The Health Foundation of Central Mass

30 T he Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts has always been ahead of its time in choosing issues to tackle. In Worcester, one of the most serious problems in the mid-2000s was homelessness. Although the City and some nonprofit agencies made several attempts to alleviate the problem, they found no long-term solution. A collaboration of homeless service providers led by Community Health- link submitted a proposal to e Health Foundation for a "Housing First" pro- gram. e supportive model varied from the traditional temporary shelter concept where individuals must be sober, adhere to prescribed medication regimens, and obey the house rules. is Round 2 Synergy Initiative project, named "Home Again," aimed to provide housing and supports to the adult chronic homeless population in Worcester. e project's purposes were to test efficacy of Housing First versus sheltering; to end adult chronic homelessness in Worcester; to secure housing subsidies for adults who are chronically homeless in the city; and to create a sustainable funding stream to pay for case management and community supports to maintain the Housing First model. At the time, there were roughly 122 adults in Worcester who were chronically homeless. Home Again provided partic- ipants with housing and intensive case management and community supports. e program supplied seven times more case management than the local system of services, known as Standard Care, for homeless people. Standard Care provides outreach, case management, referral to local emergency shelters, and other ap- propriate services including temporary or permanent housing. Home Again offered more one-on-one attention to the client. For instance, a client in the Home Again program was ac- companied when looking for housing and was oen housed within a few months. Case management visits and mental health treatment took place in the home. Home Again delivered exactly what the client needed, from rides to appointments to taxi vouchers and other services in between. Services were also provided long aer the client was housed. In Standard Care, clients must find their own transportation and may not be housed for two to five years. e case manager does not visit the home or provide in-home mental health care. e case manager to client ratio is 1:10 in Home Again and 1:70 or more in Standard Care. An evaluation by Boston University researchers documented positive results such as savings in health care costs that exceeded the cost of the intervention. e report also found that Home Again had a positive impact on mental health, social support, drug and alcohol use, and depen- dent drinking. Best of all, 97% of Home Again participants remained in housing for more than six months, two-and-a-half times the rate for traditional programs. e program was so successful that in January 2011, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness recognized Worcester as the first city of its size to effectively end chronic adult homelessness, reaching a level of "functional zero." e national rate of individual chronic homelessness declined 35 percent between 2005 and 2009, according to the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, but Worcester has done better than that. "While some smaller communities have also nearly eliminated chronic homeless- ness, Worcester is the largest community to have done so," said U.S. council spokes- man Jason Kravitz. "Worcester is in a class of its own," he said. Home Again: Ending Adult Chronic Homelessness in Worcester Timeframe: 2007 – 2013 Lead Organization: Community Healthlink Evaluator: Boston University School of Public Health Total Amount Funded: $2.2 million By Lee Hammel TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF WORCESTER — The Health Founda- tion of Central Massachusetts yesterday announced a $426,824 grant to expand the supply of housing and combat homeless- ness in the city. The grant will permit Community Healthlink to serve 20 to 25 chronically homeless people with case management and housing in and around Worcester, according to Deborah J. Ekstrom, CHL president and CEO. That is on top of the 29 formerly homeless people being served at Spencer House on Elm Street and at scattered-site apartments in the Home Again program implemented last Novem- ber, according to Janice B.Yost, president and CEO of the private Health Founda- tion. It brings the foundation's funding for the effort to $1,646,409 since 2007. In addition, the foundation announced results of a study by Boston University's School of Public Health that Ms. Yost said validates the Housing First concept employed in the Home Again program. At one time the approach prompted political debate in the city. Unlike traditional pro- grams for homeless people, Housing First does not require sobriety. Only last week, the People in Peril homeless shelter implemented rules de- signed to close the embattled shelter at 701 Main St. by next year. At a press con- ference at the shelter yesterday to an- nounce the new funding, City Manager Michael V. O'Brien said, "Home Again's new months, NoveMBeR 10, 2009 WoRCeSTeR, MASS. NEWS T&G Staff Photos/DAN GOULD James Welch, left, and Frank Schneider, the first two tenants of the Home Again program, leave the PIP Shelter Monday after the grant program was announced. Home Again breaks cycle Survey verifies approach; foundation OKs funds Differences in program features SYNERGY INITIATIVE - ROUND 2

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