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BLUEPRINT
Louisville's 10-year plan to end homelessness:
Where did the idea of developing a ten year
plan originate?
The development of local ten
year plans began in 2000 when the National Alliance to End Homelessness
announced A Plan, Not A Dream: How to End Homelessness in Ten Years.
The Alliance's Ten Year Plan focused on using data to
plan for outcomes, closing the front door to homelessness through
prevention programs, and opening the back door out of homeless by
rapidly re-housing individuals and families.
Finally, it called for building an infrastructure
by increasing incomes, expanding affordable housing, and helping
individuals and families access needed services. Since the National
Alliance to End Homelessness' announcement
in 2000, the
concept of local planning to end homelessness has taken root and
hundreds of communities have committed to ending homelessness by
dramatically transforming their homeless assistance systems.
Does the City of Louisville have a plan?
The first discussion of a plan
to reduce and end homelessness began with the Coalition's annual
provider retreat in October of 2000. This was the year the
National Alliance to End Homelessness introduced its plan to end
homelessness in 10 years. It was also the year the City of
Louisville approached the Coalition asking the agency to develop a plan
for future shelter growth and a "good neighbor" policy to be followed if
any shelter was considering expansion.
The annual retreat focused on developing
a "plan for
planning" with three main goals:
1.
To develop a sense of community among
the people who are in leadership positions regarding the homeless issue
in Greater Louisville;
2. To establish a common vision to address the issues
of homelessness;
3. To establish a long-range plan for Coalition
partners.
Participants at the retreat decided it was imperative
to focus on the root causes of homelessness and the prevention and
reduction of homelessness to make real changes for this population.
As the National Alliance to End Homelessness suggested, the community
needed to focus on both the "front door" issues, what leads people into
homelessness, and the "back door" issues, what leads people out of
homelessness.
Who was involved in the development of the
Blueprint?
Formerly homeless individuals and many agencies gave time, talent, and energy to this project.
Primary contributors included the following:
|
Bank One |
Jefferson County Dept.
of Human Services |
Office of U.S. Senator
Jim Bunning |
|
Buckhorn of Louisville |
Jefferson County Public
Schools |
Phoenix Health Center |
|
Center for Women &
Families |
Jefferson County
Transitional Housing |
Project Women |
|
Choices, Inc. |
Jefferson Street
Baptist Center |
St. John's Day Center |
|
City of Louisville |
Kentucky Housing
Corporation |
St. Vincent de Paul
Society |
|
Family & Children's
Counseling Centers |
KY State Legislature |
The Salvation Army |
|
Goodwill Industries of
KY |
Legal Aid Society |
Seven Counties Services |
|
The Healing Place |
Louisville Apartments
Association |
Transit Authority of
River City |
|
Home of the Innocents |
Louisville Downtown
Management District |
University of
Louisville Kent School |
|
Homeless and Housing
Coalition of KY |
Louisville Tenants
Association |
US Dept. of Housing and
Urban Development |
|
Housing Authority of
Jefferson County |
Louisville Urban League |
Volunteers of America |
|
Housing Authority of
Louisville |
Metro United Way |
Wayside Christian
Mission |
|
The Housing Partnership |
Metropolitan Housing
Coalition |
Wellspring |
|
Interlink Counseling
Services |
New Beginnings for
Women |
YMCA Safe Place |
|
Jefferson Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Center |
New Directions Housing
Corporation |
Jefferson County Dept.
of Community Dev. |
|
Office of U.S.
Representative Anne Northup |
|
The planning process was based
on maximum inclusion of identified stakeholder groups including homeless
shelter directors, homeless service providers, government officials, and
community members. It used a multi-tiered committee structure
including a broad oversight committee, working committees, a planning
team, and several focus groups. Throughout the next 12-months,
over 150 people gave input, approximately 70 meetings were held, and two
Delphi surveys were conducted.
What have we learned since the
Blueprint was developed?
The completed Blueprint was
presented to the project's Oversight Committee in June 2002. The
Coalition's Board of Directors gave its approval in July 2002, and
activities towards implementation began in August of that same year.
However, we have learned even
more about how to develop ten year plans and what works. In continuing
to provide leadership, the National Alliance to End Homelessness
developed ten essentials to help communities with their planning
efforts: plan, data, emergency prevention, systems prevention, outreach,
shorten homelessness, rapid re-housing, services, permanent housing and
income.
Ten Year Plan Elements that Make a Difference in Ending Homelessness:
1. Plan
2. Data
3. Emergency Prevention
4. Systems Prevention
5. Outreach
6. Shorten Homelessness
7. Rapid Re-housing
8. Services
9. Permanent Housing
10.
With this in mind we are currently working with the
City of Louisville to update our plan and ensure that we have measurable
outcomes to show we are making a difference in ending homelessness.
Full implementation of The Blueprint is a journey not
a destination. The homeless service community must be focused,
determined, and tenacious. The Coalition's Board and Staff along with
our City Government must assume leadership positions and guide the next
voyage.
The Blueprint is a solid and thorough effort to reach the goal of reducing homelessness in Louisville over the next ten years and to improve the quality of life in our community for all. Everyone deserves a place to call home.
