4th Annual Houston Homeless Conference

Laying the Groundwork

for the Future

I-1.1

Funders Institute — by Invitation Only

This session is intended for organizations that fund homeless assistance agencies in the region and is only open to invited participants.

Families are the hidden faces of homelessness. The most rapidly growing subset of people who are homeless in the nation, families represent more than one-third of the total homeless population. The causes of family homelessness and the types of responses required differ in many ways from the single adult population. The philanthropic sector in Washington State has been seeking to develop effective strategies to end family homelessness since 2000. David Wertheimer, who leads the family homelessness initiative for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will provide a brief introduction and overview of this topic and provide a philanthropic sector perspective on strategic responses, key roles that private funders can play, and the importance of durable, public-private partnerships.

David Wertheimer - Senior Program Officer, Pacific Northwest Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Download presentation (PowerPoint .ppsx 1.22 MB)

I-1.2

Ready, Willing & Able — When Work Works:  Linking Housing and Transitional Jobs

In New York City, the Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing & Able program offers life-changing opportunities to homeless individuals through paid work, transitional housing and comprehensive support services. Their model has been replicated and this presentation provides the Houston community an opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of this successful model.

Harriet Karr-McDonald - Co-Founder, Ready, Willing & Able & Executive Vice-President, The Doe Fund

I-1.3

Prioritizing Services to the Most Vulnerable

Limited resources and use of costly urgent care services prompted a number of communities to identify the most vulnerable people living on the streets and in shelters. With origins in Boston and Seattle, a vulnerability index was devised and used to measure the degree to which certain homeless individuals are at higher risk of needing more expensive care. This session will offer views of how the index can be used, the results, and sample tools. Participants will discuss these practices and the impacts.

Bill Hobson - Executive Director, Downtown Emergency Services Center, Seattle, WA

Download presentation (PowerPoint .pps 2.07 MB)

I-1.4

Options & Strategies for Transitional Housing

Nearly 50 percent of our Continuum of Care funding goes toward Transitional Housing projects serving adult men and women as well as families. In Houston there are 3,030 transitional housing beds and 1,524 beds of permanent housing. This institute will focus on best practices in transitional housing, the importance of transitional housing in the continuum and consider the appropriate balancing of resources for housing projects. The issues, implications and strategies to convert from transitional housing to permanent housing will be explored. 

Michelle Alexander - Star of Hope & Gary Grier - Aids Foundation Houston

I-1.5

Implementing Homeless Prevention & Rapid Rehousing Programs

With funding under the American Rehabilitation and Recovery Act, HUD established the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program (HPRP). Local jurisdictions received formula funding for this program aimed at reducing the number of people at risk of homelessness and to help people leave homelessness quickly. This institute will review the HPRP program, expectations and rules as well as discuss models for implementation. 

Ann Denton - Advocates for Human Potential

I-2.1

Funders Institute — by Invitation Only

I-2.2

Employment R&R: Improving Job Readiness & Retention

Getting and keeping a job remains a constant challenge for jobseekers that are or were homeless. What are the best ways to assess job readiness and improve it? What can case managers do to help prepare their clients for employment? Job retention is not something to think about after a client gets a job; it is about the culture of agencies’ services and organization. This presentation will cover key topics in preparing for competitive employment and strategies to maintain a work-supporting culture for homeless individuals.

Pat Tucker - Advocates for Human Potential & Heather Jackson - SEARCH

I-2.3

When Prisoners Come Home: Best Practices in Ex-Offender Transitions

Each year over 650,000 inmates are released from state and federal prisons. Of these returning prisoners, approximately 67 percent will be rearrested and 50 percent will be re-incarcerated within 3 years. In Texas each year, over 70,000 men and women are released from state prisons and state jails, and more than one in five returns to the Houston metro area. These returning prisoners face a range of challenges, from securing housing and employment to rebuilding relationships with their families and support networks. This institute will focus on best practices and program implementation.

Sheila Savannah - City of Houston & Dianna Lewis - Corporation for Supportive Housing

I-2.4

Measuring Program Performance

What does your organization do? What could it improve? Program measurement is an important element in utilizing best practices and moving programs forward. Understanding what is effective helps program managers monitor staff programs, deliver services, and secure funding. It also helps staff understand what is important in their day-to-day work. Topics covered in this institute include benchmarks for using best practices such as the supportive housing toolkit. It will also cover what is worth measuring, setting goals, tracking and using interim reports to make program changes.

Matt White - Abt Associates, Roger Durand - University of Houston & Donald Chamberlain - Sound Thinking

Download presentation (PowerPoint .ppsx 361 KB)

I-2.5

Helping Clients Make Effective Choices — Medicaid, Social Security & SOAR

Irene Montiel - Maximus, Charity Dominguez - SEARCH & TBD - Social Security Administration