Discharge Planning Coalition

News Meetings

Areas of Concern Coordination

Accountability Policy Action Steps

download a brochure

News

The Commission on Homelessness has launched its a public/private partnership, the Discharge Planning Coalition, as part of the work of Destination: Home to prevent homelessness among specific populations.

The Discharge Planning Coalition held a press conference on Wednesday, July 23rd, at 11:00 a.m., in the auditorium at Deaconess (main campus). The Coalition’s initial meeting followed.

download media release

Meetings

Full Coalition meets quarterly in 2010

3rd Friday of April, July, October - 1:00 p.m.

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library-Central Library - Large Group Meting Room upstairs

Join a Team - send email to request meeting times/dates/locations & note your interest:

Health Care Foster Care Corrections

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Areas of Concern

	Community Corrections - adult and teen offenders being released from incarceration
	Foster Care- children aging out of foster care
	Health Care - patients and clients discharged from health care and treatment centers, and elderly adults displaced from residential care

Those needing follow-up care or support are of special concern.

Coordination

Coalition Coordinator: Mindy Niehaus - email at homelink@destination-home.info

Initial financial support for the Coordinator position is coming from the City of Evansville, Deaconess Hospital, St. Mary’s Medical Center, and the Vanderburgh County Department of Corrections.

Accountability

This coalition reports to the Commission on Homelessness and serves to address matters related to preventing individuals from being released from community institutions into homelessness. This is based on the Destination: Home component CLOSE the Front Door and specifically, STRATEGY 7: Create a Community Discharge Plan to Prevent Release from a Publicly Funded Institution Resulting in Immediate Homelessness.

Policy

The original Discharge Planning Committee developed and approved a community Discharge Planning Policy, which does not allow release or discharge into homelessness, including not releasing to homeless shelters. Work continues toward implementation of the policy, including the formation of the Discharge Planning Coalition.

The policy states as its goal: "To ensure that housing options are provided to homeless individuals prior to being discharged from a hospital, foster home, correctional facility or other publicly funded institutions."

According to the policy, an "institution" is "defined as a facility that provides other than permanent housing for individuals that are receiving services. Examples of institutions include but are not limited to: hospitals, treatment facilities, jails, prisons, community correctional facilities, nursing homes, group homes and the foster care system."

Proposed Action Steps

Develop a Discharge Planning Coalition
Develop an organizational structure to support the development of the Discharge Planning Coalition.
Each Institution will develop and implement a Discharge Plan by 2008.
The action steps, created by the Discharge Planning Coalition to support their goal, will be considered as grant requests are submitted for support Destination: Home.

This Discharge Planning Policy received approval from the Commission on Homelessness at the September 14, 2006 meeting. The Commission on Homelessness will review and revise this Discharge Planning Policy annually.