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Council on HomelessnessQuarterly Council MeetingDate, Time: Wednesday, June 13, 2018, 9:00 am – 3:00 pmLocation: FL Hotel and Conference Center, Orlando PARTICIPANTSAgency:In Person:By Phone:DCF Office on HomelessnessErik BraunDCF Office on HomelessnessAgency for Health Care AdministrationMolly McKinstryCareerSource FLDept. Children & FamiliesDept. of CorrectionsDept. of Economic OpportunityIsabelle PottsDept. of EducationDept. of HealthDept. of Veterans AffairsAlene TarterFlorida Association of CountiesClaudia TuckFlorida Coalition for the HomelessSusan PourciauFlorida Housing Finance CorporationBill AldingerFlorida League of CitiesFlorida Supportive Housing CoalitionShannon NazworthChildren’s Home Society PensacolaUS Dept. of Veterans AffairsNikki BarfieldVeterans Services OrganizationNew Beginnings of Central FloridaSteve SmithLead Homelessness Initiative, Inc.Andrae BaileyOTHER ATTENDEESIn Person:By Phone:Karen Hill, Marion CountyBarbara Wheeler, Mid FLDon Anderson, PascoMark Broms, BrevardJackie McNeil, SuncoastAnne Avery, Elder AffairsWelcome & Opening Remarks – Shannon Nazworth 9:00 -9:15 amAgency Updates / Legislative Reports – Council MembersBill Aldinger – March 2018 the FHFC staffed an affordable housing workgroup to address barriers for ELI households to access rental units (tenant selection criteria, deposits, application fees, criminal history, background checks, arriving at appointments, credit, evictions etc.). The first workshop will be June 14 at City Hall in Tallahassee re: recommendations for the RFA. The 8 members of the workgroup represent different coalitions across the state; they are there to learn what’s going on with ELI households (what does the process for applying for rental units look like for ELI households: what are they being deemed eligible or ineligible for). FHFC will electronically send the Office on Homelessness what recommendations the public and stakeholders make during this and the other four future workshops.Homeless School Children Pilot in Santa Rosa County: Working to identify households and landlords that will be eligible for/agree to short-term rental assistance for one year. Working to get resources in to smaller, more rural areas. A strong partnership developed between Opening Doors, the Homeless Education Program of Santa Rosa School District (screening and assessing), Milton Housing Authority (administers short-term rental assistance vouchers which work like Section 8 vouchers= used as a security deposit, can be used in an entire geographic region, etc.), and Family Promise of Santa Rosa County (care management entity). Implemented in January 2018, 18 families have been housed and 4 or 5 are in the process of screening or searching for housing and have received vouchers. The goal is to house 25 families every year for three years (a total of 75 families). They’re processed through HMIS.--Evaluation of benefits, process, and results will be done by The University of West Florida. Wants to see if the accepted families will become self-sufficient in the allotted time/if this is a good use for Federal HOME dollars and should be replicated in other communities (community must be one where all supportive agencies will come together for the goal—it was especially difficult to find a county where its Housing Authority would agree to this plan and are very thankful to the Milton Housing Authority for its participation). Erik Braun – Out of these 75 households, how many are HUD-defined “literally” homeless and how many are state-defined as homeless? Total PIT count for families in Santa Rosa is 165 and 75 is almost half. It’d be good to know which count they’re coming from. John or Dr. Barber from the Homeless Education Program, in about 6 months, will do a presentation for Council.Bill Aldinger – FHFC wants to do case studies a little down the road about who these households are. Two households have been able to improve their employment opportunities (ex: goring from part-time to full-time). Attendance has improved, truancy has declined, kids who are homeless are able to concentrate better in class because of this program.Shannon Nazworth – Supportive Housing Summit, and a workshop, in September. Majority of affordable housing funding was swept during last legislation. Planning for more community convenings. Engage legislators about why affordable and supportive housing is so important.Alene Tarter – The word “veteran” on driver’s licenses, trying to get that for free. Canines for Warriors grant of $50k in 2017, $150k for 2018. They provide shelter dogs. A grant from 211 Crisis Center in Tampa, trying to go state-wide to help veterans with many issues. Grant from “Veterans Florida” who train veterans for jobs and in entrepreneurial skills. --Upped veteran outreach (went from 70 a month to 124 a month) re: notifying veterans of their benefits. --Direct support organization was taken away=Florida Veterans Foundation wasn’t funded this year (due to legislative issues).--Attendance benefits are available for veterans who are low-income. Veterans who are 65 or older are automatically eligible for pension and aid benefits. Veterans who did not serve one-day during wartime aren’t eligible. If you served in Vietnam, you’re eligible for help with medical costs surrounding heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, and many other illnesses. If a vet applied for health benefits for a certain illness at a time before these health benefits existed, but then later that illness was accepted and applied again, the vet can be paid retroactively for all the time they weren’t helped out with medical costs for that health issue.-- Pension benefit for those who need it the most AND their spouses. Spouses are also entitled to dependent’s indemnity compensation ($1200 a month, tax free) if the vet dies.(Suggested: track how many vets are helped into assisted living situations so those operations will put the word out to vet populations). Erik Braun – To highlight Veterans in 2019 Annual Report. Shannon Nazworth – Alene to make a presentation on the points she made about Vet services and issues, show at next in-person meeting, and add to next year’s report. Claudia Tuck – Arrange for the County Veterans Service Officer from the county everyone’s in when Alene gives the presentation to be present for it so that they can add their knowledge to it. United Way (Mission United Program) is stepping up to help out certain, smaller/rural counties because their County Veterans Services Offices have overwhelming caseloads.Molly McKinstry – Doing healthcare transparency work. Webinars on request, and they’re customizable for any group (vets, etc.). Florida Health Finder website (tabs on how to use the site, how to see pricing information for an operation in different cities/parts of the country, how to compare quality, shows what amount facilities get paid by providers for services). Florida Health Finder also helps you compare ALF and nursing homes around the state/region/city. --Working on hurricane preparedness. Outreach with providers, communities. Focusing on long term care facility preparedness, generators for nursing homes and ALF (rules in place state that they’re supposed to have generators by June 1st but there are extensions they can get until January 2019 if they’re having difficulty with permits). All nursing homes and ALF in the state have met these requirements for generators or got legal extensions. --Launched interactive website using Tableau that allows people to see which facilities are in compliance re: generators. --Re-procuring manage care plans across the state (large contracts, probably the largest procurement ever had in the state of FL). Litigation for procuring those care plans is going well.--Legislatively significant regulation reform packet that’s been in the works for years just passed. It streamlines a lot of legislation, enhances protections for unlicensed assisted living situations. Bill Aldinger – re: generator issue – FL Housing has provided funding for community residential homes/small group homes of 6 persons or less (persons with intellectual deficits or mental disabilities). Provided an invitation to participate in programs wherein FL Housing would purchase/install generators (not huge or sophisticated), assist with rehab/construction. Provided $20k for this project. 80 have applied, they have kept people with significant mental health needs out of special needs shelters. Legislature passed tax exemption/credit for generators for nursing homes and ALF.Change in compensation for ALF, a lot of ALF is going away from people with mental health issues, communities are having problems with chronically homeless individuals who need more services than what can be provided. Shortages in ALFs for people with disabilities are rising, it’s hitting the Miami-Dade area the hardest. There’s a change in service providing for people with mental health issues—rate increases; Medicaid is incentivizing people moving out of nursing homes into community settings/assisted living. DCF is convening workshops about this topic. --Loss is due to some providers not meeting the requirements of regulations (providing appropriate protections to clients).--There is a wide variety of ALFs, enormous condos to 6-bed dwellings, but the regulations remain the same. Does the diversity in ALF housing warrant different regulatory/ reimbursement models?--Are there some outcomes, measures, data, objective things that can be looked at to help articulate that this is a problem and what the implications are? (Supportive Housing Pilot would be a good example/model of what to do)Susan Pourciau – Florida Coalition for the Homeless Conference is in Orlando from October 31 to November 2, 2018. Possible session devoted to the Council. --Legislative update – FCH is struggling around the loss of Challenge Grant funding, almost 4 million dollars lost due to lack of proviso language in place. Legislative priority session scheduled for Monday, June 18 where an official platform (i.e. restoration of Challenge and continuation of other State funding streams) will be developed. After that’s finalized, FCH will send out an update about it. --FCH’s member organizations struggled w/ disaster recovery in 2017-2018. Will CBDBGR money be directed at strengthening emergency shelters and other forms of immediate disaster assistance? Working on re-directing funding to rapid rehousing. Bill A? (1) Missing proviso language in legislation not only gave rise to the loss of Challenge Grant funding, it also removed funding for FHC to do training and TA for CoCs. Will FHC still be able to do this training work? (2) Has FHC submitted a proposal to DEO for CBDBGR (disaster relief) funding?Susan Pourciau – (1) In 2017-2018 fiscal year, with the funding that the state provided but will not provide in 2018-2019 fiscal year due to lack of proviso language, FHC organized the following training and TA projects: created a case management guide book, hosted a case management webinar attended by 500 people, hosted 20 other webinars, made 25 community site visits, hosted multiple regional workshops (a convening of ME’s from various CoCs). Many CoCs and other orgs didn’t have money to go to webinars or fund their own training and used this money to do that. Unless other funding is identified to support that effort, FHC will no longer do training. (2) DEO put out an invitation for someone to manage CBDBGR money for the entire state, the funding won’t be going to local communities anymore. DEO hasn’t drafted a contract yet so no one has sent them proposals. Bill A? DEO had to draft a plan for Matthew so they had to draft a plan for Irma too. FHFC will be getting money to finance and redevelop affordable housing in impacted/priority areas. Applications for that funding have been incorporated into the 2018-2019 RFA. Set counties that were directly impacted by Irma are getting percentages of CBDBGR, and other counties, like Alachua, are getting portions of the remaining 20% (“partially impacted counties can have a portion of 20% of funds”). FHFC does not deal with the set-aside for the remaining 20%. Anne Avery – DOEA has also been doing disaster preparedness. The department is considering amending the assessment form for 701 and 701 (b) = screening form used to determine eligibility for someone who may be eligible for programs (older American acts funded program[?], general revenue program). More information about that can be made available to the Council a little later. Break – technical difficulties with mute option – Reconvene at 10:45amIsabelle Potts – Disaster recovery plan is on DEO website, will send link to Office on Homelessness to circulate to Council members=details how the disaster recovery funds will be allocated and what entity will be responsible for that. --$1.8b state disaster recovery plan coming down and more funding expected for resiliency mitigation work. --Workforce initiatives for displaced workers to get temp jobs doing recovery work. The longevity of the temp jobs is based on two things: (1) the funding comes from disaster-related grants which are due to expire in October 2018 but will very likely be continued through 2019 and (2) the need for disaster-related work in that community (i.e. how badly the community was affected by the storm).Andrae Bailey – Will forward email of new published report (first in-depth study of VI-SPDAT) to Shannon/Erik to circulate to Council members. Skip Forsyth – End of April US Dept. of Education sent out notice of funding for two programs that are available to state education entities: (1) $25m to divide among states affected by hurricanes/wildfires in California. Sent application in on June 4 to get a headcount from FL districts of how many people, displaced by those disasters, arrived in FL homeless/how much funding FL will get for that; (2) $2.5b to reimburse school districts for costs related to damages to physical plans or other expenses (ex: transportation) due to hurricanes. With hurricane Maria, costs related to engaging teachers to handle the influx of students (roughly 14,000) coming in from the Caribbean (Orange, Hillsborough, and Dade counties affected the most). Nikki Barfield – The VA/HUD/USICH is in process of conducting a community planning survey= collective response of each CoC’s perception on where they are with ending veteran homelessness. Due June 15. Once all info is consolidated, will update Council on outcome of the report.Shannon Nazworth – Can include this report’s outcomes in 2019 Annual Report.Susan Pourciau – One CoC reports that they were using Challenge grant funding to Rapidly Re-House homeless individuals and paying rents. After the Challenge grant funding is lost, about 25 chronically homeless people will be affected immediately. These are $0-income, disabled, mentally ill people who will literally be put back on the street. This is one community but similar things are happening in every community. Erik Braun – Difficulty in showing the impact of losing Challenge grant at this early stage (everyone is still in the middle of a contract year), it’s impossible to show statistics at this point because the data isn’t available. Best way to illustrate the imminent impact, to show why Challenge matters, is by showing snapshots (like the one above from Susan) of what can be expected in every community when this funding is lost.When Challenge was reinstated in 2014, the Office on Homelessness had all 4 federally funded grants on different annual contracts. Right before Challenge was lost again, the Office had finally made a process of one unified, multi-year (3 year) contract for all 4 grants—ESG, Challenge, TANF, and Staffing. To be included in 2019 Report: with the loss of Challenge, state also loses training and technical assistance (along with what the impact of losing training and TA looks like).--Received authority to spend $1.7m additional ESG funds for 2018-2019 (prioritized toward direct housing, Rapid Re-Housing, prevention). Trying to counter some of the direct housing losses. This was not a new solicitation. There have been lots of issues with lack of spending in some communities, it is incumbent upon every CoC to move these dollars throughout their continuum (i.e. the Office cannot have reversions; if the money is put back out there, it needs to be spent efficiently and quickly). Office on Homelessness Funding Updates and ForecastErik Braun – handout discussion.--Palm Beach can’t get additional ESG because they don’t have an ESG contract. Same with Collier county (all sorts of capacity issues in Collier county; probably could’ve amended the contract to allow them some funding if they had the capacity to spend it). --“All hope is not lost” for Challenge grant. Resolution at some level seems possible, people in state government are aware. Erik explained what happens to Challenge funding if proviso language isn’t provided (this process is explained in other minutes). Essentially, the money is reverted back to normal SHIP dollars again (to be distributed the way SHIP is normally distributed). Going forward Office on Homelessness needs to figure out, with other figures in state gov’t, how to restore Challenge. Can it come out of general revenue? Where do we go from here after the loss of momentum this represents?--No funding provided for affordable housing for persons w/ developmental disabilities. --New agencies can be included in the allocations of this new ESG funding. They will be bound by what the Office on Homelessness wants ESG to be spent on/that new agency’s capacity and ability to perform those duties.Barbara Wheeler – Making RFPs for these funds takes time. If a county has to go through that RFP process, funds won’t be spent as quickly as they could be. When there’s a seismic shift in funds, locally it isn’t just a hit in terms of services provided to consumers, it’s a hit to the entire system and infrastructure of how plans were built for the three-year time. --No knowledge of whether Seminole county CoC is going through an “amicable” split or a “competitive” split. There have been no discussions initiated w/ the state. They won’t do anything for more than a year. Statute Revision – review and approvalErik Braun – handout discussion – Council Draft--Monthly calls, not quarterly meetings, are the best way to stay on top of statute revision and annual report updates. Florida Coalition for the Homeless started the need for the statute revision (introduced first draft in December). FCH brings this draft to the Council → Council approves/vets it→ Sends to DCF → DCF accepts it; introduces it into its legislative packet for 2019. Homeless definition concerns – Shannon Nazworth, Bill AldingerErik Braun - Line 66 through 131 – references the HUD definition/ other federal definitions Shannon Nazworth, Chair – proposes to remove 66 through 131 (line 37-65 is Florida Housing definition); replace with (a) An individual or family who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence under the HUD definition in 24 CFR 578.3; (b) An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence under the HUD definition in 24 CFR 578.3; AND add a section (c) to line 132 that reads: Additional populations may be defined in rules developed by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.--Office on Homelessness to provide additional language to lawyers and send out finalized draft to the rest of the Council. Motion to Approve based on accepting two modifications = Shannon NazworthSecond the Motion = Alene TarterAll in Favor = YESBreak 12:03 – 12:12 pmAnnual Report 2018 – review, edits and approvalShannon Nazworth – handout discussion, walked through recommendationsIn the Executive Summary, Recommendation #3, bullets 3 and 4 reference are not the same as Recommendation #3 bullets 3 and 4 in the following 2018 Council Recommendations section in the body of the report. Make sure they are the same/ consistent. Recommendation # 5 (in both Executive Summary and 2018 Council Recommendations section), change the header/title to “Revise Florida Statutes 420.621-626;” remove language in header/title indicating that the Council supports the revisions (it’s the Council’s report, it goes w/o saying that the Council supports what’s in it). Add a one-sentence introduction about what the HC/HN pilot project is (plus a reference to the more in-depth explanation of it in the Appendix) before launching into its Special Features. Only highlight the Village on Wiley pilot because it’s the furthest along and it has preliminary results that are new for this report (remove Coalition Lift Special Feature and highlight it, alone, in 2019 Annual Report because it will have its preliminary results ready then).Page 23, add Federal HOME dollars to list of funding that is relevant to that section; Last paragraph, add supportive contextual information about why USICH matters for state legislature (ex: it’s a model for best practices, it’s a model for the Council on Homelessness, it has community impact, use a lot of their initiatives and support, etc.).In reference to the figure of 2.6% student homelessness reported in the Appendix section by FDOE: Steve Smith believed it didn’t sound high enough and asked that Skip Forsyth either add a note that would help the reader better understand the figure (i.e. it’s not 2.6% of the whole population of the state of Florida, just the whole homeless population of Florida; if Florida’s overall homelessness is 0.05% of the population, then 2.6% of that number is rather large) or remove the last row of that Table which highlights the 2.6% figure altogether. Council defers to Skip Forsyth on this matter, to be decided later. Recommendation #2, Updates on 2017 Recommendations: explain what SHIP stands for; sentence that answers, “with this reduction in SAIL funding, what will the impacts to the homeless system be?” Bill Aldinger to write that up.Shannon Nazworth – In 2019’s Quarterly Meeting that precedes the 2019 Annual Report, the Council will discuss what specific members of the Council are going to write up/ send to the Office on Homelessness re: Special Features (sort of storyboard it). --Names for CoCs on papers coming out of the Office on Homelessness go by counties (especially in the Annual Report). Ex: instead of using the name “North Central Florida Alliance” to refer to that CoC (no reader/stakeholder would know what county or counties this specifically deals with) the Office refers to it as the Alachua County CoC to prevent confusion. Some readers are only looking at the Appendix section for data about specific counties and it would be an obstacle to their comprehension of the report if the CoC names were given w/o county Motion to accept report with recommendation corrections = Shannon Nazworth2nd Motion to accept = Molly McKinstryAll in Favor - YESApproval of MinutesMotion to Approve = Shannon Nazworth2ndg the Motion = Alene TarterAll in Favor – YESOld and New Business – Public CommentNo updatesAdjourn 12:52p.m. ................
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