P R I O R I T I Z I N G H O U S I N G R E S O U R C E S U S I N G T H E V I S P D A T

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CT COORDINATED ACCESS

COORDINATED ACCESS: HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Coordinated Access

Retooling the Crisis Response System

Opening Doors

A Broken System

THE BRIDGEPORT HOUSING FIRST (BHF) COLLABORATIVE

• Alpha Community Services – YMCA (ACS)• Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport

(HACB)• Operation Hope (OH)• New Reach(NR)• Supportive Housing WORKS (SHW)

BHF: AN AGENT OF CHANGE

• Evidence-based program design • Inter-agency collaboration

and leveraging services • Cross sector collaborations • Partnership with Housing

Authority • VI 2012 Change in PHA’s

administrative plan • Support from HUD

EVIDENCE THAT IT WORKS

• New funding streams and sources of subsidies• 123 chronically homeless individuals and families

housed within the last 2.5 years • 95% remain stably housed• 65% housed 6 months or longer• 38% housed 12 months or longer

• 2.5% Club• Support from HUD More providers participating • 50% decrease in chronic homelessness over

the course of 2 years• Regional efforts – ODFC

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PRIORITIZE HOUSING IN YOUR COMMUNITY?

• Common assessment tool• Good data • Leveraging existing resources• More efficiently and effectively targeting housing

resources • Re-informing policy • Coordinated Access System

COMMON ASSESSMENT TOOL

• VI SPDAT • Vulnerability Index• Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool • Community Customization

• Why the VI SPDAT?• Brief• Grounded in research • Widespread utilization • Triage capabilities

WHAT DOES IT ACCOMPLISH?

• Allows us to targeting the appropriate level of resources to those who need it• Does away with a first-come, first-served waitlist

system• Delivers specific and concrete information about

what our community needs • Common assessment tool among all providers• Data sharing

HOW CAN YOU IMPLEMENT THE VI SPDAT IN YOUR COMMUNITIES?

• Conduct a community-wide Registry Week• Week-long street and shelter outreach campaign • Humanizes the issues by putting a name, face, and story

to homelessness• Engages volunteers and increases awareness • Increases community participation and collaboration

STRIVE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

• Incorporate the tool into the intake process to ensure it is all-inclusive and comprehensive• Update surveys and client’s information on a

routine basis • Coordinated Assessment

• Physical Registry

The Physical Registry

REAL TIME DATA:

CHANGE WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE DATA

SYSTEMS LEVEL IMPLICATIONS

• Line up housing resources• Targeting resources more effectively• Re-informing policy

VI-SPDATHMIS

Community Waitlist

Housing First Initiatives

Rapid Rehousing

Social Services for Veteran

Families

CT Integrated Healthcare &

Housing Neighborhoods

Community Care Team

Coordinated Access

HousingFirst

IntegratingHealthcare

VI SPDAT AND COORDINATED ACCESS

INCREASED SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS

• The BHFC model is now being replicated throughout Fairfield County• The CT Rapid Rehousing Program is also

prioritizing using this tool• Enhanced CA System

KEYS TO OUR SUCCESS

Knowing our homeless neighbors by face and name and truly understanding their needs

Targeting housing to the most in needIncreasing collaboration and open communication Leveraging mainstream resources Aligning the needed resources Having a very specific common goal and a shared

visionHaving an effective social service infrastructure

and ensuring the use of best practicesThinking innovatively to use existing resources in

more efficient ways

LESSONS LEARNED

• Getting it done is better than getting it perfect• Take risks • Do not wait for funding• Collaboration is hard• Barriers that our clients face (no IDs, criminal convictions,

addiction and mental health issues – get people document ready ASAP)

• Preparing clients in crisis for the fact that the process takes times (housing is not immediate)

• Build in flexibility so other information is considered• Housing Placement Team meetings• Data is critical• There will be gaps in services, but collecting this data in a meaningful

way allows communities to advocate for resources

OUR INFORMATION

• Lisa Bahadosingh• Lisa@supportivehousingworks.org• 203-579-3180 x 13

• Lauren Zimmermann• Lauren@supportivehousingworks.org• 203-767-4035