Early Accomplishments include 42% Increase in Families Housed Through CMHA Vouchers, Increased Funding for Prevention Services, Urgency of Homeless Families Continues
CINCINNATI, OH – November 23, 2016 – Strategies to End Homelessness, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the Family Housing Partnership (Bethany House Services, Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati, The Salvation Army and YWCA of Greater Cincinnati), announced today several early successes to its Solutions for Family Homelessness plan.
Initially announced one year ago, the Solutions for Family Homelessness Plan seeks to make family homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. As the number of families in shelter continues to grow, up almost 10% from last year, the need for services and financial support is clear. To learn more or to donate, please visit www.StrategiestoEndHomelessness.org or call 513-263-2785.
Similar to the comprehensive community process used to develop the Homeless to Homes plan for homeless individuals, the participation of more than 60 key organizations led to the development of Solutions for Family Homelessness, a multi-year plan to solve critical issues for homeless and at-risk families. Solutions for Family Homelessness identifies how we, as a community, can proactively address the needs of families. Recommendations are focused in four key areas – Prevention, Capacity Building, Policy Change and Housing.
“As a team, we identified several priorities a year ago and want to report our progress,” said Kevin Finn, president and CEO of Strategies to End Homelessness. “We have been working with Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, which has established a preference system for housing homeless families; we have secured new funding for homelessness prevention, which is the most cost-effective strategy to reduce homelessness; and while we have accomplished a lot, we still have a lot of work to do.”
CMHA Provides Housing Choice Vouchers to Homeless families:
- Beginning in 2015 and then expanded in 2016, CMHA now prioritizes homeless families to receive housing, resulting in a 42% increase in homeless families housed through CMHA vouchers.
- The collaboration has resulted in efficiency for both CMHA and Hamilton County’s homelessness agencies. Through the partnership, newly stabilized families residing in supportive housing programs are identified to receive CMHA vouchers. Such vouchers allow them to remain stably housed and also move on to CMHA housing, opening up space for other homeless families still in shelter and in need of supportive housing.
- This strategy of ending homelessness is known as the “Moving Up” model, and is designed to provide long-term stability for families that have experienced homelessness. It also creates efficiency by allowing supportive housing capacity to turn over and then be available to new families still trying to achieve stability.
New Funding for Homelessness Prevention – Emergency Assistance & Shelter Diversion
- Our community’s Homelessness Prevention system has two layers: Emergency Assistance services, which help families save their housing when it is at risk, and Shelter Diversion services, which help families that are already living in doubled-up situations get back into their own housing.
- $1,327,700 to fund Emergency Assistance has been raised by the Liz Carter Homelessness Prevention Fund through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the largest provider of Emergency Assistance in the region.
Based on the new funding, St. Vincent de Paul has been able to increase their rent and utilities assistance by an additional 18% over the last year.
- $420,000 secured from the City of Cincinnati to fund Shelter Diversion, which will provide diversion services to approximately 85 additional families per year at an average cost of $5,000 per family, well below the cost of assisting families only after they become homeless.
New Developments Coming Online:
- Childcare Task Force has a plan to provide respite care for mothers while they are in shelter and is developing a strategy for providing early childhood services to every child residing in emergency shelter.
- Landlord Advisory Group is conducting outreach to engage landlords and develop a partnership with local service providers to expand housing opportunities in the community.
The Family Housing Partnership (Bethany House Services, Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati, The Salvation Army and YWCA of Greater Cincinnati) provides shelter for families who have become homeless due to a lack of affordable housing, job loss, domestic violence and other causes. The overall plan will require action in partnership with multiple systems, sectors and providers, more strategic uses of funds, changes in systems and programs and the use of data to drive community improvements. Without effective coordination our community would be unable to determine the most effective ways to assist at-risk and homeless families.
For more information, contact Kevin Finn, President/CEO, Strategies to End Homelessness at kfinn@end-homelessness.org or 513.263.2788.
About Strategies to End Homelessness
Since 2007, Strategies to End Homelessness has led a comprehensive system of care to prevent and eventually end homelessness in Cincinnati/Hamilton County. Working in partnership with 30 non-profit organizations, Strategies to End Homelessness coordinates a centralized emergency shelter hotline, homelessness prevention, street outreach, emergency shelter and housing solutions with the goal of ending homelessness. Local prevention programs have shown a 92% success rate at keeping those most at risk from entering shelter or finding themselves on the streets. In addition, our community has seen a 100% increase in the number of people served in supportive housing programs since 2007. Through the work of Strategies to End Homelessness, Cincinnati is recognized nationally as a leader in implementing innovative and effective programs to end homelessness. Strategies to End Homelessness is funded in part by the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, is a United Way Agency Partner, and a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. To learn more about Strategies to End Homelessness, and the community’s integrated network of homeless services agencies, visit: www.strategiestoendhomelessness.org
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kevin Finn
President & CEO, Strategies to End Homelessness
cell 513-708-8054
Tamie Sullivan
Sullivan Communications
