2019-164 Street OutreachDate: August 16, 2019 Report No. 2019-164
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: Street Outreach Team Information
PURPOSE: An Informal Staff Report to provide information on the current level of service for the Street Outreach Team compared to additional capabilities with the $64,600 supplemental budget request.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION: As described by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, “The goals of any effective crisis response system are to identify those experiencing homelessness, prevent homelessness when possible, connect people with housing quickly and provide supportive services when needed.” (Crisis Response: https://endhomelessness.org/ending-homelessness/solutions/crisis-response/)
STREET OUTREACH IN THE HOUSING CRISIS RESPONSE SYSTEM In Denton and throughout Denton County, our Housing Crisis Response System plan is to achieve our goals through the following collaborative efforts:
•Street Outreach: Street outreach is a critical tool in our response to homelessness. StreetOutreach visits with people experiencing homelessness who are living unsheltered tomake contact and to build rapport with individuals who are not seeking assistance or arenot aware of services available. In addition to immediate care provided at the point of
contact, outreach seeks to perform Coordinated Entry assessments and get individuals
connected to community resources.
•Coordinated Entry (CE) and the Housing Priority List (HPL): Denton has adopted and isimplementing a uniform process that is designed to quickly identify, assess, refer andconnect people in crisis to housing assistance and services. Households that complete the
CE assessment process are then included in the HPL and referred to the most appropriatehousing solution. Households are pulled off the HPL in order of priority status as housingassistance becomes available.
•Diversion and Prevention: As the most cost effective of all solutions, diversion and
prevention are key components of our Housing Crisis Response System by reducing the
number of people who become homeless. Homeless prevention helps households stay intheir current housing situation while diversion prevents homelessness for people seekingshelter by helping them identify immediate alternate housing arrangements and, whennecessary, connecting them with services.
•Emergency Shelters and Temporary Housing: Emergency shelter and temporary housingassists people experiencing a housing crisis or fleeing an unsafe situation to quickly finda safe place to stay. Emergency and temporary housing are on a continuum of serviceprovision that align with the larger goals of being focused on moving people from
homeless to housing.
Date: August 16, 2019 Report No. 2019-164
•Permanent Housing: Without permanent housing, there is constant housing instability.Our system includes a goal to increase our capacity to connect people experiencing
homelessness with permanent housing programs, such as rapid re-housing, permanentsupportive housing, and other stable permanent housing options.
STREET OUTREACH TEAM The Street Outreach Team is a cross-sector collaborative team with representatives led by Giving
Hope, Inc., Vision Ministries, and other nonprofit agencies along with Denton Police officers and a Denton Fire Paramedic conducting targeted outreach to individuals living unsheltered. The team currently goes out two (2) to four (4) times a month visiting known encampments, abandoned buildings and wooded areas. Their goal is to meet homeless individuals in their environment, provide them with information on housing, employment, and benefit resources they
may qualify to receive, and connect them to resources.
Local outreach services have been successful in engaging people experiencing homelessness unsheltered. In 2018, the Street Outreach Team engaged 116 individuals and entered 86 households into Coordinated Entry along with referrals to available services. However, that work
is limited to a visit only a few times a month and there are limited resources for some of the highest needs.
People experiencing homelessness have greatly increased rates of mental illness and substance abuse. With the Street Outreach Team’s experience handling local outreach, reviewing existing
research, and learning first hand from other communities about evidenced-based strategies that improve the goals of street outreach, additional tools associated with successful housing outcomes have been identified. This includes increasing the frequency of outreach to individuals living unsheltered and providing additional mental health case management support.
The proposal for supplemental funding is a response to that identified need. Using a multidisciplinary outreach team approach, specifically increasing mental health support, has been found to improve housing outcomes and stability. Specially, having a dedicated resource attached to the Street Outreach Team would increase the frequency of outreach visits and provide
a person available for on-call outreach as needed. The proposed funding recommends that having
the mental health case management background would improve outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness who also have a mental health need. Focused consistent case management (from outreach engagement, to housing transition, to housing maintenance) would lead to improved outcomes for this population. Attachment 1 is the summary for Street Outreach
Team Expansion funding that was presented and included in the back-up materials for the May
21, 2019 work session presentation to Council.
DENTON COUNTY MHMR http://www.dentonmhmr.org/crisis.html There is another resource in the community for outreach, but it is targeted to very specific severe
incidents of mental health crisis and is not limited to people experiencing homelessness. The
Mobile Crisis Outreach Teams (MCOTs) provide face-to-face clinical assessments to individuals in crisis 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A MCOT consists of 2 individuals, a Qualified Mental Health Professional, and a licensed professional. The licensed professional can either be a
Date: August 16, 2019 Report No. 2019-164
Licensed Professional of the Healing Arts or a Registered Nurse. The purpose of the clinical assessment is to determine an individual’s risk of harm to him/her self or to others, and to determine the least restrictive treatment setting in which an individual can safely receive mental
health services.
MCOT like street outreach, emergency shelters, and other crisis services are the critical front line in response to people in crisis, but MCOT is designed to address a severe crisis situation. The Street Outreach Team extends beyond the moment of crisis to attend to the other parts of
outreach services. The Street Outreach Team is designed to establish ongoing supportive relationships, give people advice and support, and enhance the possibility that they will access necessary services and supports that will help them move off the streets. What is essential and often necessary is building strong relationships over an extended period, which helps outreach
develop an understanding of the individual circumstances and needs of each individual, as well
as the barriers that may prevent people from accessing either mainstream services or those that target people who experience homelessness.
Street outreach is a critical tool in our response to homelessness. The supplemental funding
request seeks to improve local outreach efforts to identify those experiencing homelessness
living unsheltered, build trusting relationships, connect them to resources, and more quickly connect those with mental health care needs to specialized services to meet that need.
ATTACHMENT(S):
1. Summary of the Street Outreach Team Expansion Funding Option from May 21, 2019
STAFF CONTACT: Dani Shaw Community Development Manager
Danielle.Shaw@cityofdenton.com
REQUESTOR: Council Member Armintor, Council Member Briggs
PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS: Community Development Police Department Fire/EMS Outside Agencies
STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT: 3.5 hours
Funding Options to Strengthen Housing Crisis Response System (April 2019)
OUTREACH
Option – Provide Funding to Expand the Street Outreach Team
Estimated Cost $64,600
Objective Increase frequency of Street Outreach activity and provide housing-focused
mental health case management for individuals living unsheltered.
Description The Street Outreach Team is a cross-sector collaborative team with
representatives led by Giving Hope, Inc. and Denton Police that include Denton
County MHMR, Vision Ministries, and a Denton Fire Paramedic doing outreach two
(2) to four (4) times a month to individuals living unsheltered. Their goal is to meet
homeless individuals in their environment, provide them with information on
housing, employment, and benefit resources they may qualify to receive, and
connect them to resources. In 2018, the Street Outreach Team engaged 116
individuals and completed housing assessments with 86 households in
Coordinated Entry and referred them to available services.
Having dedicated resources to the Street Outreach Team would increase
frequency of outreach visits with a target to have the team perform outreach 4 to
8 times a month and be available for on-call need. The proposed additional
resource would have a mental health case management background to improve
outcomes for individuals experiencing homeless who also have mental health
needs. Focused and consistent case management (from outreach and
engagement, to housing transition, to housing maintenance) would lead to
improved outcomes for this population.
The following is a proposed description of this role:
●Hire 1FTE Master of Social Work (MSW) Mental Health Case Manager (or 2
.5FTE MSW Mental Health Case Managers) to extend Street Outreach
hours and increase case management capacity
●Mental Health Case Manager(s) (MHCM) support households from
outreach and engagement, through housing transition into shelter and/or
permanent housing
●MHCM will work with households to refer to the most appropriate housing
resource, develop a housing plan, and assist with housing transition and
maintenance (up to three months)
●MHCM will advocate for clients with local providers and ensure success of
referrals and connection to services
●Collaborate with Denton County MHMR to ensure clients have access to
medication and necessary additional mental health services
Need ●As of March 2019, there are 117 households experiencing chronic
homelessness
●37% of individuals self-reported a mental health problem through
Coordinated Entry assessment
Proposed System
Impact
●Reduce the number of homeless
●Reduce length of time homeless
●Reduce returns to homelessness
●Increase successful permanent housing placements and retention
●Increase income and job growth
●Increased mental health care for high acuity/need households
Metrics ●Clients accessing shelter from Street Outreach
Funding Options to Strengthen Housing Crisis Response System (April 2019)
● Referrals to supportive services
Considerations ● Best Practices – 1:20 case management ratio per Corporation for
Supportive Housing; case management is face-to-face, and client directed
● Determine appropriate agency to hire the position and oversee the
program
● Denton Police Department is supportive of increased participation with
the Street Outreach Team