2011 Annual Report on the State of Homelessness in Erie County

The Homeless Alliance of WNY has released the results of their State of Homelessness 2011 for the federal reporting year October 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011.  Below are links to the full report and the executive summery.

Annual Report

Executive Summary

The Affordable Care Act, Medicaid Reform and Homelessness

As the Affordable Care Act (ACA), begins to be implemented, there will be many changes to medical services provided to low income Americans.  While the ACA does not directly address the homeless population, it does offer new opportunities to provide health care for the homeless.  Many of these new opportunities appear to work in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) emphasis on permanent housing for the homeless.

The Affordable Care Act will expand Medicaid’s role as a safety net for the uninsured.  By 2014, states must provide standard Medicaid coverage to all adults under 65 with incomes at or below 133% of federal poverty levels.  States are tasked with performing the outreach necessary to enroll previously ineligible persons, although they will likely need assistance with this task.  In addition, hospital may use “presumptive eligibility” to reduce the financial risk of treating someone who hospital personnel can reasonably assume to be “Medicaid eligible.”

Another change in Medicaid is the greater emphasis on home and community treatment, as opposed to hospitalization and other institution based treatment.  States will have more funding for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS).  This more flexible treatment option can be a valuable supportive service for individuals or families in permanent supportive housing.  This incentivizes the immediate provision of stable housing, a trend also encouraged by HUD.

Eligibility for HCBS has also been expanded.  If HCBS will be used to avoid an alternative of institution, incomes up to 300% of monthly SSI could be eligible.  Otherwise, income eligibility is set at 150% of the poverty line.  This means individuals not eligible for standard Medicaid may still be eligible for needs based HCBS.

In line with this greter emphasis on HCBS, emergency rooms will be de-emphasized as a medical solution.  Separate subsidies for hospitals that deal with a large number of uninsured patients will be eliminated and several funding realignments will make emergency rooms less accommodating for non-urgent and social health care.

While the law set into motion a number of changes that could potentially improve the ability of low income individuals to access health care, effort by the community will be needed to make sure any potential benefits are realized.  Advocates for the homeless should encourage their state to fund HCBS.  As HCBS becomes more important, connections between mainstream healthcare providers and housing organizations will need to be formed and maintained.

(Adapted from the National Alliance To End Homeless’s Can Medicaid Reform Make a Difference for Homeless Individuals?)

2012 Focus Group Notes and Information

Listed below are documents containing notes from each of the focus groups held during the month of March.  Both notes of the conversation and results of the dot activity are included.

Emergency Housing Notes

Outreach-Chronic Homeless Focus Group Notes

Prevention Focus Group Notes

PSH focus group notes

Transitional Housing Focus Group Notes

Youth notes

The Homeless Alliance of WNY Announces $2.4 Million for New Homeless Projects

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that HUD has awarded nearly $201 million to 731 new local homeless programs across the country. This funding provides critically needed emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent support for individuals and families and is a significant part of the Obama Administration’s strategic plan to prevent and end homelessness.

HUD previously announced that the Erie County Continuum of Care received $6.4 million in renewal project funding for the Homeless.  As part of this announcement two new projects in Erie County have received funding totaling $2,438,752.  The two projects are

Lt. Col. Matt Urban Hope Gardens Housing First SHP $1,677,863

This new housing first low demand – project intends to serve 20 chronically Homeless women in a newly constructed facility that includes 20 one bedroom apartments, residential/community space and commercial space. The building structure will itself be clinical in nature in that it contains therapeutic elements.

Marlies Wesolowski, Exec. Dir. Of the Matt Urban Center said, “We did this because many of the women we intend to serve experience high incidents of sexual and physical assault while living on the street. As a result, the survival mechanisms that they develop to keep themselves safe often prevents them from forming trusting relationships an essential component of obtaining necessary treatments. It is our assertion that the physical environment will aide in their recovery from their traumatic experiences of homelessness and provide a transition to building trusting relationships with program staff.”

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services Permanent Housing SHP $760,889

The Young Adult Permanent Housing project will provide 20 scattered site apartments permanent housing to homeless, unaccompanied young adult males and females ages 18-25 with a disability diagnosis from a disabling substance use disorder who have been unable to remain alcohol and or drug free for long sustainable periods of time leading to homelessness and housing instability.  William Burgin, Exec. Dir. Of ADDS said, “This population has made numerous attempts to maintain stable housing but has been unsuccessful due to their addictions.  Demonstration studies have shown that permanent supportive housing has a high rate of successfully stabilizing recovering individuals.”

Five of the apartments have been slated for the chronically homeless.

The Homeless Alliance of WNY is the Continuum of Care agency for Buffalo and Erie County and responsible for writing the grant that has received a total of $8.8 million in funding for Erie County Homeless programs this year.  Dale Zuchlewski, Executive Director of the Homeless Alliance said, “the two new programs that were announced by HUD will add to our local portfolio of Homeless services and help us to achieve our ultimate goal of ending homelessness in Erie County.”