THE GOOD NEWS—HOMELESSNESS CAN BE SOLVED. Until now the first response to housing instability has been a shelter bed rather than a home, an emergency room rather than preventative health care. This approach leads to significant costs incurred by our city for emergency room care, jail stays and other crisis responses. Cost-effective and proven solutions to homelessness are being implemented so that lives and money are saved.

In 2005, the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission was established to oversee and coordinate the implementation of the Strategic 10-Year Plan. Since its inception, the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission and its partnering agencies have introduced two pilot projects establishing Nashville’s only “Housing First” program and a coordinated effort to increase access to stable income and health insurance.

The Commission has developed an initiative called The Key Alliance that builds on the strengths of partnerships with existing agency providers. The Key Alliance is based on community partnerships and focuses on solutions for homelessness with strategies and goals that can be achieved through measurable steps.

With the help of the Nashville community, from both the public and private sectors, the Metropolitan Homelessness Commission has established five best-practice strategies and goals based on the 10-Year Plan. These seven strategies will reshape the city’s approach to assisting homeless Nashvillians and effectively reduce homelessness by the year 2015.

Strategy 1

Create Housing First Units
Housing First centers on moving homeless individuals from the street or shelters directly into housing with wrap-around case management services. The Nashville Housing First pilot project put 252 individuals into permanent housing and has a 92% retention rate. Health care, jail time and other costs diminish quickly when a person is no longer attempting to survive on the street.

Strategy 2

Expand Outreach Services
Currently, there are a handful of street outreach workers attempting to connect thousands of homeless individuals and families to housing and other systems of care. By expanding street outreach staff and empowering them with viable housing options and services to offer their clients, more individuals will receive housing and healthcare.

Strategy 3

Work Toward Economic Stability
Housing can only be maintained with a stable income. The Commission’s Social Security Income/Social Security Disability Income (SSI/SSDI) outreach program has reduced the application period for SSI/SSDI benefits from up to two years to an average of 65.5 days. This income is now used toward rent payment and to secure access to health care. The next step is to promote and implement the Employment Fast program, which will identify employers and match them with a formerly homeless individual in the Housing First program. Each employee will be mentored by a job coach, and employers will receive the necessary training to gain a successful new team member. The goal is to help individuals create a career path so they can move beyond poverty.

Strategy 4

Coordinate and Support Prevention Initiatives
The most economic way to end homelessness is to prevent its occurrence. Financial assistance to prevent eviction, mediation to address problems with a landlord or lender, and case management can all prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless. By establishing an emergency fund in support of Metro Social Services best practice model for prevention we can increase the number of people served annually.

Strategy 5

Develop a system to move individuals rapidly from shelter and transitional housing to permanent housing
Putting in place a coordinated system that will navigate individuals from the shelter and transitional housing options in Nashville to permanent housing will free up more beds and services to those that do find themselves homeless and in need of extra assistance to cope with mental and health issues, addictions, domestic violence, and loss of family.

Strategy 6

Inform the Community and Gain Support
Through a public awareness campaign we will inform the community about the issues the homeless face and ask everyone to help us end homelessness. We are asking individuals, businesses, corporations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and the faith-based community to donate time, resources and dollars to end homelessness. To find out how you can be a part of the solution, click on How to Help.

Strategy 7

Measure progress and make continuous improvement
The Nashville Homeless Management Information System (NHMIS) is designed to record and store confidential client information on the characteristics and service needs of homeless persons. NHMIS measures progress, evaluates results, and invests in continuous improvement of the homeless service strategy in our community. All of our partner agencies are trained on how to enter data into this system and generate reports for their own use, as well as reports that we use to relay information on the services received by the entire homeless community.

GOALS

• End chronic homelessness and significantly reduce overall homelessness.


• Create at least 1,600 Housing First units with support services.


• Hire and train 15 outreach workers who will connect the homeless population with services.


• Raise $71.7 million -- $35 million from the private sector & $36.7 million from government entities.


• Establish a dedicated funding source that will continually help fund Housing First initiatives and preventative resources.


• Assist homeless individuals with employment or other income sources.


• Support and expand homeless prevention services.


• Establish a process to move individuals quickly from shelter and transitional housing situations into permanent, supportive housing.


• Utilize the Nashville Homeless Management Information System (NHMIS) data to map progress, pinpoint gaps and develop methods for improvement.