City of Lawrence, Kansas

HOUSING PRACTITIONERS PANEL

March 2, 2006

MEMBERS PRESENT:	MEMBERS ABSENT:
Bert Nash CMHC- Lynn Amyx	Ballard Community Center
DG CO AIDS Project- Mari McCleerey-Janssen	Bert Nash PATH- Kent Hayes
ECKAN- Jeanette Collier	Brookcreek Learning Center- Jessica Tuttle
First Step House- Debbie Withrow and Bridget Dixon	Children’s Learning Center- Holly Turner Coalition on Homeless Concerns
HCCI- Tammy Kahle	Habitat for Humanity- Jean Lilley
Independence, Inc.- Kelly Nightengale and Kendall Simmons	LDCHA- Milton Scott Salvation Army – Wes Dalberg
Landlords of Lawrence- Bob Ebey	Salvation Army- Vivian Baars
Lawrence Board of Realtors- Marilyn Lynch	Trinity Respite Care-
Law. Comm. Shelter - Loring Henderson
Lawrence SRS- Penny Schau
LDCHA- Charlotte Knoche
Lenders- Joe Oberzan
Pelathe Comm. Ctr.- Teresa Staskal
Project LIVELY- Sandra Kelly-Allen
Tenants to Homeowners- Rebecca Buford
WTCS – Sarah Terwelp
STAFF PRESENT:
Neighborhood Resources Department- Lesley Rigney and Margene Swarts

Knoche called the meeting to order at 3:32 p.m.

APPROVAL OF January 5, 2005 MINUTES

Amyx moved to approve the January 5, 2005 minutes.  Lynch seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

INTRODUCTIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Amyx announced that Bert Nash was awarded the city contract for the case management team for homeless. She is excited to get it up and running.

Collier announced that she is really excited and pleased about the direction they are proceeding in. It is the most collaborative project ever in the city.

Dixon said she is the First Step House case manager and is replacing Debbie Withrow on the Panel.

Staskal said there is an Indian taco sale tomorrow at Haskell benefiting Pelathe Community Resource Center.

Knoche said the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority (LDCHA) finished the first year with HOPE Building. There are currently nine in residency and one offer is pending. They are still taking applications for TBRA and have 65 families placed in transitional housing and are looking at funding to see if they can make more offers. They are still accepting general housing applications. Regarding the Moving to Work demonstration program – the LDCHA was notified that they have been provided a three year extension through March 2009 so they are very excited.

Henderson hopes the Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS) will be awarded an occupancy permit by this time next meeting and be able to add additional rooms.

SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS

Knoche asked for subcommittee chairs to report on activities.

Amyx agreed to chair the Homeless Issues subcommittee. They met yesterday around the outreach team and talked about getting contracts signed, hiring and gathering information around issues and concerns. She will get the next meeting date to staff. They talked about CoC options, but they are waiting for the NOFA to be released.

Knoche asked staff to add a section on the agenda for ad hoc committees.

Terwelp is chairing the Housing Development subcommittee and they are meeting next April 6 at 3:30 in the Neighborhood Resources Conference Room. There was no February meeting. Ebey is working on the rental availability website, but there will be a bit of a new direction for that project.

Nightengale said there is no chair for Housing Support Services subcommittee but they met and decided to focus on gaps. Sometimes people have such a large case load they cannot meet clients with enough frequency to be effective. They will meet next April 6 at 3:00 at the Douglas County Health Department and will elect a chair at that time.

Knoche asked if Henderson had anything to report on HMIS.

Henderson said they are waiting on MAAC and that all participants have completed the required forms. It is now up to MAAC to get their software together.

Knoche said there was a CoC debriefing and the committee received some good input. When the NOFA comes out they will solicit a CoC subcommittee.

Swarts talked about the Samaritan Bonus that can add to a continuum’s pro-rata share. It is for projects exclusively serving chronically homeless – a Shelter+Care project that is the top priority and it may potentially add 15% to the pro rata share.

Henderson asked how that works with renewal.

Swarts said if we have anything, we have to prioritize renewals. If there was something new in permanent housing, they would want it to be the first priority.

Amyx said the group clarified at the debriefing that HUD was committed to funding renewals regardless of priority.

Knoche said they were looking at Shelter+Care. Swarts, Amyx and her attended training and are exploring the option. They have not done this in the past.

Henderson clarified that it would have to be done through LDCHA.

City of Lawrence Committee Representatives’ Reports

NRAC – Collier said the Committee has completed CDBG Capital Improvement allocations and HOME fund allocations. They have begun to allocate CDBG Public Services and will continue for the next couple meetings.

Swarts said the most recent allocations information is regularly updated on the NR website.

CCH – Henderson said the money from the Douglas County Community Foundation had to be spent by December 31 so MAAC provided an invoice and he wrote a check for $12,000. It will be spent in time, but they currently have a credit with MAAC. The CCH has been meeting and as some know, the CC had referred to the CCH the UPR for the LCS with objections from neighbors to be considered. The CCH has been spending all of the time so far looking at this issue and they have put together a memo and have voted on the recommendations that will go forward to the CC this Tuesday. There has been a feeling that this issue was sidetracking the group from implementing the Task Force Plan. One of the first tasks is to appoint the CCC which is a subsidiary of the CCH and will report to CCH, and not the CC. It is an important body where things can be hashed out. They are accepting letters of interest for the 11 members. People can read about the responsibilities online in the Plan. The next meeting is here, March 14. Hartnett and he had agreed to Chair temporarily, but there will be a new chair after the next meeting. It has been suggested that it should change fairly regularly. He has encouraged Salvation Army to submit a letter because it is important for them to be in the room.

OTHER BUSINESS

Swarts said that regarding discharge planning (DP), she is not sure where it fits in with the new subcommittee structure. Staff is concerned, not only because it is a concern, but the city is going to be required to certify that a DP is in place for any publicly funded institutions. The jail and the hospital are particularly of concern. She cannot certify without a plan and there is not a lot of time. The deadline is June 15 for CDBG. It is important to identify what is currently in place and then identify what we need. We do not have to certify that there is a plan in place for entities that we have no control over.

Amyx said Christy McMurphy had called to say the state does not have a DP, but they are starting to meet about the issue. It cannot be a discharge to a McKinney–Vento funded place.

Knoche said it applies to all homeless grants.

McCleerey-Janssen said they cannot discharge into those programs.

Amyx said they are either going to hold them in the jail or the hospital or release them into homelessness.

Knoche said that for those running the homeless programs, they cannot house someone who is being released from a facility where they have DP that requires finding housing. It is a difficult issue.

Henderson clarified that DP cannot say they will discharge to a McKinney-Vento program.

Amyx said that when Bridges was open, it has something to do with who gets the funding first. Bridges could accept a few of the discharged, but it could only be a fraction – it gets really confusing.

Swarts said staff will contact HUD for some guidance, but the DP does not have to say that every person will be housed. We have to say that we are going to use “these methods” to try to house people. There has to be an effort.

Knoche said should they identify agencies that should be at the table.

Ebey asked why he was contacted by Osawatomie State Hospital to guarantee housing for a person being discharged.

Amyx said there is a liaison from Bert Nash that goes to OSH to do discharge planning and the do talk to landlords to secure housing. OSH is particular about who they will go down that road with – they will try to plan for some and they will release some into homelessness.

Knoche asked who would be involved with the planning.

Swarts said those public entities we are certifying for – city hall does not want to be in charge of a plan, but we will be content to know there is one in place. Staff will need to know about it. Maybe a similar plan where landlords are willing and able to work with folks who have some funding opportunities. We need to find out about the current DP and then we could expand to agencies.

Nightengale said they work with people who are in nursing homes transitioning into the community and it is being done well. The gap is not in who they serve, but there needs to be some recruiting from case managers at the hospital and jail.

Amyx said there are a lot of people who go to OSH and are homeless before they go and do not want to work with Bert Nash so the are not connected to a service provider. That is the gap, because they cannot force services.

Swarts said it just has to be in place.

Ebey said he read that Bush deleted the CDBG allocation for 2007.

Swarts said she keeps hearing that there is more than a groundswell of support – she just finished working with the communications manager at the city to communicate that previous budget amounts need to be restored. There is bipartisan support for it across the board. Bush does not have the authority to do it on his own. She does not see there being enough support to cut it. Some think that CDBG will continue to be cut until it is so small that it is worthless and then it can be eliminated.

Collier said they got information about it. CSBG was also zero-funded. It is part of the attack on any programs that help low-mod citizens.

Knoche said to decide what to do about the DP issue. Does one of the subcommittees want to take it on?

Terwelp suggested an ad hoc committee, unless Housing Support Services takes it on.

Knoche said it needs to be done soon.

McCleerey-Jannsen said there seems to already be a plan in place and while they cannot catch everyone from OSH, there is a plan in place.

Amyx said she wants to talk to the state. It seems that who is responsible for DP depends on who gets the initial funding.

Janssen said the state is pushing for jails and prisons to develop a policy.

Swarts said the 2006 Action Plan with the DP certification needs to be on the May 2 CC agenda.

Knoche asked if every entity submitted a DP – would that be sufficient.

Swarts said there needs to be clarity about what we are certifying to.  She doesn’t think it is going to apply to discretionary funds. It would be good to know who in community has a DP.

Amyx said the CoC application says who needs to have a DP and who doesn’t. It would be a good place to look.

Ebey said this Panel needs to appoint a committee – they can’t rely on volunteers.

Amyx said lets do an ad hoc committee and get it over with.

Knoche said someone from the hospital needs to participate.

Swarts said staff will get a representative from the hospital and the jail.

Nightengale, Amyx, McCloeerey-Janssen, Dixon and Terwelp volunteered to serve on the DP ad hoc committee. Staff will recruit from the jail or hospital.

Knoche said there is an effort coming from law enforcement as well.

Kahle said there is someone who works with Shawnee county jail and Lansing who says that there is no DP unless inmates meet criteria. She knows someone who was dropped off on the street at discharge.

Collier said it is interesting that people are choosing to be dropped off in Douglas County. She said Wal-Mart is joining Second Harvesters and are trying to raise $5 million – they are looking for community matching dollars.

Knoche clarified that the DP subcommittee will meet and report back to staff by May 2.

Swarts said it is needed earlier than that – we need a stopgap measure for this year. Staff would need it by April 14. If we are able to certify in good conscience that DP is happening, there may not need to be much in the document.

ADJOURN

There being no further business, Allen moved to adjourn the meeting.  Simmons seconded the motion, which passed.

The meeting adjourned at 4:35 p.m.