Homelessness Prevention and Reduction Plan

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Adopted by the Board of County Commissioners February 3, 2009 8 reduce and prevent homelessness, and to collaborate with existing county agencies to implement these strategies in a timely and consistent manner between now and 2016. We offer the following framework as our structure for planning. Section 2 – Overview To achieve our goal of reducing/preventing homelessness in Kittitas County by 2016, we must move on more than one front simultaneously. The committee proposes to work on three fronts. 1. Move people into housing first and fast. Emergency shelter is not temporary housing, but a temporary safe place when people are homeless. Permanent housing is the goal. Some households experiencing homelessness may be able to move directly to permanent affordable housing, with relatively short-term assistance and financial support. Other households may require a short time in emergency shelter, or a longer period in a services-enriched transitional housing program. But the goal remains to secure permanent housing, as quickly as possible. Implicit in a ‘housing first’ solution to homelessness is the use of emergency shelter units as temporary safe places, where the needs of the homeless household can be assessed and the household quickly transitioned from temporary shelter to a) service-enriched transitional housing programs, or b) permanent housing. We expect results. By the end of 2011, the community will have: i. Sufficient avenues for emergency housing to assist persons who may need temporary emergency housing in our county (i.e. families, single persons with children, single persons, persons with mental illness, etc.). ii. Studied the current housing situation in our county, and made recommendations regarding the availability of affordable housing. iii. Created 3 new units of permanent supportive housing, including housing for single individuals. iv. Coordinated with local agencies to maintain a transition-in-place permanent housing program that serves 39 previously homeless households through the Crestview Terrace Housing First Program. 2. Provide sufficient and coordinated supportive services to homeless households to access the assistance, housing and tools they need to obtain and maintain permanent housing. We must create the local community support and infrastructure to enable successful transitions for homeless populations. This includes addressing the most basic survival needs of short-term emergency shelter, food, clothing, medical and dental care.