Progress on ten year plan to end homelessness in King County- King County

Progress highlights

The Ten-Year Plan lays out a series of five key strategies and actions, with clear goals and measurable outcomes. Below is a brief review of our accomplishments under each of the key strategies to date - impressive not only for their magnitude, but also for their effectiveness.

Prevent homelessness
Help people move rapidly from homelessness to housing
Increase the efficiency of existing systems
Build public and political will
Measure and report progress

Prevent homelessness

We are preventing homelessness through rent, utility assistance and other services, and working with other major systems to ensure people are not discharged into homelessness from jails, mental health programs and foster care.

In 2007, the King County Department of Community and Human Services quadrupled funding toward eviction prevention / mortgage assistance, including $1.475 million in new funding from the Veterans and Human Service Levy. This will allow more than 1,000 King County households to prevent eviction and foreclosure.
In January, 2008 the City of Seattle dedicated $200,000 towards the Foreclosure Prevention Program (external) to provide stabilization loans, pre-foreclosure counseling and repayment plans to help low-income families in danger of losing their homes.
In 2007, community partners implemented the SHIFTS Project (Supportive Housing Intervention for Transition to Stability), providing housing and services for 230 of the most vulnerable people exiting jails and health institutions so they aren't released to the street.

Help people move rapidly from homelessness to housing

We are helping people move quickly into permanent housing to stabilize their lives through integrated supportive services.

When the Ten-Year Plan began we were creating housing opportunities at the rate of 190 a year. We have increased to a 500 unit per year rate. As of April, 2008 we have opened 1,449 units and have 1,411 in the pipeline, representing 30 percent of our housing goal of 9,500 units. Units by type of housing and population are:

Housing with intensive services for single adults with high-needs: 1,244 units
Housing with moderate services for single adults: 1,002 units
Housing with either intensive or moderate services for families: 542 units
Housing with either intensive or moderate services for young adults: 72 units

Increased the efficiency of existing systems

We are restructuring the system to be more efficient - coordinate services; streamline rules and regulations; identify cost savings and cost avoidance opportunities; make the best use of scarce resources.

Projects under the Ten-Year Plan are helping over 150 long-term residents of permanent supportive housing programs graduate to lower-service affordable housing, freeing up those beds for new residents needing intensive services, through projects largely funded by the State of Washington.
We have dramatically decreased the emergency service use of people who are homelessness. In one year we saw cost avoidance of $3 million in DESC's 75 person 1811 Eastlake project (external), and $1.8 million in the 20 person Plymouth Begin at Home (PDF) project.

Build public and political will

We are educating the community on issues of homelessness and proven strategies to end it, in order to generate and maintain momentum and funding.

We have undertaken broad outreach and education, and 18 King County cities (representing 85 percent of the county's population) and hundreds of community organizations throughout King County have endorsed the plan.
We are grateful to report that in a time of great restraints on state expenditures, every one of the 2008 CEH legislative priorities developed to increase funding and services to end homelessness:

$6 million was added to the Washington Families Fund, providing long term support for homeless families.
The Washington Housing Trust Fund was increased by $50 million, with an additional $20 million going to housing in the form of a rapid response fund and a non-profit equity fund.
The THOR program (short term assistance and case management) was increased by $2.5 million.
The .1 percent sales tax for mental health and chemical dependency approved use of funds for housing to benefit this vulnerable population.
Condominium conversion legislation was passed extending the notice period to 120 days and allowing local jurisdictions to increase relocation assistance.

Measure and Report Progress

We are tracking investments, measuring results and providing reports to the community on our achievements.

The first Safe Harbors information management system report (external) was issued and we continued a tradition of detailed reports on our point-in-time count of homeless persons.
Downtown Emergency Service Center won the 2007 Maxwell Award for Excellence (external) for 1811 Eastlake, a "housing first" program for 75 homeless men and women with chronic alcohol addiction. It is the first of its kind in Washington State to address the needs of alcoholics who are the heaviest users of crisis services. The project included a $400,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to evaluate the effects of the project, and the data generated through that evaluation is being used nationwide to promote this approach.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Sound Families program, (external) serving families in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties issued its final report, including a detailed evaluation of participant's housing stability and lessons learned. From the report:

1,487 families (4,455 individuals) were served and as of June 2007:

64 percent of the families had been homeless before, some four or more times.
Among those successfully completing the transitional stay within their program, 89 percent were able to secure permanent housing after exit.
Full time employment tripled from entry to exit.

Committee to End Homelessness Scope of problem Our plan What's happening Progress highlights Reports CEH committees News Get involved Site map Committee to End Homelessness in King County 401 5th Avenue Suite 500 Seattle, WA 98104 206-263-9085 e-mail us	Ten-Year Plan \| committees & calendar \| Contact us Committee to End Homelessness Creating lasting solutions. Together. You're in: Committee to End Homelessness » What's happening » Progress highlights print Progress highlights The Ten-Year Plan lays out a series of five key strategies and actions, with clear goals and measurable outcomes. Below is a brief review of our accomplishments under each of the key strategies to date - impressive not only for their magnitude, but also for their effectiveness. Prevent homelessness Help people move rapidly from homelessness to housing Increase the efficiency of existing systems Build public and political will Measure and report progress Prevent homelessness We are preventing homelessness through rent, utility assistance and other services, and working with other major systems to ensure people are not discharged into homelessness from jails, mental health programs and foster care. In 2007, the King County Department of Community and Human Services quadrupled funding toward eviction prevention / mortgage assistance, including $1.475 million in new funding from the Veterans and Human Service Levy. This will allow more than 1,000 King County households to prevent eviction and foreclosure. In January, 2008 the City of Seattle dedicated $200,000 towards the Foreclosure Prevention Program (external) to provide stabilization loans, pre-foreclosure counseling and repayment plans to help low-income families in danger of losing their homes. In 2007, community partners implemented the SHIFTS Project (Supportive Housing Intervention for Transition to Stability), providing housing and services for 230 of the most vulnerable people exiting jails and health institutions so they aren't released to the street. Help people move rapidly from homelessness to housing We are helping people move quickly into permanent housing to stabilize their lives through integrated supportive services. When the Ten-Year Plan began we were creating housing opportunities at the rate of 190 a year. We have increased to a 500 unit per year rate. As of April, 2008 we have opened 1,449 units and have 1,411 in the pipeline, representing 30 percent of our housing goal of 9,500 units. Units by type of housing and population are: Housing with intensive services for single adults with high-needs: 1,244 units Housing with moderate services for single adults: 1,002 units Housing with either intensive or moderate services for families: 542 units Housing with either intensive or moderate services for young adults: 72 units Increased the efficiency of existing systems We are restructuring the system to be more efficient - coordinate services; streamline rules and regulations; identify cost savings and cost avoidance opportunities; make the best use of scarce resources. Projects under the Ten-Year Plan are helping over 150 long-term residents of permanent supportive housing programs graduate to lower-service affordable housing, freeing up those beds for new residents needing intensive services, through projects largely funded by the State of Washington. We have dramatically decreased the emergency service use of people who are homelessness. In one year we saw cost avoidance of $3 million in DESC's 75 person 1811 Eastlake project (external), and $1.8 million in the 20 person Plymouth Begin at Home (PDF) project. Build public and political will We are educating the community on issues of homelessness and proven strategies to end it, in order to generate and maintain momentum and funding. We have undertaken broad outreach and education, and 18 King County cities (representing 85 percent of the county's population) and hundreds of community organizations throughout King County have endorsed the plan. We are grateful to report that in a time of great restraints on state expenditures, every one of the 2008 CEH legislative priorities developed to increase funding and services to end homelessness: $6 million was added to the Washington Families Fund, providing long term support for homeless families. The Washington Housing Trust Fund was increased by $50 million, with an additional $20 million going to housing in the form of a rapid response fund and a non-profit equity fund. The THOR program (short term assistance and case management) was increased by $2.5 million. The .1 percent sales tax for mental health and chemical dependency approved use of funds for housing to benefit this vulnerable population. Condominium conversion legislation was passed extending the notice period to 120 days and allowing local jurisdictions to increase relocation assistance. Measure and Report Progress We are tracking investments, measuring results and providing reports to the community on our achievements. The first Safe Harbors information management system report (external) was issued and we continued a tradition of detailed reports on our point-in-time count of homeless persons. Downtown Emergency Service Center won the 2007 Maxwell Award for Excellence (external) for 1811 Eastlake, a "housing first" program for 75 homeless men and women with chronic alcohol addiction. It is the first of its kind in Washington State to address the needs of alcoholics who are the heaviest users of crisis services. The project included a $400,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to evaluate the effects of the project, and the data generated through that evaluation is being used nationwide to promote this approach. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Sound Families program, (external) serving families in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties issued its final report, including a detailed evaluation of participant's housing stability and lessons learned. From the report: 1,487 families (4,455 individuals) were served and as of June 2007: 64 percent of the families had been homeless before, some four or more times. Among those successfully completing the transitional stay within their program, 89 percent were able to secure permanent housing after exit. Full time employment tripled from entry to exit. There are solutions... We can make a society in which fewer families become homeless, in which families that do become homeless don't stay that way for long, and in which homeless families that become stable stay stable - permanently. It’s not easy. But we are resilient, and we are in this fight for as long as it lasts. William H. Gates Sr. at the National Alliance to End Homelessness National Conference, Seattle, WA - January 2008
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