California Health Care Foundation’s Post

So glad to see this evaluation out in the world! Faced with a global pandemic, state and local government, local organizations and private business came together at record speed to stand up the Project Roomkey program. The model used hotel rooms to house people experiencing homelessness - to reduce their risk exposure, as well as the larger burden on the health system in this crisis. The Project Roomkey model expanded our imaginations for how California can provide emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness - and there are important reflections on what this means for homelessness services in non-emergency settings as well. #covid19 #pandemic #pandemicpreparedness #homelessness #housing

Housing Works! 🏠 California's Project Roomkey offered a common sense solution to support people experiencing homelessness during the height of pandemic. By providing non-congregate shelters, including hotel rooms, motel rooms, and trailers, PRK accommodated medically vulnerable people while offering protection from COVID-19 exposure. Swift implementation and government support facilitated PRK's success, forming new partnerships between local government agencies, homeless services, and health care providers. Participants reported positive experiences at PRK sites, with access to meals, laundry facilities, and health care professionals. California Health Care Foundation and Conrad N. Hilton Foundation contracted Abt Global to evaluate the PRK program. Data from the Homeless Management Information System revealed that longer stays in PRK reduced the likelihood of returning to homelessness, with participants transitioning more frequently to permanent housing. PRK transformed emergency housing for people experiencing homelessness and highlighted the importance of innovative approaches and collaboration in addressing social challenges. https://lnkd.in/enVSAsac #Homelessness #CommunityCare #ProjectRoomkey

At yesterday’s meeting, Barnstable County Commissioners: 🏠 Approved $3M for expanded homelessness services & $326K for autism-friendly housing using ARPA funds. 📊 Reviewed findings from the Lower Cape health needs survey for Brewster, Chatham, Harwich, & Orleans: 👉20% increase in food insecurity since 2018 👉Healthcare provider shortages & rising costs 👉Aging isolation & mental health stigma Data-driven recommendations include expanding mental health services, advocating for affordable housing, & fostering community connections. 💻 Advanced IT digitization with a $70K ARPA-funded project to improve file management & staff training. Learn more https://loom.ly/HjWo_bs

BENIOFF ENCAMPMENT PRIORITIZATION TOOL - A STRONG FOUNDATION. I read the material linked below and can see enormous potential benefit for cities across the country. It provides a potential starting point to help cities (and other land-owning public entities like counties, water districts, the State, etc.) identify where to focus attention. As I think about the work that San Jose's Housing, Parks Recreation & Neighborhood Services, Transportation, Police, Fire and Environmental Services Departments and our Budget Office are all doing in our One Team approach to respond to the challenges we face, the mixture of health, human service, safety, environment and fiscal realities are in sharp relief. Solutions start with permanent affordable homes and services. And when those aren’t yet available, having dignified, person-centered temporary options that are informed by people who have lived outside are critical. And building on and with the regional systems approach that the supportive housing system in Santa Clara County has developed together is core to sustained success. For cities to derive sustainable prioritization approaches, the framework in the link below should be supplemented with the consideration of community-building, environmental mandates, and public support for the funding necessary to scale permanent resolution into housing. I look forward to digging deeper and learning from the multiple City departments in San Jose that can help shape how this type of tool can improve our approaches. Deep gratitude to Margot Kushel MD, Marc Dones and the team at Benioff for bringing this work into existence. It is built on the most comprehensive research of unsheltered people in the last 50 years. The value of a collaboration with multiple cities/counties to assess practical and feasible paths forward could be substantial. #homelessness #policy #leadership #evidence https://lnkd.in/g9KFEncw

Project Roomkey's evaluation reinforces lessons learned about what's possible when we use all the tools at our disposal to work collaboratively & design programs that meet people where they are at to address health & social needs through housing models. https://bit.ly/3JQL1F9

Register now for FHWA Equity in Roadway Safety Webinar Series: Roadway Safety for People Experiencing Homelessness on September 4, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET/10 AM to noon PST! In this webinar, learn about promising practices implemented by State and local transportation agencies to address the road safety needs of people experiencing homelessness, a population disproportionately impacted by roadway fatalities. Staff from Texas Department of Transportation’s Austin District, Hawaii Department of Transportation, and the City of San José, California will provide examples for seven promising practices for how transportation agencies can work towards the goal of zero deaths by implementing practices that improve road safety for people experiencing homelessness. This FHWA webinar series is designed to share equitable strategies and tools used by state, regional, and local transportation professionals that can be integrated in DOT programs and projects to close disparities in roadway fatalities on the way to reaching our shared goal of zero deaths. APA and other professional development certifications will be available; additional information will be shared during the webinar. REGISTRATION LINK: https://lnkd.in/g7hgXyVV Recordings of previous webinars in FHWA’s Equity in Roadway Safety Webinar Series are available on their website: https://lnkd.in/gQsC4JSS

Housing insecurity is rarely a stand-alone issue. Our clients often face a range of difficulties e.g., debt, immigration challenges & mental health struggles. When someone is in crisis, the last thing they need is to spend hours navigating different services, repeatedly explaining their situation. So we've build strong partnerships with other organisations, helping local people access holistic support. They can feel at ease knowing that service providers are communicating directly with one another, reducing the weight on their shoulders. With this in mind, we'd like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our incredible partners, listed below. Together, we empower people to transition from despair to stability. Our Advisory Board - made up of former clients - have all experienced housing insecurity & its tangle of complications. They helped shape our new 60-second film 🎥 have you seen it yet? 👉 https://buff.ly/48qJctQ Our partners: Talking Money Caring in Bristol St Pauls Advice Centre Citizens Advice Bristol WELLSPRING SETTLEMENT Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust Eastside Community Trust KNOWLE WEST HEALTH PARK COMPANY

It's a really interesting question - how would you feel about your Council using data-driven approaches to prevent poor health outcomes before they happened in the first place? Local authorities hold a range of data about their residents e.g. debt, household composition, and previous service involvement, all of which can be used to identify residents at higher risk of poor outcomes. How would these residents then feel if we could intervene early with light touch preventative services rather than high-cost services during crisis? In a series of Focus Groups with Barking & Dagenham residents, we outlined scenarios where the Council could potentially predict poor outcomes for residents to bring the concept to life: predicting the likelihood of having a fall, becoming homeless, and becoming frail. This insightful blog by Saumya Singhal shares findings from these Focus Groups, including the need to be transparent about the use of data and reassuring people that handling their data is taken seriously, offering multiple entry points for talking about prevention and taking an empathic and relational approach when working with residents. https://lnkd.in/eHUd_-s2 Thank you to the project team Julie Atkins, Kiran Dhillon, Jan Blum, who worked alongside Saumya on this research project.

Have you checked out the Housing Stability Alliances' (HSA) work? The HSA's initiative responds to community calls for better outcomes for children and families, resulting from thousands of hours of collaboration over two years with nearly 220 partners across various sectors. With KConnect's support, the HSA's Common Agenda and Roadmap leverages collective efforts to drive community change and aims to “Redefine the Path Home.” Want to contribute to equitable housing? Get involved with the HSA by signing up for our newsletter today: https://housingkent.org/ Learn more about how we are combating housing instability through data-driven change at state and local levels below. #HousingStability #EquitableHousing #KentCountyHousing

The UWOR Community Needs Identification Committee (CNIC) has developed and implemented a process for analyzing data and identifying needs to drive our agency's grant making and funds allocation process. Based on that research, CNIC identified four priorities in 2023 and we will highlight each over the next several weeks. For more, download our full CNIC Report at https://lnkd.in/eQUMf-5t STABLE HOUSING ... recommended priorities: 1. Increase capacity to facilitate the prevention of eviction and the ability for rapid rehousing. 2. Increase availability of accessible housing that meets habitability standards. 3. Increase capacity for focused and coordinated housing care. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! ➡️ We are now gathering data for our 2024 report and invite you to be part of the CNIC process by making your voice heard. Complete our 5-minute community needs survey by April 26 - https://lnkd.in/gCp9vQm4 #liveunited #communityneeds #stablehousing