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Joint Workshop on Homelessness, Affordable Housing, and the Residential Real Estate & Construction Market Joint Workshop Item #1 July 13, 2021
To:	Honorable Chairman and Members of the Board of County Commissioners Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
From:	Reese Goad, City Manager Vincent S. Long, County Administrator
Title:	Report on Homelessness in Tallahassee-Leon County
Department Review	Cynthia S. Barber, Deputy City Manager Alan Rosenzweig, Deputy County Administrator
Lead Staff / Project Team:	Shington Lamy, Director, County Office Human Services and Community Partnerships Abena Ojetayo, Director, City Housing and Community Resilience Anita Morell, City Human Services Manager Abigail Sanders, County Human Services Analyst

STATEMENT OF ISSUE

In partnership with the Big Bend Continuum of Care, this item provides a comprehensive report on homelessness in Tallahassee-Leon County including current local data on individuals and families experiencing homelessness; available resources such as emergency shelters and street outreach; County and City investments and initiatives focused on ending homelessness; and recommendations to build on the County and City efforts that will integrate homeless services, build provider capacity, and leverage local funding to secure additional federal funding in coordination and collaboration with the Big Bend Continuum of Care.

FISCAL IMPACT

Consistent with previous direction by the County and City Commissions to dedicate $6.272 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to address homelessness, this item recommends that the County and City partner with the BBCoC to use $1.410 million for coordinated street outreach, rapid rehousing, permanent support housing, diversion and capacity building; and distribute another $3.075 million through a new CHSP Homelessness Services Category in addition to the existing $797,193. The balance of the ARPA allocation, $1.7 million, will support the four homeless shelters for pandemic-related mitigation and expenditures.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

Option 1: Accept the report on homelessness in Tallahassee-Leon County.

Option 2: Contract with the Big Bend Continuum of Care in the amount of $1.410 million for street outreach, neighborhood-based agency capacity, permanent supportive housing as well as coordination and support in the implementation of the proposed Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership.

Option 3: Establish a new Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership and reallocate the existing $797,193 in existing funding and $3,075,000 in one-time funding from the joint County-City American Rescue Plan Act for homelessness for the upcoming two-year funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024); and authorize the County Administrator and City Manager to execute a modification to the City-County CHSP Memorandum of Understanding to effectuate this change.

Background

In partnership with the Big Bend Continuum of Care, this item provides a comprehensive report on homelessness in Tallahassee-Leon County including current local data on individuals and families experiencing homelessness; available resources such as emergency shelters and street outreach; County and City investments and initiatives focus on ending homelessness; and recommendations to build on the County and City efforts that will integrate homeless services, build provider capacity, and leverage local funding to secure additional federal funding in coordination and collaboration with the Big Bend Continuum of Care. This item addresses homelessness services that fit along a broader continuum of services aimed at moving individuals experiencing homelessness from temporary shelter to permanent, secured housing (Attachment #1).

On April 13, 2021, the County Commission directed the County Administrator to work with the City Manager to schedule separate workshops on affordable housing and homelessness. Subsequently, a joint workshop of the County and City Commissions was scheduled for July 13, 2021, to discuss issues related to homelessness. In scheduling the workshop on homelessness, the County Commission and City Commission requested this workshop occur subsequent to the Big Bend Continuum of Care’s completion of its 2021-2025 Strategic Plan (Attachment #2). On June 25, 2021, the Big Bend Continuum of Care completed its preliminary strategic plan that lead to the update of the targets and goals to improve the overall homeless performance system (Attachment #3).

For 2021 Tallahassee-Leon County continued to experience an overall reduction in individuals and families experiencing homelessness based on the most recent Point-In-Time count (Attachment #4). According to the Point-In-Time Count, approximately 621 people experiencing homelessness were counted for in 2021 compared to 805 in 2020 (29% decrease). The reduction in the overall homeless population continues a trend that began in 2018 (Attachment #5). The County and City have led the effort to prevent homelessness in the community through continued partnerships and investments. Collectively, the County and City provide annual funding through the Community Human Services Partnership for programs such as emergency shelter operations, homeless prevention, and rapid rehousing. The partnership with the Big Bend Continuum of Care has been critical in identifying and responding to the needs of homeless service providers and clients during a global pandemic. Over the past year the County and City have taken the following actions to support homeless services:

Convened the COVID-19 Local Homeless Task Force to coordinate emergency response and mitigation.
Partnered with the Salvation Army to open an emergency Community Relief Center for unsheltered individuals.
Established and funded non-congregate sheltering for homeless individuals and families experiencing homeless diagnosed with COVID-19 or awaiting testing.
Created the Tallahassee-Leon County Homeless Dashboard through Geographic Information System (GIS) bringing situational awareness and performance data across dozens of agencies.
Established Street Outreach Teams to fill service gaps and increase access to housing resources.
Provided $2.1 million in CARES Act funding to homeless shelter service providers.
Provided $12.25 million in housing and utilities through the Leon CARES Individual Assistance Program and City CARES program to prevent evictions and utility interruptions for more than 4,900 County residents.
Established the Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund to increase access to affordable housing for vulnerable tenants.
Established and funded a new Landlord Liaison position within the Big Bend Continuum of Care.
Launched the Leon CARES Emergency Rental Assistance Program for rent and utility assistance to prevent evictions and utility interruptions (more than 1,700 households assisted and over $7 million award thus far)

Most recently, on May 19, 2021 and May 25, 2021 the City Commission and County Commission respectively approved a portion of their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding be dedicated to homelessness for a joint total of $6.272 million. The $1.78 million in funding is allocated for the four homeless shelter providers to support unanticipated expenses experienced by these providers related to COVID-19 that are not supported through FEMA or other federal and state funding sources.

Additionally, ARPA funding was allocated ($4.8 million) to contract with the Big Bend Continuum of Care for programming to expand street outreach services, build capacity with neighborhood-based agencies, increase permanent supportive housing, and provide more diversion and homeless prevention resources. The programs and initiatives approved by the County and City Commissions were proposed in coordination with the Big Bend Continuum of Care and are consistent with the targets and goals established in its Strategic Homelessness Assistance Plan. Initially as proposed to the County and City Commissions in May, the Big Bend Continuum of Care was to oversee and distribute the entire funding for the ARPA homeless programs through requests for proposals over the next year. County and City staff have worked with the Big Bend Continuum of Care in the development of this item as well as the recommendations which includes the proposed establishment of the Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership that is detailed later in the item.

The Big Bend Continuum of Care has proposed that approximately $3.075 million of one-time ARPA funds dedicated for diversion & prevention and permanent supportive housing be allocated to the new CHSP homelessness category. A portion of permanent housing funding as well as the entire allocations for street outreach and neighborhood based partner capacity building will continue to be contracted directly to the Big Bend Continuum of Care while the funding allocated to the proposed new category would remain with the County and City to be allocated through the Community Human Services Partnership in coordination with Big Bend Continuum of Care. This approach will ensure these one-time ARPA funds are used quickly to address the highest needs of the homeless system and also support long-term strategies that integrate homeless services, build capacity and leverage local funding to secure additional federal funding. The Big Bend Continuum of Care has indicated that it intends to shift its federal and state funding through the Community Human Services Partnership under the proposed Homeless Services Category in the future. All recurring federal and state homeless funding provided by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Florida Department of Children and Families are award and streamlined through Big Bend Continuum of Care. According to Big Bend Continuum of Care shifting its funding to the Community Human Services Partnership would better integrate all homeless services program in Tallahassee-Leon County through a single funding process for local, state, and federal funding to address the highest homeless needs in the community. It would reduce the frequency in which agencies must apply for homeless service funding as well as reporting requirements.

As a result, the proposed Community Human Services Partnership Homeless Service Category would be funded in part with $3.07 million in one-time ARPA funding. According to the Big Bend Continuum of Care, $1.4 million in ARPA funding, housing vouchers provided by Tallahassee Housing Authority and existing state and federal funds will allow the Big Bend Continuum of Care to work with homeless service providers to immediately address the most urgent homeless needs (i.e. street outreach, permanent supportive housing, etc.). Therefore, the workshop item recommends the following:

Contract with the Big Bend Continuum of Care in the amount of $1.410 million for street outreach, neighborhood-based agency capacity building, permanent supportive housing as well as coordination and support in the implementation of the proposed Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership.
Establish a new Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership and reallocate the existing $797,193 in existing funding and $3,075,000 in one-time funding from the joint County-City American Rescue Plan Act for homelessness for the upcoming two-year funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024); and authorize the County Administrator and City Manager to execute a modification to the City-County CHSP Memorandum of Understanding to effectuate this change.

The County and City worked closely with the Big Bend Continuum of Care on the development of the workshop item that presents a comprehensive overview of homelessness in the community. The analysis section will provide the definition and types of homelessness, description of available resources such as emergency shelters and street outreach, and presentation on current local data on individuals and families experiencing homelessness. It also describes the role and responsibility of the Big Bend Continuum of Care and presents its Strategic Plan. County and City investments in homelessness are subsequently detailed. Additionally, recommendations to enhance County and City efforts in the investment, delivery, and measurement of system performance for homeless services in continued coordination and collaboration with the Big Bend Continuum of Care are provided.

Analysis

National and Regional Context

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the federal authority on homelessness services programming, funding, and regulation. HUD defines four categories of homelessness:

Individuals and families who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes a subset for an individual who is exiting an institution where he or she resided for 90 days or less and who resided in an emergency shelter or a place not meant for human habitation immediately before entering that institution;
Individuals and families who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence;
Unaccompanied youth and families with children and youth who are defined as homeless under other federal statutes who do not otherwise qualify as homeless under this definition; or
Individuals and families who are fleeing, or are attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that relate to violence against the individual or a family member.

Homeless intervention programs such as permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing are primarily funded through HUD. The following presents homeless intervention programs that are currently implemented in Tallahassee-Leon County.

Homeless Intervention Programs

The purpose of homeless intervention programs is to prevent or limit the period in which people experience homelessness. In coordination with the Big Bend Continuum of Care, homeless service providers offer a variety of programs and services to address the needs of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. These programs and services include homeless prevention, diversion, street outreach, emergency shelter operations, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing. The County and City also invests in these programs through annual funding which is shared as part of the presentation of the programs and services.

Homelessness Prevention

Homelessness prevention assists individuals and families at imminent risk of becoming homeless and includes financial assistance for rent and utilities in order to keep families in their homes. The financial assistance is provided directly to the landlord, mortgage company, and/or utility company. The goal of homeless prevention programs is to provide the financial assistance prior to eviction and/or disruption in utility services. Several community partners including Big Bend Homeless Coalition, Capital Area Community Action, Catholic Charities, ECHO, and Salvation Army provide financial and in-kind services to qualifying individuals and households. Federal funding provided through the City and Big Bend Continuum of Care are the primary source of funding for homeless prevention programs. The County also funds and provides direct homeless prevention services through its Direct Emergency Assistance Program (DEAP) and Veteran Emergency Assistance Program (VEAP).

Diversion

The primary goal of diversion programs is to prevent individuals and families from entering emergency shelters when an alternative option is available including housing with family and other support systems. This helps manage capacity and resources that must be utilized at the shelters. These programs offer counseling as well as nominal one-time financial assistance for activities that will connect individuals and families to housing including bus tickets, car repair, and hotel vouchers. The Kearney Center operates a diversion program funded through non-recurring funds secured in the 2020 Florida Legislative Session. There are no recurring funds for diversion programs. Recently the County and City invested funding from the American Rescue Plan Act for diversion programs which is described in detail later in this item.

Homeless Encampments and Street Outreach

Based on the 2021 Point-In-Time Count Report presented later in this item, there were 91 unsheltered homeless individuals counted in late January at approximately 40 encampment locations throughout Leon County. The numbers represent a decrease in the unsheltered population however, many are chronically homeless (homeless at least one year or repeatedly return to homeless, or with a disability) which has significantly increased (40%) over the past five years. These encampments are outdoor areas that are regularly inhabited by three or more homeless individuals. Encampments may have tents, lean-tos, or other makeshift structures built by its inhabitants, but do not necessarily include shelter from the elements. Encampments are generally located in various rights-of-way around the County, including easements, wooded areas behind neighborhoods and shopping centers, parks, and libraries, as well as undeveloped private properties.

Street outreach programs engage unsheltered people experiencing homelessness to connect them with resources such as access to shelter, supplies, housing assistance programs and case management. The goal of the outreach teams is to offer services that will get the individuals housed within Leon County or divert them to their community of origin. Prior to the pandemic, outreach services were provided exclusively to homeless youth by Capital City Youth Services and to veterans by the Big Bend Homeless Coalition through federal funding. Shortly following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Big Bend Continuum of Care saw a significant increase in the number of unsheltered individuals as the emergency homeless shelters were forced to limit space in order to meet Center for Disease and Control Prevention guidelines. In response to the growth of unsheltered individuals, the City and Big Bend Continuum of Care established outreach teams in July 2020 to actively engage the population and offer basic services as well as resources to prohibit the spread of COVID-19 in encampments and the community. Presently, twice a week the Big Bend Continuum of Care coordinates outreach teams for adults to engage unsheltered individuals at known encampments by offering services and resources such as hygiene kits, snacks, and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Emergency Shelter Operations

Emergency shelter operations provide immediate, short-term shelter (less than three months) for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Currently, there are four emergency homeless shelters in Leon County: the Kearney Center, which serves single men and women; Hope Community operated by the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, which serves families; Capital City Youth Services, which serves youth ages 10-17 years old; and Refuge House which services survivors of domestic and sexual violence. In addition to housing, the shelters provide meals, showers, and case management to its clients. The emergency shelters are funded through a combination of local, state, and federal funding provided by the County, City and Big Bend Continuum of Care. As shown in Diagram 1 from the Tallahassee-Leon County Homelessness Dashboard (Attachment #6), currently there are 283 individuals and families in emergency homeless shelters at the time of this writing.

Diagram 1: Emergency Shelter Usage

As reflected in Table 1, prior to the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, the total capacity of beds in the emergency shelters were 567. However, each shelter reduced its capacity to meet Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for social distancing in homeless overnight congregate shelters which recommends six feet distance between clients for dining and sleeping. As a result, the total bed capacity in emergency shelters have experienced a 45% decrease to 310. As presented in the Big Bend Continuum of Cares Strategic Homelessness Assistance Plan later in this item, emergency homeless shelters play a critical role in the length of time an individual or family remains homeless and their chances of returning to homelessness. Once in a shelter, resources such as case management, rapid rehousing, and pathways to permanent supportive housing improve outcomes for individuals and families.

Table 1. Emergency Shelter Capacity

Shelter Name	Current Capacity (Beds)	Pre-COVID Capacity (Beds)	Difference
Kearney Center*	187*	375	-188
HOPE Community ^	92	147	-55
CCYS Someplace Else**	16	18	-2
Refuge House^^	15	27	-12
TOTAL CAPACITY	310	567	-257

* Prior to COVID, CESC maintained ~242 Year-round beds and ~133 overflow beds. At the peak COVID response season, there were ~400 beds at non-congregate sites.

^HOPE Community recently increased number of beds from 69 to 92.

** CCYS recently increased number of beds from 12 to 16.

^^ Refuge House decreased capacity to 22 during COVID and further reduced it to 15.

Rapid Rehousing

Rapid rehousing provides short-term rental assistance and services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or in imminent risk of homelessness. The goals are to help people obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency, and to remain housed. Services include rent and utility payments (up to 6-12 months), security deposits, move-in costs (application fee, furniture, etc.) and case management. Rapid Rehousing programs are provided by the Big Bend Homeless Coalition, Capital City Youth Services, Catholic Charities, Ability 1^st, CESC, and Refuge House through federal funds provided by the City and Big Bend Continuum of Care.

Transitional Housing

Transitional housing serves as a bridge to permanent housing that generally provides up to 24 months in housing accommodation as well as support for individuals experiencing a disabling condition including physical disability, serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder. Transitional housing provides structure, supervision, support, life skills, and in some cases, education and training. In Leon County, the Good Samaritan Network/Chelsea House offers transitional and temporary housing for families and men at risk of homelessness; Hope House Rescue Mission, provides transitional housing for homeless men; Tallahassee Veterans Village, provides transitional housing and supportive services to homeless Veterans to stabilize and prepare them for a life of independence. Veterans are able to stay in the program for up to two years; Twin Oaks Transitional Home which offers emergency shelter and transitional housing to homeless women and children; Brehon House serves homeless, pregnant women ages 18 and older and Capital City Youth Services’ Tree House program offers transitional housing for youth in crisis. Some of these programs are funded through a combination of local and private funding. There are others that require and receive nominal rent from clients. The federal government and Big Bend Continuum of Care does not currently fund transitional housing.

Permanent Supportive Housing

Permanent supportive housing combines affordable housing assistance and subsidies with voluntary support services to address the needs of chronically homeless people. The services are designed to build independent living skills and connect people with community-based health care, treatment, and employment services. Local permanent supportive housing is provided by Big Bend Homeless Coalition and Ability 1^st and are funded through federal funds provided by the Big Bend Continuum of Care. Diagram 1 illustrates the current number of permanent supportive housing units in Tallahassee-Leon County which are all at capacity.

Diagram #1: Local Permanent Supportive Housing Capacity

Housing Choice Vouchers

The federal Housing Choice Vouchers program subsidizes the entire or significant portion of rent costs for low-income households and people experiencing homelessness. Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program combines HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance for homeless Veterans with case management and clinical services provided by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The VA provides these services to participating Veterans at VA medical clinics, community-based outreach clinics, through VA contractors, or through other VA designated entities. Additionally, the Tallahassee Housing Authority partners with the Big Bend Continuum of Care to provide 30 housing choice vouchers to households exiting homelessness. In July 2021 HUD initiated the Emergency Housing Voucher Program established in the American Rescue Plan Act through select Public Housing Authorities. Tallahassee Housing Authority was awarded 66 vouchers to be administered in partnership with the Big Bend Continuum of Care to house homeless households for up to 18 months.

As reflected in each of the programs described, the Big Bend Continuum of Care serves a critical role in the funding, delivery, and coordination of homeless service programs in Tallahassee-Leon County. The next section further details the agency’s federal and statutorily responsibility and authority to address homeless in the community.

Big Bend Continuum of Care

The Big Bend Continuum of Care (BBCoC) is recognized by HUD as the regional planning and oversight organization for Leon, Franklin, Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, and Wakulla counties. The BBCoC membership is comprised of representatives from Leon County, City of Tallahassee, CareerSource Capital Region, Veterans Administration, the four emergency shelter providers, several human services organizations, and representatives from municipalities in the eight counties within its coverage area. Florida Statutes also recognizes BBCoC’s as the organization responsible for the coordination of community efforts to prevent and end homelessness in the region. The region is established by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) which oversees homelessness statewide. The BBCoC’s primary functions include:

Coordination of homeless services and planning in the region
Coordination of federal and state funding for homelessness
Operation and management of the Homeless Management Information System
Collection and analysis of data on homelessness in the region through the Point-In-Time count

Coordination of homeless services and planning in the region

The BBCoC actively engages stakeholders in the planning and coordination homeless services in the community. As mentioned earlier, the membership of the BBCoC is comprised of service providers such as CESC/Kearney Center, Big Bend Homeless Coalition, Capital City Youth Services, and other partners. Many service providers serve on the BBCoC Board as well as subcommittees that monitor and evaluate program and performance systems. The BBCoC conducts monthly partners meetings which includes County and City participation to provide updates on programs, services, and initiatives that impact the homeless sector.

BBCoC utilizes a Coordinated Entry System (CES) to triage the most vulnerable individuals and families experiencing homelessness and prioritize homeless intervention resources described earlier such as permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing to end their episode of homelessness. Through the CES, homeless individuals and families are quickly identified, assessed, referred, and connected to appropriate housing and assistance based on their strengths and needs when available. CES covers the entire BBCoC’s geographic area. Many homeless service providers utilize CES in coordination with the Homeless Information Management System which is described later to input information on their clients in order to access resources. The providers include CESC/Kearney Center, Big Bend Homeless Coalition, Capital City Youth Services, and other partners.

In partnership with the Leon County Emergency Management, the BBCoC assists in the coordination of activating temporary cold night shelter services in the community during the winter season. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Emergency Management partnered with the BBCoC to provide face masks, gloves, disinfectants, and other essential items for homeless services providers. The City also engaged the BBCoC for enhanced street outreach for unsheltered individuals at the height of the pandemic in summer 2020. The coordination efforts ensure that the community is responsive to the needs of the homeless population and programs and services funded at the federal and state level are efficient and effective at addressing the need.

Coordination of Federal and State Funding for Homelessness

HUD and Department of Children and Families (DCF) streamline the award of federal and state funding for homelessness for programs through CoCs. Homeless service providers can not apply for annual recurring funding directly to the federal or state government. Annually, the BBCoC coordinates and submits applications to HUD for programs such as rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing on behalf of homeless service providers. Locally, the applications are reviewed by a committee of stakeholders that include County and City staff to determine proposals that are competitive and likely to be funded by HUD. The applications are then submitted by the BBCoC to HUD. Once applications are awarded for funding, HUD contracts directly with the homeless service provider, however, each year projects are reviewed and evaluated and renewed through the BBCoC application to HUD to ensure the appropriate utilization of the funding and that performance metrics are being met. The BBCoC is authorized to redistribute funds to agencies and programs that successfully utilize funding and meet performance metrics. For FY 2021, $1.8 million was awarded from HUD for BBCoC application for rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing.

Every three years, the BBCoC must submit a unified homelessness grant application to DCF’s State Office on Homelessness for emergency solution grant, homeless prevention grant, Challenge grant, and staffing grant on behalf of the system. In preparation for the submittal of the unified grant application, the BBCoC requests agencies to submit formal applications for funding in the award categories that align with the BBCoC Homelessness Assistance Plan. Similar to the HUD process, the applications are reviewed by a committee of stakeholders that include County and City staff to determine proposals that are competitive and likely to be funded by DCF. DCF contracts directly with the BBCoC who then subcontracts with local service providers to administer services. The BBCoC is responsible for monitoring the provider’s performance and funding utilization rate of the contract. The performance of the HUD and DCF contracts are regularly tracked in the Homeless Services Information System managed by the BBCoC. For the current three-year period, the BBCoC received $714,000 for emergency shelter operations, homeless prevention, rapid rehousing, outreach services, and the coordination of the Homeless Management Information System.

Operation and Management of the Homeless Management Information System

The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is a regional database utilized to coordinate and manage client-level data and service provision to homeless individuals and persons at risk of homelessness. Federal law requires CoCs operate and manage an HMIS software solution that complies with HUD's data collection, management, and reporting standards. The HMIS should have the capacity to collect unduplicated counts of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Homeless service providers that receive state and federal funding for homelessness must participate in the HMIS system. The providers enter client demographic data such as age, race, and gender as well as services provided. Through HMIS, a CoC is able to collect information from projects serving homeless families and individuals to use as part of its needs analyses and to establish funding priorities and determine system performance.

Each year, CoCs are responsible for utilizing HMIS to generate System Performance Data on six of the seven HUD identified System Performance Measures, which include:

Measure 1: Length of Time Persons Remain Homeless
Measure 2: The extent to which persons who exit homelessness to permanent housing destinations return to homelessness
Measure 3: Number of Homeless Persons
Measure 4: Employment and income growth for homeless persons in CoC Program-funded projects
Measure 5: Number of persons who become homeless for the first^- time
Measure 6: Homeless Prevention and housing placement of persons defined by category 3 of HUD’s Homeless Definition in CoC Program-funded Projects (note: this measure is not yet applicable for any CoC)
Measure 7: Successful Placement from street outreach and successful placement in or retention of permanent housing.

The HMIS system captures the performance of the programs funded by the state and federal governments each year (Attachment #7). This allows the BBCoC to identify trends in the performance of the homeless service system in the community over several years and either recommend or implement adjustments that will improve outcomes for those experiencing homelessness (Attachment #8).

Collection and Analysis of Data on Homelessness in the Region

In addition to the HMIS system, the BBCoC conducts the annual Point-in-Time (PIT) count for the region as required by federal law. According to HUD, the PIT is “a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January.” Each year, the BBCoC is required to conduct a count of people experiencing homelessness in emergency shelters, transitional housing facilities, and Safe Havens on a single night. Although not required, the BBCoC also conducts a count of unsheltered people experiencing homelessness every year (HUD only requires every other year, during odd numbered years).

This year the PIT count was performed on January 25, 2021. The BBCoC utilized outreach workers and seasoned volunteers that surveyed individuals and families that were unsheltered or in a place not meant for human habitation such as the streets, park, woods, and vehicles. The volunteers collected information on age, race, gender, and veteran status. Information on mental illness, substance abuse disorder, domestic violence, and HIV/AIDS status were also collected. Data on individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the local shelters were collected from the providers through the HMIS system. Following the collection of the PIT count data, the BBCoC compiled and analyzed information into a report that was submitted directly to HUD. The PIT Count Report includes survey data from Leon, Gadsden and Taylor counties and data from the remaining counties that the BBCoC oversee. The PIT Count Report presents the data for the entire region. The results of the 2021 PIT Count Report are provided in the next section as part of the presentation of data on individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Leon County.

Local Data on Homelessness and Trends

Based on the data collected for the 2021 PIT count, Leon County continued to experience an overall reduction in individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Approximately 621 people experiencing homelessness were counted for in 2021 compared to 805 in 2020. That represents an overall decrease of 29% or 184 people. Based on the PIT Count Report, since 2018, Tallahassee-Leon County has experienced an overall decrease in the homeless population. As reflected in Table 2, there was also a significant decrease in the number of homeless youth (ages 18-24).

Table 2. Point-In-Time (PIT) Count

Population	2021	2020	% Change
All	621	805	-29%
Youth	91	209	-56%
Veterans	95	83	13%
Chronic	197	192	3%

However, there was an increase in the number of homeless veterans compared to 2020 and there are more chronically homeless individuals now than recorded in any previous PIT count. Since 2016, the chronically homeless count has increased by 119 individuals or 40%. Chronic homelessness is defined by HUD as people who have been homeless for at least a year or repeatedly while experiencing a disabling condition including physical disability, serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder that makes it difficult to find and maintain housing. According to the BBCoC, this is reflective of the increased need of permanent supportive housing.

The data captured through the HMIS also highlight trends for the region based on the required HUD performance metrics. The data reported by the homeless services providers indicate the community has seen an increase in the length of time a person remains homeless for an average of 144 nights (nearly five months) in 2020 compared to 130 nights in 2019; however, the current average remains below the national average of 168 nights. There has also been an increase in the number of people returning to homelessness. The national average in 2019 for returns to homelessness within 24 months of exiting homelessness to permanent housing was 20%, according to the BBCoC, 2020 data submitted through HMIS shows that the local rate of return to homelessness is 33%. Additionally, the percentage of permanent housing placements from emergency shelter and transitional housing programs was 33% in 2020, while the national average in 2019 was 41%.

The 2021 PIT Count Report and trends found in the HUD performance metrics are some of the data that the BBCoC has utilized to develop its Strategic Plan and update the Homelessness Assistance Plan that it is required to maintain. The following section highlights the goals and recommendations that have been identified to improve the homeless system performance in Tallahassee-Leon County, based on the data.

Big Bend Continuum of Care Strategic Plan

The BBCoC conducts regular assessment of needs and gaps in the homeless service system utilizing data collected through the HMIS, 211, County School Systems, System Performance Data, Coordinated Assessment Data, Bult for Zero Individuals, Families and Youth Score Cards, consumer surveys, agency surveys and staff interviews as well as proposals for funding. Through 2020, the BBCoC conducted frequent meetings with service providers and members to discuss gaps in services, needs and resources to address the gaps as it relates to system capacity and responding to COVID-19. Over the 2020 calendar year, the BBCoC prioritized data quality to ensure system performance and coordinated entry data were as accurate and as comprehensive as possible.

Culminating all the feedback, dialog and data over the past three years that was brought for review under the BBCoC Needs Assessment and Planning Committee has led to the development of the 2021-2025 BBCoC Strategic Plan and the corresponding 2021-2025 BBCoC Homelessness Assistance Plan, which is available for review and feedback through July 15, 2021. BBCoC is now presenting the Homelessness Assistance Plan to each community within its coverage area to seek feedback and commitment to the creation of annual action plans to achieve all goals identified in the Homelessness Assistance Plan by the end of 2025. Some of the major goals proposed to be accomplished by the end of 2025 include:

Reaching functional zero for veterans experiencing homelessness
Reaching functional zero for those experiencing chronic homelessness
Ensure no families with minor children experience unsheltered homelessness
Develop a Coordinated Community Plan to prevent and end youth homelessness
Increase permanent housing options for people with zero to extremely low income
Increase permanent housing options for those with criminal and poor or no credit histories

As identified in 2021-2025 Homelessness Assistance Plan, the BBCoC wants to improve upon and maintain the following outcome measures related to system performance:

Decrease the overall average and median length of time a person remains homeless
- Target 2021: average less than 144 nights, median less than 65 nights
- Ultimate goal by 2025: average is 30 nights or less
Decrease returns to homelessness
- Target 2021: return to homelessness within 6 months – less than 21%; within 2 years – less than 33%
- Ultimate goal by 2025: return to homelessness within 2 years – less than 20%
Decrease number of homeless persons in annual and PIT count
- Target: PIT count is less than 900, annual count is less than 2,900
Increase or maintain income for persons in housing programs
- Target: Increase income for more than 60% of system stayers; increase income for more than 30% of system leavers
Decrease instances of first-time homelessness
- Target: first-time homeless count is less than 1,500
Increase permanent housing placements from outreach, emergency shelter, transitions housing, permanent housing and rapid re-housing programs and retention of permanent housing
- Target: Increase placements to permanent housing from outreach to be greater than 65% of outreach exits;
- Ultimate goal by 2025: increase placements to permanent housing from ES, SH, TH and PH-RRH to be greater than 60%; Increase rate of retention of permanent housing to be greater than 95%

According to the BBCoC, to meet the target outcomes require strategic investment and coordination of shelter operation, client case management, diversion, as well as permanent housing and permanent supportive housing. Over the next several months the BBCoC desires to work with community partners including the County, City, and homeless service providers to identify opportunities to address areas for system improvements that will meet its target goals.

One specific area that BBCoC is seeking to coordinate with the County and City is decreasing the instances of first-time homeless and reducing the average and median length of time a person remains homeless from 144 nights to 30 nights or less by 2025. Emergency homeless shelters play a critical role in entry into and exit out of the homeless system of care. As mentioned earlier since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the total capacity of beds in the emergency shelters has significantly reduced 45% (from 567 to 310) to meet CDC guidelines. This has often led to long waiting lists for shelter services and increase in the unsheltered population, especially as street outreach has been expanded. Once in a shelter, access to resources such as case management, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing significantly reduce the length in time in homelessness. Connection with an emergency homeless shelter can prevent homelessness through diversion programs that offer bus tickets, car repair, and hotel vouchers, and other resources. This meets the goal of the BBCoC Strategic Plan to decrease instances of first-time homelessness.

As mentioned earlier the County and City contracts with the emergency shelters through a variety of programs and initiatives including CHSP, CARES Act, and the American Rescue Plan Act. Therefore, the County and City funding agreements with the providers will require emergency shelter providers to provide walk-in service to achieve the BBCoC strategic targets that will reduce the length in time residents remain homeless. The County, City, and BBCoC will work closely with the homeless shelter providers as well as the Florida Department of Health in Leon County to increase capacity at the shelters while meeting CDC guidelines.

Existing Local Investments, Initiatives and Actions Taken

The County and City investment in homelessness are consistent with the targets and goals established in BBCoC’s Strategic Homelessness Assistance Plan. The County and City partner with many community agencies to make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring. This section highlights commitments made by the County and City through initiatives and investments separately as well as jointly. Recommendations to build on the County and City’s collaborative and collective efforts to better integrate homeless services and leverage local funding to secure additional federal funding are detailed specifically in the sections describing the joint American Rescue Plan Act investment in homelessness and the Community Human Services Partnership later in this section.

Leon County

Direct Emergency Assistance Program and Veteran Emergency Assistance Program

Each year, the County funds the Direct Emergency Assistance Program and the Veterans Emergency Assistance Program to provide temporary emergency assistance to Leon County residents. The Direct Emergency Assistance Program (DEAP) provides emergency assistance for basic necessities such as rent, utilities/fuel, food and medication to prevent homelessness, malnutrition and disease for citizens meetings eligibility requirements. This program is funded by the County at $40,000 annually to provide financial assistance to Leon County residents and is provided directly to applicants who qualify under program requirements. The Veterans Emergency Assistance Program (VEAP) is similar to DEAP but is only available to eligible Leon County residents that are veterans and have served a minimum of 90 days in the United States military. Residents can receive assistance once every 12 months and a maximum of three times during the lifetime of the program.

CARES

In 2020, the County received over $62 million in federal funding from the CARES Act to respond to the pandemic and address community needs. Since the Board approved the Leon CARES expenditure plan in July 2020, the County has been committed to ensuring the most efficient allocation of these funds to meet the immediate needs of citizens, businesses, nonprofits, the local health care community, and other local governmental entities. As reflected in Table #3 the CARES allocation, the County provided more than $2 million to homeless services. In addition, the Leon CARES Individual Assistance program provided up to $5,000 in one-time assistance to households earning less than 120% of the average median income to support past-due rent, mortgage, and utility bills. Launched on August 17, 2020, the program provided $11.5 million in financial assistance to over 4,900 applicants impacted by COVID-19 for rent, mortgage, and utilities to ensure that individuals and families did not experience homelessness in the midst of the global pandemic and financial crisis.

Table 3. Leon County CARES Funding for Homeless Service Providers

CARES Funding	Total CARES Fund
CESC/Kearney Center	$1,314,000
Big Bend Homeless Coalition/Hope Community	$205,000
Capital City Youth Services	$145,150
Refuge House	$360,000
Big Bend Continuum of Care Technical Training	$25,000
Facility Enhancement Fund	$125,000
Total	$2,174,150

Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The County has been fully committed to ensuring that low-income residents maintain housing stability throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the Leon County ERA 1 program launched on March 29, 2021, the County has approved rent and utility assistance for more than 1,700 Leon County households, totaling over $7 million in awards. Through the American Rescue Plan, the County will receive approximately $10.1 million in funding (ERA 2) to continue to assist remaining County ERA applicants impacted by COVID-19 with up to 12 month of past due rent and/or utilities and up to three months future rent and/or utilities. ERA 2 also provides applicants with internet services essential for school, work, and telemedicine.

COVID-19 Local Homeless Task Force

On March 18, 2020, Leon County Emergency Management convened a Local Homeless COVID-19 Task Force to address planning and coordination needs related to implementing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Interim Guidance for Homeless Shelters with respect to COVID-19. The Task Force included the City, BBCoC, the homeless service providers, Florida Health Department in Leon County, and Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. For approximately 10 months the Task Force convened biweekly conference calls to discuss mitigation strategies, service changes, and applying for FEMA reimbursement of eligible expenses. Additionally, Task Force assisted shelters with meeting CDC guidelines including developing protocols to care for residents who show respiratory symptoms or who test positive for COVID-19; accessing needed supplies such as face masks, thermometers, and cleaning supplies; and identifying additional shelter space to ensure beds are placed at least three feet apart.

Cold Night Shelter

In 2010, the County’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) established the temporary cold night shelter process. Community partners activate the cold night sheltering plan when an apparent temperature of 35 degrees or colder is anticipated for three consecutive hours prior to sunrise. The County’s Emergency Management division coordinates a conference call with community partners, including the BBCoC, on the delivery of services, logistics and other details focused on addressing homelessness. On the coordinating calls, National Weather Service provides an up-to-the-minute forecast for all participants. Following the forecast, the Florida Health Department in Leon County (FDOH-Leon) makes a recommendation whether cold night shelters should be activated. The Kearney Center site on Municipal Way serves as the primary shelter for homeless individuals in the community including cold night activations. When it is determined that the Kearney Center is at capacity, other community partners including churches serve as temporary cold night shelters. Recently the following temporary cold night shelter process was codified into the County’s CEMP in coordination with BBCoC:

Conduct a kick-off meeting prior to cold season to review temperature thresholds and activation triggers with FDOH-Leon.
Establish a temporary cold night sheltering committee to provide strategic recommendations throughout the year.
Conduct after-action meetings with participating agencies following cold seasons.
Involve health officials specializing in environmental health from FDOH-Leon in the site review process.

Homeless Shelter Siting

At its January 25, 2021 annual retreat, the Board approved a series of new strategic initiatives including the development of a public engagement coordination and planning process with the City and BBCoC Care for the siting of all future homeless shelters and support facilities. On February 16, 2021, the Board ratified the actions taken at the Board Retreat. On May 11, 2021, the Board received a report on the siting of homeless shelters that indicated that there are no homeless shelters in the unincorporated areas of Leon County. However, it was recommended and accepted by the Board to enhance coordination with the BBCoC on planning and public engagement, should a homeless shelter be considered in unincorporated Leon County through the following actions:

- Require preapplication meetings with County staff and the BBCoC for transitional residential facilities.
- Require that an applicant include a recommendation from the BBCoC on the purpose and justification for a transitional residential facility (i.e. homeless shelter) as part of the application submittal.
- Exempt temporary cold night shelters specifically established and operated in coordination with County Emergency Management, the Health Department, and the BBCoC, from the definition of a transitional residential facility.

A future agenda item will be prepared to amend the County’s Land Development Code to effectuate these recommendations which will require consideration by the Advisory Committee on Quality Growth (ACQG), consistency review by the Planning Commission and two Public Hearings by the Board. The City’s zoning code already sets forth a process for siting transitional residential housing in the City’s limits.

City of Tallahassee

Permanent Relocation Program

As an entitlement grantee, the City receives an annual allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from HUD. Per City Policy 1100, the City provides relocation assistance to low and very low-income persons displaced from their homes by code enforcement action. The program provides up to $4,000 in one-time assistance for moving expenses, hotel/motel stays, storage, security deposits, etc. The program is funded annually by the City Commission at a minimum of $20,000. For the most recently closed 5-Year Consolidated Plan (September 30, 2020), the City assisted 80 households since 2015.

Emergency Solutions Grant

As an entitlement grantee, the City also receives an annual allocation of Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds from HUD. Per CFR Part 576, these funds are reserved specifically for homelessness activities such as homeless prevention, rapid rehousing, street outreach and shelter operations. The funds may be used to provide short term rental assistance, move in costs, counseling, case management, temporary shelter, and outreach services to the unhoused. Each year, the City receives on average $160,000 and partners with local homeless providers to administer services, leveraging other resources to the fullest extent to assist in meeting underserved needs. For FY2021 and FY2022, the City has partnered with the Big Bend Continuum of Care using the City’s ESG funds for street outreach, landlord liaison services, and support for the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) that is a HUD-required system for homeless service providers. For the most recently closed 5-Year Consolidated Plan (September 30, 2020), the City assisted over 6,700 homeless individuals and families since 2015.

Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV)

The Presidentially declared COVID-19 National Emergency in accordance with the Coronavirus Aid Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Public Law 116-136, was signed into law by President Trump March 27, 2020. The CARES Act provides additional funding to local governments in the form of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-CV) funding to address the impact of COVID-19, as well as waivers of certain regulatory caps and requirements to allow for quick delivery of funds to eligible activities. The City received $2,579,209 in CDBG-CV funding to prevent, prepare for and respond to the Coronavirus pandemic. Programs implemented include disaster hardening improvements to public facilities, new and expanded public services, and supportive services to housing-insecure individuals and families. The City allocated $1.675M of these funds to address critical public services such as mental illness, homeless prevention, permanent supportive housing, and to maintain other public services during the pandemic.

Emergency Solutions Grant CARES Act (ESG-CV)

The Presidentially declared COVID-19 National Emergency in accordance with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law 116-136, was signed into law by President Trump March 27, 2020. The CARES Act provides additional funding to local governments in the form of Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG-CV) funding to address the impact of COVID-19, as well as waivers of certain regulatory caps and requirements to allow for quick delivery of funds to eligible activities. The City received $2,439,614 in ESG-CV funding to mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19 on the Tallahassee community including direct support and administration of shelter operations, including homeless shelter diversion, street outreach activities to address the health and safety of those unhoused, rapid rehousing, and homelessness prevention through partnerships with local homeless service providers. As of March 31, 2021, the City has expended almost $1.1M to serve more than 2,800 homeless individuals.

CARES

In 2020, the City received $839K in federal funding from the CARES Coronavirus Relief Funds to respond to the pandemic and address community needs. The City used the funds to provide assistance to households in the form of past-due rent and utility bills, eviction and foreclosure prevention counseling, and emergency repairs. Launched in October 2020, the City CARES Housing Assistance program provided $770K in financial assistance to over 230 applicants impacted by COVID-19 for rent and utilities to ensure that individuals and families did not experience homelessness in the midst of the global pandemic and financial crisis.

County-City Joint Partnership

Tallahassee-Leon County Homeless Dashboard

For the first time ever, an operational dashboard was implemented to continuously track various community needs including information related to homeless populations, street outreach, and homeless emergency shelter service providers. This operational dashboard was initially intended to support situational awareness and decision-making for the COVID-19 Local Homeless Task Force. Based on the effectiveness of the dashboard, after the initial emergency response phase staff continues this collaborative tracking effort to support short- and long-term local homelessness initiatives and actions. This decision led to the development of the Tallahassee-Leon County Homeless Dashboard (Dashboard). The BBCoC plans to use the dashboard to provide close to real-time updates on unsheltered and sheltered homelessness and program capacity limits to more clearly communicate when homeless programing is operating at maximum capacity and demonstrate the need for expansion of capacity under certain circumstances.

The purpose of the Dashboard is to illustrate the overall homeless system with a focus on homeless populations, homeless service provider programs and their capacities, homeless system performance measures and current fiscal year public funds utilized for supporting homeless clients. Specific homeless programs described in greater detail in the Dashboard include street outreach (unsheltered), emergency shelter operations, and permanent supportive housing. Statistics for these programs are sourced from HMIS, individual homeless service providers and HUD-required homeless system reports.

Kearney Center

Since 2015, the County and City have collaborated and coordinated to ensure the sustainability of the Kearney Center. As mentioned previously, the Kearney Center provides 24-hour emergency shelter services, case management, and healthcare services to adult individuals experiencing homeless. In 2015, the County entered a $500,000 funding commitment towards the capital construction of the Kearney Center to be paid in $100,000 increments over five years. At the same time the City entered into an agreement with the Kearney Center in the amount of $500,000 for utility costs to be paid over five years. In 2019, the Kearney Center requested five-year extensions in the amount of $100,000 annually each from the County and City to continue assistance with construction debt service and utility costs respectively which were approved by the County Commission and City Commission. Thus far the County and City have provided $1.4 million in total for construction debt service and utility costs to the Kearney Center.

As reflected in the CHSP section, in addition to line item funding for capital improvement and utility costs, the County and City provide annual funding for programming and services at the Kearney Center through CHSP. Since 2015, the Kearney Center has received $2.7 million in CHSP funding for emergency shelter, case management, and its onsite health clinic.

Community Relief Center and Non-Congregate Homeless Shelter

In April 2020, the County and City each authorized up to $300,000 to be utilized to establish a new congregate shelter space at the Salvation Army (the Community Relief Center) and secure non-congregate space for vulnerable and/or symptomatic homeless individuals and families. County and City staff worked with the Salvation Army to open the Community Relief Center at the Salvation Army’s facility on Allen Road to address the Kearney Center’s transition of overnight shelter into hotels and apartments as well as the suspension of day services to homeless clients. The Community Relief Center opened in May 2020 offering sleeping accommodations, hot meals, showers, and case management to homeless and food-insecure families during the pandemic. Additional operational costs for the Community Relief Center included staffing and security. In July 2020, the Community Relief Center suspended overnight shelter accommodation when the Kearney Center increased its capacity of hotels and apartments for emergency overnight sheltering.

Operation Stand Down

The County and City each provide $10,000 annually for the North Florida Homeless Veterans Stand Down. The multi-day event put on by Tallahassee Veteran Outreach will be held this year August 6-7 at the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center on the campus of Florida A&M University. During the event homeless Veterans will receive meals, clothing, and medical services. According to the Tallahassee Veteran Outreach, more than 500 homeless veterans have been assisted in the past five years during the event. The County, City, U.S. Veterans Administration, and homeless service providers will be present for the event with vital information on veteran benefits, programs, and services.

American Rescue Plan Act

As mentioned earlier, in May 2021, the County and City respectively allocated a total of $6,272,000 ($3,462,144 County; $2,809,856 City) in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to homeless services. Approximately $1.78 million will address outstanding COVID-19 expenses and infrastructure improvements for the four homeless shelters, including CESC-Kearney Center, Big Bend Homeless Coalition, CCYS, and the Refuge House. The County and City have commenced the development of joint contracts with homeless shelter providers. As mentioned previously, the agreements will require the providers to provide walk-in service to achieve the BBCoC strategic targets that will reduce the length in time residents remain homeless. Once the contracts are fully executed, funding would be distributed to the providers to address immediate financial need.

The remaining $4.8 million would be for street outreach, diversion/prevention, permanent supportive housing and neighborhood-based capacity building which are consistent with the goals and targets established in the BBCoC’s Strategic Homelessness Assistance Plan. Initially as proposed to the County and City Commissions in May, the BBCoC was to oversee and distribute the entire funding for the ARPA homeless programs (Street Outreach, Diversion & Prevention, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Neighborhood Based Partner Capacity Building) through requests for proposals over the next year. As mentioned previously, County and City staff have worked with the BBCoC in the development of this item as well as the recommendations which includes the proposed establishment of the Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership that is detailed in the next section.

The BBCoC has proposed that approximately $3.075 million of one-time ARPA funds dedicated for diversion & prevention and permanent supportive housing be allocated to the new category. A portion of permanent housing funding as well as the entire allocations for street outreach and neighborhood based partner capacity building will continue to be contracted directly to the BBCoC while the funding allocated to the proposed new category would remain with the County and City to be allocated through the Community Human Services Partnership in coordination with BBCoC upon approval by the County and City Commissions respectively. This approach will ensure the one-time ARPA are used quickly to address the highest needs of the homeless system in contracting with BBCoC and also support long-term strategies that integrate homeless services, build capacity and leverage local funding to secure additional federal funding in partnership with BBCoC through the Community Human Services Partnership. This would occur with the consolidation of all homeless services funding in Tallahassee-Leon County through the Community Human Services Partnership.

The BBCoC has indicated that in the future, it intends to shift its federal and state funding through the Community Human Services Partnership under the proposed Homeless Services Category long term. As presented earlier all recurring federal and state homeless funding provided by HUD and DCF are award and streamlined through BBCoC. For FY 2021, BBCoC allocated $2.5 million in HUD and DCF funding to homeless services providers for programs such as homeless prevention, rapid rehousing, shelter operation, youth street outreach, etc. According to BBCoC shifting its funding to the Community Human Services Partnership would better integrate all homeless services program in Tallahassee-Leon County through a single funding process for local, state, and federal funding to address the highest homeless needs in the community. It would reduce the frequency in which agencies must apply for homeless service funding as well as reporting requirements. Currently agencies apply every two years to County and City for Community Human Services Partnership funding; every three years to the BBCoC for DCF funding; and annually to the BBCoC for HUD funding. The integration of services and financial investment is expected to leverage additional federal funding with the increase of agencies participating in service delivery and performance metric reporting. This shift is expected to occur in four-five years. In the interim, allocating one-time ARPA funding through the Community Human Services Partnership in coordination with the BBCoC will formally incorporate the BBCoC into the funding process including agency training, Citizen Review Team appointments, and award recommendations. The one-time ARPA funding provided through the Community Human Services Partnership would be dedicated for diversion & prevention and permanent supportive housing as already allocated by the County and City Commission, respectively.

Additionally, allocating one-time ARPA funding through the Community Human Services Partnership is expected to increase the number of agencies that participate in the homeless services continuum. According to the BBCoC, there are only seven agencies that receive HUD and/or DCF funding for homeless services. A larger and diverse network of providers would increase access to services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Many of the current providers are at capacity and would require significant increases in personnel and other resources. Approximately 20-30 agencies are required for Tallahassee-Leon County to meet the goals and targets set in the BBCoC Strategic Homeless Assistance Plan. There are 50 agencies funded through Community Human Services Partnership. Several Community Human Services Partnership agencies such as Brehon Institute, ECHO, and Good News Outreach provide programs like shelter services and homeless prevention that do not receive any federal funding and as a result do not utilize BBCoC’s CES or HMIS system. The one-time ARPA funding for diversion & homeless prevention and permanent supporting housing is expected to attract these agencies to participate in the proposed Homeless Service Category and potentially make the agencies eligible for future long-term federal funding that would be secured through the BBCoC.

As a result, the proposed Community Human Services Partnership Homeless Service Category would be funded in part with $3.07 million in one-time ARPA funding. According to the BBCoC, $1.4 million in ARPA funding, housing vouchers provided by THA and existing state and federal funds will allow the BBCoC to work with homeless service providers to immediately address the most urgent homeless needs (i.e. street outreach, permanent supportive housing, etc.).

Therefore, the County and City would contract with BBCoC over the next two years for the entire ARPA allocation for street outreach and neighborhood-based agency capacity building to expand local street outreach and build service provider to improve system performance. Approximately $675,000 in permanent supportive housing ARPA funding would be provided to BBCoC to administer and distribute to address the immediate need of the most vulnerable and chronically homeless population that includes the unsheltered and terminally ill. The funding would be utilized by the BBCoC in coordination with the initial 66 emergency housing vouchers that it will receive from THA described earlier in this item. The BBCoC expects the use of vouchers to free up existing permanent supportive housing that will be in addition to the permanent housing resources made available with County and City ARPA funds.

As shown in Table 4, the County and City would contract with the homeless shelter providers directly in the total amount of $1,787,000 address outstanding COVID-19 expenses and infrastructure improvements for the four homeless shelters; the BBCoC for a total of $1,410,000 to expand local street outreach, build service provider and neighborhood-based agency capacity, expedite the number of providers and inventory of permanent supportive housing for the most vulnerable and chronically homeless population as well as coordination and support in the implementation of the Homeless Services Category which is detailed in the next section; and allocate $3.075 million in one-time funding for the proposed Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership.

Table 4. ARPA Funding for Homeless Services

Homelessness	Providers	BBCoC	CHSP	Total
Homeless Shelter Providers*	$1,787,000			$1,787,000
Street Outreach		$375,000		$375,000
Diversion & Prevention			$1,250,000	$1,250,000
Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH)		$675,000	$1,825,000	$2,500,000
Neighborhood Based Partner Capacity Building		$360,000		$360,000
Total	$1,787,000	$1,410,000	$3,075,000	$6,272,000

*CESC-Kearney Center, Big Bend Homeless Coalition, Capital City Youth Services, and the Refuge House

Subsequent to the workshop, the County and City will jointly contract with the BBCoC. The BBCoC will adopt the following process and timeline for funding distribution:

Employ additional staff to provide training and technical support to neighborhood-based partners beginning in August 2021.
Issue Requests for proposals (RFPs) in mid-late August for Street Outreach and Permanent Supportive Housing. Contracts would be executed, and funding distributed in October 2021.

The funds will be available over the next two years to be utilized by the homeless service providers and the BBCoC to address targets and goals identified in the Strategic Homeless Assistance Plan.

Recommendation: Contract with the Big Bend Continuum of Care in the amount of $1.410 million for street outreach, neighborhood-based agency capacity, permanent supportive housing as well as coordination and support in the implementation of the proposed Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership.

Community Human Services Partnership (CHSP)

For more than 20 years, the County and City have worked collaboratively through CHSP to provide a “one stop” shop for human services grant funding to our community human service agencies. Agencies and programs receive funding through 10 funding categories recommended by citizen review teams and approved by the County and City Commissions, respectively. As reflected in Table #5, many homeless service providers and programs including Kearney Center, Big Bend Homeless Coalition, and Capital City Youth Services are funded through multiple CHSP categories. For FY 2021, CHSP funds emergency shelter operations, homeless prevention, and street outreach for a total of $797,193. CHSP funds programs two-year cycles and as a result the agencies and programs will be funded at the same level for FY 2022.

Table 5. CHSP Homeless Program Funding for FY 2021

Agency/Program	Amount	CHSP Category
Big Bend Homeless Coalition HOPE Community	$226,218	Emergency Services
Brehon Institute – Brehon House	$91,725	Family Services
Capital City Youth Services Youth Shelter	$78,500	Family Services
Capital City Youth Services Street Outreach	$47,000	Promise Zone
CESC-Kearney Center Emergency Shelter/Case Management	$320,000	Emergency Services
Salvation Army Emergency Social Services	$33,750	Emergency Services
Total	$797,193

Currently the programs are funded in multiple CHSP categories including Family Services, Emergency and Basic Needs, and Promise Zone. Additionally, the programs are not coordinated with the BBCoC’s federal and/or state funding or system performance measurements. On February 16, 2021, the Board directed staff to prepare an item on opportunities to align the metrics of the BBCoC with CHSP for homeless services. The system performance measures utilized by the BBCoC and presented earlier in the item are already used by many of the homeless service providers funded by CHSP. Additionally, shared in the previous section, the BBCoC intends to shift its federal and state funding through the Community Human Services Partnership under the proposed Homeless Services Category long term. Therefore, in order to better integrate the programs in the community it is recommended that homeless services programs funded through CHSP be consolidated into a new category called the Homeless Services Category.

Programs such as emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, homeless prevention, permanent supportive housing, and street outreach would be consolidated into the new category. The Citizen Review Team (CRT) for the Homeless Services Category which are utilized to evaluate CHSP applications and make funding recommendations would be staffed by the County, City and BBCoC. Appointments to the CRT for the Homeless Services Category would be recommended by the BBCoC. Funding would be categorized into subcategories to align with HUD funding categories which are: street outreach, homeless prevention, shelter operation and essential services, permanent supportive housing, and rapid rehousing. The appropriate level of funding for each program category would be recommended by the BBCoC for the County and City Commissions consideration. Developing programmatic sub-categories would allow for HUD performance metrics utilized by the BBCoC to be applied uniformly to the appropriate homeless service programs.

Programs funded in the proposed category would be required to report on performance based on the BBCoC system performance metrics, when applicable, such as the length of time persons remain homeless. Currently, human service agencies submit quarterly reports through an automated system on the CHSP portal that provides quantitative data on funded programs. The data includes the number of clients served as well as client demographic information such as race, ethnicity, gender, age as well as geographic information of clients served (i.e. zip codes, census tract, etc.) when applicable. Programs funded through the Homeless Services Category would be required to report on the HUD system performance metric utilized by the BBCoC through HMIS. This would ensure that programs funded through CHSP are tracked and evaluated for effectiveness and allow for agencies to work with the BBCoC to make any necessary adjustments. The data would be shared with Homeless Services Category Citizen Review Team as part of its deliberation on funding recommendations to the County and City Commissions, respectively.

The consolidation of the homeless services programs would allow the community to leverage additional federal funding. According to the BBCoC, HUD encourages and awards communities with funding that align their resources and meet the required system performance metrics. Agencies that do not currently receive federal funding for homeless services that would be incorporated into the category would overtime collect, track, and report on performance metric data that will be essential to securing HUD funding. Agencies that utilize local funding as match for federal grants are more competitive when the local funding mandates the utilization of the HUD performance metrics and participation in CES and the HMIS system managed by the BBCoC. The BBCoC anticipates that consolidating the homeless service programs funded through CHSP will improve opportunities for permanent recurring federal dollars for homeless prevention, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing which are essential to identified goals and targets of the Strategic Homelessness Assistance Plan.

As previously stated, approximately $3.075 million of ARPA funding that the County and City have allocated for diversion/prevention and permanent supportive housing would be awarded and distributed through the proposed CHSP Homeless Services Category during the next two-year funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024). Allocating funding through CHSP is expected to increase the number of agencies that participate in the homeless services system. As mentioned earlier there are only seven agencies that receive HUD and/or DCF funding for homeless services. A larger and diverse network of providers would increase access to services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness. These agencies would be more competitive in efforts to secure additional federal funding and therefore increase the resources within the homeless services system.

In 2017, the County and City adopted the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to reinforce the mutual commitment to CHSP which also established the human services categories. There are currently 10 human service categories. In order to effectuate the establishment of the new homeless services category would require an update to the MOU. Therefore, it is recommended that the MOU be modified to reflect the new homeless services category. The Homeless Services Category would be established for the next two-year CHSP funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024) and presented to the County and City Commission respectively as part of the item to ratify the appointments to the Citizen Review Teams in Spring 2022 and proposed funding recommendations for the two-year funding cycle in Fall 2022.

Given that ARPA funding is non-recurring, following the upcoming CHSP funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024), the BBCoC is expected to shift all federal and state homeless funding to CHSP (FY 2025) moving forward and also anticipates that actions described in this item including the ARPA investments in homelessness and the establishment of the Homeless Services Category to consolidate the funding and performance metric of homeless services in Tallahassee-County, will draw additional federal funding. The additional funding would be incorporated into CHSP to streamline local, state, federal investment in the community. In addition, the investments made by the County and City is expected to continue to improve the homeless condition in the community and allow resources to be adjusted in the future to address changing needs to end homelessness in Tallahassee-Leon County.

Recommendation: Establish a new Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership and reallocate the existing $797,193 in existing funding and $3,075,000 in one-time funding from the joint County-City American Rescue Plan Act for homelessness for the upcoming two-year funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024); and authorize the County Administrator and City Manager to execute a modification to the City-County CHSP Memorandum of Understanding to effectuate this change.

Conclusion:

As Tallahassee-Leon County continues to experience an overall reduction in individuals and families experiencing homelessness, the County and City continue to partner with the BBCoC to maximize local investment that will integrate homeless programs and services in the community; leverage local funding to secure additional federal funding; and expand the current capacity in the homeless service system. In just the last year, the County and City have taken the following actions to support homeless services:

Convened the COVID-19 Local Homeless Task Force to coordinate emergency response and mitigation.
Partnered with the Salvation Army to open an emergency Community Relief Center for unsheltered individuals.
Established and funded non-congregate sheltering for homeless individuals and families experiencing homeless diagnosed with COVID-19 or awaiting testing.
Created the Tallahassee-Leon County Homeless Dashboard through Geographic Information System (GIS) bringing situational awareness and performance data across dozens of agencies.
Established Street Outreach Teams to fill service gaps and increase access to housing resources.
Provided $2.1 million in CARES Act funding to homeless shelter service providers.
Provided $12.25 million in housing and utilities through the Leon CARES Individual Assistance Program and City CARES program to prevent evictions and utility interruptions for more than 4,900 County residents.
Established the Landlord Risk Mitigation Fund to increase access to affordable housing for vulnerable tenants.
Established and funded a new Landlord Liaison position within the Big Bend Continuum of Care.
Launched the Leon CARES Emergency Rental Assistance Program for rent and utility assistance to prevent evictions and utility interruptions (more than 1,700 households assisted and over $7 million award thus far)
Approved $6.272 million in ARPA dedicated to homelessness

These efforts will continue on a day to day basis and will assist in meeting the goals and targets reflected in the BBCoC’s Strategic Homelessness Assistance Plan. Therefore, in addition to these efforts, the following is currently recommended:

Contract with the Big Bend Continuum of Care in the amount of $1.410 million for street outreach, neighborhood-based agency capacity, permanent supportive housing as well as coordination and support in the implementation of the proposed Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership.
Establish a new Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership and reallocate the existing $797,193 in existing funding and $3,075,000 in one-time funding from the joint County-City American Rescue Plan Act for homelessness for the upcoming two-year funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024); and authorize the County Administrator and City Manager to execute a modification to the City-County CHSP Memorandum of Understanding to effectuate this change.

Next Steps

The County and City have commenced the development of joint contracts with homeless shelter providers. As previously mentioned, upon approval of the County and City Commission, the agreements will require the providers operate at a capacity that preserves assistance including walk-in services to clients while reducing the average nights of stay in order to achieve the BBCoC strategic targets. Once the contracts are fully executed, funding would be distributed to the providers to address immediate financial need. Over the next few months, the CoC will take the following actions to administer ARPA funding for the implementation of homeless service programs consistent with its Strategic Homelessness Assistance Plan:

To employ additional staff to provide training and technical to neighborhood-based partners for technical support it is recommended to distribute funds beginning in August 2021.
Requests for proposals (RFPs) will be issued in mid-late August for Street Outreach and Permanent Housing. Contracts would be executed, and funding distributed in October 2021.

Finally, the new Homeless Services Category would be established for the next two-year CHSP funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024) with ARPA funding in the amount of $3,075,000 and the current annual CHSP funding dedicated to homeless services in the amount of $797,193. In the spring of 2022, Citizen Review Team appointments to the new category would be presented to the respective County and City Commissions. Total CHSP funding levels would be established by the respective County and City Commissions as part of the next budget cycle. The recommended agency awards would be presented to the County and City Commission in Fall 2022.

OPTIONS

Accept the report on homelessness in Tallahassee-Leon County.
Contract with the Big Bend Continuum of Care in the amount of $1.410 million for street outreach, neighborhood-based agency capacity, permanent supportive housing as well as coordination and support in the implementation of the proposed Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership.
Establish a new Homeless Services Category under the Community Human Services Partnership and reallocate the existing $797,193 in existing funding and the $3,075,000 in one-time funding from the joint County-City American Rescue Plan Act for homelessness for the upcoming two-year funding cycle (FY 2023 and FY 2024); and authorize the County Administrator and City Manager to execute a modification to the City-County CHSP Memorandum of Understanding to effectuate this change.
County and City Commission direction.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

Options #1, #2 and #3

Attachments