Idaho's Action Plan to Reduce Homelessness Submit Comments 0 Table of Contents Executive Order . .1 Partnership Acknowledgements . 4 Letter from Committee Chair . 6 United States Interagency Council on Homelessness . 8 Introduction to Idaho’s Plan. 10 Questions about Chronic Homelessness . .11 What the Chronically Homeless say . 12 Executive Summary . 14 Framework for Recommendations . 18 Activities . .19 Appendix (a) Housing Authority Survey . 31 (b) Point-in-Time Unsheltered Homeless Count . 35 (c) Attendance List . .40 1 T H E O F F I C E O F T H E G O V E R N O R EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT STATE OF IDAHO BOISE EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 2005-11 ESTABLISHING THE IDAHO HOMELESSNESS POLICY COUNCIL WHEREAS, homelessness is one of the most challenging domestic issues facing the United States, and Idaho; WHEREAS, housing has been found to be the most commonly identified challenge facing those in need; and WHEREAS, the purpose of this Executive Order is to establish a council and recognize the need to develop a statewide plan that would include short-term and long- term strategies to effectively address the issues facing Idaho’s homeless population; and WHEREAS, the development of the statewide plan by the council should serve to educate all Idahoans about the tragedy of homelessness and engage both governmental agencies and the private sector in finding solutions to this problem; and WHEREAS, an administrative policy with the goal of ending chronic homelessness must be established as a requirement for federal grant funding. NOW, THEREFORE, I, DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Governor of the State of Idaho, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the State of Idaho do hereby establish the Idaho Homelessness Policy Council. 1. Council members are appointed by the governor to serve at the pleasure of the governor. The initial appointments shall be made for terms of 1, 2 and 3 years, as determined by the Governor. Successive appointments shall be made for 3 year terms. 2. The executive director of the Idaho Housing and Finance Association, or the executive director’s designee, shall chair the council. The designation of pertinent agencies and other entities for the Idaho Homelessness Coordinating Committee (IHCC) will be the responsibility of the chair of the council. The chair on an annual basis will report to the Policy council on the progress of the IHCC. The council will appoint representative membership on the IHCC to accomplish directed projects and tasks in order to prepare an action plan for the state of Idaho. 3. Council members will be representatives of appropriate state agencies, with ex- officio representation by the lieutenant governor or the lieutenant governor’s designee and by the director of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development of Idaho or the director’s designee. 1 4. The council may invite to its meetings other non-voting representatives from federal and local government agencies, the business community, providers of services to the homeless, philanthropic agencies, faith-based organizations, persons who are homeless advocacy organizations, homeless people, and community leaders. A. The Idaho Homelessness Policy Council shall prepare and submit to the Governor a statewide homeless Idahoans action plan by October 31, 2005. The action plan must include at least the following: 1. Accurate fiscal and demographic information on the homeless in this state, to support policy development; 2. An inventory and analysis of all existing activities and programs in this state that assist the homeless; 3. An inventory and assessment of existing statutory and regulatory provisions relating to the homeless and suggested changes to those provisions needed to implement the plan; 4. Short-term and long-term statewide strategies designed to substantially decrease homelessness in this state within the next 10 years; these strategies should: a. Identify funding opportunities to assist homeless people in this state; b. Involve non-traditional stakeholders, including business, philanthropic, faith-based, and other community organizations; and c. Promote systems integration, including interagency agreements, to reduce duplication among homeless assistance programs; 5. Performance measures and accountability mechanisms to provide policymakers with tools to assess the success of the plan over time. In addition, the council shall conduct a public hearing on the issue of homelessness. The council shall monitor and review implementation of the action plan, and shall provide to the Governor an annual report containing the council’s findings and recommendations regarding implementation of the plan. The Idaho Housing and Finance Association shall provide administrative support for the council. In accordance with law, the IHFA may enter into intergovernmental agreements necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Order. The following general provisions apply to the activities of the council: 1. Council members do not receive compensation as a member of the council. Per Diem and travel expenses for members of the council are the responsibility of the state or federal agency the member represents. 2. To reduce costs, the council may use teleconferencing or other electronic means to the extent practicable in order to gain the widest public participation at minimum cost. 2 3. The council shall establish procedures for voting and meetings of the council. 4. Meetings of the council shall be conducted, and notice of the meetings provided, in accordance open meetings laws of the State of Idaho. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Idaho at the Capitol in Boise on this 29th day of July in the year of our Lord two thousand and five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred twenty-ninth and of the Statehood of Idaho the one hundred fifteenth. DIRK KEMPTHORNE GOVERNOR BEN YSURSA SECRETARY OF STATE 3 Partnership Acknowledgements Policy Council Members Idaho Housing and Finance Association Mr. Gerald M. Hunter (Council Chair) Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor Mr. Roger Madsen Idaho Department of Correction Mr. Tom Beauclair Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Mr. Karl Kurtz Idaho Division of Veterans Affairs Mr. Joe Bleymaier Superintendent of Public Instruction Ms. Marilyn Howard HUD Field Office Director, Idaho Ms. Connie Hogland (Ex-Officio Member) Idaho Homelessness Coordinating Committee members Idaho Housing and Finance Association Julie Williams (Committee Chair) Aid For Friends Chris Piersol Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority Sheryl Putnam Boise Rescue Mission Bill Roscoe City of Boise Greg Morris Governor’s Office Lauren Laskarris Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor Rico Barrera Idaho Department of Correction Julianne Crosby Idaho Department of Education Jan Byers-Kirsch 4 Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Anne Bloxham Bethany Gadzinski Idaho Division of Veterans Services Gwen Thornfeldt Idaho Legal Aid Michael Hinman Intermountain Fair Housing Council Richard Mabbutt LIFE, Inc. Dean Nielson Representative At-Large Amy Michels Roger Wyatt Salvation Army, Boise Micki Hempsmyer Salvation Army, Nampa Amber Young South Central Community Action Partnership Ken Robinette Southwest District Health Terry Wilson St. Vincent de Paul Lynn Peterson United Way of the Treasure Valley Gaye Bennett U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Brian Dale YWCA of Lewiston Wendy Diesner Others Participating Mike Dittenber-Idaho Housing AnaMarie Kesling-Idaho Housing Susan Whitlach-Idaho Housing Sheri Cook-Idaho Housing Peggy Schultz-Idaho Housing Wendy Smith-Idaho Housing Deanna Watson-BCACHA Jim Owens-Terry Reilly Health Services 5 P.O. Box 7899 Boise, Idaho 83707-1899 Phone 208-331-4882 Fax 208-3314802 www.ihfa.org TDD 800-545-1833 Ext. 400 On behalf of the members of the Idaho Homelessness Coordinating Committee, it’s my pleasure to present the Governor and the people of the state of Idaho with goals, strategies and action steps necessary to reduce and prevent chronic homelessness in Idaho within 10 years. The cost of providing housing, emergency, and medical services to the population identified as “chronically homeless” is viewed nationally as the “tipping point” for federal resource investment, causing a disproportionate focus of financial resources that might otherwise be available to enhance self sufficiency programs. Our efforts in drafting this plan are energized by anticipating the benefit to the people of Idaho when the sparse federal resources currently supporting short term shelter and services for the chronically homeless, can be re-directed to support successfully independent individuals actively improving their lives, who may contribute to the society that supports their needs. In response to the Executive Order, we have collected information on current housing stock, programs and services, evaluated current referral systems and barriers to services coordination, identified funding resources and obstacles, acknowledging current legislative priorities and limitations, and recommended measures to seek out untapped opportunities for inter-agency coordination of policies, practices and measurement systems. During the discussion process, the committee members generously contributed energy, experience, creative problem-solving ideas, and inter-organizational collaboration. Many hours were spent analyzing resources, gaps in services, and successes and failures of current methods. The result is a consensus plan reflecting