1. 1.02 Becoming a Low-Barrier, Housing-Focused Shelter
Kay 1

2. 2.05 Diversion: A Key Element of a Homelessness System
How does a shelter deliver housing-focused services with the goal of housing people as quickly as possible? Learn about housing case plans that are client- centered, reducing tenancy barriers, creating a housing-focused shelter environment, and directing staff activities to permanently house p eople residing in shelter more quickly. Panelists will also discuss which services are best provided in shelter versus after someone is housed.

3. Put Your Most Burning Question on Your Index Card!

4. Our Presenters Kay Moshier-McDivitt Nadine Joyner John MacDonald
National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, D.C
Nadine Joyner
Spooner House, Shelton, CT
John MacDonald
Crossroads Rhode Island, Providence, RI
Katherine (Kat) Hammer
Gulfstream Goodwill, Inc., Palm Beach, FL

5. Who Is Here? Emergency Shelter Staff Providers CoC Leadership Coordinated Entry Local/State/Federal Government Funders Community Leaders

6. Role of Emergency Shelter in the Crisis Response System
Shelter plays an important role in your system’s response to homelessness
The effectiveness of emergency shelter greatly impacts your system’s performance
Average length of homelessness
Exits to permanent housing
Returns to homelessness
Kay
High level look at what the role of shelter is within a system that houses people.
Trying to bring things together – in a way that you can see how they interact

7. Emergency Shelters in the CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM
Housing crisis resolution
Rapid re-housing
Permanent Supportive Housing
Market rate housing
Voucher
Emergency Shelters in the CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM

8. Cynthia
The 5 key elements to effective emergency shelters:
Having a Housing First Approach
Practicing safe and appropriate diversion
Ensuring your shelter provides immediate and low-barrier access
Making your shelter housing-focused, with rapid exits TO HOUSING services
And using your data to measure your shelter’s effectiveness and make shelter design decisions

9. Kay
#shifthappens

10. MAKING THE PHILOSOPHICAL SHIFT
Philosophical Shift Practice Shift Operations Shift
There are three areas of shift to transition to a shelter that uses the key elements. Your shelter will likely have to make a philosophical shift, a practice shift, and shift in the actual way you operate the shelter, including hours of operation, staffing, and the way you utilize space. We won’t spend much time today on operational shift, but will dive deeper into those shifts at the upcoming learning community meetings.

11. Philosophy Shift Housing First
Issues that contributed to a household’s homelessness can best be addressed once they are permanently housed
National Alliance to End Homelessness

12. Immediate and Low-barrier Access
Philosophy Shift
Practice Shift
Shelter is life saving
It should be easy to access
It should be easiest for the most vulnerable
Few to no prerequisites to shelter
No sobriety requirement
No waiting list
Coordinated entry
Prioritize households with the most needs
24/7 access
Equal Access Rule compliance
Rules should only pertain to safety
After diversion conversations indicate not alternative is available, it is critical that persons in need of a shelter bed have immediate access to that shelter bed. Think of shelters as the homeless systems emergency room. People are not put on a waiting list and told they will be called when a room is available, and the most critical acute patients are cared for first. That is what emergency shelter is for those experiencing homelessness. Shelter is life saving and should not have multiple requirements or barriers to entry. What does this mean on the practice side – read slide.
We know that some of this practice shift may feel uncomfortable for many shelters and very different from common practice. That’s why

13. Housing-focused, Rapid Exit Services
Philosophy Shift
Practice Shift
Everyone is ready to be housed immediately
Clients are the captains of their housing plans
Shelters are not employment, recovery, or mental health programs
Shelter stays are very short
Plan for rapid exit to housing at entry
“If you’re not talking about housing you’re having the wrong conversation”
Environment reflects a housing focus
All meetings, policies, procedures, job descriptions, signage, client handbooks, etc. reflect focus on housing
Housing focused philosophy means that from the moment someone enters shelter they are ready to be housing immediately, and that a housing plan to a rapid permanent housing exit starts in the very first meeting. Everything the shelter does or offers is focused on housing, and everything from the environment, meetings, policies and procedures, job descriptions, you name it, reflects that housing focuses. We will be talking a lot about ways to incorporate this at our meeting.
The one thing we want to clarify is that rapid exit does not mean that we dismiss people back into homelessness at the end of 30 days. It means our goal should be for folks to move to permanent housing rapidly, within 30 days.
Next Slide

14. Example of Low-Barrier Guidelines

15. Example of Housing-Focused Shelter Messaging
Anna

16. Shelter Examples Housing-Focused Services
Spooner House
Crossroads Rhode Island
Lewis Center