass transit. If you are interested in this strategy, you may contact the facilitator of the Partners group, United Way’s Emily Baxter at 422-4100. Strategy 5: Improved access and coordination of services for specialized populations.
Strategy 7: Provide Training for Community Service Providers
Build the Infrastructure - Public Awareness Strategy 2: Promote Destination Home: A Ten Year Journey to End Homelessness The Task Force that developed Destination Home knew that public awareness and support of this effort is crucial to its success, thus, the great emphasis on education and awareness and laying a good foundation during the first year of implementation. With the generous support of a three year pledge from Vectren, a second staff person is being hired to help carry out the educational strategies and promotional activities of Destination Home. The goal is to have the Educational Specialist in place by early March.
DESTINATION HOME: A TEN YEAR JOURNEY TO END HOMELESSNESS IN EVANSVILLE AND VANDERBURGH COUNTY
Year one of the plan calls for activities that promote the plan, increase public awareness, increase coordination of existing services, develop resources, increase training for existing providers as well as to establish the joint City-County Commission on Homelessness.
Educational, Public Awareness & Promotional activities
Increase coordination of existing services
Develop resources
Increase training for existing providers
Establish the joint City-County Commission on Homelessness
DESTINATION HOME: A TEN YEAR JOURNEY TO END HOMELESSNESS IN EVANSVILLE AND VANDERBURGH COUNTY Progress report December 2005 Vol. 1, #6 December 8, 2005- First year Celebration of Destination Home Despite the frightful weather about 60 brave souls met at Central Library to celebrate the accomplishments of 2005 and to look ahead to the implementation tasks of 2006. Many thanks to our speakers, Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel and Commissioner Tom Shetler, Jr. Jeffery Whiteside, VP of Vectren Corporate Communications and Public Affairs also announced a $50,000 commitment by Vectren to propel the educational strategies in Destination Home forward over the next three years. Thanks to all of you who were there in person and with us in spirit that day.
Endorsements: We continue to actively solicit endorsements, both from organizations and individuals. Copies of the endorsement statement can be found in the plan. Please send in your endorsement if you support the spirit and philosophy of Destination Home. We welcome recent endorsements from:
Progress Report for 2005 Year one of the plan calls for activities that promote the plan, increase public awareness, increase coordination of existing services, develop resources, increase training for existing providers as well as to establish the joint City-County Commission on Homelessness.
Educational, Public Awareness & Promotional activities
Increase coordination of existing services
Develop resources
Increase training for existing providers
Establish the joint City-County Commission on Homelessness
DESTINATION HOME: A TEN YEAR JOURNEY TO END HOMELESSNESS IN EVANSVILLE AND VANDERBURGH COUNTY Progress report October 2005 Vol. 1, #5 SPECIAL THANKS: The progress achieved to date could not have occurred without substantial financial commitment to the vision of ending homelessness. Sincere appreciation goes to Bussing-Koch Foundation, Mission & Ministry, Inc. and Trinity United Methodist Church Fund B for their commitment to ending homelessness. Many other individuals and organizations continue to faithfully support implementation efforts through both financial and organizational assistance. Thanks to everyone who is investing in ensuring that all of our residents will have access to safe, affordable and decent housing for years to come.
2005 Celebration of Destination Home: Please mark your calendars to join us for the first anniversary celebration of Destination Home, Thursday, December 8, 2005, 9:30 a.m. at Central Library, Browning Event Room. Come celebrate the successes of 2005 and become energized as we look ahead to the opportunities available in 2006.
Endorsements: We continue to actively solicit endorsements, both from organizations and individuals. Copies of the endorsement statement can be found in the plan. Please send in your endorsement if you support the spirit and philosophy of Destination Home. We welcome recent endorsements from First Presbyterian Church, Impact Christian Health Center and NAMI Evansville (National Alliance on Mental Illness).
Public awareness activities: Over the last two months, presentations on Destination Home were made to Trinity United Methodist Church Women’s Group, NAMI Evansville Chapter, and the Executive Directors of United Way Members Agencies. If you would like to schedule a speaker or presentation, please contact the Resource Coordinator.
Commission on Homelessness: The Commission is the oversight body whose charge is to keep Destination Home strategies moving forward. The Commission meets monthly and members have become familiar with the plan, housing, discharge planning, and prevention initiatives. Over the next few months they will establish baseline measures to determine the success of identified strategies, look at the issues of raising incomes and developing sustainable funding, and identify ways to connect Destination Home strategies to other community initiatives already underway. The commission has already formed two committees. The Housing Committee is charged with overseeing the housing strategies outlined in Destination Home. The Discharge Planning Committee is charged with developing a Community Discharge Plan Policy which does not allow discharges into homelessness.
"The nation’s housing challenges will not diminish without the involvement of all levels of government, as well as the collaboration of businesses and nonprofit housing and service providers." Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, State of the Nation’s Housing 2005
Self-Sufficiency Standard of Standard for Indiana: Where Economic Independence Begins 2005 was released in September by the Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues (ICHHI). The Indiana Self-Sufficiency Standard calculates how much money working adults need to meet their basic needs without subsidies of any kind. It accounts for varying costs of living and working by family size and composition and by where these families reside in Indiana. Real basic costs of living such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and taxes are used to calculate the standard.
The self-sufficiency wage for an adult with an infant and preschooler living in Vanderburgh County rose to $13.99 in 2005 compared to $13.49 in 2002. This equates to a monthly income of $2,463 or $29,551 annually. The 2002 rates were used in the preparation of Destination Home.
The self-sufficiency standard is a more adequate measure of well-being than the federal poverty level because it bases costs on universally basic needs, not the cost of a single item, takes into account the geographic location and accounts for realistic expenses associated with two-household wage earners. It takes the positive approach to determine where economic independence begins instead of where poverty ends. The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Indiana 2005 may be found at: www.ichhi.org
Movement has begun on the following strategies:
Planning for Outcomes -- Using data to develop local outcomes to end homelessness Strategy 1: Establish Evansville-Vanderburgh County Participation in the Hoosier Management Information System (HMIS) The system has been established and has been operational locally for one year. A new agency training session was held on Sept. 22 and a user group training was held on Sept. 23 for agency staff currently using the system. If you are interested in learning more about the functionality and usefulness of HMIS to your organization, please contact Mary Jenkins with DMD at 436-7823.
Closing the Front Door to Homelessness – Prevention Strategy 1: Develop a Homeless Prevention System to Identify and Assist People Most Likely to Become Homeless. A committee is working on developing a rating scale to identify those at risk of losing housing. Time is being spent to research the types of scales currently available and if any are being used for this purpose. Once developed, the scale will be made available to all social service agencies and they will be encouraged to use the tool as part of the intake process. A corresponding rating for appropriate interventions will also be developed. Preventing the loss of housing is cost-effective and a foundational component to ending homelessness. Strategy 7: Create a Community Discharge Plan to Prevent Release from a Publicly Funded Institution Resulting in Immediate Homelessness The Discharge Planning Committee of the Commission on Homelessness has started working on this strategy by developing a greater understanding of current discharge planning procedures used by various publicly funded institutions, what other community polices contain, and what resources are currently being used upon discharge.
Opening the Back Door to Leave Homelessness Strategy 1: Develop a "Housing First" Program for Those in Emergency Shelter that Includes Rent Subsidy and Transitional Case Management The Housing Committee of the Commission on Homelessness continues to develop 20 units of permanent housing for homeless families to be submitted with the 2006 HUD Supportive Housing Program application.
Building the Infrastructure - Housing Strategy 1: Develop 500 units of supportive single room occupancy (SRO) housing. The interest in developing supportive housing is growing and a development team is being formed. ECHO Housing Corporation is taking the lead in team development and has committed to developing 100 units of Supportive SRO housing over the next 3 years. The Evansville Coalition for the Homeless is providing assistance with the development of services and Great Lakes Capital Investment is providing technical support.
Build the Infrastructure - Services Strategy 1: Improve/Develop Transportation Options for low-Income Individuals The Bike to Work Program refurbishes old bikes and provides them to homeless veterans engaged in active job search activities. If you wish to make a monetary donation, have a bike to donate or would like more information about this program, contact Tony Schmitt at the Vet Center, 473-5993. Strategy 4: Develop Improved Access to Information About Sources of Assistance. United Way of Southwestern Indiana has been operating at a 2-1-1 call center since February 2005. 2-1-1 is a simple way to connect people with human services. The call center receives more than 1,000 calls per month ranging from child care to financial assistance to the more complex calls regarding hunger, divorce, child abuse, domestic violence, homelessness and other crisis calls. Telephone specialists refer these callers to local social service agencies that provide the assistance they are looking for. Nationwide, over 40% of the US population has access to 2-1-1. In the state of Indiana, over 52% of the Hoosier population has access to 2-1-1. Currently, residents of Vanderburgh, Warrick and Spencer County, in need of assistance, can contact United Way First Call For Help - 2-1-1 by simple dialing 2-1-1 or 421-2800.
Strategy 5: Improved access and coordination of services for specialized populations.
Strategy 7: Provide Training for Community Service Providers
DESTINATION HOME: A TEN YEAR JOURNEY TO END HOMELESSNESS IN EVANSVILLE AND VANDERBURGH COUNTY Progress report August 2005 Vol. 1, #4
Three cities report substantial drop in homelessness at the National Alliance to End Homelessness annual conference in July 2005: Using techniques similar to those promoted locally, three cities have achieved measurable declines in homelessness: Hennepin County in Minnesota repots a 43 percent decline in family homelessness; New York City reports an increase in the percentage of sheltered families moving into permanent housing; and San Francisco has reported that homelessness dropped 28%. (National Alliance to End Homelessness, online newsletter, July 18, 2005)
Endorsements: We continue to actively solicit endorsements, both from organizations and individuals. Copies of the endorsement statement can be found in the plan. Please send in your endorsement if you support the spirit and philosophy of Destination Home.
Public awareness activities: Destination Home can be found on-line at www.destination-home.info and at www.endhomelessness.org. Copies are also located in the Reference Section of all branches of the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Libraries.
Commission on Homelessness: The Commission has met monthly since June 2005. They are increasing their knowledge of the multiple variables associated with homelessness and the specifics of Destination Home. The Commission has focused on the current services being offered, becoming familiar with criteria associated with HUD homeless grant opportunities, best practice housing programs identified in Destination Home, and the issues of discharge planning. The Commission is collecting additional information about the special needs of the homeless population through monthly surveys to determine housing and service needs.
The Commission also reviews the progress of the first year priority strategies to make sure Destination Home is proceeding on schedule. They have formed two working committees to date: Housing and Discharge Planning. "Our City-County Commission on Homelessness has brought together a wide-range of community representatives to address the plight of the homeless. I am pleased by the progress that is being made through our monthly meetings and look forward to continuing the dialogue to help ensure individuals and families in Evansville and Vanderburgh County have the most basic of needs met." Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel.
Movement has begun on the following strategies:
Planning for Outcomes -- Using data to develop local outcomes to end homelessness Strategy 1: Establish Evansville-Vanderburgh County Participation in the Hoosier Management Information System (HMIS) The system has been established and has been operational locally for one year. We have 19 participating local agencies but would like to increase the number and type of agencies participating. If you are interested in learning more about the functionality and usefulness of HMIS to your organization, please contact Mary Jenkins in DMD at 436-7823.
Closing the Front Door to Homelessness – Prevention Strategy 7: Create a Community Discharge Plan to Prevent Release from a Publicly Funded Institution Resulting in Immediate Homelessness The Commission on Homelessness has formed a committee to begin the development of a community discharge policy.
Opening the Back Door to Leave Homelessness Strategy 1: Develop a "Housing First" Program for Those in Emergency Shelter that Includes Rent Subsidy and Transitional Case Management The Housing Committee of the Commission on Homelessness is exploring a first development of at lease 20 units utilizing HUD Supportive Housing Program funds. This project would provide permanent housing to currently homeless families.
Building the Infrastructure - Housing Strategy 1: Develop 500 units of supportive single room occupancy (SRO) housing. A Supportive Housing Forum was held at Old National Bank in Evansville on July 28, 2005 to acquaint the community with this type of housing. Sponsoring partners included: The Indiana Coalition for Housing and Homeless Issues (ICHHI), Old National Bank, ECHO Housing, and the Evansville Coalition for the Homeless. The speakers were nationally known experts in the field of supportive housing and represented the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Great Lakes Capital Fund, Partners in Housing, Fannie Mae, and Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. The interest in developing supportive housing locally is growing and a development team is being formed. Once the team is in place, site selection for the first project will begin.
Build the Infrastructure - Services Strategy 5: Improved access and coordination of services for specialized population. A group of homeless residential service providers, called HELP, continues to meet to develop a community response to the issues of homeless children ages 0-5. If you would like additional information about this project, please call the Resource Coordinator.
Homeless Youth: The very early stages of planning a community forum has begun as outlined in Destination Home. The goals of this meeting will be to:
This meeting is tentatively scheduled for late October or early November. If you are interested in this strategy, please call the Resource Coordinator.
Update on the Veteran Homeless Network Group: The Veteran’s Working Group to End Homelessness was set up to explore means to end homelessness in ten years and report these results to the Task Force to End Homelessness. This group continues to meet quarterly, with the next meeting scheduled for 2 pm November, 4, 2005 at the Vet Center, 311 North Weinbach Avenue. Please contact Tony Schmitt at the Vet Center, 473-5993 for more information.
Build the Infrastructure - Services Strategy 1: Improve/Develop Transportation Options for low-Income Individuals Update on the Bike to Work Program The Veterans’ Working Group identified the lack of transportation for job search and employment as a chief contributor to homelessness in the Evansville veteran population. To meet this need, the United Caring Shelter is housing the Bike to Work Program, where donated bikes are refurbished and provided to homeless veterans in active job search. To date the program has provided 42 bikes to homeless veterans. If you wish to make a monetary donation, have a bike to donate or would like more information about this program, contact Tony Schmitt at the Vet Center, 473-5993. Strategy 7: Provide Training for Community Service Providers Using Bridges Out of Poverty as economic diversity training community wide was identified as a goal. We are continuing to look for $75,000 in funding for a three-year community license with Aha! Process, Inc. To date, three different grants/letters of intent have been submitted for consideration.
DESTINATION HOME: A TEN YEAR JOURNEY TO END HOMELESSNESS IN EVANSVILLE AND VANDERBURGH COUNTY Progress report June 2005 Vol. 1, #3
Destination Home can be found on-line at www.destination-home.info.
Endorsements: We continue to actively solicit endorsements, both from organizations and individuals. Southwestern Indiana Mental Health Center recently joined our growing list of organizational supporters. Copies of the endorsement statement can be found in the plan. Please send in your endorsement if you support the spirit and philosophy of Destination Home.
Public awareness activities: Destination Home presentations were made to First Presbyterian Church Adult Sunday School Class, the Division of Family Resources staff, a local Youth Transitional Conference, the State Association of Township Trustees Conference in Clarksville, and a Division of Mental Health- Faith, Hope and Healing Conference in Indianapolis. April 2005 progress updates of Destination Home were included in the Evansville Area Council of Churches Summer 2005 Newsletter.
Destination Home was selected for the Celebrating Leadership Project award given by Leadership Evansville in the Health and Social Service category. This is a tribute to the 200-plus volunteers who contributed to this project. Thanks to our many supporters who help us promote Destination Home.
Commission on Homelessness: The Commission as established by city and county ordinance is composed of the following members: Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel, Commission Suzanne Crouch, City Councilman Steve Melcher, County Councilman Jim Raben, John Browning, Lark Buckman, Diane Clements, Brenda Headley, Tom Horstman, Lynne Imes, John Kaufman, Gregg LaMar, Walt Lowe, Bart McCandless, Mildred Motley, and Ryan Scheidler. The Commission held its first meeting on June 7th
The purpose of the Commission is to make non-binding recommendations to city and county government, not-for-profits, and other interested agencies concerning the ten-year plan to end homelessness. It will also make similar recommendations on other issues of importance concerning homelessness in our community and oversee progress on the implementation of Destination Home. The Commission decided to focus on housing and will be forming a committee at their next meeting.
US Conference of Mayors: Page three of this report contains a resolution passed by the US Conference of Mayors at their June 2005 meeting calling for a consistent definition of homeless to be established and used by all federal department, funding sources and the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. They further recommend that the accepted definition be the one currently used by the Department of Education. Destination Home contains several policy recommendations, including this problem of different definitions. The action by the US Conference of Mayors is applauded and fully supported by Destination Home. Click here to view the resolution.
Movement has begun on the following strategies:
Planning for Outcomes -- Using data to develop local outcomes to end homelessness Strategy 1: Establish Evansville-Vanderburgh county participation in the Hoosier Management Information System (HMIS) The system has been established and has locally been operational for one year. The Hoosier Management Information System is a state wide, web-based client tracking system that can be used for a variety of populations. Clients select the amount and type of information they want to share with other participating agencies. Locally we have 19 participating agencies, but would like to increase the number and type of agencies participating. If you are interested in learning more about the functionality and usefulness of HMIS to your organization, please contact Mary Jenkins, DMD at 436-7823.
Closing the Front Door to Homelessness – Prevention Strategy 1: Develop a Homeless Prevention System to Identify and Assist People Most Likely to Become Homeless. A committee is currently working to develop an assessment tool that will assist local service providers in determining both risk and the types of assistance needed to prevent homelessness for clients they are currently serving. They are collecting samples of outcome measures used across the county and have requested local shelters provide samples of their intake forms. Once an initial rating scale is developed, they will ask a diverse group of service providers to judge the instrument. Strategy 5: Develop a year- round utility subsidy program for the 30% Area Median Income population. Universal Service Program (USP) credits began appearing on customer’s bill on January 3, 2005, for those customers who have qualified for Energy Assistance. 5,312 local residents have received the USP credit to date.
Build the Infrastructure - Housing Strategy 1: Develop 500 units of supportive single room occupancy (SRO) housing.A Supportive Housing Forum will be held in Evansville on July 28, 2005 to acquaint the community with this type of housing. The Indiana Coalition for Housing and Homeless Issues (ICHHI) is partnering with Old National, ECHO Housing and the Evansville Coalition for the Homeless to bring in national and state experts to present this concept to the community. The speakers represent: Corporation for Supportive Housing, Great Lakes Capital Fund, Partners in Housing, Fannie Mae, and Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. This forum is open to anyone interested in housing, but is particularly designed for developers, property owners, governmental leaders, social service providers and lenders. If you are interested in receiving an invitation or want more information about this event, please contact Luzada Hayes, 428-3246.
Build the Infrastructure - Services Strategy 5 : Improved access and coordination of services for specialized populations.A group of homeless residential service providers, called HELP, is meeting to develop a community response to the issues of homeless children ages 0-5. If you would like additional information about this strategy, please call 428-3246 for more details. Strategy 7: Provide training for community service providers. Using Bridges Out of Poverty as economic diversity training community wide. Continuing to look for funding for a three-year community license with Aha Process!, the developers of the Bridges Out of Poverty training. Approximately $75,000 is needed for the 3-year commitment.
Expanding HUD's Definition of Homelessness: Providing Local Flexibility, Responding to Families, Children, and Youth WHEREAS, in no town, city or state in America can an individual or family working full-time and earning the minimum wage, or receiving assistance under the Supplemental Security Income or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs, afford a one-or two-bedroom apartment at the fair market rental rate established by the United States Department of Housing and Urban and Development (HUD); and WHEREAS, in its "Status Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s Cities," the United States Conference of Mayors reports that requests for shelter by families with children went unmet 32 percent of the time in 2005; and families with children is the fastest growing segment among the homeless; and 57% of the reporting cities states that homeless families may have to break-up in order to find shelter; and WHEREAS, at least 3,500,000 persons are likely to experience homelessness during a year in the United States, 40 percent of which are children; and WHEREAS, families with children who cannot access shelters cannot consider the streets an option due to child welfare concerns, and therefore stay temporarily with friends or relatives or in motels, frequently moving between multiple locations; and WHEREAS, children and youth in these living situations face serious risks to their health and well-being, including safety issues and high rates of mobility that disrupt child development; and WHEREAS, families without stable housing face transportation barriers which make job retention and children’s educational continuity difficult; and WHEREAS, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development definition of homelessness excludes people who stay temporarily with others and in motels, thereby denying communities flexibility to address locally assessed needs, and preventing vulnerable populations from receiving the housing assistance they need; and WHEREAS, other federal definitions of homelessness, such as the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Act and the Violence Against Women Act, are responsive to families and youth by expressly including people who stay temporarily with others and in motels; and NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that the United States Conference of Mayors does hereby request that the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development include within its definition of homelessness people who are sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or similar reasons, and those who are staying in motels because of the lack of adequate alternative accommodations.
DESTINATION HOME: A TEN YEAR JOURNEY TO END HOMELESSNESS IN EVANSVILLE AND VANDERBURGH COUNTY Progress report April 2005 Vol. 1, #2
The National Alliance to End Homelessness now has a link to Destination Home on its website, www.endhomelessness.org . Evansville’s plan is one of the 54 listed on their State and Local Plans page. Destination Home can also be found on-line at www.destination-home.info.
Endorsements: We continue to actively solicit endorsements, both from organizations and individuals. Copies of the endorsement statement can be found in the plan. Please send in your endorsement if you support the spirit and philosophy of Destination Home.New endorsements since our February edition include:
Public awareness activities: Destination Home presentations were made to Evansville Area Community of Churches Delegates Assembly, Downtown Ministers Association, seven Creighton University Students and their sponsor Sr. Mary Beth Kubera, D.C., and USI Social Work graduate students.
Commission on Homelessness: The Commission has been established by both the City Council and the County Commissioners. The leadership will alternate between the Mayor and the County Commissioners, with Mayor Weinzapfel serving as the chair the first year. Operational guidelines for the Commission are being developed now with an anticipated first meeting sometime in the next few months. The Commission is described in Destination Home, Accountability and Monitoring of the Ten Year Plan found on pages 35-36.
Movement has begun on the following strategies:
Planning for Outcomes -- Using data to develop local outcomes to end homelessness Strategy 1: Establish Evansville-Vanderburgh county participation in the Hoosier Management Information System Seven new organizations joined the HMIS partnership in February. With this addition, we now have 19 organizations participating in the system. If you are interested in learning more about the functionality and usefulness of HMIS to your organization, please contact Mary Jenkins, DMD at 436-7823.
Closing the Front Door to Homelessness – Prevention Strategy 1: Develop a homeless prevention system to identify and assist people most likely to become homeless.A committee is being formed to develop an assessment tool that will assist local service providers in determining both risk and the types of assistance needed to prevent homelessness for clients they are currently serving. This will help us identity those at risk of loosing their housing earlier and provides the first step in development of a comprehensive prevention system. Strategy 5: Develop a year- round utility subsidy program for the 30% Area Median Income population. The Universal Service Program (USP), a two-year pilot program created by Vectren, began in January 2005. This program is designed to provide a discount on monthly gas bills for customers enrolled in the Energy Assistance Program (EAP). USP extends utility relief throughout the year to supplement the EAP program, which operates only from November through March 15th. We will monitor the outcomes of this pilot program to either recommend continued and expanded use of this program as a Destination Home strategy or to encourage a new program design to help prevent homelessness because of high utility costs.
Build the Infrastructure - Housing Strategy 1: Develop 500 units of supportive single room occupancy (SRO) housingContinuing to determine feasibility of an identified site.
Build the Infrastructure - Services Strategy 4: Develop improved access to information about sources of assistance Destination Home supports and promotes the use of the Indiana 211 Partnership Initiative to improve access to available services. Call 211 or contact United Way of Southwestern Indiana for further information. Strategy 5: Improved access and coordination of services for specialized population. Staff from the Evansville Coalition for the Homeless will be attending a national conference, Young Children Without Homes, which focuses on the special needs of homeless children ages 0-5. We hope to bring back best practice models from across the country to study this issue and develop a community intervention for this group most vulnerable to the affects of homelessness. A group of homeless residential service providers, called HELP will be assisting in the development of this community response. Strategy 7: Provide training for community service providers. Using Bridges Out of Poverty as economic diversity training community wide. Funding sources are being investigated and at least one grant proposal has been submitted.
Build the Infrastructure - Public Awareness Strategy 1: Dispel misconceptions about homeless Strategy 2: Promote Destination Home Strategy 3: Discourage community support of panhandling A Community Awareness Committee is working to develop a long range-marketing campaign to increase awareness of Destination Home in the community. This campaign will also include such themes as Housing Matters, the impact of homelessness on children, Myths vs. Fact: the true face of homelessness, small change makes no change, etc.
Funding to achieve our goals: Social Enterprise as a possible funding source – A presentation on this will be available in the near future for non-profits, foundations and other interested parties.
DESTINATION HOME: A TEN YEAR JOURNEY TO END HOMELESSNESS IN EVANSVILLE AND VANDERBURGH COUNTY Progress report February 2005 Vol. 1, #1
Destination Home was released to the public on December 8, 2005. The media event, held at Central Library, included representatives from various sectors of our community: governmental, business and community leaders, social service providers, the homeless of our community, and other interested citizens. This event culminated a 29-month planning process that included over 200 volunteers.
Year One of the plan calls for activities that promote the plan, increase public awareness, increase coordination of existing services, develop resources, increase training for existing providers as well as to establish the joint City-County Commission on Homelessness.
The following is a list of some of the activities that have occurred since Dec. 2004.
Endorsements: We have received endorsements from the following organizations or individuals:
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