Stability Starts with a Place to Call Home Board Workshop October - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Stability Starts with a Place to Call Home

Board Workshop October 2, 2018

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National & State Context

• Continuing growth in income inequality

– Little wage growth for low income workers – Increasing rental costs straining many – Loss of social supports/safety nets

• Ongoing discrimination and prior racist housing policies and

practices continue to contribute to disproportionate rates of housing instability for people of color

• Children, families and older residents increasing as a

proportion of the unstably housed

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Workshop Goals

• Provide a comprehensive picture of housing and

related services in Ramsey County

– Internal (county departments) – External (Heading Home Ramsey)

• Describe the implications of the system and current

housing market for people without stable housing

• Identify ways to increase alignment across county

and community toward the shared vision of housing stability for all residents

Workshop Plan

• Morning Workshop

– Context/Overview – County efforts to address homelessness and housing instability update – Interdepartmental Council on Housing Stability findings and next steps

• Afternoon Workshop

– Heading Home Ramsey (HHR) update – Additional data and charts about homelessness and services in the county – HHR requests

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Current Context in Ramsey County

• Local rental market remains tight

– 2% vacancy rate

• Landlord’s market

– Criminal records – Poor rental histories, previous evictions – People with disabilities

• Increasing number of people

experiencing homelessness – Families in cars – Encampments

Rent Vacancy

Source: Minneapolis Area Market, Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors Monthly Indicators, Jan 2018; Zillow; Northstar MLS; US Census Bureau

$0 $200 $400 $600 $800 $1,000 $1,200 $1,400 $1,600 30 % of Poverty Threshholds Rent+Utilities (2-BR) 30 % of Full-Tim e Wages Monthly Amounts

$15.00 / Hr $12.50 / Hr Afford

150 % 20 0 % 250 %

$1,039 $645 $774 $516

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Affordability Gap: Lowest Cost Rental Compared to Assistance Guidelines & Wages

$1,100 $1,299 $779

3-Person Household, Monthly Incom e by 20 18 Poverty Thresholds, Lowest Price Housing Costs, and Wages

7 707 775 877 859 660 544 533 538 31 27 28 27

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 2015 2016 2017 2018

Number of Persons Year

Ram sey Point In Tim e Count, Total County of Persons by Household Type, 20 15-20 18

Single Adults (age 18+) Families (at least one adult and one child) Unaccompanied Children (age <18)

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Update: Recent Efforts to Respond to Needs Created by Housing Gaps

• Redirecting Users of Shelter to Housing (RUSH)
• Program to transition long term shelter users out of shelter into

housing in the community

• Outside-In
• Coordinated effort to address unsheltered population in

downtown St. Paul.

• Winter Safe Space
• Short term, safe shelter during the winter for single adults
• Cold Weather Hotel Shelter Policy

3,10 1 3,297 3,8 49 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 FFY 2015 FFY 2016 FFY 2017 Total Count of Unduplicated Persons Year

Sheltered Hom eless Persons , Anytim e Over 12-Month Period, FFY 20 15-20 17

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Interdepartmental Council on Housing Stability

• Established in 2017 Strategic Plan, continued in 2018

strategic plan; Meeting monthly since late Fall 2017

• Provides an opportunity for leadership staff from across the

county to jointly increase their understanding of the county housing system and its issues, and to collaborate toward joint solutions: – Community Corrections, Community & Economic Development, Financial Assistance Services, Health and Wellness Administrative Division, Policy and Planning, Public Health, Sheriff, Social Services, Veterans Affairs, Workforce Solutions

17.0% 5.9% 22.6% 31.5% 4.8% 18.4% 3.8% 31.4% 25.0% 5.4% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% Total Exits Child Placements Detox Group Residential Housing Adult Correctional Facility

Percent of Exits

2016 2017

# of Exits in 2017 = 10,973 924 3,705 2,455 3,889

% Reported as Homeless within 6 Months of Exit

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Toward a Fuller Picture of Housing in the County

• Ramsey County and its partners are directly and indirectly

involved in a wide-range of housing-related activities

• A broader look provides a better understanding of where there

are system gaps contributing to housing instability

– This includes seeing the unintended consequences of some policies and practices at the individual resident level.

• More awareness across county departments and staff of

resources and needs will strengthen the county’s capacity to coordinate and assure efficiency in the services it delivers

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County Housing & Services Inventory

• Short and long term housing—voluntary and involuntary

– Care facilities & residential treatment – Corrections, detention – Out of home placement – Supportive housing

• Emergency response/Shelters
• Safety net assistance to people at risk of becoming homeless

– Cash assistance (Emergency Assistance, Emergency General Assistance, Safety Net Program, Veterans Special Needs Grant) – FHPAP community grants for rent assistance, outreach

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County Housing & Services Inventory - Cont.

• Assistance to purchase housing or expand affordable housing

stock – First time home buyers – Multifamily housing development program – Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers

• Services to support people where they reside

– Income supplements and housing subsidies with social services to live in the community – Healthy housing programs to keep people in homes

• Administrative support

– Information systems, data collection, staff support & coordination

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Homelessness risks for people returning to the community

• Disruptions in their prior housing:

– Lost job, income, residence – Lost social connections and support – Return home may be legally prohibited (e.g., restraining

• rder)
• Prior housing instability problems may worsen while out of

their homes – Low or little income, poor or no credit history, prior evictions, behavioral health issues – Few opportunities to address these issues while out of home, depending on setting

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Program/Bureaucratic Challenges for People Returning to the Community

• Requiring people be housed at program exit may

inadvertently be contributing to homelessness – People may report and have temporary housing immediately at exit (often unstable) but lose it later

• Paperwork may make it difficult for people to attain housing
• nce they are no longer associated with a service setting
• Definitions of homelessness may exclude some who are

actually homeless or at risk

• Housing bottlenecks in some service systems keep people

from moving to more independence and limit new entrants

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Recent Initiatives Moving Upstream

• Providing immediate assistance where people are in crisis

– Housing Court, Housing Hotline (FAS)

• Increasing resources within FAS to help families in shelter

stabilize and navigate housing (case aides)

• Increasing focus on FAS housing initiatives

– New Program Specialist FTE

• Expanding supportive housing sources capacity

– State Infrastructure Grant Planning Staff FTE

• Increasing attention and resources to people transitioning

from county housing – State Infrastructure Grant Housing Resource Specialist FTE

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Laying the Groundwork for Next Steps to Increase Housing Stability

• Testing new ideas

– Landlord assurance program proposal (with a community partner) – SPPN 2-Gen Project – More support for young adults transitioning from corrections (Pohlad grant)

• Continuing to identify and develop ways to reduce

bureaucratic barriers (Interdepartmental Housing Council)

• Refining housing exit and other relevant county performance

measures to track progress

• Learning from other counties about ways to more efficiently

and effectively align and revision our county’s housing

• resources. (Interdepartmental Housing Council)

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Conclusion: Much Remains to be Done

• Underlying issues of racism and economic

inequality continue to dominate and impede progress

• Housing is a foundational need that needs to be
• addressed. It can be transformational.
• To serve all residents, housing must be affordable

and accessible without barriers for those with past housing challenges

• The county cannot be successful in increasing

housing stability without its partners

– Heading Home Ramsey and community providers