LTC 060-2005 Update Report on Homeless Outreach Services
CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No. 060-2005
m1
From:
Mayor David Dermer and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~ If"" ~
City Manager U 0
Update Report on Homeless Outreach Services
Date: March 3, 2005
To:
Subject:
This memorandum is prepared as a status report on the progress of homeless outreach efforts by
the Neighborhood Services Department, Office of Community Services.
Backaround
In the fall of 2003, the Mayor and Commission authorized a significant increase in funding and
resources to the Office of Community Services for its homeless outreach program. This funding
enabled:
. The acquisition of a total of 41 beds (10 at Miami Rescue Mission,31 at The Salvation
Army)
. The addition of a second, contracted outreach team (3 staffers)
. Relocation services (for those homeless persons seeking to return to a supportive
environment elsewhere in the country)
. The acquisition of identification and work documents for homeless persons seeking to
reintegrate into mainstream society
Population Served
The Office provides homeless prevention and intervention services to individuals and families as
defined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development as meeting one of the
following criteria:
. Living in a place not meant for human habitation, i.e. street, car, parks, abandoned
building, bus station, etc.
. Living in an emergency shelter.
. Living in transitional or supportive housing (for people coming from the streets or shelter)
. Living in either a place not meant for human habitation, an emergency shelter, or
transitional or supportive housing, but currently in a hospital or institution on a short-term
(30 days or less)
. Being evicted within a week from a private dwelling (and have a certified, legally-binding
eviction notice) and have no subsequent residence identified and no resources and
support networks to obtain housing.
. Being discharged within a week from an institution (prison, hospital, foster care, etc.)
having stayed long-term (31 or more days) and housing is not being provided as part of
the person's discharge planning and have no subsequent residence identified and no
resources and support networks to obtain housing.
. Victim of domestic abuse and no subsequent residence has been defined and no
resources and support networks to obtain housing.
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The 2005 Point-in-Time Homeless Survey results for our City provide a good snapshot of our
homeless and their particular needs. This survey, conducted annually throughout the county,
provides a planning tool for homeless service providers by recognizing the specific attributes of our
homeless population as self-reported by homeless persons. The survey is administered to homeless
people living on the streets once a year via the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust and, this year,
was held on the same day as the Homeless Census. The information collected through this survey
is presented as part of the documentation for federal funds to combat homelessness in our county.
Chronically Homeless 58%
Persons Experiencinq Substance Abuse Issues 56%
Persons with Co-Occurrinq Disorders 32%
Veterans 25%
Persons with Self-reported Mental Illness 23%
The Point-in-Time Survey also enables homeless persons to prioritize their needs. The following
chart documents the self-identified priorities of our City's homeless population.
Need
Priori
Twice each year, the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust oversees the Homeless Census, a
county-wide counting of homeless persons. According to these official numbers, the number of
homeless persons in our City has been declining steadily since the homeless initiative began in
October 2003. The chart below documents our gradual but consistent decrease of 38 percent in less
than two years. To place this decrease in context, the City of Miami, a municipality that has four
times the resident population as our City as well as direct and unencumbered access to providers
throughout the County's Continuum of Care, has expended more resources to achieve a similar
reduction.
Date of Census Count Homeless Count
April 2003 384
November 2003 304
April 2004 259
January 2005* 239
* Rescheduled from November 2004
It is important to stress that several factors make Miami Beach a regional destination for homeless
people including its plentiful beaches, restaurants and cash-rich visitors. It is also important to note
that spikes in homelessness tend to coincide with the weather, Le. cold weather will increase the
number of homeless visiting our City.
Proaress Made
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Our goal is to end homelessness in our City through collaboration with community-based providers
and utilizing the Continuum of Care framework as a means to access services and permanent
housing for homeless individuals.
The Office tracks the number of people it serves through client contacts. Client contacts are those
exchanges between staff and clients in which either the offer of services is made and is refused or
actual services are being provided. Due to our chronic population, these numbers reflect multiple
contacts with the same clients. The following chart documents client contacts since FY 02103.
FY 2002/2003* FY 2003/2004 FY 2004/2005**
1,234 4,495 954
* Represents only the data accumulated since May 2003 when current administration assumed management.
* * Represents October 2004 - through December 2004 only.
Once contact has been made and shelter services are accepted, clients are placed in either the
Miami Rescue Mission or The Salvation Army. Shelter placements are the first step in client
stabilization. During this time, clients are assessed and the process of establishing a service plan
towards permanent housing commences through joint effort between client, the Office and the
shelter. This is the beginning of an extensive case management process that monitors and supports
the client's progress through the Continuum leading to independence. This process can last up to a
year and typically, includes:
. Ensuring clients have appropriate identification and work documents
. Applying for appropriate entitlements (i.e. disability, Medicaid, food stamps, etc.)
. Medical screening (including tuberculosis test)
. Search and obtainment of employment
. Access to support services (counseling, Alcoholics Anonymous, etc.)
The following chart documents shelter placements.
FY 2002/2003
FY 2003/2004
55
36
75
58
27
57
42
38
67
36
40
37
568
*
October
November
December
Janua
Februa
March
A ril
Ma
June
Jul
Au ust
Se tember
TOTALS
. Data unavailable.
.. Represents only the first quarter of current fiscal year.
*
*
*
*
*
*
43
50
23
36
79
231
FY 2004/2005
38
44
30
112**
It is important to note that all placements documented since October 2003 are not duplicated. While
maintaining capacity- or c1ose-to-capacity caseloads on a daily basis, the Office has placed 680
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people in shelter since October 2003. This number is significant as it is roughly 2.8 times the amount
of people officially accounted for in the latest Homeless Census and underscores our City's position
as a regional destination for homeless persons.
The Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust considers shelter placements of seven or more days to be
a standard in measuring placement success. While the City is home to many chronically homeless
individuals, the Office has significantly increased the number of shelter placements greater than
seven days and thereby eliminating the revolving door to shelter. Since April 2003, 34.15 percent of
all placements have been for seven or more days.
The ultimate measure of ending homelessness is ensuring that previously homeless clients access
and maintain permanent housing. Through concerted case management efforts that support and
guide a client through the Continuum of Care, the Office has successfully placed 60 people in
permanent housing since October 2003 or an average of four people per month. These numbers
only reflect those clients that we are able to track because of direct placements to housing. It does
not reflect those people who entered other stages of the Continuum for service and we are therefore
unable to track independently. Unfortunately, some people entering the Continuum return to the
streets because of mental health and addiction problems. These people re-enter our system only if
they return for services or are contacted by outreach methods.
While some homeless people choose to live in our area, others will opt to use our relocation
services to reunite with families or friends elsewhere. Since October 16, 2003 through December
2004, the Office has provided relocation services to 350 people. In addition to bus tickets,
clients were provided with sufficient meals to cover the duration of their travel. Staff accompanies
the clients to the bus depot and supervises their boarding and departure.
In conjunction with the Miami Coalition for the Homeless and Miami Rescue Mission, the Office
provided a special outreach initiative in January 2005 that targeted chronic homeless persons in our
City. The initiative, held every Sunday in January, provided transportation to the Mission, a hot meal,
shower, change of clothes and recreational activities. Through this effort, chronically homeless
individuals who tend to be resistant to traditional approaches were able to experience intervention in
a non-threatening manner in hopes of eventually accepting permanent help. Forty-eight people were
served through this initiative funded by the Miami Coalition for the Homeless.
With the recent issuance of a Request For Applications (RFA) by the Miami-Dade County Homeless
Trust that will award a contract to coordinate county-wide outreach for chronically homeless
individuals, the Office expects to collaborate with the awarded entity to target the 168 chronically
homeless individuals identified in our City. With a focus on mental health services, this collaboration
will utilize mental health practitioners (in addition to City staff) as outreach personnel and will enable
the City to tap into mental health and substance abuse providers throughout the county. In addition,
it is expected that, as a condition of participating in the county-wide Memorandum Of Understanding
forthis RFA, existing City staff will receive specialized training to better-improve our outreach efforts
to the chronically homeless.
In short, the City's homeless efforts have achieved a significant reduction in permanent
homelessness, relocated 350 people to other supported environments, and established streamlined
processed to improve outreach, accessibility and accountability to those needing services.
JMGrLNPG/mlr
F:\C~~~OB\HOmeless Services LTC FINAL REVISEDdoc1.doc
cc: Robert C. Middaugh/ Assistant City Manager
Vivian P. Guzman/ Director, Neighborhood Services
Maria L. Ruiz/ Division Director, Office of Community Services