Subject:
Title
Funding Agreements with Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board, Inc. for a diversion program and bridge housing.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval and execution of the Funding Agreements with the Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board, Inc. for a diversion program and bridge housing.
• These Agreements provide funding for a diversion program for homeless individuals and families and bridge housing for families. The diversion program will provide two Master’s-level Diversion Case Managers and flexible funding for related client assistance. The bridge housing funding will provide flexible bridge housing, emergency shelter beds, and one (1) full-time equivalent case manager or case management resources to work with households to ensure connection to resources.
• Funding in an amount not to exceed $434,000.00 has been included in the Human Services’ General Fund appropriation request for FY19 to implement these two decision package programs. Diversion Program: $134,000.00 & Bridge Housing: $300,000.00.
• The total Board decision package for homeless service expansion in FY19 is $500,000.00. In addition to the two programs above totaling $434,000.00, a separate amendment is planned for $66,000.00 with Boley Centers to implement the expanded permanent supportive housing resources.
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Strategic Plan:
Ensure Public Health, Safety, and Welfare
2.1 Provide planning, coordination, prevention, and protective services to ensure a safe and secure community
2.2 Be a facilitator, convener, and purchaser of services for those in need
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
5.1 Maximize partner relationships and public outreach
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources
5.3 Ensure effective and efficient delivery of county services and support
Summary:
These Agreements provide funding for a diversion program for homeless individuals and families and bridge housing for families. The diversion program will provide two Master’s-level Diversion Case Managers and flexible funding for related client assistance. The bridge housing funding will provide flexible bridge housing, emergency shelter beds, and one (1) full-time equivalent (FTE) case manager or case management resources to work with households to ensure connection to resources.
Background Information:
The Homeless Leadership Board (HLB) is a non-profit organization which coordinates services for homeless individuals, educates and trains organizations and citizens about homelessness, and acts as the Continuum of Care (CoC) lead agency for federal funding to homeless providers within the County.
There is an ongoing concern with shelter demand and the availability of funded shelter beds and homeless services within Pinellas County. From September 2017 through February 2018, 2-1-1 Tampa Bay Cares, Inc. referred 153 households to the HLB’s Coordinated Entry team because they were either not eligible for local prevention programs or emergency shelter beds were full.
The diversion program will work to reduce the demand for shelter beds and homeless services by providing case management and direct services to divert households to stable housing placements prior to entering the homeless system. Strategies include: problem solving, crisis intervention, family mediation, linkage to services and flexible funding.
The bridge housing agreement will provide funding for the availability of new or currently unfunded shelter space or emergency housing units to provide temporary housing for households in crisis who are awaiting diversion to stable housing or permanent housing placement through the Coordinated Entry System.
In order to ensure centralized tracking, accessibility, and accountability of the bridge housing process, the HLB will administer the process as an extension of the current Coordinated Entry system with case management efforts tied to document readiness and housing navigation. The HLB will track and report utilization of the bridge housing as a system-wide approach and will facilitate family case management meetings within the CoC.
Fiscal Impact:
Funding in an amount not to exceed $434,000.00 has been included in the Human Services’ General Fund appropriation request for FY19 to implement these two decision package programs. The funds are distributed as follows:
Diversion Program: $134,000.00
Bridge Housing: $300,000.00
The total Board decision package for homeless service expansion in FY19 is $500,000.00. In addition to the two programs above totaling $434,000.00, a separate amendment is planned for $66,000.00 with Boley Centers to implement the expanded permanent supportive housing resources.
Staff Member Responsible:
Daisy Rodriguez, Director, Human Services
Partners:
Pinellas County Homeless Leadership Board, Inc.
Attachments:
Diversion Program Agreement
Bridge Housing Agreement
Diversion Program Decision Package
Bridge Housing Decision Package