Neighborhood Partnerships

Bridges to Housing’s Regional Steering Committee met in December 2009 to recommend funding awards for the four metro area counties that are part of this groundbreaking effort to re-design services and housing for high need homeless families.  Because of the demonstrated impact of the program, the four participating counties have shown remarkable dedication and commitment to the Bridges to Housing approach.  As private funding for the program tapers off, counties are working to ensure that the program remains part of the continuum of services that assists the homeless in their communities.

The Regional Steering Committee and the Neighborhood Partnerships Board approved the following grants:

Clackamas County will serve an additional seven families in Phase III of Bridges to Housing.  Case management services will be provided by Clackamas County Social Services and families will be placed in scattered site, private market rental units throughout Clackamas County.  Clackamas County Social Services received $121,973 for their project, of which $13,473 will be used to provide rent subsidies for Bridges to Housing families.

Clark County will serve an additional thirty clients in this next phase of Bridges to Housing. Case management services will be provided by Share, and families will be placed in housing provided by Vancouver Housing Authority.  Share is receiving $205,337 for their project, of which $100,837 will be used to provide rent subsidies for Bridges to Housing families.

Multnomah County will have 139 units of housing for Bridges to Housing families available in 2010-2011.  Services for this housing will be provided by Human Solutions, Impact Northwest, Central City Concern and El Programa Hispano.  From Bridges to Housing, these agencies will receive $232,500 to serve families.  Housing is provided by a variety of agencies.  In order to help housing providers meet uncompensated costs associated with serving this difficult-to-house population, Multnomah County is receiving $167,272 for housing costs.

Washington County will serve fifteen new families in Phase III of Bridges to Housing.  Case management services will be provided by Community Action of Washington County.  Families will be placed in housing provided by Community Partners for Affordable Housing, Bienestar, and Washington County Housing Authority.  Community Action is receiving $144,918 for their project, of which $40,418 will be used to provide rent subsidies for Bridges to Housing families.

We’re all looking forward to the next evaluation report on this remarkable collaborative effort. It will be available in March of 2010. Previous evaluation reports and more about the program can be found here.

The Portland Tribune’s recent editorial on homelessness focuses on the growing problem of homelessness, as well as several solutions.

The editorial highlights a growing and serious problem – children are making up a larger and larger percentage of those who are homeless.  In 2008-2009, over 18,000 school children were homeless at some point during the school year.   We couldn’t agree more with the sentiment that “[t]emporary solutions, of course, are not the best way to go for families and children, who need the stability of a real home.” Without a real home, the consequences can be severe – children fall behind in school and experience more health problems than children with stable homes. Children deserve an opportunity to succeed in school and life, both of which are tied to having a stable home.

Bridges to Housing is a great example of a permanent solution for homeless families.  Bridges to Housing serves high need homeless families in the Portland-metro area.  Families served by Bridges to Housing often have non-monetary barriers to stability and need intensive support to get back on their feet.  However we don’t need these types of interventions for everyone – homelessness is a complex problem, and our systems need to be flexible to meet everyone’s needs.

Many families who are experiencing homeless may just need some short term rent assistance to prevent their homelessness, while others may need rent assistance plus some short-term services to get back on their feet.  Increasing the supply of affordable housing for families in this region would move us towards solving the problem of family homelessness.

The editorial calls for a reexamination of the division of homeless services between the City of Portland and Multnomah County.  We think that increased state and federal resources are also critical to adequately addressing the problem of homelessness and the severe shortage of affordable housing.

We need a wide range of solutions to solve the problem of homelessness. But the good news is that homelessness can be solved and we know how to solve it.  Everyone does deserve a place to call home.

On Thursday, October 8, 2009 Diane Yatchmenoff, Ph.D. of Portland State University’s Regional Research Institute presented the 2009 Mid-Year Evaluation Report to the Bridges to Housing Regional Steering Committee.

This report focuses on the employment experiences of participants currently in Bridges to Housing, and has several interesting results:

• 45% of heads of households are either employed, pursuing education and/or in a job training program.

• 66% of those who have been enrolled in Bridges to Housing for 13 to 18 months were either employed, pursuing education and/or in a job training program.

Unfortunately the current economic climate means that employers are less willing to consider potential employees who have poor employment history, a criminal background or other barriers to employment.  Currently, less than one in five (19%) heads of households were currently employed.    Only 14% of heads of households were engaged in a job training program – something we hope to improve on through partnerships with Department of Human Services and WorkSystems, Inc. in the coming months.

The evaluation also reveals that mental illness is the strongest predictor of unemployment: Ten percent of heads of households were currently in jobs, in contrast to 23% of those who are free of mental illness.  This is unsurprising in light of other data – those with mental illness in Bridges to Housing were previously found to be more likely to be among those with early, negative exits from the program. Unfortunately, getting consistent and on-going treatment for Bridges to Housing families is extremely difficult.  Families in Bridges to Housing enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan have both long waiting lists and time limited services for mental illness.

The report also looked at retention of families in the program:

• 92% of families remained in the program for at least six months, while 74% remained at least twelve months.   47% remain in the program for 18 months or longer. This figure includes both positive and negative exits from the program.

You can download the full report, or see other earlier reports here.

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I agree with the National Alliance to End Homelessness. Their column for The Nation, (read it here), provides an alternative to a July column that offers tips for folks forced to live on the streets. The National Alliance to End Homelessness urges us all to act as communities to create lasting solutions to homelessness and gives us ten steps to take.

The Alliance list has been around a while, so its recommendations aren’t news here in Oregon. Our state and many of our communities have already taken big steps to address the problem, including passage of a new and dedicated funding source for affordable housing during the last legislative session.

But, the dialogue on the pages of The Nation can serve to remind us that it’s all too easy to accept the unacceptable as inevitable when times get bad. As I said above. Living on the streets? No thanks.

On July 16, 2009, Bridges to Housing and the Pacific Northwest Regional Chapter of the National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials (PNRC-NAHRO) held a private screening of the film Where God Left His Shoes.

This film, starring John Leguizamo, highlights the growing problem of family homelessness, following a homeless family in New York City. Nearly 200 people joined us to see this important film.

The evening opened with a reception prior to the screening of the film. We ended the evening with stories about the PNRC-NAHRO Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to college for residents of public and affordable housing and Bridges to Housing, which serves high-need homeless families. We also heard from a Bridges to Housing participant about how the program and her case manager have helped change her life. Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury and former Commissioner Serena Cruz Walsh wrapped up the evening by talking about the importance of these critical programs.

We’d like to thank everyone for coming and their support! We’d particularly like to thank our sponsors:

Providence Health & Services
Portland Trail Blazers

And of course, our patrons and guests! Of course if you wanted to come but were unable to join us, you can still support Bridges to Housing through our website. If you would like to watch the film you can rent it from your local Blockbuster.

Bridges to Housing also has more exciting news – August will mark the release of the mid-year evaluation report. Stay tuned!

Bridges to Housing has an exciting opportunity coming up next week! We are partnering with the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) to host a private screening of the film Where God Left His Shoes, a movie about a family experiencing homelessness in New York City.  This is an exciting opportunity to showcase Bridges to Housing, while also raising funds to support our important work.

HERE ARE THE DETAILS:
WHEN: Thursday, July 16th, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

WHERE: Memorial Coliseum

WHAT: A screening of the film Where God Left His Shoes.  Before the screening, we’ll have an hors d’oeuvres reception with no-host bar. After the film, we’ll talk about how Bridges to Housing and the NAHRO scholarship fund offer alternatives to the life depicted in the film.

WHY: To benefit both Bridges to Housing, a unique four county effort to help high need homeless families and the NAHRO scholarship fund, a fund which helps public housing residents attend college.

HOW MUCH: $100 Patron Ticket, includes name in program as well as the film and hors d’oeuvres and $15 General Admission Ticket, includes screening and hors d’oeuvres
Buy tickets online!

Together, we can make this event a success and share our enthusiasm for Bridges to Housing. Together, we can raise funds to benefit the work we’re doing to help offer hope for a better future to families.

You can find out more by taking a look at the event invitation.

I hope to see you next Thursday,
Janet