Bright Spot: Riverside, CA | Inspiring Front-Line Staff

Inspire a shared sense of mission and progress in front-line staff by setting a regular meeting to share stories and community data.

Check out this bright spot if…

• Your community’s front-line staff and stakeholders feel disconnected.
  
• You want to try it!

Summary

The Riverside CoC built strong leadership structures, processes, and activities to inspire front-line staff. The leaders encouraged all contributing parties to participate with passion and actively listened to problems that front-line staff were facing. Leadership helped front-line staff problem-solve and clear the path to making progress. By actively engaging these staff members, the community went from having 300 veterans on their by-name list to reaching functional zero in 12 months. Looking forward, the community actively sought the next improvement that would move the needle towards the goal and planned to work together to implement changes.

Key action: Developing a collaborative culture

By adjusting the CoC’s leadership structures, the Riverside team developed a collaborative culture among front-line staff. Beginning with case conferencing, the team shifted their language and thinking from “my veterans” to “our veterans” to acknowledge that every organization in the community has responsibility for serving veterans. Furthermore, the leadership team and front-line staff reviewed data weekly to track progress toward achieving functional zero. Lastly, the leadership celebrated housing placements and recognized front-line staff for their work with simple gestures of appreciation.

Key Action: Responsive Leadership

In response to staff feedback gathered through the improved communication between front-line staff and leadership, the Riverside CoC moved to a one by-name list that was shared by the VA, SSVF, and community providers. Coinciding with this shift, the leadership ensured that the By-Name List was utilized to provide individualized support and housing throughout the process. Overall, they shifted from “the homeless” to the individual in a housing crisis, thus recognizing that each person has unique needs that must be met.

Fail Forward Moments

• At one point, the community kept two By-Name Lists. Having dual lists caused ongoing confusion about which one was the “real list.” To create a collaborative culture, leadership recognized the need to consolidate lists to eliminate misunderstandings between providers.
  
• The community’s initial goal to end veteran homelessness was based on projections and the PIT count. The community’s morale took a hit when it reached the goals in terms of housing placements, but it realized there were still over 300 homeless veterans to house. Using more up-to-date quality data in goal-setting and regularly reviewing progress could have helped Riverside set more realistic expectations.

Want more information?

Contact Lynne Brockmeir (lbrochme@rcmhd.org) at Riverside County Mental Health.