The Threats

1
The Threats Promises/Opportunities of
Downsizing Shelter

• Susanne Beaton

2
Two Axions to Frame the Discussion

• From The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
• When you change the way you look at things, the
  things you look at change (principle of
  quantum physics)
• If you always do what you always did, you will
  always get what you already got.

3
Applying Axioms to Homelessness

• If the intent is to end family homelessness, then
  we do have to think harder about keeping families
  housed, rapid re-housing strategies and shorter
  shelter stays.
• When we think of the Threat and Promise of
  downsizing the shelter system, we need to think
  about the threat coming from how we used to think
  about responding to family homelessness, and the
  promise coming from being viewed through a new
  lens change.

4
Threats to Think About

• Community loses a publicly sited facility
  safety net is lost. Staff become unemployed
• Lack of trust in the politics and shifting winds
  Section 8s are here and then gone, etc
  Government takes a walk and wont respond, kids
  get hurt, no stable place for families.
• Shifting economy resulting in more poverty
• Fragile families living on the edge, too poor to
  live on their own
• Families becoming invisible.
• Loss of emotional connection- shelters are the
  holiday stops, volunteer opportunities and
  fundraising platforms
• Family shelters are better than no place at all.
  

5
Promises/Opportunities to Consider

• Now, with my new lens change I see...
• 1. Families getting what they really want a
  home.
• 2. Local communities becoming engaged and aligned
  resulting in
• Better collaborations that can provide some new
  private/public partnership approaches and
  resources
• A new front door to assess and respond to any
  family in need (not just eligible families)
• Prevention becoming the real goal, facility
  re-use given a broader agendaother populations
  (SROs, Aging Out of Foster Care, Drug and
  Alcohol rehab, etc)
• New assessment and stabilization centers
• 4. Re-thinking our budgets and allowing data to
  drive the resources, innovation and evaluation.
  If poverty is the issue, money and mainstream
  resources are the solution.
• 5. Coordinating the front door, better
  assessment, reduction in fragmentation, catching
  fragile families and packaging support before
  they lose it all

6
More Opportunities..

• 6. Bringing new stakeholders to the
  conversation, allowing new leadership and thus
  new solutions (In MA, the business leaders made
  the difference in our Governor creating an
  Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness
  with real Commissioner participation across state
  agencies. It broke the isolation and the silos)
• 7. Raising private resources through
  community/stakeholder involvement, fundraising
  campaigns (i.e. supermarket debit cards, walks,
  etc),
• 8. Creating stakeholder advisory committees help
  to broaden awareness of the issue. All data is
  published and public. The data tells the story
  and drives the resources. Keeps momentum going
  in community

7
Successful Programs in Massachusetts

• Rental Assistance for Families in Transition
  (RAFT)
• 436 Families assisted over a two-month period,
  with rental assistance, back rent, etc
• 1,365 Average per household
• All of these families were prevented from
  falling into homelessness
• Department of Transitional Assistances Toolbox
  (stabilization supports)
• 476 families prevented or quickly re-housed over
  2 months with flexible dollars
• 3,080 Average per household
• Shelter to Housing Pilot
• 207 families rapidly re-housed with
  stabilization services with a shallow subsidy
• 6,000 granted per household, per year
• After two years 80 success rate, families
  remain in housing
• These 3 initiatives keep 1,119 families housed
  for the same cost
• as 63 family shelter rooms

8
Costs of Shelter vs. Housing Aid
9
Compare the Costs

• A shelter bedroom costs MA approx. 47,000
  annually
• While Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing costs MA per
  family an average of 2,222 annually.
• Prevention Initiatives keep 22 families housed
  for the same cost as ONE shelter room

10
Summary

• Flexible resources (public and private), short
  term shelter, local design, mixed stakeholders
  will help convert minds and hearts toward a
  Housing First model because in the end, the data
  will drive the discussion. Aligning the universe
  will get you closer to the dream of ending family
  homelessness.
• Government alone will never be able to get the
  job done.
• Serving more families for less money with better
  outcomes requires
• public and private partnership both locally and
  at the state and
• federal level.