key issues in supportive housing for transition age youth cimh mhsa webcast training series...

Key Issues in Supportive Housing

for Transition Age Youth

CiMH MHSA Webcast Training Series

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Presenters

Emily Sutton, Team Leader

Daniel’s House

Darin Lounds, Program Officer

Corporation for Supportive Housing

Outline for Presentation

Fast Facts Designing Supportive Housing for TAY What Youth Say They Want Case Study: Ellis Street Apartments Portals TAY Program Case Studies Community Building Strategies

Publications / TAY Resources

CSH Publications @ www.csh.org

Youth Supportive Housing Assessment of the need for housing for youth -

Including discussions of why youth are homeless, the characteristics of runaway and homeless youth, and the foster care system and homelessness.

Overviews of current funding and legislative issues, existing models (especially transitional housing), and public policy recommendations


Youth Supportive Housing Brief summaries of existing projects

- Including Independent Living Programs, permanent or “trans-permanent” supportive housing for youth, the Foyer model of housing in Europe, and supportive housing for youth with

special needs.

Recommendations for funding programs and changes to systems that impact homeless and foster care youth.


Housing Youth: Key Issues in Supportive Housing

Explores issues specific to permanent housing, with an emphasis on the nuts and bolts of designing and operating supportive housing targeted toward young people.


Housing Youth: Key Issues in Supportive Housing

Focuses on the strengths, needs and development issues of homeless youth and young adults to help inform decisions about housing models, service packages, staffing, property management, tenant selection, and funding.


Housing Youth: Key Issues in Supportive Housing Provides a comparison of transitional and

permanent supportive housing model Resources for funding supportive housing for

youth and young adults. Profiles of existing permanent supportive

housing for youth and young adults. Sample policies and agreements, including

policies on drug and alcohol use, house rules, and lease agreements.

Fast Facts

As of March 2004, there were 547,000 children in foster care in the United States

Of those children, 43% were African-American, 36% were White, 15% were Hispanic, 1% were American Indian/Alaskan Native, 1% were Asian/Pacific Islander

Each year, more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care.

Nearly 25% of emancipated youth become homeless 2-4 years after leaving foster care.

More than one-third of runaway youth had been in foster care in the year before they took to the streets

Fast Facts

California is home to 1 out of every 5 of the nation’s foster children—the highest in the nation.

Only 57% of California counties offer transitional housing programs for emancipated youth, and the total number of beds is just over 1000. Therefore, even if all the transitional housing in California were made available, no less than 1 in 4 youth would still be emancipated into homelessness each year.

More than 1 in 5 youth who arrived at shelters came directly from foster care, and that more than 1 in 4 had been in foster care in the previous year. In fact, 40 percent of those in federally funded homeless shelters were former foster youth.

Designing Supportive

Housing for Youth

Designing Supportive Housing for Youth

Using MHSA in Supportive Housing Community Services and Support

money can be used to fund services and rental subsidies

Capital money can be used for bricks and mortar development or to capitalize operating reserves


Infuse an understanding of adolescent development into program design and practice.

Recognize tenants as young adults with full rights and responsibilities.

Embrace a youth development framework.


Acknowledge that youth are inherently in transition.

Anticipate aging in place.

Provide a mix of relevant and responsive services.


Plan staffing to achieve service objectives.

Establish property management to reflect youth concerns.

Welcome youth culture.

What Youth Say They Want


Allow youth in the program to become adults by making decisions for themselves—and suffering or enjoying the consequences.Don’t treat youth like they are still in foster care - for example, allow them to have guests.Allow youth to mess up.


Don’t set rules that expect people to screw up. Make rules that encourage youth to do well.

As much as possible, make all rules and expectations clear.

Let youth contribute to rule-making.


Don’t make the program rules too restrictive so you lose the youth who are most vulnerable and need the most help.Youth with mental health issues need extra attention and flexibility from housing staff.The most vulnerable youth have access to the least resources, and are most likely to end up homeless.


Don’t have a zero tolerance policy. Everyone should have a chance to make mistakes and learn from them.

Make sure your program does not contribute to homelessness. If you have to ask a youth to leave, work with them to find another alternative.

What Youth Say They WantMHSA Youth Focus Group, April 6, 2005

San FranciscoMost Youth responded that they would like to live alone, at the very least have their own room with a lock. If unit sharing were necessary, they would like some control over choosing their roommate. Most Youth preferred voluntary, or at least low-demand, services provided near, but not co-located, with the housing. There were mixed responses to clean & sober housing requirements. Most agreed that focus should be on behavior, not just use, and most did not think eviction for use alone was productive in keeping Youth housed.

What Youth Say They WantMHSA Youth Focus Group, April 6, 2005

San FranciscoWhen asked whether or not they would prefer to live in a building that was only for people with a mental health diagnosis, most Youth responded No.

– “Diversity is important- people should not be set-aside”– “Diversity is important- too much stress with just one type around”– “Diversity is important- we shouldn’t ostracize people, age diversity would be good too”– “Older folks serve as role models, same age creates peer pressure”

Case Study: Ellis St. Apartments

Partnership between San Francisco’s Larkin Street Youth Center and Tenderloin Neighborhood Development CorporationPermanent, affordable housing (private studio units), coupled with an array of support services for 24 homeless youth and young adults.Many of the youth are dually or triply diagnosed; set-aside of 6 units for youth who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDSServices staff office and resource center on the ground floorThe building was rehabbed and re-opened in Dec 2001


On-site, voluntary services include: case management, employment services, residential guidance and independent living skills training.Many off-site services also available to tenantsOn-site resource center- job search and business center

Meets practical needs, and has also proven to to provide an entry to more intensive service engagement for many tenants

Harm reduction approach towards substance use, abstinence not required for tenancy. No use is allowed in common areas.


Section 8 Rental Subsidies60% of tenants work; 85% have some income through either

employment or entitlements “Need More” phenomenon

Housing Outcomes37% of units turned-over in first 2 years: only 3 were negative

outcomes; most were positive, ie Youth entered school, moved back home, or moved in with friends. Youth coming to Ellis St. from transitional programs were more likely to have “positive move out” experiences


FinancingServices originally funded through CA SHIA. Rental subsidies provided through McKinney Section 8

Moderate Rehab programAdditional financing through HOPWA and the LIHTC program

More info on Ellis Street and other TAY Supportive Housing is available at www.csh.org and our “Housing Youth: Key Issues in Supportive Housing; September 2003” publication.

Portals TAY Program

The Portals TAY Program enrolls youths 18-22 years old, emancipating from child social services system with a diagnosable qualifying Axis I mental illness. The population is drawn from the Central port of Los Angeles, which has one of the greatest concentrations of homeless mentally ill individuals in the county.

Portals TAY Program

Portals TAY Program has a 6-bed housing site located in Hollywood, as well as an outpatient program. Currently, Portals TAY program provides a full range of mental health services and supportive services to more than 60 members annually including: Housing Support Services Intensive Case Management Mental Health Treatment and Psychiatric Services Life Skills Training Job Preparation and Development Educational Assistance

Case Studies

Transitional Housing- Where Do Youth Transition To?

Developmental and Daily Living Skills

Community Building in Housing

Tenant College

Member Council

Tenant College

Portals “Tenant College” was developed to address the unique needs that TAY have when faced with a more independent living situation. The Tenant College Curriculum includes the following:Financial LiteracyHousekeeping SkillsEnergy ConservationCooking Nutritious MealsLeisure Time ManagementSocialization SkillsSelf-Determination

Tenant College

Members attend monthly meetings and are given materials and packets such as “Landlord and Tenants Rights and Responsibilities” “Subsidized Housing in Los Angeles” and are provided with other resources designed to increase their knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a “good tenant”

Member Council

In an effort to promote member involvement, feedback and build a sense of community, weekly “Member Council” meetings are held that are designed to: •Provide an arena for residents to voice concerns•Resolve conflicts•Identify solutions, and give feedback•Make decisions about house rules, visitors policy and consequences for violations of these policies

Member Council

Goals: •Member Council will be a self-governing body that is facilitated and coordinated by members•All members will attend this required, weekly meeting•Staff maintain their role “silent” a participant

This has been an excellent arena for starting discussions on “what is a community?” and facilitating dialogue with members regarding “what is a safe community?” and “what is my role in creating one?”

Member Council

Benefits We Have Seen:•Engaging youth to come up with their own consequences, rewards and rules, empowers youth towards gaining mastery over their lives and community.

•The “power struggle” which can occur between residents and staff is lessened significantly as community members are held to rules and standards that were developed by the community collaboratively, rather then being “mandated” by staff.

•Provides an arena for potential new members for the housing to be brought in to allow youth to ask questions of the new member and thereby give their approval or disapproval for this person to move into the community.

What We Have Learned

Youth are often shocked to learn that they will be asked for landlord/rental “references” when applying for an apartment, or that they are held responsible for the actions of their guests while on the property.

Youth often get themselves into trouble by having high traffic through their apartment which causes conflicts with roommates, neighbors and landlords.

What We Have Learned

Youth often lack the appropriate boundary setting skills or awareness of how to keep themselves safe from being taken advantage of by friends. Often youth will attempt to “help out” a friend by allowing him/her to stay at their apartment for long periods.

Property Damage is a common occurrence

Housing Models

Single-Site vs. Scattered-Site?Camerford

Single-site, transitional

Vernon

Scattered-site, permanent

Benefits Youth receive supportive services on site Greater opportunity for community building Program has more influence over living environment More ideal for youth coming straight out of

DCFS placement.

Being in the community is a “normalizing” force.

Good skill-building opportunities for “institutionalized” youth. Not transitional --youth learn value of long-term tenancyLess chance of staff having “dual roles”

Housing Models

Single-Site vs. Scattered-Site?Camerford

Single-site, transitional

Vernon

Scattered-site, permanent

Risks Feels too much like a program Different developmental levels of residents Transitional – where do youth go afterwards?Staff need to be aware of “dual roles”

Youth may lack appropriate skills / boundaries to keep their environment safeMixing youth in community with adults can have risksYouth can be formally evictedIsolation can be a problem

“A Home of My Own”

I dream of a homeA home of my ownWhere plants grow tallNear a beautiful waterfall

I dream of a homeA home of my ownWhere I can come and goAnd no-one can say no

I dream of a homeA home of my ownWhere I can relax by a fireplaceFeeling secure and safe

I dream of a home A home of my ownWhere my cat can playAnd I can say…

I have a home A home of my own

-Amber Morino

key issues in supportive housing for transition age youth cimh mhsa webcast training series...

Documents

housing youth

supportive housing slide

permanent housing

funding supportive housing

supportive housing focuses

housing models

emancipated youth

runaway youth