Not Just Ending Homelessness: A Model to Watch, Sarasota, FL

By Rebecca Stoll

On December 21, 2011, the Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness unveiled a plan they call Step Up: End Homelessness in Sarasota County Now. The plan is a community effort and proposes greater collaboration between local agencies, the engagement of volunteers, and a Continuum of Care that embraces a Housing First model of moving homeless people into housing quickly.  StepUp seeks not only to help those currently homelessness, but also to prevent Sarasota County households from losing their homes. 

“Our approach is to honor what is local and working, identify best practices in other communities, and engage our community,” said Richard Martin, Executive Director at Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness.

Key elements to the plan include:

·       Greater communication between stakeholders using mandatory HMIS (a client/service database), social media and community forums

·       Enhance funding opportunities to sustain and enhance staff and resource capacity through joint applications and proposals

·       Create a Universal Intake System that uses community volunteers to assist with intake and needs assessment.  According to Martin, this model would ensure that each person assessed would be referred to other agencies depending on needs, and would leave with appointments, transportation arrangements and an advocate to support the efforts necessary to obtain housing again

·       Wrap-around case management services

·       Focus on ending local veteran homelessness in five (5) years, a goal set by the federal strategic plan to end homelessness: Opening Doors

·       Focus on creating a better system of access to benefits and a job creation effort                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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The Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness is a 501(c)(3), the HUD-designated Lead Agency of the Sarasota-Manatee Continuum of Care and as the Florida-designated homeless coalition for Sarasota County.  Its mission is to prevent and end homelessness in Sarasota and Manatee Counties in Florida.

Photos credited to © Karen Arango.

Miami-Dade Reentry Taskforce, Wayne Rawlins, Miami, FL

Individuals reentering communities after incarceration present a unique challenge to organizations seeking to end homelessness, including inadequate access to resources, lack of valid identification upon release, and insufficient access to affordable housing. Miami-Dade Reentry Task Force tackles these challenges through several innovative initiatives that connect thousands of individuals with support services. This plan has been recognized by both the Urban Institute and the White House.

·         Reentry Resource Guide – The Miami-Dade Resource Guide has provided over 20,000 individuals with access to social service agencies and job search tips.

·         Reentry Fairs/Community Fairs – Reentry fairs are held for inmates who will be released within six months. Each inmate participates in a needs assessment and their needs are matched with local agencies that provide corresponding services. These local agencies are then invited to participate in the fair and each inmate is introduced to the agencies that meet his/her needs.

o   Community Fairs –similar to reentry fairs, these are held in the community for individuals on parole and other ex-offenders.

o   Assistance with obtaining identification –The Task Force encouraged the Florida Department of Corrections to establish Memorandums of Understanding with the Social Security Administration, Vital Statistics and the Department of Motor Vehicles to improve the process for securing identification. The goal is to have the identifications issued by the time inmates are released, preferable at the Reentry Fair.

·         Transitional Living Centers – Landlords with vacancies in neighborhoods where the majority of returning inmates intend to reside are encouraged to offer “affordable, enhanced housing”:

o   Landlords offer affordable, roommate-style housing for which individuals pay on a weekly basis.

o   Task Force checks to make sure housing meets local code standards. It is recommended that agencies interested in implementing this model consider providing potential landlords with standards.

o   The Task Force refers individuals to these housing options, essentially serving as a match-maker.

o   The affordable housing is enhanced by connecting clients to the support agencies identified during the needs assessment conducted prior to their release.

·         Juvenile Reentry – The Task Force is developing a strategy specifically for juveniles. They currently offer mentorship and leadership workshops to juveniles in Florida’s adult prison system.