BFZ Collaborative Change Package

System-Wide Collaboration

Case Conferencing

System-Wide Collaboration” Test changes found in the Case Conferencing Academy to optimize your case conferencing meetings in order to more quickly house clients.

PLEH Feedback

System-Wide Collaboration” Identify impactful changes to the homeless response system by developing standard procedures and practices to regularly collect feedback (e.g., surveys) from PLEH and system users.

Provider Feedback Loops

Include frontline staff in reviews of progress in order to build feedback loops from providers; lift up areas for system improvement.

Homelessness Prevention

Screening

Implement a pre-screening tool to support entry points in identifying level of client need and allocate resources for housing crisises that can be resolved within 0-14 days. Identify one program to pilot utilization of the tool.

Utilize Flexible Funding

Use mapped capacity and available flexible funding to test a small diversion project to collect data, document community need, and understand financial scope. Use findings to demponstate proof of concept and scale to meet larger community need.

  • FF/CI Funding: Flex funds

Coordinated Prevention Partners

Prevention service providers are identified and organized to receive referrals and provide timely response and support for people who are housing insecure, including those most at-risk of losing their housing, with a focus on providers offering:
I. Targeted homelessness prevention and diversion programs, including those funded with HUD Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program, and any state or local funding for targeted prevention.
II. Non-targeted prevention resources, including providers administering emergency financial assistance resources, legal services, landlord and family mediation services, and other critical assistance that can be accessed on a prioritized and timeline basis when needed.

Test a referral process for cross-sector (health clinics, schools) and nontraditional partners (libraries, rec centers, laundromats) to act as Coordinated Entry access points.

Establish housing placement plans with the foster care system prior to youth exiting care.

Create training/education pathways, enhance policies, and develop or improve a discharge plan for people exiting the criminal justice system. Partner with the Department of Corrections to ensure effectiveness and fidelity.

Provide education, representation, and advocacy (e.g., mediating conflicts with landlords in order to maintain units) through a partnership with housing system providers (Legal Aid, pro bono lawyers, eviction courts).

Memorandum of agreement / understanding between partners and with the Core Prevention Team or a designated lead to confirm commitments, roles and responsibilites, including a shared understanding and definition of housing insecurity.

Coordinated Prevention Manual, Tools, and Guidance

Design and distribute a coordinated prevention manual including roles, responsibilities, policies, procedures related to screening, services, prioritized access to assistance, data collection, etc.

Housing Placements

Utilize Process Mapping for Resource Dispersement

Incorporate your findings from resource mapping to develop a plan to equitably dispurse available funding throughout the system. Funds should be flexible enough to address any gaps identified in the process mapping exercise.

Opportunities for Feedback Loops

Test incentives for property managers (collect via a survey).

Test ideas located in Resources column

Implement Housing System Standardized Practices

Include support letters with rental applications.

Standardized rental applications are submitted by case managers for their clients into permanent housing are standardized so that there is one widely used strategy to describe the client’s income, housing status, rental history, service animal, etc.

Develop standard answers for questions that you know every application is going to ask (i.e., how someone experiencing homelessness should answer “current residence?”)

Case Managers submit the application which allows for advocacy between the property and the client’s support.

Standardized rental applications are submitted by case managers for their clients into permanent housing are standardized so that there is one widely used strategy to describe the client’s income, housing status, rental history, service animal, etc.

Develop standard answers for questions that you know every application is going to ask (i.e., how someone experiencing homelessness should answer “current residence?”)

Case Managers submit the application which allows for advocacy between the property and the client’s support.

  • Resources: Application Standards
  • FF/CI Funding: Yes – Flex Fund
  • CB Funding: Housing System Coordinator

During case conferencing meetings include a section in the notes to identify the type of housing the individual wants, the location, the target move in date, the rental/income/criminal barriers this individual has.

While staffing each individual’s situation, which program they can enroll in, what funding is available, etc. outreach and CE staff are already thinking about getting the individual housed.

Gather and Target Housing Resources

Partner community mental health centers with housing providers to provide mental health care and housing to chronically homeless individuals and formerly homeless individuals with disabilities.

Expand Access to Affordable Units

Create a 24-hour hotline for landlords to call if a tenant issue or crisis arises.

Create a shared funding pool to incentivize landlords to rent to veterans with scattered-site vouchers or rental subsidies. Consider which non-financial incentives are available.

Create a landlord mitigation fund to cover potential repair costs and unpaid rent.

Create a website where interested landlords can learn about renting to those with subsidies and indicate their willingness; in some instances, this website can also serve as a place to inventory available units.

Direct 5-10 potential landlords to the site and record increases in housing placements. Allow for feedback for those utilizing the site to understand what is appealing and what needs to be altered.

Build relationships and trust with potential landlords by attending apartment association meetings or events where landlords are meeting.

Publicly and regularly promote landlords who rent to veterans in your homeless system.
Create shared standards across dedicated Housing Navigators for quick, consistent responses to landlords about available units.

Create materials to be distributed to landlords by housing locators; materials ensure consistent, effective messaging that helps landlords decide to rent to individuals with federal or local subsidies.

After completing the above activity, identify 5-10 landlords who have never leased their properties to your clients and provide them with these materials.

Coordinate Services and Efficient Processes

Identify and utilize one physical location (e.g., day center) to act as an access point and central hub for coordinating services.

Create and utilize a checklist of documents to be collected and a checklist of steps individuals must take to access housing; checklists serve as a housing plan to be handed off as the lead navigator changes (e.g., from outreach worker to VASH social worker).

Work with the Public Housing Authority to pre-inspect units, or train housing agency staff to conduct inspections, to shorten the length of time in this part of the housing process.

Create streamlined process with local Social Security office or comparable entity to obtain income verification or other necessary documents.

Use By-Name-List to target engagement to high ER utilizers; collaborate with emergency services to engage these individuals with housing services.

Enroll every eligible Veteran on your By-Name-List into SSVF to streamline process of service delivery short-term and in the future as needed. Develop a coordinated mechanism to enroll eligible veterans in SSVF as a bridge to VASH, so people can enter housing during the VASH enrollment process.