AGENDA #5e

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

 

FROM:            Mayor Kevin C. Foy and Council Member Sally Greene

 

SUBJECT:       Developing partnership with Orange County, Carrboro, and Hillsborough to develop a 10-year plan to end Homelessness in Orange County

 

DATE:             January 13, 2005

 

 

This memorandum is a follow up report and recommendation regarding a process for developing a ten-year plan to end homelessness in Orange County. 

 

BACKGROUND

 

In October 2003, Triangle-area elected officials were briefed on the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness initiative sponsored by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. Attendees were asked to begin similar planning in their localities.  Our counterparts in Wake County along with the Triangle United Way have developed a program that incorporates public forums and action-oriented workshops. 

 

At the Town Council Planning Session on January 17, 2004, the Council received a report from Council Member Greene regarding the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness. Following that presentation the Council agreed to add a public dialogue on homelessness to its list of goals for 2004.

 

This goal was implemented on November 18, 2004, when Chapel Hill, Orange County, and the United Way hosted a Roundtable Discussion on Homelessness in Orange County.  This event was attended by over one hundred and fifty community members, including the majority of the Town Council, and elected officials from Orange County and Hillsborough.  Attached for your reference is a summary of the small group discussions from this event.  This summary will be mailed to the roundtable attendees. 

  

DISCUSSION

 

The Roundtable Planning Committee consists of representatives of the Town of Chapel Hill, Orange County, Triangle United Way, IFC Community House, and the Community Initiative to End Homelessness (formerly the Continuum of Care).  The Committee has continued to meet to review the feedback from the November 18th event and discuss the next steps for creation of a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Orange County.  At the last meeting, Ken Manness, a presenter at the November 18th event and a planner with the City of Raleigh, provided insight on Raleigh and Wake County’s partnership to develop a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.  Mr. Manness and the Triangle United Way have offered to assist Orange County’s municipalities in the development of a plan for Orange County.

 

The Planning Committee believes that Orange County’s success in this initiative will rest on the strength of the partnership of its municipalities. Therefore, the Committee recommends pursuing full cooperation from the elected bodies of Chapel Hill, Orange County, Carrboro, and Hillsborough for this initiative.  In January and February, presentations will be made to all of the governing bodies and a request made that they by resolution officially join a “Partnership to End Homelessness in Orange County”. Membership in the partnership may involve a commitment to providing staff, funding and other resources for this initiative.   

 

If a Partnership is created, the Planning Committee recommends the following steps:

 

·        Request that the Towns of Carrboro and Hillsborough officially appoint representatives.

 

·        Request that the Chambers of Commerce, the University of North Carolina, the University of North Carolina Hospital System, and Orange Congregations in Mission appoint representatives to the Planning Committee. 

 

·        Request that the Partnership charge the Planning Committee with developing a process for the creation of a 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness.

 

·        A second roundtable discussion to be held in the evening to be held before June 30, 2005.

 

·        Use feedback from both round table events to develop a process to end homelessness in Orange County.

 

RECOMMENDATION

 

We recommend the Council draft a resolution to enter into a Partnership to End Homeless in Orange County with Orange County, Carrboro and Hillsborough. We also recommend that the Council consider allocating 2005-2006 funding for development and implementation of the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness in Orange County.

 

ATTACHMENT

 

  1. Summary of the small group discussion from November 18, 2004 (p. 3).

Orange County Homelessness Roundtable Discussion

November 18, 2004

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

 

Group A: Ending Homelessness

Moderators:

 

I.  ASSETS/STRENGTHS

  1. UNC
  2. Raleigh/Wake Program Example
  3. IFC – volunteers faith communities in general
  4. Caring/concerned government bodies
  5. Input from community leaders and neighborhood leaders
  6. Family specialists in schools
  7. OC Continuum of Care – merging with community initiative to end homelessness
  8. Wealth
  9. Affordable housing agencies: EmPOWERment, Orange County Housing and Land Trust, Habitat, Women’s Center, Board of Realtors, Chamber, Council on Workforce Housing, (www.workforcehousing.info)
  10. Students at UNC, advocacy groups there – more focus and action
  11. Data – work other communities have done to be strategic – focus on ending homelessness instead of ending poverty
    1. Website: National Alliance to End Homelessness, Corp for support, local pt in Time Council, NC Coalition to End Homelessness, IFC Collection of data for Orange County and Carrboro
  12. Continuum of Care collecting data
  13. Retired people to utilize
  14. Free Public transportation
    1. Youth in elementary and secondary schools, scouts, etc.

 

II. BARRIERS

1.      African American Communities being bought out – “Gentrification”

2.      Stereotypes alive and well in community – lazy, dangerous, threat, ruining downtown

3.      Attitudes of wanting to shut them out

4.      Inconsistent response by town to homelessness – why does town criminalize them – laws against panhandling

5.      Police Department – a lot is blamed on homeless that they do not do

6.      Town wants to look as though we have no crime/homelessness

7.      Hyper-focus on 10-15% of chronically homeless instead of 80% other homeless who are short term

8.      Lack of sufficient data on the cost of homelessness

9.      Lack of rental subsidy – rental housing is too expensive

10.  Hidden homeless – especially women and children SHAME to identifying

11.  Affordable housing only focused on ownership instead of renting

12.  Dispassionate understanding of issue is difficult given the stereotypes

13.  Cost of health care

 

III. WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?

  1. More community convenings, focused on specific topics and ideas
  2. Volunteering by community people – learn about it face to face – Be ambassadors
  3. Agencies need to ask for what they need
  4. Amalgamate the data – town government, etc.  Blue ribbon commission – make easily accessible and updated (PR)
  5. Socialization and skills training – be productive citizens
  6. Sleep in by students at shelter/on campus tent city – don’t know who is homeless and who is not
  7. Duplicate work by groups – bring groups together and have clearinghouse for info
  8. Get town of Carrboro in on this process
  9. Different kinds of homelessness examine all of them
  10. Face on homelessness that students can relate to instead of those who are outside our experience
  11. Lead to a coordinated community plan
  12. Focus on the African American communities
  13. Job loss – deal with it
  14. Coordination between government agencies (hospitals, etc) and those working on homelessness.

 

 

Group B: Preventing Homelessness

Moderators: Julia Mack and Martha Hoylman

 

I.  ASSETS/STRENGTHS

  1. Culture of Caring
  2. Providing support to keep housing and prevent loss
  3. Provide housing when leaving institutions
  4. Issue must be constantly in front of us
  5. Media outlets: local cable programming
  6. What causes homelessness – assess impact on businesses.  Perhaps tax relief for homeowners as properties are developed and values increase
    1. Examples of Northern Orange County and Chapel Hill (Rosemary Street)
  7. Local Government support to learn about and address issues
  8. Credit and budget counseling programs
  9. Resources to study what causes homelessness
    1. UNC
  10. Developers can provide affordable housing in development
  11. Strong neighborhood associations
  12. Strong resource rich community
  13. Shifting towards a service economy – means jobs in Orange County
  14. Network of nonprofit organization
  15. Lots of volunteers in Orange County
  16. Surplus housing available

 

II. BARRIERS

  1. What are the strengths of population that is being served?
  2. Under funding of state and federal support
  3. Need more study of what the needs are of our community
  4. Non-inclusive processes
  5. Distrust of government
  6. Commercial developments maximize profit, but need to also contribute to community
  7. Need inclusionary zoning
  8. Many need to choose between paying rent and health care
  9. People lose jobs because of lack of stable employment
  10. Stereotyping and prejudging what people need
  11. Easy to ignore and lack of awareness
  12. The increase of people in poverty is straining support systems
  13. Root of the capitalist system – priority is not on the disadvantaged.  Poor people may not have good education, good jobs and we are dismantling the safety net
  14. Society pressures
  15. Lack in monetary resources but self-reliant in other ways
    1. $$ may interfere
  16. Alternate economic paradigm
    1. Trading/sharing homes
    2. Barter
  17. Discomfort of seeing homeless – making them invisible

 

III. WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?

  1. Get away from inter-agency “turfism” – more sharing of scarce resources
  2. Address health care issues
    1. They are a drain on resources
    2. Need better control
    3. Families have no control
  3. Local Solutions
    1. Despite state and federal obstacles
  4. Pursue collaborative efforts across agencies e.g. continuum of care
  5. NC Plenty – other economic instruments
    1. e.g. Time Dollars (www.timedollars.org)
  6. Very long term problems
    1. 14 self help houses
    2. Apartments
    3. Community housing
  7. Discharge planning
  8. Affordable housing – more resources needed
  9. Public Realm – vision of no homelessness
  10. Link between disabilities and homelessness – how to address challenges
  11. Priorities – where are we devoting our financial resources? Need to raise the priority of homelessness and frankly confront priorities
  12. Link to Downtown Chapel Hill Plan and Comprehensive Housing Plan
  13. Review/Search existing housing stock
  14. Priorities:  Where are we spending our money and are we putting resources in the right place?

 

 

Group C: Moving From Homelessness or Institutionalization toward Self-Sufficiency

Moderators: Gwen Burston and Polly Weiss

 

I.  ASSETS/STRENGTHS

  1. UNC Courses for people to re-tool for job training
  2. JOB LINKS center on Franklin Street
  3. Lots of Services and education and good matching
  4. Transitional Programs for ex-offenders through
    1. Private employers
    2. Housing
  5. D.O.C. Literacy Council – GED Education
  6. Women’s Center
  7. Employers who are willing to hire people with disabilities
  8. Orange County/IFC helping people avoid being homeless
    1. Providing $$ for groceries
  9. Rural churches that connect with Town of Chapel Hill Awareness of homelessness in rural part of county
  10. Mental Health reform
    1. Opportunity to align services to meet multiple needs
  11. Free public transportation in Chapel Hill and Carrboro
  12. Family violence prevention
    1. Rape Crisis Center offers free crisis services
    2. Healing from abuse
  13. TROSA in Durham – for recovering substance abusers
  14. Alternatives to incarceration programs
  15. Discharge planners who know the risk for homelessness
  16. Housing: there are unoccupied rental units – lower rent subsidies or tax break??

 

II. BARRIERS

  1. Legal system - $$ to work with in system/defend self/lawyer costs
  2. Arrest background/conviction affects job hunting and employment
  3. Getting society to welcome ex-offenders back – societal factors and stigma
  4. Multiple needs – lack of advocacy – need help navigating system and see the big picture
  5. Group homes create social isolation
  6. Misunderstanding about abilities of people with disabilities
  7. Some needs – special challenges and don’t fit “models” of needs and programs.  Program structures are a challenge for everybody
  8. Many come from manufacturing jobs -- no jobs available
  9. Lack of child care and affordable transportation in rural Orange County
  10. Those who do not want to be changed – not seeking permanent housing
  11. Lack of affordable health and dental care
  12. Waiting list for section 8 housing
  13. Educating people about the availability of case management
  14. Lack of large corporations – how can we get large corporate supporters?
  15. Support agencies become enablers.  Is there incentive by social service agencies to move clients on?
  16. More collaboration among agencies
  17. What does self sufficiency mean?  Client defines
  18. Plan should include strategy for those repeating cases seen regularly or special cases with severe life skill needs – broad range of needs

 

III. WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN?

  1. Committee to educate landlords/Assess their needs
  2. System-wide education about needs – long term goals
  3. Community buy-in about need to end homelessness
  4. More facilities in Orange County to house homeless folks
  5. A broader definition of homelessness
  6. Action alert emails to federal government officials about section 8 housing situation in Orange County
  7. Additional housing for single men
  8. Advocacy for Living Wages – hold employers responsible for living wage
  9. Landlords need to make sure affordable housing is clean and safe
  10. More case management services and money