Webinar: Homelessness Around Atlanta

December 15, 2011www.publicsquareatlanta.org

Vince SmithExecutive Director, Gateway Center

Phil HunterDirector, Homelessness, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta

REGIONAL COMMISSION ON HOMELESSNESS

Looking Back, Moving Forward

About the Speaker

4

Vince Smith is the founding director of the Gateway Center, a keystone project of the United Way Regional Commission on Homelessness and one of the largest homeless services centers in Georgia. The Gateway Center served more than 9,000 homeless men, women, and children in 2008 and works to restore homeless individuals to self-sustainability. He led the collaboration, assisted with design and planning, and gave leadership to the opening of the Center on July 27, 2005.

Vince is a graduate of Dallas Baptist College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Baptist minister and educator, having taught in an adjunct capacity at several colleges and universities, including the Emory University Candler School of Theology.

Since 1990, Vince has worked among the homeless in the Atlanta community. He has initiated residential recovery and transitional housing programs, as well as served in key leadership capacity to open 4 centers focused on serving homeless men, women, and children. He is a published author, has received several community awards for his service, and served on the Board of Directors of TechBridge.

His passion is ending homelessness!

The Gateway CenterDowntown Atlanta’s Sustainable Solution to Chronic Homelessness

5

The Gateway Center works to end homelessness, and particularly chronic homelessness, by providing the support and framework people need to achieve self-sufficiency.

Through therapeutic programs and services, the Gateway helps homeless individuals in metro Atlanta move into transitional and permanent housing.

Among other successes, the Gateway Center has:

Placed more than 5,800 individuals in permanent housing

Helped more than 4,800 individuals find employment or enter training programs that lead to employment

Reunited more than 8,300 people with family/friend support systems in other states

Assisted more than 50,000 different homeless individuals with Gateway Center and partner services

Provided humane services such as showers, telephones, lockers and clothing services to over 90 people per day

Served more than 1,000,000 meals

6

The Gateway CenterDowntown Atlanta’s Sustainable Solution to Chronic Homelessness

A Regional Approach: Eight jurisdictions have voluntarily come together to solve homeless problems.

A Strong Focus: Commission’s strong focus is on: (1)ending chronic homelessness (2) preventing homelessness and (3) creating a more responsive system for the temporarily homeless.

A Collaborative Effort: We foster continuous communication and cooperation between providers, federal, state and local governments, and the business and faith community.

7

The Regional Commission

The Commission consists of eight jurisdictions, including the City of Atlanta. Each jurisdiction has supportive housing and programs for homeless families and individuals.

8

Our Jurisdictions

Our Accomplishments Prevention

Reunified over 15,000 persons. UW provides over $1 million every year for prevention. UW coordinated $8 million through the Fresh Start

Program.

Outreach/ Intake and Assessment Gateway 24/7 Homeless Service Center serves over

6,000 persons each year. Coordinated 7-8 outreach teams to reach out to the

vulnerable on streets and connect them with housing. Have 6 PATH teams doing outreach (for those with

mental illness)

Our Accomplishments Supportive Housing

Created over 2,500 units of housing with support services. Created over 650 units of housing for women and

children. Working with the city, received $22 million in ADA bonds to

develop housing with support and assessment centers. Partnered with City of Atlanta to obtain over 300 housing

units upon closure of Fort McPherson. Tracked 1,200 people in housing every quarter, and

approximately 90% remain stably housed after 1 year. Implemented Street to Home and Hospital to Home using

“Housing First” efforts to target specific populations.

Partnered with Veteran’s Administration resulting in over 600 veterans receiving permanent supportive housing.

Our Accomplishments• Supportive Housing cont.

Supported Georgia Housing Search to provide access to affordable housing. Over 100,000 units listed.

Worked with AHA to have over 600 Section 8 Vouchers for homeless persons.

Services Created Case Management Training Academy which

has trained more than 265 case managers metro wide since 2008.

Provided employment for over 1,800 homeless persons through our partners.

Assisted with SSDI person at First Step Benefits; changed system of applying for benefits.

Other Raised over $40 million from private funders.

Systems Changes

Supportive Housing Created over 2,500 units of housing and implemented Housing

First. Benefits

Increased rate of approvals for SSDI from 20% with a 2 year wait to 79% in 120 days.

Women and Children Changed from shelter system to collaborative assessment

centers and housing sites. Case Management

Upgraded skill levels and capabilities of case managers, and created network where agencies share resources.

RCOH is focused on implementing systems changes in order to create sustainability beyond 2013. There have been major systems changes in the following areas:

Working with emergency room frequent flyers Created giving back program for formerly homeless –

the Peers reaching out ( PRO) team Promoting shared apartments for single men to ensure

affordability ( over 50 apts) Implemented monthly case management training Promoting Incentives based case management Created The Anticipation Project – for those waiting on

benefits. Created VetsConnect – working with homeless veterans

Some other Promising Practices

13

Without the collaboration and commitments of our provider partners and the RCOH staff, the support of the United Way, the leadership of government, and the support of foundations and volunteers, we would not have accomplished what we have.

The RCOH provides leadership by identifying gaps, helping to fill unmet needs, directing resources to the best practices and raising the professionalism of everyone by setting standards and measures.

Collaboration… a Must

14

United Way Regional Commission on Homelessness

The Street to Home Project

From the Streets…

…To Homes

…And Independence!

Street to Home Statistics

• Since 2011, the Street to Home Initiative has reached more than 650 individuals

• More than 200 volunteers have contributed to the outreach program

• 75 percent of participants moved toward self-sufficiency

• 49 percent of participants are in permanent housing or have moved on to other programs

Street to Home Video

http://www.youtube.com/user/unitedwayatlanta?feature=watch#p/u/13/BRDprNwx4Pg

Thank you all for coming today, and thanks to our speakers.

To continue the conversation, organize, and share your own efforts, we encourage you to participate at publicsquareatlanta.org.

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/publicsquareatl

Like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/publicsquareatlanta

Subscribe to our blog at http://publicsquareatlanta.tumblr.com

To contact us about issues in your community or for help with Public Square Atlanta, please get in touch with Jason Parker at jparker@pba.org.