Subject:
Title
Resolution endorsing Housing First and the Coordinated Entry System.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Adopt the Resolution endorsing the Housing First model and the Coordinated Entry System for the County’s homeless services system.
Body
Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety and Welfare
2.1 Provide planning, coordination, prevention and protective services to ensure a safe and secure community
2.4 Support programs that seek to prevent and remedy the causes of homelessness and move individuals and families from homelessness to permanent housing
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.3 Ensure effective and efficient delivery of county services and support
Summary:
At the request of the Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board (HLB), this resolution will formalize County support of the Housing First Model and the Coordinated Entry System for providing homeless services. Housing First is a best practice defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as "an approach to homeless assistance that prioritizes rapid placement and stabilization in permanent housing and removes barriers by not having service participation requirements or preconditions such as sobriety or a minimum income threshold.” Establishing a Coordinated Entry System is one of the five minimum components for the Housing First Model.
Background Information:
The Homeless Leadership Board (HLB) is the HUD-designated Continuum of Care (CoC) for Pinellas County. On March 4, 2016, the HLB unanimously adopted a similar resolution requiring all CoC funded projects to implement the Housing First strategy immediately. Currently, the HLB is developing a Coordinated Entry System as one of HUD’s requirements. This resolution supports the development of a Coordinated Entry System within Pinellas County and establishes the expectation that local housing programs will adopt Housing First and participate in Coordinated Entry.
In the first two quarters of Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16), the HLB hosted over 30 stakeholder meetings to implement and inform the CES process.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Lourdes Benedict, Director, Human Services
Partners:
Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board
Multiple Non-Profit Homeless Service Providers within the County
Attachments:
Housing First Resolution
Resolution Request Letter