YHDP Project Narrative Final - Wikispaces · project model. This three-year intensive...

Youth Homeless Demonstration Program Grant Funding FY 2017 Application by the Sonoma County Community Development Commission

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INTRODUCTION

On any given night, 663 transition-aged youth and unaccompanied youth are homeless in

Sonoma County. This gives the Santa Rosa/Petaluma/Sonoma County Continuum of Care (CoC) the

dubious distinction of documenting more homeless youth than any other CoC of its kind in the nation

(2015 Annual Homeless Assessment Report). The Sonoma County CoC views the Youth

Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) as a critical opportunity to end youth homelessness,

building on a strong existing partnership between county stakeholders and nonprofit youth providers,

and breaking the mold by testing new interventions. The YHDP Community Planning Process and

subsequent project funding will effectively address several of Sonoma County’s unique challenges: a

vacancy rate of less than 1% and absence of housing stock; its role as a “gateway” for sex trafficking

and the marijuana trade due to the US Highway 101 corridor that runs through our geography and

connects San Francisco to the “Emerald Triangle”; and a disproportionate number of homeless youth

relative to the overall homeless population.

Forty miles north of San Francisco, Sonoma County is home to 502,146 residents, 90,744 of

whom are ages 10-24, living across 1,576 square miles. Seventy percent of residents live in the county

seat, Santa Rosa, or in 8 smaller cities; the remaining thirty percent live in rural and wilderness areas.

Rapid economic growth and sparse housing have combined to produce extremely high rent burdens: 4

out of 5 families pay more than 45% of their household income for housing and transportation. In part

due to these rent burdens, on any given night 5.8 out of every 1,000 residents is homeless.

Despite these challenges, this community has been a leader in cross-sector collaboration, as

evidenced by the success of partnerships built through the CoC to reduce homelessness 36% since

2011 (from 4,539 in 2011 to 2,906 in 2016). Comprised of the HUD entitlement cities of Santa Rosa

and Petaluma and an “Urban County”, the CoC is the primary body for policy and planning to end

homelessness in Sonoma County. This proposal exemplifies this CoC’s leadership in implementing


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innovative policies, building collaboration and systems change, and engaging young people in

developing plans that will most effectively serve them. The YHDP offers a focused opportunity to

expand our partnerships via a Coordinated Community Plan, and to put into action innovative project

models such as shared housing, wellness-focused supportive services, and expanded rapid re-housing

with aggressive landlord engagement. We are pleased to submit this application for the full CoC

geographic area—to reduce, and ultimately end, youth homeless in our community in accordance with

our local plan to end homelessness overall by 2025.

1. LEADERSHIP CAPACITY

1.1. Addressing a Similar Systemic Challenge Related to Homelessness

Since 1997, the CoC has addressed numerous systemic challenges towards ending

homelessness in Sonoma County. One significant effort has been collaborative action to end veteran

homelessness since 2007. The CoC convened a Homeless Veterans Committee to increase housing for

homeless disabled veterans, and to link them to mental health, primary health and substance abuse

treatment. In direct response to input from homeless veterans themselves, the Committee on Homeless

Veterans documented the need and over the next decade increased the number of beds for homeless

veterans and their families nearly fifty-fold—from 8 in 2007 to 365 in 2016. As a result, the number of

homeless veterans has declined 33% from a high of 402 in 2011 to 271 in 2016.

Also based on veteran input, the Committee launched Sonoma County Vet Connect, which

provides one-stop, no-cost information, assistance, and referral for veterans' benefits, VA health care,

counseling for veterans and their families, and housing and employment counseling through weekly

half-day clinics in Santa Rosa and monthly clinics in Guerneville, Petaluma, and Sonoma. Through the

Vets@Home Initiative, the CoC has entered into agreements with the VA Medical Center and HUD-

VASH Case Manager, Coordinated Entry, North Bay Veterans Resource Center (the local SSVF

Provider), and all supportive housing providers working with veterans. Using a By Names List of


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homeless veterans, this collaborative aims to end veteran homelessness in Sonoma County by 2018.

The CoC also led an extensive planning process to develop its Coordinated Entry pilot and

project model. This three-year intensive community-wide planning process engaged over 20 agencies,

concluding with the 2014 publication of A New Front Door for Homeless Services: Coordinated Intake

and Homeless System Entry Planning in Sonoma County, California. A pilot project began in early

2015, serving homeless families and unsheltered chronically homeless persons reached through the

county’s Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST). System-wide implementation serving all

individuals experiencing homelessness will begin in early 2017. The breadth of our unique challenge—

implementing a single point of entry across a large geographic area with limited transportation—has

been met by the CoC’s training of providers in the county’s five geographic regions to screen clients

with the VI-SPDAT screening tool in walk-in settings, as well as providing mobile intake services.

1.2. Proposed YHDP Lead Agency

1.2.a Proposed Lead Agency

The Sonoma County Community Development Commission (SCCDC) is the CoC

Collaborative Applicant and will serve as lead agency for the YHDP. SCCDC administers an Urban

County entitlement, and convened the CoC with the cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma in 1997.

1.2.b Type of Organization

The SCCDC is an agency of county government, operating the Sonoma County Housing

Authority and administering HUD CPD and CoC funds, as well as many other State and locally funded

community development and affordable housing assets.

1.2.c Lead Staff Member

The SCCDC provides staff to the Continuum of Care through CoC Coordinator Michael Gause.

Mr. Gause will serve as lead staff for the YHDP, bringing more than a decade of experience managing

homeless/supportive housing and mental health programs in nonprofit organizations and local

government, including experience coordinating homeless and peer-based youth programs.


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1.2.d Dedication of a Full-Time Position to Lead the YHDP

The SCCDC will retain consultant services under the supervision of the CoC Coordinator and

possibly dedicate a part-time position/internship to the YHDP during the community planning process.

1.2.e Experience of Lead Agency in Other Youth Homelessness Initiatives

The SCCDC is the chief planning, coordinating, and policy agency on homelessness for all of

Sonoma County and serves as the hub for collaboration and stakeholder engagement for preventing

and ending youth homelessness. In 2013, a peak count of 1,128 transition aged-youth and

unaccompanied children were found during the Point In Time Homeless Count; in the most recent

2016 PIT Count, 663 TAY and unaccompanied youth were found (a 41% reduction). In part due to

improved count methodology, this decrease was also achieved via establishment of Rapid Re-Housing

and Housing First practices system-wide in both CoC-funded and non-CoC funded projects.

As lead agency of the CoC, the SCCDC has convened a Homeless Youth Task Force (HYTF)

since 2011. The HYTF is the primary planning body for addressing youth homelessness in the CoC’s

geographic area. Its membership includes youth housing providers, county stakeholders, and

homeless/formerly homeless youth. The HYTF conducts an annual assessment of the needs of

homeless youth, including the number of youth-dedicated beds required to end youth homelessness.

Additionally, the SCCDC leads the annual Point In Time Homeless Count and its specialized youth

count, staffed by paid homeless youth enumerators.

1.3. How CoC Structure Will Support the Lead Agency

The CoC’s Governing Board will hold primary responsibility for evaluating, ranking, and

approving all YHDP-funded projects in accordance with the CoC Interim Rule, and will provide key

input into the Community Planning Process described in this proposal. Multiple CoC working groups

are engaged in collaborative efforts to expand housing opportunities, improve health, increase income,

and address the special needs of youth and veterans. Five CoC committees will be involved in the

coordinated community approach to end youth homelessness under the auspices of the YHDP:


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(1) Homeless Youth Task Force (12 members). Objectives: (a) Ongoing need/bed inventory

assessment for homeless youth; (b) Alignment with system-wide planning and policy for CoC.

(2) Best Practices & Integrative Health Committee (10 members). Objectives: (a) Bringing evidence-

based training/practices to the Coordinated Community Plan such as Seeking Safety, QPR, and

Motivational Interviewing; (b) Training for all projects selected as part of the YHDP.

(3) Workforce Development Committee (12 members). Objectives: (a) Develop system performance

measures for earned income during the Coordinated Community Planning Process and align them

with HUD standards; (b) Connection to the County’s job search resource, JobLink, and private

sector employers for homeless youth employment and training.

(4) SOAR Committee (15 members). Objectives: (a) Train staff of youth-serving agencies in SOAR

methodology through the SOAR Local Lead (CoC Coordinator) and provide input via the CoC

Coordinator for appropriate SOAR cases; (b) Track outcomes for youth SOAR cases in the national

SOAR Online Application Tracking System to set baseline targets for increasing income for youth

with disabilities.

(5) RENT Sonoma County Housing Location Committee (15 members). Objectives include: (a)

Engage landlords via survey to identify barriers to renting to homeless youth, and effective

incentives for renting to youth; (b) Identify alternative strategies for youth such as double security

deposits, home sharing, and interface with private-market landlords; (c) Increase rental housing

stock via landlord outreach, and seek funds for additional interventions aside from YHDP funding.

1.4. How the CoC Includes Direct Youth Participation

Co-chaired by the Foster Youth Liaison with the Sonoma County Office of Education and the

Executive Director of Community Support Network (CSN) (provider of permanent supportive housing

for TAY), the Homeless Youth (HYTF) has been the CoC’s primary means of engaging youth

feedback since it was established in 2011. Homeless and formerly homeless youth attend the HYTF’s


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bimonthly meetings and provide feedback and approval for the annual Homeless Youth Needs

Assessment as well as the annual Point in Time Homeless Count’s youth survey. In addition to staffing

the specialized youth count, youth advocates from VOICES (a peer-run youth advocacy and service

organization) and Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) attend quarterly

Continuum of Care membership meetings. Homeless/formerly homeless

youth from the Coalition for Foster Youth also assist in asset mapping

and inventorying beds for foster and homeless youth.

During the development of this proposal, a Youth Advisory

Board (YAB) was formed via outreach to homeless and formerly

homeless youth members of the HYTF and the VOICES advisory board.

The YAB is comprised of 7 members, including 5 formerly homeless and homeless youth.

Finally, Sonoma County was an early adopter of California Assembly Bill AB12, which

provided funding for extended foster care. The AB12 Cohort, a group of youth who have experienced

homelessness and the foster care system, has provided critical input into system-wide programming for

youth homeless services and housing through a May 2016 report, Changing the Story:

Recommendations to Improve Services for Transition Age Foster Youth in Sonoma County. If selected

for the YHDP, the CoC will work to incorporate the AB12 Cohort’s recommendations for housing and

services grounded in wellness and trauma-informed care.

1.5. CoC's Willingness and Ability to Engage Youth Providers

Virtually all of the existing youth provider organizations within the geographic area of the CoC

are active participants in the CoC as either full voting members of the CoC (which requires

participation in at least 50% of quarterly meetings and at least 50% of a designated CoC Committee’s

meetings) or as subject matter experts on ad hoc committees, not to mention lead stakeholders in the

PIT Homeless Youth Count. When a new provider that is not yet a part of the CoC begins offering

This issue is in no way solved by one more youth shelter or one

more housing program. We need to fund the

projects that the youth who have lived this issue create and stop

creating things that we think they need.

Sunshine H., Youth Formerly Homeless


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services to youth, existing youth leaders at VOICES, SAY, or other agencies engage that entity

through a personal or written invitation to join the CoC. The CoC Coordinator routinely reaches out to

new providers when they are identified, for example through the annual Housing Inventory Count or as

new agencies begin participating in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

1.6. CoC Plans to Engage Other Entities that are not Currently Working on Youth Homelessness

During planning for this YHDP proposal, the CoC engaged new stakeholders not currently

working on youth homelessness, and will continue to engage them as the project proceeds. The YHDP

Steering Committee is comprised of over 15 organizations from the nonprofit, government, and private

sectors and will be integral to carrying out our Coordinated Community Plan. The CoC will partner

with the Youth Advisory Board and YHDP Steering Committee in the following ways:

• Engage CoC-funded and non CoC-funded housing providers to dedicate permanent

supportive housing beds for chronically homeless youth in existing and new projects.

• Advocate with affordable housing providers to set aside units in new and existing

affordable housing developments for homeless youth.

• Enhance partnerships between Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and youth

service providers for intensive case management and wrap-around services.

• Provide Youth Advisory Board technical assistance regarding best practices in working

with homeless youth to agencies not yet working with them.

2. CURRENT RESOURCE CAPACITY

2.1. Crisis Response System

See Attachment 1: Crisis Response System Chart.

3. COMMUNITY NEED

Successive AHAR Reports to Congress have shown the Santa Rosa/Petaluma/Sonoma County

CoC as documenting the highest number of unaccompanied children and youth in the nation among


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comparable CoCs. The 2016 PIT Count identified 566 youth 18-24, and 663 youth in total under the

age of 25 in Sonoma County—23% of the county’s homeless population.

3.1. Youth Specific Homelessness Needs Assessment

The CoC’s Homeless Youth Task Force (HYTF) has conducted a homeless youth needs

assessment since 2011. The homeless youth needs assessment was conducted in 2011, 2013, and 2015

when the Point In Time Count was conducted biannually; since annual youth PIT counts began in 2015,

the assessment has been conducted annually.

3.2. Most Recent Youth Homelessness Needs Assessment

The 2016 Homeless Youth Needs Assessment was conducted April-September, 2016.

3.2.a Methodology Or Methodologies Used To Conduct The Assessment

The Homeless Youth Needs Assessment has employed two primary methodologies since 2011.

First, the annual Point In Time census and survey data are utilized to estimate the number of youth

experiencing homelessness over the course of a year, and to project needed beds and units to house

those youth. In addition, an in-depth survey is administered by peer enumerators (homeless and

formerly homeless youth) and provides information about the need for specific youth services.

To determine the number of beds needed for the right-sized system and the appropriate mix of

permanent supportive housing, emergency shelter, transitional housing, and rapid re-housing, the

Homeless Youth Task Force has utilized methodology from a nationally recognized 7-year

longitudinal study reported in 2012 by Paul Toro, PhD: the Housing, Adolescence, and Life Outcomes

(HALO) Project, a longitudinal study of 250 homeless and 148 matched housed adolescents. This

study found that approximately 40% of homeless youth needed intensive intervention to become

housed, while the other 60% were able to resolve their housing crisis in the short-term. These general

typologies are corroborated by local data. Informed by the Toro study, the number of units needed was

determined by the following formula: 566 homeless youth ages 18-24 documented in the 2016 PIT

Count, multiplied by an annualizing factor of 2.7 (derived through a standardized formula from survey


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data), yielded a total of 1,341 youth experiencing homelessness throughout the year. This was

multiplied by the Toro factor of 40% to determine that 536 beds would be needed. The HYTF removed

32 beds now under development to arrive at 504 beds needed. Assuming based on HMIS data that beds

turn over on average every 9 months; an annualized turnover factor of 1.25 persons served per bed

resulted in a calculation of 403 beds needed. (See question 3.2.e.)

3.2.b Specific Youth Systems, Organizations and Agencies from Which the Needs Assessment Originated

Community Support Network (a CoC-funded permanent supportive housing provider), Sonoma

County Office of Education, and the SCCDC provided leadership in developing the 2016 Homeless

Youth Needs Assessment on behalf of the Homeless Youth Task Force. Input included SAY (a CoC-

funded youth provider), VOICES (a peer-run youth provider), Sonoma County Behavioral Health

Division, Sonoma County Human Services Department, and homeless and formerly homeless youth.

3.2.c Scope of the Assessment

The majority of homeless youth are found along the US Highway 101 corridor between the

cities of Santa Rosa and Petaluma, but the annual needs assessment includes the entire geography of

the CoC, and is based on information gleaned from the annual Point In Time Homeless Count. All

youth providers are invited to provide input into the assessment, including youth homeless service and

housing providers, local government stakeholders such as the Sonoma County Human Services

Department/Division of Child Welfare, and peer-led youth providers such as VOICES. The assessment

focuses on the inventory of permanent supportive housing beds needed on an annual basis; it does not

include short-term emergency shelter for youth under 18 years old, but does weigh factors leading to

youth homelessness such as family separation, a history of foster care, and input from homeless and

formerly homeless youth on unmet needs. Due to the high percentage of homeless youth identifying as

LGBTQ, or who have histories of trauma, interrupted education or frequent incarceration, services

must be LGBTQ-friendly, trauma-informed, and must include assistance navigating the criminal


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justice system, education, and employment assistance, with a focus on wellness.

3.2.d Youth Target Population

Of the 663 unaccompanied youth found in the 2016 PIT Count, 44% were youth of color and

17% identified as LGBTQQI. In the previous 12 months, 35% spent at least one night in jail, and 22%

were on probation or parole. While almost one-third (31%) were former foster youth, 19% became

homeless while on probation or parole. A significant number of homeless youth are also victims of sex

trafficking, tied to the marijuana trade along the Highway 101 corridor. The 2015 Point In Time Youth

Count study showed that homeless youth generally feel safer from emotional, physical, and sexual

abuse after becoming homeless than they did in their previous housed situations.1

3.2.e Key Findings from Youth Homelessness Needs Assessment

As noted in section 3.2.a, based on the 2016 assessment approximately 400 youth beds with a

range of intensive services are needed to adequately house Sonoma County’s homeless youth ages 18-

24. This is nearly unchanged from the 2015 Homeless Youth Needs Assessment (402 beds). The

needed beds should include a mix of permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing for 18-24

year old youth. The HYTF recommended not adding homeless beds to the existing inventory for youth

ages 12-17, until the existing Sonoma County Homeless and Runaway Shelter (SAY’s Coffee House

Shelter) is able to address both Federal program requirements (short stay with reunification goals) and

State licensing/legal barriers, which will be required to consistently and fully utilize their beds.

Additional findings included a need for the following services related to the special needs of

Sonoma County youth: LGBTQ friendly, trauma-informed services, assistance with navigating the

criminal justice system, education and employment assistance, enhanced transportation assistance to

1 http://sonoma-county-continuum-of-

care.wikispaces.com/file/detail/SonomaCounty_HomelessReport_2015-10+29+15.pdf


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mitigate the lack of public transit infrastructure, and a focus on both mental and physical wellness.

3.3. CoC’s Ability to Collect and Report Data on Sheltered and Unsheltered Homeless Youth During the 2016 Pit Count

3.3.a Number of Youth (24 &Younger) Identified in 2016 Sheltered and Unsheltered PIT Count

Table 1: Number of Youth (24 or Younger) Identified in the 2016 Youth PIT Count

Category Number

3.3.a Unaccompanied Youth – Sheltered 63

3.3.b Parenting Youth –Sheltered 4

3.3.c Unaccompanied Youth – Unsheltered 600

3.3.d Unaccompanied, Parenting Youth - Unsheltered 0

3.3.e CoC PIT Count Activities

3.3.e.1 ConductingaYouthSpecific2016PITCount

The CoC conducted a youth specific PIT Count on the same day as other 2016 PIT Count

activities. To ensure the most accurate numbers of homeless youth, the unsheltered youth-specific

count was carried out between the hours of 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM on January 29, 2016 while the adult

unsheltered PIT count was conducted between the hours of 6:00 AM – 10:00 AM on January 29, 2016.

This was done in accordance with best practices identified by HUD as well specific information from

homeless/formerly homeless youth enumerators who indicated that youth would be most easily

identified and accessible during those hours. (See 3.3.b.4 for de-duplication methodology.)

3.3.e.2 IntegrationofCountingStrategiestoEngageYouthinthe2016PITCount

Among other strategies, the CoC ensured it would be able to find and accurately identify

homeless youth by soliciting the assistance of the target population at every step. With its youth guides,

the CoC engaged in intensive planning and mapping activities, including identification of “hot spots”

and other known locations where homeless youth congregate. The CoC enlisted paid youth

enumerators familiar with homeless youth on the streets and able to establish a rapport with young


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people they spoke with during post-count demographic surveys. Adult volunteers and youth service

provider staff provided transportation for over 20 homeless/formerly homeless youth enumerators.

3.3.e.3 ConductingaSeparateYouth2016PITCount

The youth PIT Count was conducted on the same day as the regular count, but during different

hours (4:00 pm-8:00 pm) to gain the most comprehensive, youth-informed information.

3.3.e.4 MethodologyforYouth-SpecificPortionoftheCount

This CoC has been nationally recognized for enhanced strategies to find and locate youth, using

the following enhanced methodologies since 2009: 1) Peer youth enumerators meet with CoC staff

prior to the count to map specific locations in the CoC’s geography that homeless youth are known to

frequent; 2) Conducting the youth-specific count between 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm when youth are more

visible, as opposed to the general street count hours of 6:00-10:00 am; 3) To avoid duplication of youth

seen in the morning count and evening youth count, CoC staff and consultants compare the number of

youth found in each census tract map in the morning count with the evening youth count, and select the

higher number; 4) An additional youth-focused survey is conducted after the youth count that includes

questions, developed by youth peer advocates to be trauma-informed, on causes of homelessness

(separation from parents/guardians, trauma, etc.), homelessness and justice system involvement prior

to age 18, stays with friends/family in the weeks prior to the count, and experiences with sex

trafficking and sexual exploitation; 5) Only homeless/formerly homeless youth perform field surveys.

3.3.e.5 UseofDataNotRequiredbyHUDtoBetterUnderstandLocalYouthHomelessness

To gain a fuller picture of youth homelessness in the CoC’s geographic area and to inform the

annual Homeless Youth Needs Assessment, enhanced data is collected for youth. This information

includes experience with sex trafficking; trading drugs or sex for a place to stay; victimization due to

physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; whether youth have any supportive adult; as well as youth-

specific questions on causes of homelessness, such as separation from parents or guardians, gang

activity or violence, and attempts to reconcile with parents.


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3.3.f Number of Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Reported by LEAs

The most recent information from Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) is from the

2014-2015 academic year. A total of 1,147 unaccompanied homeless students were counted in schools.

This included students living in doubled-up or overcrowded circumstances that do not meet the

Category 1 (“literally homeless”) definition of homelessness, but may well meet the Category 3

definition. This also represents a 36% decrease from 1,796 students counted in fiscal year 2013-2014.

3.3.g Factors Currently Contributing to Youth Homeless in the Community

Family Conflict: Family conflict was the most frequently reported cause of homelessness

among youth in Sonoma County. The 2016 PIT Count and Survey reported that 32% of young people

said an argument with a family or friend who asked them to leave was the cause of their homelessness.

These findings are consistent with the California Research Bureau report, Voices from the Street: A

Survey of Homeless Youth by their Peers,2 which states: “The great majority of young people did not

seek or choose to be homeless; they were pushed into it, either because their parents explicitly ‘kicked

them out’ or family conflict forced them to leave. In most cases, it was the deterioration or implosion

of a personal relationship that propelled young youth onto the streets.”

History with the Child Welfare System: Nearly one third (31%) of unaccompanied children

and youth surveyed in the 2016 PIT Count reported spending time in the foster care system. Of these,

nearly 1 in 4 said that aging out of foster care was the primary event that led to their homelessness.

Lack of Employment: In the 2016 PIT Count and Survey, 26% of youth identified the loss of

a job as the primary factor that led to them becoming homeless. In a recent survey of participants in a

local employment program for at-risk, runaway, and homeless youth, more than 50% reported

2 Bernstein, Nell, & Foster, Lisa K. Voices from the street, a survey of homeless youth by their peers.

California Research Bureau, 2008


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spending their paychecks on family bills and necessities (Sonoma County Youth Ecology Corps 2015

Evaluation). Lacking money for basic needs, a significant number of homeless youth turn to petty

theft, gang involvement, crime, and survival sex to meet their basic needs: 38% of Sonoma County’s

homeless children and youth reported interacting with police since becoming homeless.

Poverty and a High Cost of Living: The vast majority of Sonoma County’s runaway and

homeless youth come from families living at or below the poverty line. According to Portrait of

Sonoma County 2015, about one in eight people (12%) in the county live below the poverty line and

nearly half of all households in the County (46%) are rent-burdened, spending more than 30% of their

income on housing. When families earn too little to meet basic needs, the impact on children and youth

is particularly pronounced: research shows that deep poverty in early childhood has immediate and

lifelong adverse outcomes, including poorer health, lower educational attainment, and a higher

likelihood of poverty in adulthood.

Youth disconnection (neither working nor in school) is a significant contributing factor to

youth homelessness that is highly correlated with poverty is named as a high priority in a report

commissioned by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.3 The majority of disconnected youth

come from impoverished communities; where the adults are also disconnected from mainstream

institutions and struggle with limited education, frequent periods of unemployment, and limited social

networks. About 25% of Sonoma County residents are under the age of 18; more than 10% of these

(over 12,000 young people) are estimated to be “disconnected” and therefore at risk of homelessness.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues: Often intimately tied to family dysfunction,

substance abuse and mental health challenges contribute to causing and perpetuating youth

3 Burd-Sharps, S. and Lewis, K. A Portrait of Sonoma County: Sonoma County Human Development

Report 2014, Measure of America, of the Social Science Research Council.


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homelessness. The 2016 Homeless Youth Needs Assessment found that 26% of youth reported prior or

current drug or alcohol abuse, and 25% reported current or prior emotional or psychiatric conditions.

Criminal Justice System Involvement: Involvement with the criminal justice system is an

important contributing factor to youth homelessness in Sonoma County. Youth returning to the

community from criminal confinement face barriers to employment and education opportunities and

are likely to have difficulty reintegrating with their families and communities. Of the homeless youth

surveyed in the 2016 PIT Youth Count, 22% reported justice system involvement before age 18.

Geographic Impacts: US Highway 101, which traverses the length of Sonoma County,

connects Southern California and Bay Area population centers with the major marijuana growing

regions in northern California’s “Emerald Triangle”. The local community has suffered numerous

homicides related to the marijuana trade, and youth migrating to the area for illicit harvest work are

frequently prey to sexual assault and trafficking. Trauma among traveling youth significantly impacts

the needs of homeless youth seeking services in Sonoma County.

4. CAPACITY FOR INNOVATION (MAXIMUM POINTS: 15)

4.1. Successful Adoption of a New Broad Reaching Methodology

The CoC has adopted several broad reaching methodologies leading to system-wide changes in

behavior through prevention-focused services and practices:

Housing Retention/Reducing Recidivism/Housing First: Over

the past 5 years, the CoC has been a leader in directing both CoC and

non-CoC- funded projects toward a low-barrier, Housing First approach

for all homeless populations, including youth. In a related effort, the

CoC has implemented evidence-based training that focuses on housing retention and prevention of

returns to homelessness. The CoC secured $25,000 to roll out system-wide trainings in these evidence-

based models to reduce homeless recidivism: Seeking Safety, Question Persuade Respond for Suicide

Having a stable place to live needs to be a priority because it makes all the other pieces come easier.

Jessica F., Youth Formerly Homeless


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Prevention, and Motivational Interviewing. All CoC Permanent Supportive Housing providers have

adopted Housing First practices, and most shelter providers have moved rapidly to a behavior-based

model. In February 2016, the Palms Inn, a converted hotel, opened to house 104 veterans and

chronically homeless persons directly from the streets—the region’s largest Housing First effort to date.

Upstream Investments: Both the CoC and the SCCDC are engaged in an “Upstream

Investments” initiative, created in 2010 by the Sonoma County Human Services Department with

support from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and all County Departments, another system-

wide strategy that can directly impact youth homelessness. Through a rigorous process of application

to an approved Portfolio of evidence-based practices (EBPs), Upstream Investments facilitates

adoption of proven prevention-focused policies and interventions across the lifespan, to increase

equality and reduce monetary and societal costs for all local residents. The Upstream Investments

initiative has spurred adoption of a “collective impact” approach by County Departments, non-profits,

local funders, and other decision makers. Currently, 85 local organizations have submitted Resolutions

of Alignment to show support of Upstream principles, including many partners in this application.

CoC Outcomes-Driven Priorities: The CoC has embraced Upstream Investments methods

and prioritizes CoC and ESG funding for projects that utilize evidence-informed approaches. Scoring

to rate and rank CoC and ESG projects in local competitions includes points for incorporation of EBPs.

In 2017, the CoC Coordinator and Upstream Investments staff plan to assist CoC-funded PSH

providers to submit their programs to the Upstream Portfolio, documenting fidelity to the “Housing

First for Permanent Supportive Housing” EBP. This will be the first effort to offer fidelity training in

Housing First in this community, and underscores the CoC’s commitment to Housing First.

Cradle to Career Sonoma County is a historic partnership that connects the entire educational

continuum with broad community support to improve the educational, economic, and health outcomes

for Sonoma County youth, and is an example of another collective impact strategy within the county


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that takes a preventive approach to issues directly tied to youth homelessness.

Building HOMES Report: In 2015, the SCCDC published Building HOMES: A Policy

Maker’s Toolbox for Ending Homelessness. This report provided an understanding of the needs and

opportunities to end homelessness in Sonoma County by 2025 and builds upon the 10 Year Homeless

Action Plan published by the CoC. This report was endorsed by the Sonoma County Board of

Supervisors, and the Continuum of Care has also aligned with this countywide effort. In November

2016, a Housing Summit, “Homes for All”, was held to build upon the efforts laid out in the Toolbox,

and the SCCDC routinely updates the CoC Board and full membership of these efforts.

4.2. Adoption of a New Innovation by Community Homeless Providers

Following the PIT Homeless Youth Counts in 2009, 2011, and 2013, Sonoma County leaders

across the government, private sector, and nonprofit organizations came together to declare a “youth

homelessness state of emergency”. The community was galvanized by the surge in the number of

homeless youth and unaccompanied children (a high of 1,128 in 2013) as well as of the slow progress

in developing affordable housing following the Great Recession. A 60,000 square foot facility that

formerly served as a hospital was identified and donated to local youth housing provider Social

Advocates for Youth (SAY). A 100% community-funded capital campaign ensued to raise the $9.5

million necessary to renovate the facility and create a new home for 63 local homeless youth. SAY

opened its Dream Center in January 2016 and currently has 40 of the possible 63 beds funded. Beds

have been at or near 100% utilization since May 2016. SAY anticipates full occupancy by 2018 and

maintains a wait list of over 400 youth who are seeking housing and support services. The project has

been successful in engaging and housing unsheltered youth despite neighborhood concerns faced

during project development and ongoing challenges in obtaining adequate operational funding.

Also during this period, in 2014 the Walter S. Johnson Foundation began work with the

Sonoma County Family, Youth, and Children’s Services Division (FYC), the County’s Child Welfare


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Agency, on a multi-year planning effort to improve services for transition-age foster youth, in

partnership with local youth nonprofit VOICES and other stakeholders including Community Support

Network. A significant motivating factor for change was the critical need for youth input from their

lived experience to determine the most effective services, supports, and types of housing for the former

foster youth population. This public-private partnership also focused on homeless and at-risk youth; its

central focus was designing a program that would engage a group of passionate and dedicated foster

youth (“the AB12 Cohort”) to re-imagine the local service system for transition age foster and

homeless youth. The YHDP offers a unique opportunity to implement the AB12 Cohort’s

recommendations detailed in the report, Changing the Story: Recommendations to Improve Services

for Transition Age Foster Youth in Sonoma County.4 The AB12 Cohort’s recommendations include:

Goal 1: Ensure Foster Youth Access, Enroll and Receive Benefits

Enhance screening and assessment for all vulnerable youth, and support access to benefits,

programs, and services. This recommendation seeks to improve access to AB12 benefits among

probation youth and improve benefits enrollment and receipt among vulnerable transition age youth.

Goal 2: Eliminate Foster Youth Homelessness and Housing Instability

Develop a mixed-use, single-site housing model for current and former AB12 foster youth and

other at-risk community members; within this model, create a wellness center and supportive

community for residents to utilize as a tool for personal growth.

Goal 3: Increase High School Graduation Rates and College Access

Develop a Summer Academy Program for high school age foster youth to help them become

familiar with and prepare for postsecondary education, and establish an Education Navigator position

4 VOICES AB12 Youth Cohort. Changing the Story: Recommendations to Improve Services

for Transition Age Foster Youth in Sonoma County, May 2016.


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to collaborate with the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) to support foster youth

postsecondary academic, financial, and emotional readiness and success; incorporate supports for

independent living, including training and guidance in financial literacy.

The AB12 Cohort has played a key role in providing input to the CoC’s HYTF and this YHDP

proposal (the Youth Advisory Board Chair is a member of the AB12 Cohort). Challenges to

implementing these goals include few models of mixed-use single-site housing for youth; if awarded

funding under the YHDP, this will be further explored in the Coordinated Community Plan process.

4.3. Operation of Rapid Rehousing or Housing First Models

The CoC project portfolio includes two youth-dedicated PSH projects. The first is Sponsor-

Based Rental Assistance operated by SAY, which provides 8 scattered-site permanent supportive

housing beds for chronically homeless transition aged-youth. The second is the SCCDC’s Youth with

Disabilities CoC Rental Assistance Project, which provides 12 permanent supportive housing beds at

Tamayo Village, with services provided by SAY and rental assistance provided by the SCCDC. Both

projects utilize a low barrier Housing First approach. Additionally, SAY provides 4 units of rapid re-

housing in a Housing First model using local funds. The primary obstacle to further expansion has

been a need for education of the larger community and private funders regarding the viability of a

Housing First model in new developments. Extensive neighborhood outreach (via nonprofit providers

and the CoC’s Rent Sonoma County Housing Placement Committee) and the recent passage of SB

1380 in California (which mandates Housing First in all state-funded programs) will be critical in

engaging the broader community to support reducing barriers to rapid re-housing.

4.4. Interventions the Community Wishes to Pursue

Sonoma County has had a rental vacancy rate of less than 1% for the past 30 months. Primary

barriers include both a shortage of available units and insufficient financial resources to rapidly house

youth in the current overheated housing market. If awarded YHDP funds, the CoC will pursue a range


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of interventions that lower barriers and creatively address the shortage of available housing in the

geographic area: 1) Implement shared housing modeled after SHARE Sonoma County, which houses

homeless persons with senior homeowners who need financial and daily living assistance to remain

stably housed. The CoC will use new YHDP resources to expand this model to provide a mutually

beneficial, holistic relationship between homeowners and homeless youth. 2) Implement Rapid Re-

Housing 2.0. While not currently eligible under the CoC Interim Rule, longer time limits for assistance

in rapid re-housing will provide homeless youth more time for stabilization paired with holistic,

recovery-oriented services. 3) Increased security deposits. Within a tight rental market, increasing

security deposits will make it easier to persuade landlords to rent to transition-aged homeless youth; 4)

Mixed-use, single site housing models. As noted by recommendations from the AB12 Cohort and from

youth in the CoC’s Homeless Youth Task Force, our community requires multiple models of housing

to fit the diverse needs of all homeless youth. Based on extensive feedback from youth, we will aim to

strike a balance between promoting community with housing on a single site while affirming

independence and ensuring privacy with a low number of units (8-14). To avoid feeling like “just

another placement”, youth have recommended developing a housing facility that includes youth from

varied backgrounds (foster youth, homeless youth, etc.). A search for a locations is underway.

4.5. SCCDC and Stakeholder Willingness to Engage in New Models & Methodologies

Our stakeholders are highly motivated to use the YHDP as an opportunity to leverage our

community strengths with new methodologies. The CoC has a long history of creating new projects,

including youth projects, through the CoC competition, having reallocated an average of 25% of

funding annually since 2013 to continue sparking new projects. In the 2014 CoC Competition, a

transitional housing program for youth (operated by SAY) was reallocated into funding for a

permanent supportive housing for TAY youth via sponsor-based rental assistance. Funding was also

reallocated from other CoC projects to double the funding available for this effort, resulting in 8 PSH


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beds for transition aged youth with approximately $94,000 in funding for rental assistance and

supportive services. This reallocation also represented a strategic redistribution of resources from an

abstinence-based program to a low-barrier Housing First program. In 2015, the CoC reallocated over

$300,000 in funding to create enhanced support for Coordinated Entry and HMIS Expansion, including

Housing Navigation services that will benefit youth.

5. COLLABORATION (MAXIMUM POINTS: 20)

5.1. CoC Current Written Plan

The written plan to address youth homelessness is an integral part of the Sonoma County

Continuum of Care’s 10-Year Homeless Action Plan. The Action Plan was updated in 2014 and

challenges the community to ensure that all county residents have access to the building blocks that

make up the Plan’s key goals: Housing, Health, and Income. The 10 Year Plan specifies the following

actions for addressing youth homelessness: 1) Collaborative Outcomes Measurement: Fully implement

data sharing and shared outcome measurement to understand what works best to end youth

homelessness (in progress); 2) Development of 270 units for homeless youth with specialized services

that increase their economic security per the 2013 Homeless Youth Needs Assessment (in progress,

over 50 units have been developed); 3) Establish a homeless youth seat on the CoC Board to ensure

homeless youth issues are heard (achieved in 2016); 4) Engage Cradle to Career and Sonoma County

Behavioral Health in strategizing critical barriers to youth becoming housed (in progress). These steps

are included in the 10-Year Homeless Action Plan 2014 Update. The Plan leadership committee

included Community Foundation Sonoma County, County Health Services and Human Services

Departments, and the SCCDC (Collaborative Applicant). Over 20 CoC member agencies contributed

to the plan, including providers such as SAY and VOICES.

5.2. How CoC is Working with Stakeholders to Prevent and End Homelessness

See Attachment 2: CoC Stakeholder Collaboration Table


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5.3. Incorporation of Youth into Coordinated Entry Process

The CoC began a Coordinated Entry pilot in February 2015, serving homeless families and

unsheltered individuals including youth, who are identified by the HOST Team. Coordinated Entry

will expand to all single adults and youth in early 2017 with new CoC funding. Youth are incorporated

into the Coordinated Entry process, and unsheltered youth are currently served by the pilot.

5.3.a Coordinated Entry Process for Unaccompanied Youth

Access points are designed to be accessible to all persons presenting for assistance, including

youth. This strategy includes a single point of telephone contact with Catholic Charities, the

Coordinated Entry operator, as well as connection via a countywide street and encampment outreach

team (HOST). The HOST team ensures a youth focus through SAY outreach staff, as well as

partnerships with Buckelew Programs, the Santa Rosa Police Department, and Sonoma County Sheriff;

HOST identifies unsheltered chronically homeless adults and youth in need of services.

5.3.b Prioritization of Youth Within the Coordinated Entry Process

In the Coordinated Entry pilot, unsheltered chronically homeless youth are prioritized for

Coordinated Entry via the CoC’s HOST street outreach team. Youth are scored for vulnerability on a

youth version of the VI-SPDAT, an evidence-informed tool that assesses an individual’s need for

support. In 2015, 39 youth were interviewed utilizing the VI-SPDAT for adults; of these, 31% scored

0-4 (minimal supports), 46% scored 5-9 (Rapid Re-Housing), and 23% scored 10+ (Permanent

Supportive Housing). These initial findings are generally aligned with the Toro study used in our

homeless youth needs assessment, which states that 40% of homeless youth will need little to no

intervention. Specific factors used to prioritize youth are length of time homeless, mental health

conditions, substance abuse, and vulnerability to victimization.

5.3.c CoC and ESG Funded Resources Available to Youth through Coordinated Reentry

CoC-funded resources available through Coordinated Entry include youth-dedicated Permanent

Supportive Housing (PSH) projects operated by SAY (Sponsor-Based Rental Assistance and Tamayo


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Village’s rental assistance PSH for youth operated by the Sonoma County Housing Authority and

SAY). All other CoC-funded PSH projects are available to TAY 18-24 including the following:

Committee on the Shelterless (COTS) PSH projects in the Petaluma in south county; the Palms Inn (a

104 unit PSH SRO Project) operated by Catholic Charities in Santa Rosa; Buckelew Programs’ two

PSH projects serving chronically homeless adults with severe mental illness in Santa Rosa; CSN’s

Stony Point Commons SRO development in Santa Rosa; and two PSH projects serving the chronically

homeless in Guerneville in west county, operated by West County Community Services. The two

largest shelters serving single adults in Sonoma County (supported by State ESG funds)—Sam Jones

Hall in central Santa Rosa and the Mary Isaak Center in Petaluma—also serve youth ages 18-24.

5.3.d Integration of Other Providers into the Coordinated Reentry Process

All providers currently working with homeless youth in Sonoma County are involved in the

Coordinated Entry process via a monthly meeting of the Coordinated Entry Advisory Group. The

relatively small population of the county enables the CoC to also immediately engage any

organizations that have established new services addressing homeless youth.

5.4. System-Level Discharge Strategies

Child Welfare: The Sonoma County Human Services Department’s Families Youth and

Children Division has separate discharge plans foster youth who are: 1) Discharged at 18; and (2) 18-

24 years old (non-minor dependents, or NMD) and in Extended Foster Care (EFC). For foster youth

who have reached 18 and decline to participate in EFC, a 90-day plan is completed within 90 days of

the exit from foster care. Social workers assist youth to develop a transition plan addressing their needs

for housing, employment, education, mentors, continuing support services, and health insurance.

For NMD, the 90-day Transition Plan is completed within the 90-day period prior to exiting

EFC (either within the 90-day period prior to achieving the maximum age of foster care, or before an

earlier planned exit). Even if the NMD makes an unplanned exit from EFC, the 90-day Transition Plan


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is still required per state law.

Juvenile and Adult Justice: Most probation youth returning from out-of-home placement

reunify with their families. Those whose families are not functional are eligible for AB12 services; a

few have used local transitional housing through TLC Children’s Services, a local foster care agency.

Youth in the delinquency system who have completed residential programs or a long term of detention

in the Juvenile Hall and who do not have a healthy home to return to (e.g., violence, abuse, drug

addiction, gang affiliation) face greater challenges, as they are not eligible for AB12 funding and often

end up homeless. County Probation can fund short-term housing (6 months at $500 month) but lacks

viable housing options in the community. Thus County Probation is eager to participate in the YHDP.

Mental Health Institutions: Sonoma County Behavioral Health (SCBH) and its contractors

provide specialty mental health treatment services to local Medi-Cal beneficiaries who qualify for

specialty mental health services, including youth and young adults. Specialty mental health treatment

services are provided using trauma-informed and recovery based practices; SCBH works closely with

parents, caregivers, and other support systems to ensure mental health treatment services are

appropriate, safe, and supportive. For youth exiting an inpatient psychiatric hospital, SCBH’s Hospital

Discharge Planners work closely with the hospital and the youth’s caregivers to develop a discharge

plan that takes into account the individuals’ preferences and the need for safety, stability, and follow

up treatment. Youth and young adults requiring longer-term institutional mental health treatment are

assigned a Personal Service Coordinator who, like the Hospital Discharge Planners, helps coordinate

caregivers and other supports to develop an appropriate discharge plan.

For those youth and young adults who lack an appropriate living situation with a family

member or caregiver at discharge, SCBH facilitates a weekly placement meeting. SCBH has an

inventory of “post-institutional” treatment options that range from shelters to shared housing, to

supported independent living. The agency contracts with SAY to provide TAY-aged specific


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transitional housing, and with board and care facilities that teach independent living skills, provide

specialty mental health services, and prepare young adults to live a life of their choosing.

5.5. Role of PCWAs in Serving Homeless Children and Youth

Sonoma County Human Services Department’s Family, Youth and Children Division (FYC)

(the local Department of Child Welfare) works diligently to place youth with family or stable adults

with whom they have a previous connection, including through a “Life Long Connections” program

operated in partnership with the Seneca Family of Agencies. FYC representatives participate in the

Homeless Youth Task Force and monthly Runaway Round Table meetings to identify all homeless and

potentially homeless foster youth, and are eager to participate in the YHDP to expand housing options

for former foster youth who have become homeless. The following placement resources are used to

help prepare youth for independent living to avoid homelessness upon exiting foster care:

Transitional Housing Program Plus Foster Care (THP-Plus-FC) is a foster care housing

program specifically for NMDs who are in an EFC placement under court jurisdiction and are not yet

ready for an independent living setting. The program offers more frequent and intensive services that

include case management, supervision, and supportive services to assist the NMD in obtaining the

skills needed to transition to independent living. These include meeting educational goals, obtaining

gainful employment, learning financial management and daily living skills, and more.

The Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) is a flexible placement for foster care

that was created for NMDs participating in EFC, to provide an opportunity for independent living

while receiving financial support for NMDs who are developmentally ready to live independently. In

planning SILP placements for NMDs, living situations that include adult siblings, appropriate extended

family members, tribal members, or mentors are possible options.

The Transitional Housing Plus (THP-Plus) Program provides affordable housing and

comprehensive supportive services for up to 24 months to help former foster care and probation youth


Page 26 of 30

ages 18-24 transition from out-of-home placements to independent living. THP-Plus is based on four

key principles: (1) Emancipated youth are legal adults and should be subject to fewer restrictions than

minors; (2) Program rules for THP-Plus participants allow more independence regarding household

rules, financial decisions, and emancipation goals compared to minor youth; (3) THP-Plus should

allow youth the greatest amount of freedom possible to prepare them for self-sufficiency; (4) THP-Plus

is a supportive housing program which provides a wide range of intensive services on a regular basis.

Preference is given to youth exiting group homes, pregnant/parenting youth, and/or homeless youth.

The Stepping Stone program operated by SAY provides temporary housing and transitional

support services to assist homeless NMDs in acquiring and maintaining housing on the way to self-

sufficiency. The program provides services to 12-18 eligible youth per year in the following four areas:

Employment and Career, Education Opportunities, Living Situation, and Community Life Functioning.

6. FINANCIAL RESOURCES MAXIMUM POINTS: 10

6.1. How CoC will Obtain Additional Funding to Support the Planning Process

As the lead applicant, the SCCDC will contribute $14,000 in unrestricted funds to support the

planning process, available upon grant award, and documented in the attached commitment letter.

6.2. Proposed Six Month Budget

If awarded funding for the YHPD, the SCCDC will dedicate no more than 10% of the total

project award for the six-month community planning process. Proposed budget in Table 2 below:

Table 2: Proposed Six Month Budget Item Amount

Consulting services for facilitation of planning process $40,000

Enhanced data analysis regarding unmet needs $16,000

Part-time administrative staff supervised by CoC Coordinator $20,000

Stipends for homeless youth participation in Youth Advisory Board, evaluation $10,000


Page 27 of 30

Local contribution for coordination of planning process (Letter attached) $14,000

Total $100,000

7. DATA AND EVALUATION CAPACITY MAXIMUM POINTS: 20

7.1. Percentage of Homeless Beds that Currently Participate in HMIS

Excluding 27 beds for victim service providers, the CoC has 2,522 year-round beds (including

permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, other permanent housing, emergency shelter, and

rapid re-housing). Of these beds, 451 are currently in the “U” category (under development) and not

yet active. Of the 2,071 beds in the HIC that are not under development, 1,620 (78%) are in HMIS.

7.2. Percentage of Youth Beds Covered in HMIS

The CoC currently has 83 beds in PSH and RRH for TAY and 6 beds for youth under 18 (with

6+ pending due to change in state licensure). Of these 89 beds, 43 are under development in the “U”

category of the HIC. Of the 46 available beds, 46 (100%) are covered in HMIS.

7.3. Active Recruitment of New Youth-Dedicated Homeless Projects to HMIS

Whenever new Youth-Dedicated Homeless Projects are developed, whether at HMIS

participating or non-HMIS participating agencies, the project developers are strongly encouraged to

participate in HMIS, due to all providers’ desired to track participant data, and report outcomes to their

funders. Information on the extensive, low-cost technical support provided by the HMIS Coordinator

and HMIS software vendor is presented during the recruitment process as a particular incentive.

7.4. Support for Transition of New Homeless Projects to HMIS

The HMIS Coordinator and CoC Coordinator work directly with designated HMIS Leads at

each participating agency. Training is held roughly once per month for new projects and users,

covering HMIS security and workflows. The HMIS Coordinator is available to all users as needed for

1-1 technical support. In addition, the HMIS software vendor, Social Solutions, provides robust user

support. Agencies participating in HMIS provide a cash match to the SCCDC as a user fee, and the


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SCCDC received HMIS Expansion Funds in the 2015 CoC Competition to deepen provider training

and offer expanded data reporting at provider request. Enhanced HMIS services will include additional

training for HMIS leads and more SCCDC staff time to implement intensive training and TA.

7.5. Meeting HUD Data Reporting Requirements

The CoC has met all data requirements over the past 12 months. PIT and HIC data was

submitted into HDX by the May 2, 2016 deadline; HUD System Performance Measures were

submitted during the annual CoC NOFA period by the deadline of August 15, 2016; and draft 2016

AHAR data was submitted by the deadline of October 31, 2016.

7.6. Submission of AHAR Table Shells to HUD

All 12 AHAR table shells were submitted by December 23, 2015 and accepted by HUD.

7.7. Gathering Youth Data from Other Sources

HMIS is the primary source of youth data for the CoC. The Foster Youth Liaison at the

Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) shares McKinney Vento educational data on homeless

youth and families annually with the CoC Coordinator for the PIT Count and for tracking youth

homelessness. This data includes only the number of homeless youth and families and no identifying

information; it is stored in a secured file with the CoC Coordinator.

7.8. Performance Measures Implemented by the CoC

The CoC has had a data-driven culture of performance measurement for many years, and

enhanced its efforts since passage of the HEARTH Act of 2009 to more closely align with the goals of

Opening Doors. The CoC uses a structured approach to monitoring and evaluating ESG and CoC

funded programs, and monitors system-wide data for non-ESG or CoC funded agencies.

CoC-funded youth and other programs are monitored annually by the CoC Coordinator and

CoC Evaluation Committee, comprised of impartial subject matter experts. The CoC Coordinator

collects data from Annual Performance Reports, and the Committee examines agency financials,

spend-down of funds, and project/agency monitoring reports. Projects are scored on housing outcome


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measures (retention of housing), the percentage of beds dedicated to chronically homeless individuals,

income performance (earned income and all income), the percentage of clients who access mainstream

resources, and year-end project utilization. Qualitative data analysis includes collaboration with

criminal justice partners, alignment with Upstream Investments, benefits advocacy using the SOAR

method, collaboration with Coordinated Entry, and utilization of a Housing First approach. The two

CoC-funded youth projects are monitored in this fashion along with all other CoC projects.

Projects are rated and ranked by the Evaluation Committee, and projects that meet 75% of the

top overall score are unconditionally approved for renewal. Projects that do not meet this threshold are

given a corrective action plan prior to the annual NOFA period. When issues are identified, technical

assistance provided by SCCDC staff, or an outside technical assistance provider may be suggested.

Feedback is also given in writing by the CoC Coordinator, Evaluation Committee, and CoC Board.

The SCCDC’s ESG and locally funded programs are monitored remotely on a quarterly basis,

and on-site annually, by its Public Services Funding Coordinator. Input into ESG project selection is

provided annually by the CoC Coordinator and CoC Evaluation Committee. The same data points are

monitored for income, housing retention, and qualitative data such as collaboration with Coordinated

Entry, health indicators, and Housing First approach are also monitored. These include Sanctuary

House, a youth PSH Project operated by CSN, VOICES day center for youth, and an RRH Project for

youth operated by SAY.

The CoC developed numerous system-wide outcomes measurements prior to HUD’s

introduction of System-Wide Performance Measures. The CoC monitors data for all providers in

HMIS (including CoC, ESG, CDBG, and locally funded projects). The CoC is currently monitoring

system-wide performance on a Quarterly Basis, with reports submitted to the CoC Board for review.

Data points include length of time homeless, exits to permanent housing and returns to homelessness,

number of homeless persons, jobs/income growth, homeless for the first time, and housing placement.


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The CoC also collects data on the length of stay in TH, RRH, PSH, and ES projects, and the cost per

stay for each model. As a result, we have determined that RRH is the most cost-effective intervention

and have encouraged expansion of new RRH programs.

7.9. Use of Data to Develop a Strategy to Prevent and End Youth Homelessness

Data has played a key role in the CoC’s development of a strategy to prevent and end youth

homelessness. Data collected from research projects such as Changing the Story Report and the AB12

Cohort led to enhancements in the Homeless Youth Task Force in analyzing pipeline beds and

inventory. Recently the CoC has also used data from the TAY VI-SPDAT to fine-tune our current

strategies to address youth homelessness and better engage at-risk youth. Finally, our utilization of

paid youth enumerators and survey interviewers in the Homeless Count since 2009 has been key in

obtaining key data from a youth-engaged perspective.

7.10. Proposed Demonstration Outcome Measures

If selected as a YHDP community, we will align outcome measures with core measurements of

our 10-Year Action Plan (focused on Housing, Health, and Income Indicators) and HUD System

Performance Standards. Outcome measures will be fully developed during Coordinated Community

Plan development, and will be monitored by the CoC Coordinator, HMIS Coordinator, and the CoC

Evaluation Committee. Our measures of success go beyond reducing/eliminating youth homelessness

to include key benchmarks in income, housing, and access to benefits. Potential outcomes include:

• Reduction in numbers of youth who are homeless within the CoC geographic area.

• Increased placement of homeless youth into permanent supportive housing.

• Increased retention of permanent supportive housing.

• Decreased returns to homelessness for youth residing in permanent supportive housing.

• Increased earned income and total income for youth in YHDP projects.

• Increased percentage of youth who obtain health insurance and mainstream benefits.

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