The National Alliance's 2013 National Conference on Ending Homelessness was held on July22-24, 2013. A selection of the presentation material is available here.
Changing the Terms: How Communities are Leveraging Health Care for PSH Capacity
This half-day session is for policy experts and homeless assistance leaders engaged in community-wide efforts to end chronic homelessness, and will highlight communities with new initiatives under way that integrate elements of health care reform with targeted supportive housing solutions. Topics include housing strategies, Medicaid financing, and organizational relationships. Presenters will offer perspectives on overcoming barriers to integrating housing and health care. Five communities will be highlighted: Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and Portland (OR). Cosponsored by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and 100,000 Homes RSVPs were requested, space is limited.
1.3 Beyond a 17 Percent Decrease: Next Steps for Ending Veteran Homelessness
Since 2009, homelessness among veterans has decreased by more than 17 percent. With two and a half years left to reach the Administration’s goal of ending homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015, this workshop will assess the progress that has been made and what further steps are needed to ensure we finish the job of housing our nation’s veterans. Presenters will evaluate lessons learned from efforts to end veteran homelessness and how they can be applied to other populations, lay out concrete steps communities can take to ensure they meet this goal, and discuss what roadblocks remain.
- John Driscoll, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Washington, DC
- Ian Lisman, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Lisa Pape, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC
1.5 Keeping It Together: Timely Interventions to Avoid Youth Homelessness
Many vulnerable young people can avoid experiencing homelessness if they nare offered services that address the reasons they are at risk. This workshop will highlight successful community- and school-based efforts to intervene early with effective crisis responses; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender acceptance; family unification; and reentry from juvenile justice programs.
- Michelle Daly, Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD (Moderator)
- Judith Dittman, The Alternative House, Dunn Loring, VA
- Morgan Silverman, YouthCare, Seattle, WA
- Derek Wentorf, Friends of Youth, Redmond, WA
1.8 Effective Governance Models: Overseeing Your Continuum of Care and Homeless Assistance System
The HEARTH Act creates new requirements for governing your Continuum of Care. At the same time, communities are exploring ways to use governance to help promote and implement system change. This workshop will provide examples of governance models that meet these goals. It will address issues such as funding a governance structure, ensuring broad community participation, efficient decision–making, oversight, accountability, and outcomes.
- Michelle Heritage, Community Shelter Board, Columbus, OH
- Heather Lyons, CSH, Portland, OR
- Mandy Chapan Semple, CSH, Spring, TX
- Brooke Spellman, Abt Associates, Inc., Bethesda, MD
1.10 Integrating Housing and Mental Health Services
- Jill Carmichael, Friendship Place, Washington, DC
- Paul Howard, Community Solutions, New York, NY
- Marilyn Kresky-Wolff, Open Arms Housing, Washington, DC (Moderator)
2.1 Emerging Research on Rapid Re–Housing
The rapid re–housing model has spread across the country as an effective way to end homelessness. Through implementation of the HEARTH Act, rapid re–housing stands to become a cornerstone of the federal response to homelessness. This workshop will feature presentations on evaluations of rapid re–housing’s effectiveness.
- Tom Byrne, National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Philadelphia, PA
- Katharine Gale, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Katrina Roebuck, Office of Supportive Housing, Philadelphia, PA
- Jason Rodriguez, State Housing Trust for the Homeless, Georgia Department of Community Affairs
- Jamie Taylor, Cloudburst Group, Landover, MD
2.3 Designing Your Rapid Re–Housing Program: A Workshop for New SSVF Grantees
- Marjorie Wherley, Abt Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
- Kristina Hals, Technical Assistance Collaborative, Boston, MA (Moderator)
- Adrienne Nash Melendez, VA National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Philadelphia, PA
As the current conflicts continue to wind down, there is a new generation of veterans entering the civilian sector. These veterans share many of the same problems as their predecessors, but have a host of new issues with which they must deal. Military sexual trauma, veterans with dependents, effects of multiple deployments, traumatic brain injury, and other issues will be explored.
- Heloise Ferguson, Department of Veterans Affairs VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, TX (Co-Moderator)
- Brandi Jancaitis, VA Department of Veteran Services, Richmond, VA
- Star Lara, Swords to Plowshares, San Francisco, CA
- Anthony Love, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC
2.5 Research on Homeless Youth
As ending youth homelessness becomes a higher priority nationwide, research becomes more important than ever to ensure the development of effective practice and policy. This workshop will feature leading researchers on youth homelessness. Presenters will focus on the effectiveness of family intervention and other housing models as well as how to target particular housing models.
- Adrienne Fernandes-Alcantara, Congressional Research Service, Washington, DC (Speaker/Moderator)
- Stephen Gaetz, York University, Tortonto, ON
- Eric Rice, School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
2.7 Introduction to Coordinated Assessment
Communities that are just getting started with coordinated assessment are likely to have questions about how to design their processes, what tools to use for assessment and data collection, and what stakeholders to bring to the table and how. This workshop will serve as a “crash course” in everything communities need to know to start their coordinated assessment process on the right foot.
- Meradith Alspaugh, Cincinnati/Hamilton County Continuum of Care for the Homeless, Inc., Cincinnatti, OH
- Lauren Baker The Salvation Army, Grand Rapids, MI
- Suzanne Wagner, Housing Innovations, New York, NY (Moderator)
- Betty Zylstra, The Salvation Army, Grand Rapids, MI
2.9 Making the List: Assessing and Ranking Performance in a Continuum of Care
For many communities, the latest Continuum of Care application presented new and uncomfortable challenges. Projects had to be tiered and ranked, and some were placed in jeopardy of not being renewed. In this workshop, presenters will describe transparent and performance–based strategies for assessing and ranking programs.
- Liz Drapa, CSH, Chicago, IL (Moderator)
- Erica Jones-Haskins, HOMWARD, Richmond, VA
- Erin Porterfield, MACCH, Omaha, NE
2.11 Housing and Community: Person–Centered Options for People in Recovery
For many chronically homeless people with substance use problems, permanent housing is an important foundation for recovery. Once in housing, people in recovery vary in their preferences about supports and services to keep them stable. This workshop will examine housing and voluntary recovery models, along with community strategies to offer options for people experiencing homelessness to pursue their recovery objectives.
- Tom Hill, Faces and Voices of Recovery, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- John Parvensky, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Denver, CO
- Rachel Post, Central City Concern, Portland, OR
2.13 Matters of State: Advancing Policy Priorities in State Capitals
From Medicaid to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to supportive housing investments, advocates are finding reasons to push for state policy approaches in efforts to end homelessness. Presenters in this session will share their expertise in developing and following state advocacy plans and discuss current priorities for state homeless coalitions.
- Emily Carmody, North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, Raleigh, NC
- Edward SanFilippo, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Speaker/Moderator)
- Richard Hooks Wayman, Hearth Connection, St. Paul, MN
3.1 Finding Housing: Strategies to Engage and Incentivize Landlords
A key component of successful rapid re–housing programs is creating and maintaining strong relationships with a variety of private and public landlords. This workshop will cover strategies that communities have used to develop these relationships and will provide the opportunity for participants to develop incentive and engagement strategies through interactive activities. Examples will include shared housing options and specialized landlord engagement strategies for domestic violence survivors.
- Shakeita Boyd, District Alliance for Safe Housing, Washington, DC
- Sarah Buss, Boulder County, Boulder, CO (Speaker/Moderator)
- Connie Jones, Central Virginia Housing Coalition, Fredericksburg, VA
3.3 Question and Answer Session for SSVF Grantees
With a focus on rapid re-housing and prevention strategies, Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) is the newest program in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ arsenal for homeless and at-risk veterans. This workshop will provide an overview of the program and allow grantees and prospective grantees to ask questions about implementation, program design, and program rules. Department of Veterans Affairs and model program staff will be on hand to answer questions and expand the knowledge base around this grant.
- Richard DeBlasio, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Glendale, CO
- Jean Michel Giraud, Friendship Place, Washington, DC
- Elisha Harig-Blaine, National League of Cities, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- John Kuhn, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Lyons, NJ
- Niki Paul, Project H.O.M.E., Philadelphia, PA
3.5 Exploring Child Welfare Agencies’ Role in Ending Youth Homelessness
Extending foster care, improving discharges from care, and helping homeless youth reconnect to family are among the many ways child welfare agencies can help young people avoid or escape homelessness. This workshop will explore the connection between foster care and youth homelessness, and highlight promising practices.
- Amy Dworsky, Chapin Hall Center for Children, Chicago, IL
- Catherine Heath, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Deanne Pearn, First Place for Youth, Oakland, CA
- Angelo McClain, National Association of Social Workers, Washington, DC
3.9 Using Reallocation to Support Strategies That Work
Under the new Continuum of Care interim regulations, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is encouraging communities to assess the performance of the CoC on a system level and its existing projects and develop strategies to reallocate funding resources from underperforming projects to create new permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing projects. This workshop will provide an overview of the reallocation process and provide examples of how the reallocation process has been effectively used in communities.
- Sara Black, Housing Stabilization Service, Montgomery County, MD (Moderator)
- Sherri Boyd, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Special Needs Assistance, Washington, DC
- Katie Kitchin, Community Alliance for the Homeless, Memphis, TN
- Lora Routt, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Special Needs Assistance, Washington, DC
- Susan Starrett, Homeless Planning Council of Delaware, Wilmington, DE
3.11 Connecting with Medicaid to Pay for Supportive Services
State Medicaid expansions, starting in 2014, can translate into new funding for services in supportive housing. This workshop will cover a range of possible opportunities for providers and their community partners. Presenters will discuss how their programs work strategically with Medicaid in their states and communities, and how new Medicaid coverage will help the people they serve.
- Peggy Bailey, CSH, Washington, DC (Speaker/Moderator)
- Arturo Bendixen, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Aubrey Patiño, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, MI
4.1 Integrating Rapid Re–Housing and Employment Strategies for Families
Assistance with housing and employment are both necessary to help families quickly escape homelessness and achieve greater economic self-sufficiency. This workshop will examine how communities are integrating rapid re-housing and employment strategies. Partnerships with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Workforce Investment Act agencies will be among the strategies examined.
- Lindsay Anderson, Opportunity Council, Bellingham, WA
- Susanne Beaton, The Paul and Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation, Boston, MA
- Jackie Edwards, Catholic Charities Diocese of Trenton, Trenton, NJ
- Kollin Min, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA (Moderator)
4.3 Evolving Veteran Homeless Assistance Models
As we move forward in the historic effort to end homelessness among veterans, there are new lessons being learned. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has put forth new models and is working to adapt its older models. Presenters will discuss how some organizations are making changes in their programs and how the VA models are evolving.
- Baylee Crone, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, Washington, DC
- Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Philadelphia, PA (Speaker/Moderator)
- Leon Winston, Swords of Plowshares, San Francisco, CA
4.4 Collecting and Incorporating Youth Data
The need for data is a critical component of our nation’s efforts to prevent and end homelessness among youth. This workshop will look at the latest methodology and trends in collecting youth data, including best practices for including youth in Point-in-Time Counts. It will also explore how to use data to inform local practices, planning, and performance.
- Megan Gibbard, King County, Seattle, WA
- Josh Leopold, Urban Institute, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Michael Pergamit, Urban Institute, Washington, DC
- Jama Shelton, True Colors Fund, New York, NW
4.6 Coordinated Assessment: The Advanced Class
For communities that have started down the path of implementing coordinated assessment, issues such as strict individual program eligibility requirements and long wait lists may pose a challenge to creating larger systems change. This workshop is meant to address the barriers that communities may face when they are farther along in the planning and implementation phases of coordinated assessment.
- Chris Ko, United Way of Greater LA, Los Angeles, CA
- Kimberly Walker, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Speaker/Moderator)
- Matt White, Abt Associates, Inc., Bethesda, MD
4.7 Ideal System Design: Ideas and Strategies
How many shelter beds do you need? How much rapid re-housing? How many permanent supportive housing units? This workshop will discuss strategies systems can use, in concert with outcome data and consumer input, to figure out how much of each intervention their system needs to effectively end homelessness.
- Katharine Gale, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Washington, DC
- Katie Kitchin, Community Alliance for the Homeless, Memphis, TN
- Megan Kurteff Schatz, Focus Strategies, Sacramento, CA
- Norm Suchar, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Speaker/Moderator)
4.8 Codifying Excellence: Tips for Developing Effective Prioritization and Eligibility Standards
Each community needs system-wide written standards that clearly describe who will be prioritized for admission to different interventions. These standards will be crucial in developing a system with a standardized coordinated assessment process designed to serve and house the most vulnerable households first. This workshop will offer tips for creating standards that will lead to this type of system.
- Jamie Ewing, CSH, Chicago, IL (Speaker/Moderator)
- Brett Gagnon, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
- Tiffani Moore, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Richmond, VA
4.9 Public Housing Authorities and Chronic Homelessness Initiatives
Public Housing Authorities can serve as key partners in the creation of permanent supportive housing for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. In this workshop, presenters will describe successful partnerships between homeless service providers and public housing agencies that have led to progress in ending chronic homelessness.
- Angelina Nguyen, Fresno Housing Authority, Fresno, CA
- Jessica Preheim, Houston Housing Authority, Houston, TX
- Lloyd Pendleton, State of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (Moderator)
4.14 Measuring Up: Strategies to Improve Performance and Outcomes
The HEARTH Act requires communities to measure and improve their systems’ performance on key indicators that directly impact overall homelessness. This workshop will provide examples of communities that are using performance measures to effectively improve performance and reduce homelessness. Presenters will describe their approaches in developing and implementing systemic benchmarks and improvement practices, including examples of financial incentives, reallocations, and targeting technical assistance to programs with poor outcomes.
- Elaine DeColigny, EveryOne Home, Hayward, CA
- Heather Lyons, CSH, Portland, OR (Speaker/Moderator)
- Michael Wright, Homeless Initiative Partnership, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
5.1 Rapid Re–Housing Models for Single Adults
Rapidly re-housing single adults experiencing homelessness can be challenging, particularly for young adults ages 18 to 24, and adults with high housing barriers. While many of the rapid re-housing models have focused on families, this workshop will explore the implementation of successful rapid re-housing strategies to meet the unique needs of the single adult population. Presenters will provide rapid re-housing examples, including shared housing strategies.
- Terry Allebaugh, Housing for New Hope, Durham, NC (Moderator)
- Megghan Cotter, Micah Ecumenical Ministries, Fredericksburg, VA
- Samantha Rudnick, HomeStart, Inc., Boston, MA
5.3 Effectively Serving Chronically Homeless Veterans
The joint U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development–U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program is designed to serve veterans who have the highest needs and have been on the streets for long periods. Presenters will discuss this and other mainstream housing programs that may be right for chronically homeless veterans.
- Roger Casey, National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Tampa, FL (Speaker/Moderator)
- Robert Hallett, Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care for Homeless Veterans
- Beth Sandor, 100,000 Homes Campaign, Los Angeles, CA
5.5 Addressing Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Homeless Youth
Youth who have run away from home or who are homeless are at particular risk of sexual exploitation. Providers serving runaway and homeless youth should be aware of how to identify and protect youth who are being sexually exploited. This workshop will provide an overview of the intersection of youth homelessness and sexual exploitation as well as policies and practices providers can use to help identify and protect exploited youth, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
- Darla Bardine, National Network for Youth, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Jayne Bigelsen, Covenant House, New York, NY
- Sparky Harlan, Bill Wilson Center, Santa Clara, CA
- Audrey Roofeh, Polaris, Washington, DC
5.8 Retooling Transitional Housing – Moving to New Models
Many providers and community leaders are exploring options for retooling transitional housing programs to improve their communities’ overall performance. This workshop will identify the steps programs can take in the retooling process, and provide examples and tools for taking those steps. Providers who have retooled their transitional housing will share their experiences about making the shift, and cover topics such as staffing, contracts, and working with board members. Retooling for single and family transitional housing models will be included.
- Andrea Hachey, Columbus House, Inc., New Haven, CT
- Kay Moshier McDivitt, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Speaker/Moderator)
- Kimberly Tucker, St. Joseph’s Villa, Richmond, VA
Crafting partnerships with schools and early child development programs can be an effective way for homeless service providers to promote the wellbeing of young children. This workshop will examine how schools and early childhood programs are working to address the academic and developmental needs of the children experiencing homelessness.
- Moushumi Beltangady, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
- Elizabeth Hinz, Minneapolis Public Schools, Minneapolis, MN
- John McLaughlin, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Deborah McMillan, Public Health Management Corporation, Philadelphia, PA
6.4 Building Self–Sufficiency: Improving Youths’ Education and Employment Outcomes
The long–term well–being of young adults requires that they have the education and work experience necessary to succeed in the workforce. This workshop will examine strategies to improve the education and employment outcomes of youth to help them achieve greater economic independence.
- Adrienne Breidenstine, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Joanna Mikulski, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC
- Deanne Pearn, First Place for Youth, Oakland, CA
6.5 Maximizing System Effectiveness through Homelessness Prevention
Homelessness prevention and shelter diversion models that begin at the “front door” of the homeless assistance system are some of the most powerful tools communities have in their arsenal to reduce new entries into homelessness. The most effective homelessness prevention and diversion techniques attempt to stabilize people in their current housing situation if it is safe, not simply funnel them away from entering shelter. How to use flexible service resources, creative case management, short-term financial assistance, and connection with mainstream resources to make this stabilization happen will be an area of focus of this workshop. This workshop will also offer strategies for preventing households experiencing domestic violence from falling into homelessness.
- Ed Boyte, Cleveland Mediation Center, Cleveland, OH
- Kimberly Walker, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Moderator)
- Kelly West, LifeWire, Bellevue, WA
6.11 Promotion for Events and Organizational Initiatives
Over the course of a year, homeless assistance providers and other service organizations hold events and initiatives meant to spread awareness of key issues and messaging around solutions. Presenters will explore communications strategies for getting the attention and involvement of the public and the media through social media, traditional media, and grassroots efforts that could ensure the success of an organization’s next event or initiative.
- Lisa Gustaveson, Seattle University, Seattle, WA
- Catherine Hinrichsen, Seattle University, Seattle, WA
- Sara Loken, Community Shelter Board, Columbus, OH
6.12 Meeting the Challenges of Re–Housing Older People
The number of older people experiencing homelessness in many communities is increasing, and analysts predict this will be a trend in the foreseeable future. In order to re–house older people and help them regain stability, providers need to know how to access aging services and housing options in the community. Speakers in this workshop will describe effective service strategies and present information on available resources and tools.
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Ramsey Alwin, National Council on Aging, Washington, DC
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Edgar Rivas, Volunteers of America, Washington, DC (Speaker/Moderator)
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May Shields, Hearth, Inc., Boston, MA
6.14 Simulating an Effective Homeless Assistance System
This workshop will provide participants the opportunity to interact in a homeless system simulation game designed to help players understand how programs work together in a homeless assistance system. Participants will make system design decisions to help them think about their own community’s approach to homelessness, and the impact of decisions and strategies to reduce homelessness and meet the HEARTH Act objectives.
- Suzanne Wagner, Housing Innovations, New York, NY
- Kay Moshier McDivitt, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Facilitator/Moderator)