Improving Access to Mainstream Services for People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness

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Improving Access to Mainstream Services for
People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness

• Jointly Sponsored by
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• and
• U.S. Department of Labor

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OVERVIEW OF THE POLICY ACADEMY PROCESS
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Federal Sponsors

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Administration for Children and Families
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Health Resources and Services Administration
• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning
  and Evaluation
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
  Administration
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Office of Community Planning and Development
• Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs

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Federal Sponsors

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Homeless Veterans Programs, Office of Public and
  Intergovernmental Affairs
• Health Care for Homeless Veterans, Veterans
  Health Administration
• U.S. Department of Labor
• Employment and Training Administration
• Veterans Employment and Training Service
• Office of Disability and Employment Policy
• Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

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Collaborating Partners

• American Public Human Services Association
• Association of State and Territorial Health
  Officials
• National Association of Alcohol and Substance
  Abuse Directors
• National Association of County and City Health
  Program Directors
• National Association of State Mental Health
  Program Directors
• National Conference of State Legislators
• National Governors Association
• National Head Start Association
• U.S. Conference of Mayors

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What is a Policy Academy?

• Process, not an event
• Technical assistance to help decision makers
• Think through policy options
• Make existing systems and programs more effective
  and coordinated
• Design and implement new systems and programs

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What is the Purpose of This Academy?

• To develop a realistic, State-wide policy
  initiative (Action Plan) with the intent of
• Increasing access to mainstream services for
  people experiencing chronic homelessness
• Enhancing the linkages between services and
  housing
• Developing prevention strategies

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What are the Objectives of the Policy Academy?

• Bringing stakeholders together to focus on
  increasing access to mainstream services
• Enhancing coordination, collaboration, and
  integration among systems providing mainstream
  and targeted services for people experiencing
  chronic homelessness
• Identifying and sharing evidence-based practices
• Identifying and coordinating resources

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Whats Involved in the Policy Academy Process?
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Why a Policy Academy?

• Promote strategic planning
• Provide opportunities to learn from other State
  experiences
• Establish/reinforce dialogue
• Build consensus among stakeholders and plan for
  change
• Provide technical assistance and develop local
  capacity

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How Many States Have Participated?

• 8 States participated in the Policy Academy on
  homeless families with children
• 26 States participated in Policy Academies on
  chronic homelessness
• The overall goal is for all States and
  Territories to participate in a Policy Academy on
  chronic homelessness to by January 2004

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Team Composition

• Optional
• Homeless or formerly homeless persons
• Providers
• Faith-based and culturally-based agencies/
  organizations
• Advocacy organizations
• State social services (family and child welfare)
• State legislators
• Local, county, or city-level government
  representatives
• Corrections/criminal justice

• Required
• Governors office
• Medicaid
• State substance abuse agency
• State mental health agency
• Primary health care services
• State housing agency
• Employment
• Veterans services
• State-level homeless services administrators or
  Continuum-of-Care contacts

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Potential Immediate Outcomes

• Change the way things are done
• Get everyone on the same page
• Improve cross-agency and cross-state
  communication
• Create new collaborations and partnerships
• Provide mechanism to focus State efforts to
  address homelessness
• Change stereotypes and address stigma
• Learn about new approaches or evidence-based
  practices
• Increase access to mainstream services and
  resources

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Specific State Outcomes

• Colorado (PA2) sought previously untapped
  mainstream HUD resources resulted in 400 rental
  assistance vouchers for non-elderly persons with
  disabilities
• Georgia (PA2) is converting 30 vacant positions
  to new SSI eligibility workers who will be
  trained by Yvonne Perret and placed with service
  providers to increase access to benefits for
  people who are homeless
• Illinois (PA1) Department of Health and Human
  Services is becoming authorized as a public
  housing authority so that they direct Section 8
  vouchers to TANF families statewide.   
• Marylands (PA1) Governor issued Executive Order
  establishing Interagency Council charged with
  developing framework to address homelessness for
  incoming administration
• Nevada (PA1) surveyed providers problems
  accessing mainstream programs resulting in
  immediate dialogue with state mental health
  administrators and joint problem-solving

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During the Site Visit

• Become familiar with the Academy process
• Highlight and build upon planning activities
• Develop a common understanding of the issues
• Develop a common vision and draft SWOT analysis
• Begin to identify TA needs
• Formalize team processes
• Identify key points for Team Lead presentation

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During the Academy Meeting

• Interact with faculty and peers to
• Maximize resources and expand capacity for
  systems change
• Adapt evidence-based practices
• Enhance collaboration and planning activities

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During the Academy Meeting

• Complete Team-related tasks, including
• Present vision statement and States key issues
  and efforts (Team Lead)
• Continue developing Action Plans and identifying
  TA needs
• Receive feedback and TA from faculty and peers
• Report-out on Action Plan, priorities, next
  steps, and TA needs

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Following the Academy Meeting

• Finalize strategies (short- and long-range) and
  specific action steps
• Submit revised action plan within 60 days
• Receive Federal Planning Committee
• Prioritize and coordinate TA with HSR/PRA
• Implement the Action Plan (with TA)
• Submit two six-month progress reports

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Team Challenges

• Building team consensus around Action Plan
• Identifying feasible strategies
• Presenting a clear message to influential
  policymakers
• Generating public and political will to support
  Action Plan
• Implementing the Action Plan through executive,
  legislative, administrative, and private sector
  (non-government) processes

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Team Tips

• Try to stay focused
• Develop and respect Team ground rules
• Encourage ideas
• Challenge your assumptions
• Highlight and explore your differences
• Differentiate between what you are totally
  committed to and what you can live with

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What Should Be Accomplished Before Arriving At
The Academy Meeting?

• Circulate draft vision statement and SWOT
  analysis to all members of team for polishing
• Provide HSR with revised vision statement and
  completed SWOT analysis to be included in meeting
  packet
• Select team leader(s), timekeeper, scribe
• Review resource material

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THE ACTION PLANNING PROCESS
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Policy Initiative Framework(The Action Plan)

• The Vision (Your State Tomorrow)
• The Reality Assessment (Your State Today)
• Priorities/Goals (Gaps)
• Strategies with Potential (Tactical Plan)
• Action Steps (Work Assignments)
• Technical Assistance and Follow-up

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The Vision Statement(Your State Tomorrow)

• Provides a statement of purpose
• Presents a picture of your ideal future
  (independent of the current reality)
• Serves as a reference point for all future
  decisions
• Does not assume that the system will have the
  same framework that as it does today
• Specifically addresses issue of improving access
  to mainstream services

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What is a Vision Statement?

• A Vision Statement is something that describes an
  ideal situation or goal that is beyond immediate
  grasp, but something towards which one reaches. 
• It should grab people's attention and hearts
  even if everyone doesn't agree with precisely
  what the vision actually means, it should be
  something that everyone "gets" and can rally
  around.

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What is a Mission Statement?

• A Mission Statement is something that describes
  the work that you actually do to move toward the
  articulated vision.  
• It is concrete, practical and precise.  
• It gives the reader a sense of what the
  organization or group does on a day-to-day basis
  to make change happen.

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The Reality Assessment (Your State Today)

• Requires a review/inventory of
• Key problems and issues in your State
• Previous policy actions taken to address these
  issues
• Current political environment
• Assesses your strengths, weaknesses,
  opportunities, and threats
• Helps to identify resources at your disposal
• Provides context for your efforts

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Team Priorities/Goals (Gaps)

• Likely to be the gaps between your vision and
  the current reality
• Areas where you will focus your energy and
  resources in order to influence policy
• Form the basis for planning, policy-making and
  setting performance standards
• May be short-term and/or long-term

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Strategies with Potential(Tactical Plans)

• A plan to get from here to there
• The bridge between goals and actions
• Broad range tactics to affect change
• Often require Statewide or cross-agency efforts
• Should be directly related to your
  priorities/goals

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Action Steps(Work Assignments)

• Specific activities undertaken based on your
  strategy(-ies)
• Require action from specific individuals or
  entities (differentiate between what is within
  your control and what is not)
• Considerations
• Who is responsible for coordinating each action?
• Who is responsible for completing action?
• What resources are required?
• What is the timeline?
• Who will be affected?
• How will success be measured?

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Sample Goal Increase Access to Mainstream
Services

• Strategy 1.1 Improve processes and procedures
  for obtaining SSI, Medicaid, VA, TANF, Workforce
  Investment Act, CHP benefits
• Action 1.1.1 Look at targeting existing
  mainstream resources (set-asides) for homeless
  persons
• Develop Gant chart for mainstream resources
  identifying how homeless persons access current
  services Oct. 2003
• Evaluate existing programs with opportunities
  identified for either targeting or maximizing
  access through policy/rule changes Jan. 2004
• Present recommendation to Policy Academy Team and
  obtain Executive Director approval - June 2004

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Sample Goal Increase Access to Mainstream
Services

• Action 1.1.2 Coordinate existing HMIS system
  with intake and assessment procedures utilized by
  Mainstream Resources
• Identify opportunities for coordination in the
  area of data collection, intake and assessment to
  facilitate improved communication between private
  non-profit providers and public agencies Oct.
  2003
• Collect intake and assessment instruments for
  each Mainstream Program Nov. 2003
• Identify ways to coordinate information Jan.
  2004
• Develop agreements to coordinate processes and
  procedures with each mainstream program - June
  2004
• Implement agreements beginning in July 2004

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Sample Goal Build State-level Commitment and
Leadership

• Strategy 2.1 Get/keep top leadership involved
• Action 2.1.1 Take the message and seek
  support/direction from Legislators, Governor,
  Department Heads
• Seek Executive Order to support ICCHP Oct.
  2003
• Request additional staff capacity Nov. 2003
• Action 2.1.3 Frame message for different
  audiences
• Identify and recruit partners from Federal
  Partners, Hospitals, Business Leaders, Local
  Governments, Homeless Coalitions, Housing
  Providers, Universities, etc. Oct. 2003
• Conduct joint planning meeting with Policy
  Academy Team and new partners Jan. 2004

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Visualizing the Action Plan
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Visualizing the Action Plan
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Technical Assistance

• Pre-Academy
• During the Policy Academy
• Post-Academy

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Pre-Academy Technical Assistance

• Pre-Academy site visit
• Resources provided during site visit
• Resources you share with each other
• Resources you may request before you come to the
  Policy Academy

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During the Academy
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Post-Academy Follow-Up Technical Assistance

• Once Action Plan is submitted (60 days following
  Academy), teams may request specific technical
  assistance
• PRA/HSR hold conference call with team leads to
  clarify and prioritize TA needs
• Teams submit two 6-month progress reports
• PRA/HSR continue to track and coordinate TA

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Technical Assistance

• Available anytime
• Written or internet-based materials
• Telephone consultation referrals with PRA staff
• Policy Academy web site bulletin board
• Specialized literature searches
• Available after Action Plan submitted
• Peer-based TA with other States
• Telephone consultation with Federal
  representatives
• Teleconference with content experts
• On-site consultation or training
• Additional on-site facilitation of State Team
• Be creative if we can do it, we will try!