Coordinated Homeless Response System
Strategic Plan 2023-2027
Purpose of the Strategic Plan
This Strategic Plan brings policy leadership developed within the structure of the Coordinated Homeless Response System into a framework where the community can take action and make progress on the community’s priorities. Policy guidance — gathering information, weighing options, and setting long-term goals for the community — is one of the most important parts of developing the Plan and forms the foundation of the document. Additionally, community partner input and participation in the development of the Plan maximizes opportunities for alignment, reduces duplication, and enables collective impact of strategies in the Plan.
This Plan steers our community towards a shared vision to assure that “everyone in Benton County has the opportunity to live in decent, safe, and affordable housing.”
Community Roadmap
By presenting community priorities in the same document, leaders can make well-informed, long-term decisions.
Work and Resource Prioritization
Our goal is to have collective impact by coordinating our actions with community partners to work together and tackle an issue from all sides. This Plan will guide the development of the annual Coordinated Office work plan and operational decision-making to prioritize projects and funding in a strategic way for a countywide homeless response.
Accountability/
Stewardship
Strategic coordination among funders maximizes the impact of limited resources. Transparent collaboration reinforces our role as public stewards. Implementation of metrics for successful programs bolsters accountability across the system of services.
Strategic Priorities
The topic of homelessness solutions is complex. Implementing solutions in a complex environment requires strong organization and coordination with many community partners. The Strategic Priority areas in this Plan reflect years of research and best practices (local, state, and federal), are key to reducing and preventing homelessness and will guide the work of the Coordinated Homeless Response System. The Plan works to integrate the community’s housing and homelessness response planning (i.e. HOPE Policy Recommendations) with the requirements of House Bill 4123 into one document.
Community and Organizational Systems and Policy Change
Homelessness in Benton County demands a comprehensive, coordinated response from the County, cities, and diverse community partners, leaders and persons experiencing homelessness.
Therefore, WE WILL:
- Strengthen capacity in our systems,
- Better align and leverage our resources, and
- Increase coordination and collaboration of all community partners.
Why?
To provide a home for everyone, we must increase coordination and collaboration of service providers and strengthen efficiencies in our current system and better align our resources.
How?
The coordinated office will facilitate:
- improved coordination community and regional services,
- increased cooperation and knowledge sharing across the community,
- improved cooperation and collaboration among services,
- strengthening cross-sector relationships.
How does this line up with other county and state efforts?
HOPE Board Recommendations
- Policy #1: Facilitate and coordinate data improvement efforts with community partners.
- Policy #2: Work with providers to create metrics for successful program goals.
- Policy #4: Collaborate with social service and health care partners to increase the number of paid, full time case managers to support people transitioning out of homelessness.
- Policy #12: Increase supportive services and stable funding streams to provide services to residents at more affordable housing locations.
HB 4123 Requirements
- Sustainable funding to support the ongoing operations of the coordinated homeless response system.
- Creating pathways.
- Increasing or streamlining resources and services to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Comprehensive Care Coordination
WE WILL inform an improved system of care coordination and data sharing.
Why?
Coordination of care helps us prioritize our highest need populations and better help people.
How?
Our community will need training, funding, and development of shared definitions to build our provider capacity to support people with complex needs. The Coordinated Office works to improve our system of care coordination in which residents have access to case management services and are supported in maintaining or accessing affordable housing and other community supports. We will ensure planning aligns with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), including a system with coordinated entry, assessment, and application.
How does this line up with other county and state efforts?
HOPE Board Recommendations
- Policy #1: Facilitate and coordinate data improvement efforts with community partners.
- Policy #3: Prioritize collaboration and coordination of providers and partners with routine meetings for improved care coordination facilitated by a full-time staff member.
HB 4123 Requirements
- Increasing or streamlining resources and services to people experiencing homelessness.
- Incorporating best practices for ending homelessness.
- Creating pathways to permanent and supportive housing that is affordable to local populations experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Prevention
WE WILL prevent homelessness with strategies focused on upstream prevention to reduce housing instability for households most likely to experience homelessness. These strategies will support the needs of both rural and urban communities.
Why?
Providing early intervention can address problems that contribute to homelessness and housing instability in both rural and urban communities.
How?
We can prevent homelessness from occurring by improving the systems and structures that allow it to occur.
How does this line up with other county and state efforts?
HOPE Board Recommendations
- Policy #7: Facilitate and support the creation of a Resource Center.
- Policy #8: Explore and investigate the need and the barriers to accessing housing for individuals and their families in our community whose past history has impacted their ability to secure housing.
- Policy #11: Increase available rental/income assistance options.
- Policy #12: Increase supportive services and stable funding streams to provide services to residents at more affordable housing locations.
HB 4123 Requirements
- Increasing streamlining resources and services to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
- Eliminating racial disparities within homeless services within the services area
- Creating pathways to permanent and supportive housing that is affordable to local populations experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
- Incorporating best practices for ending homelessness.
- Sustainable funding to support the ongoing operations of the coordinated homeless response system.
Street Outreach and Rapid Response
WE WILL:
- Promote access to safe and accessible crisis response.
- Support expansion of street outreach to transition more people out of homelessness.
Why?
Implementing best practices helps navigate people out of homelessness and improve outcomes.
How?
Increase safe, accessible well-resourced crisis response and immediate supports. We will increase and streamline access to services by supporting best practices like harm reduction, low barrier approaches, and trauma-informed response.
How does this line up with other county and state efforts?
HOPE Board Recommendations
- Policy #4: Collaborate with social service and health care partners to increase the number of paid, full time case managers to support people transitioning out of homelessness.
- Policy #5: Pursue implementation of a crisis response team and collect data on the scope and scale of need for crisis response.
HB 4123 Requirements
- Sustainable funding to support the ongoing operations of the coordinated homeless response system.
- Increasing streamlining resources and services to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
- Eliminating racial disparities within homeless services within the services area
Housing
WE WILL expand housing and sheltering system options and capacity.
Why
Expanding housing and sheltering options along the entire housing continuum ensures everyone in the community has a place to live.
How?
Leverage and increase resources to improve housing affordability and accessibility.
How does this line up with other county and state efforts?
HOPE Board Recommendations
- Policy #4: Collaborate with social service and health care partners to increase the number of paid, full-time case managers to support people transitioning out of homelessness.
- Policy #6: Provide organizational capacity to facilitate and coordinate providers in establishing a 24/7/365 Sheltering System for all populations with onsite resources at shelter locations to transition people out of homelessness.
- Policy #10: Increase development or acquisition of affordable housing units for permanent supportive housing (PSH) by 20 new units per year for the next eight years to add at a minimum 160 new units of PSH in Benton County (might need to evaluate metric).
HB 4123 Requirements
- Sustainable funding to support the ongoing operations of the coordinated homeless response system.
- Increasing streamlining resources and services to people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
- Incorporating best practices for ending homelessness.
- Eliminating racial disparities within homeless services within the services area
- Creating pathways to permanent and supportive housing that is affordable to local populations experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Community Engagement, Inclusivity, and Neighborhood Belonging
WE WILL foster a community in which everyone has opportunities to participate and feel valued and supported.
Why?
Communities must be part of the solutions at many levels to feel like we own our progress.
How?
Our Coordinated Office strives to facilitate community education and dialogue about the causes and community impacts of homelessness. We work to create visibility for the solutions making local progress. We value our local wisdom and lived experiences by elevating the voices of service providers and people who have experienced homelessness. We will embed inclusivity and accessibility in all solutions.
How does this line up with other county and state efforts?
HOPE Board Recommendations
- Policy #8: Explore and investigate the need and the barriers to accessing housing for individuals and their families in our community whose past history has impacted their ability to secure housing.
- Policy #9: Provide routine communication, notice, and opportunities for community involvement on the topic of homelessness services.
HB 4123 Requirements
- Central point of communication
- Intergovernmental Agreement
