HomeMy WebLinkAboutReport - Mail Packet - 5/30/2023 - Letter From Brad Rhoda Re: 2022 Outreach Fort Collins Year In ReviewTo :Fort Collins City Council 5/22/2023
From:Brad Rhoda
RE:2022 Outreach Fort Collins Year in Review
Council Members :
It is with pride and gratitude that we offer you,the council members of For t Collins,our 2022
Year in Review.As you will see,OFC enjoyed a year of tremendous growth as we nearly doubled
our ser vice area and increased staff capacity in order to effectively suppor t this growth.The year
also har vested record breaking results for our team in practically all of our measurable metrics,
as our data tables clearly illustrate.Finally,you will find a roadmap of what 2023 holds in store
for OFC as we continue to evolve with our community’s needs.
I believe 2022 was a year in which Outreach For t Collins hit its stride,and much of our success
is due to your belief in what we do.Simply put,we could not thrive without the suppor t of our
elected city officials,and your continued suppor t is vital as we suit up daily for our work out on
the streets.I am confident that this Year in Review will confirm that OFC has had tangible and
direct impacts on our city on numerous fronts as we maintain our community as a safe and
welcoming place for all.
If after reading the Year in Review you have any fur ther questions about our work,or if you want
to sit down for a cup of coffee to learn more about us,don’t hesitate to reach out to me at (970)
215-8893 or email me at brad@outreachfor tcollins.org.I’d love to talk more and keep the
conversation going.
Sincerely,
Brad Rhoda
Director,Outreach Fort Collins
Main:970.658.0088
Info@OutreachFor tCollins.org
OutreachFortCollins.org
Outreach Fort Collins
is a program ofMission Statement:
Rooted in downtown, Outreach Fort Collins is a street-
based outreach program that maintains our community
as a safe and welcoming place while connecting those
in need to services and supportive networks.
YEAR IN REVIEW
2022
Not long after I accepted the position of Director at Outreach
Fort Collins in October 2021, I came across this quotation by
the British psychiatrist D.W. Winnecott. For reasons I wasn’t
aware of at the time, I immediately wrote it down on an
orange post-it note and slapped it up next to my computer.
Almost a year and a half later it still remains, this strange
and seemingly contradictory idea, a daily reminder to me. A
reminder of what? Of who we are working with, our clients
on the streets and under the bridges and on the river’s
edge who find solace in being out of view, out of sight. It is
also a reminder of the complexities of our work, how some
people experiencing homelessness are silently begging to
be sought out while others demand their privacy and their
independence, even if that means sleeping out in the blowing
snow of winter or the punishing heat of August.
2022 was a year of significant growth for Outreach Fort
Collins, a year that offered us the opportunity to find even
more people hidden throughout the margins of our city.
In September, with encouragement and support from our
numerous partners, Outreach Fort Collins expanded our
service area to include Midtown Fort Collins. This expansion
altered the daily cadence of our work and forced us to
recalibrate our engagement strategies. Our expansion also
demanded that we grow our staff to best serve our Midtown
stakeholders while ensuring that our outreach efforts would
not flag in our original homebase downtown, where our roots
are still firmly embedded.
In 2022, OFC had 6,982 total client contacts. This marks a new
high for us and a number of which we are extremely proud.
Why is this number so important? Because it clearly illustrates
the efforts of our Outreach Specialists. The very foundation
of our work rests upon building trust with our clients, as this
trust naturally leads to what a colleague calls “the road to
relationship.” The increased contacts we made this past year
attest to who and what we value more than anything, and
that is the importance of authentic human connections.
Ultimately, 2022 was a year for solidifying our identity and
for celebrating numerous victories. It was also for mourning
together the passing of people dear to our hearts. In the
following pages, it is my hope to convey the progress of a
young, dynamic organization evolving yet again, spreading
its influence throughout our community, and truly finding its
stride. As always, we are extremely grateful to those of you
who have had a hand in our success, whether that be financial
support, an encouraging thank you letter, or a fist bump out
on the streets.
Sincerely,
Brad Rhoda, Program Director
2022 Board Information
Eddy Hopkins, Board Chair
Pastor, Peak Community Church
EHopkins@peakchurch.org
John J. Feyen, Board Vice Chair
Assistant Chief Special Operations
Division, Fort Collins Police Services
JFeyen@fcgov.com
Kate Cooper, Board Secretary
Director of Community Events and
Engagement, Ginger and Baker
Kate@gingerandbaker.com
Beth Yonce, Board Treasurer
Director of Social Sustainability, City of
Fort Collins
BYonce@fcgov.com
Stephanie Madsen-Pixler
Director of Community Based Services,
SummitStone Health Partners
Stephanie.Madsen-Pix@
summitstonehealth.org
Alyssa Stroup
Director of Emergency Services,
UCHealth
Alyssa.Stroup@uchealth.org
Hannah Baltz-Smith
Business Support Coordinator,
Downtown Development Authority
Hannah@downtownfortcollins.org
Nathan Rose
Artist and Local Business Owner,
The Burning Bonsai Art Studio
rosenathan06@gmail.com
Brian Ferrans
Deputy Executive Director of Acute Care,
SummitStone Health Partners
Brian.Ferrans@summitstonehealth.org
Linda Nuss
Operations Director, Homeward Alliance
Linda@homewardalliance.org
Our Staff (Left to Right)
Jasmine Abramson, Dylan Shanty, Kaylee Wieczorek, Brad Rhoda, Emmily
Nau, Wes Wicklund, Lisa Dunworth, Andy Sprain, Phil Sickels (not pictured)
Engage.
989Engaged with
unique clients
Respond.
1,307 Responded to
community calls
Connect.
2,027
Connected through
immediate needs
education and
resources
• After months of preparation and data gathering, Outreach Fort Collins officially
arrived in Midtown in early September. This strategic expansion broadened our
service area and offered our team opportunities to engage with more business
owners and people experiencing homelessness.
• 2022 saw increases in both coverage area and staffing capacity – including a 20%
increase in outreach specialists capacity from 5.0 FTE (3 full time, 2 part time, and
one full time vacancy) at the start of 2022 to 6.0 FTE (6 full time outreach specialists)
at the start of 2023.
• We were thrilled to hire Michele Girard, OFC’s first grant writer, who has already
proven her brilliance and adds to our already strong team chemistry. Through her
work we were able to more creatively diversify our funding streams and increase our
number of partners.
• Year over year, activity at OFC continues to grow. The numbers to the right all
represent significant growth from 2021, including a 104% increase in response
to community calls, a 40% increase of unique clients, and a 78% increase of
connections to immediate needs and resources.
• Finally, one of our priorities for the year was to increase the size and diversity of our
board. Our board grew from a body of 7 in early 2022 to a body of 11, including a
small business owner whose past lived experience with homelessness has proven
invaluable to our work.
2022 Highlights
“It is a joy to be hidden, and
disaster not to be found.”
2022 Year in Review | page 2
Client Engagement Over Time
2016-2022
Total Client Contacts Total Unique Clients
Trend Line Unique ClientsTrend Line Client Contacts
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
1,045
2,459
1,861
3,777
5,602
3,121
1,655
230 365 344
591
836
416304
Downtown Fort Collins is where OFC was born in 2016, and this unique
locale remains the heart of our work. It is a product of our long history
with Downtown that we feel most comfortable here, most familiar with
the landscape and the people who make this city so very vibrant. When we
expanded into Midtown, one of our key metrics to success was to ensure
that our presence and response in Downtown was not compromised as
a result of our increased service area. As the data below shows, we have
achieved this goal and our work in Downtown is still as valuable–and
valued–as it has always been.
Downtown Outreach
Homeless:
64% (5,602)
Merchant:
17% (1,506)
Service Provider:
8% (694)
Police:
4% (354)
EMS:
1% (77)
Other:
6% (497)
Downtown
Outreach
Total Engagements: 8,730
Respond.Engage.Connect.
1,048 Total
Calls
298 calls for safety
concern
85 calls for disruptive
behavior
836 Unique
Clients
326 Unique
Businesses
701 service
coordination
contacts
with 91 unique
service providers
“Outreach Fort Collins is an
amazing addition to our Fort Collins
community. Their approach to
dealing with the many complex
issues surrounding homelessness
is holistic, consequential and
human. The importance of what
they do to help mediate between
people experiencing homelessness,
businesses and general population
not only helps alleviate community
tension, it reduces the amount
of police resources needed, thus
saving taxpayer dollars. We highly
recommend using them as a first
step in intervention.”
- Andi Rose, Owner, Rocky Mountain
Olive Oil
““2022 Year in Review | page 4page 3 | 2022 Year in Review
North Fort Collins has emerged as an area of vital importance for client
engagement and connection. Consisting of parks and natural areas, the
Poudre River, service providers, warehouses, shopping centers, small
businesses as well as residential subdivisions, North Fort Collins is our most
diverse area of service. As a result, we have to carry a well-stocked tool
kit of knowledge and resources to accommodate the variety in individual
needs and concerns. OFC staff now regularly join the monthly meetings of
the North Fort Collins Business Association to best serve their unique needs.
Northern Fort Collins Outreach
Respond.Engage.Connect.
111 Total Calls
37 calls for safety
concern
30 calls for disruptive
behavior
319 Unique
Clients
79 Unique
Businesses
140 service
coordination
contacts
with 23 unique
service providers
After months of careful planning and preparation, OFC officially expanded into
Midtown in September. Based on data from various stakeholders, we decided
to focus our expansion area on the College Avenue corridor, including Foothills
Mall, the entire Transfort Max line, and the South Transit Center south of
Harmony Road. This expansion nearly doubled our coverage area, allowing us
the opportunity to meet more people on the streets while educating a greater
number of merchants on how we can best support their businesses. We are
regularly meeting new faces, sharing new stories, and making new friends.
Midtown Outreach
Northern
Outreach
Total Engagements: 1,556
Homeless:
69% (1,068)
Merchant:
13% (195)
Service Provider:
9% (147)
Police:
4% (67)
EMS:
2% (30)
Other:
3% (49)
Homeless:
39% (242)
Merchant:
49% (307)
Service Provider:
6% (36)
Police:
3% (16)
EMS:
0% (0)
Other:
3% (16)
Midtown
Outreach
Total Engagements: 617Respond.Engage.Connect.
75 Total Calls
29 calls for safety
concern
18 calls for disruptive
behavior
99 Unique
Clients
187 Unique
Businesses
46 service
coordination
contacts
with 8 unique
service providers
page 5 | 2022 Year in Review 2022 Year in Review | page 6
In 2022, a good deal of time and
attention was spent planning our
expansion into Midtown and ensuring
that this growth was navigated with
intentionality, patience, and staff
support. With our expansion now
behind us, we can now shift focus to
priorities that will increase our efficacy
on the streets as well as support and
retain our exceptional staff.
• Assess our ongoing relationship with
our current fiscal sponsor, Colorado
Nonprofit Development Center, and
research options for becoming our
own 501(c)(3).
• Explore our ongoing partnerships
with service providers, including
Longview Behavioral Health (opening
fall 2023), hospitals and emergency
medical responders, and the Larimer
County Jail to identify ways in which
we can increase collaboration while
providing the right resources for the
appropriate need.
• Ongoing evaluation of the benefits
and drawbacks to potential citywide
expansion by 2025.
• Increased client enrollment in the
Homeless Management Information
System (HMIS), will improve the
accuracy of our data collection,
expanding our ability to track client
outcomes and be accountable to
diversity and equity initiatives.
• Continually pursue other avenues
of funding in the interest of
diversification.
• Steadfast commitment to provide
sustainable staff compensation and
offer training to best equip our staff to
have the necessary skills to excel.
2023 Initiatives
Outreach Fort Collins continues to evaluate the work we do regarding
diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Northern Colorado 2022 Point in Time
count showed there are disparities in our region related to service connection
for people of color. The implementation of HMIS, a community data collection
system, allows our community to better track demographic data and address
disparities. We are proud to be part of multiple systems and teams working to
increase equitable access for people of color to housing.
As a street outreach team we find and connect with people who are not accessing
shelters and community services. These unsheltered populations tend to be our
community’s most vulnerable. This year we formed an internal team, the IDEA
(Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness) Coalition where we’ll focus on bringing
opportunities like trainings, experiences, and knowledge to our team to increase
our understanding of issues related to justice and diversity. Our organization
continues to look at the ways we can diversity our team and board, incorporate
lived experience perspectives, and offer equitable pay to our staff.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
48%
of clients are
Chronically
Homeless
65%
of clients report
Serious Mental
Illness
46%
of clients report
Chronic Health
Conditions
2022 HMIS
Clients
Race
White:
72.84%
Multiple Races:
8.62%
American Indian, Alaska
Native, or Indigenous:
8.19%
Black, African American,
or African: 6.9%
Asian or Asian American:
1.29%
Unknown:
1.29%
Native Hawaiian or
Pacific Islander: .86%
“FCRM depends on Outreach Fort
Collins to provide crucial services,
important education, and warm
hand-off referrals to a portion of
our homeless population that we
cannot access. As the sole outreach
provider in our area, Outreach
Fort Collins not only is uniquely
positioned to provide this much-
needed access, but they perform
these duties with the utmost
professionalism and with trauma-
responsive practice.”
- Seth Forwood, Senior Director,
Fort Collins Rescue Mission
““Outreach Fort Collins has consistently shown that targeted
service engagement and connection to long-term housing
solutions effectively supports the needs of high risk
individuals while also lowering the social and economic
impacts on our community. In 2020, OFC identified four
high utilizers of community resources and supported
these clients in connecting to appropriate housing.
In 2021, OFC was able to demonstrate a significant reduction
in these individuals’ utilization of emergency resources.
Revisiting these 4 individuals in 2022, the longitudinal benefit
of stable housing and ongoing supportive services is evident
and the benefits to both the individual and the community
continue to be sustained.
High-Utilizer Update
94%
reduction in
Emergency
Department Visits
result in $273,430 reduction
in annual ED charges.
98%
reduction in
Poudre Fire
Authority Calls
from 51 calls for service
in 2020 to 1 in 2022
100%
reduction in
police service
Citations
from 41 in 2020 to 0 in 2022
34%
increase in
Ongoing Service
Engagement
with SummitStone Health
Partners
page 7 | 2022 Year in Review 2022 Year in Review | page 8
Outreach Fort Collins partners
with Fort Collins Police Services
Dispatch to send OFC staff on
calls that are most appropriate
for our services. Typical calls
diverted to OFC do not involve
illegal behavior, emergency
medical concerns, or threats to
public safety. OFC’s involvement
reduces both financial and
personnel strain upon our
partners and leaves officers and
other emergency responders
available to respond to illegal
behaviors and emergencies.
In November, our team was devastated to learn that Nick Verni-Lau,
OFC’s founding director, passed away at the young age of 37. Under Nick’s
leadership, Outreach Fort Collins grew from humble beginnings and
solidified its reputation as a trusted and effective partner working with our
community’s most vulnerable. While Nick’s obvious influence and connection
to OFC makes his death particularly acute for our team, we are also saddened
that the world has lost a compassionate man who dedicated his life to helping
the poor and the displaced. Nick will be remembered here by his witty
and dry sense of humor, his listening ear, and his love of cooking and a fine
beverage. With Nick’s passing, our community has lost a champion. We join
his numerous friends and his wonderful family in mourning.
Police Service
Dispatch Outreach Fort Collins was founded with the goal of addressing concerning behaviors
that previously were a drain on emergency first responders. Our team serves as a
mobile response team, receiving calls for community concern and responding with
a wide spectrum of situational interventions. When necessary, we coordinate with
various community agencies to ensure an effective emergency response. Typical
community calls include:
■ Disruptive Behavior: Calls centered on behavior that is escalated or disruptive to
community norms, such as an individual yelling, sleeping on private property, or
inappropriately using public space.
■ Safety Concern: Calls centered on concern about an individual’s physical
or mental well-being, such as being under equipped for weather conditions,
exhibiting a high level of intoxication, or experiencing a mental health crisis.
■ Resource Inquiry & Service Coordination: Calls centered on questions regarding
available community resources and assisting in accessing those services, such as
shelter options, housing assistance, or emergency weather support.
The community needs that OFC works to address continues to grow. By effectively
responding to calls, OFC ensures that at-risk individuals in our community are
connecting to the services and supportive networks they need and community
resources are directed to the situations in which they specialize.
On Call Community Response
2022
Revenue
Total:
$709,146.90
Foundation: $136,525.00
Government: $539,854.46
Corporate: $22,700.00
Miscellaneous: $10,067.44
2023
Budget
Total:
$853,784.00
Foundation: $190,000.00
Government: $591,784.00
Corporate: $50,000.00
Miscellaneous: $22,000.00
2022
Expenses
Total:
$623,707.79
Labor: $511,053.80
Program: $40,172.10
Administrative: $72,481.89
2022 Financials & 2023 Budget
90%
of police dispatch referrals
resolved
Without additional
emergency services
“Fort Collins Police Services values
our partnership with Outreach Fort
Collins. Working collaboratively
allows us to ensure we are sending
the appropriate response to
challenges that they specialize in.
This enables Police Services to send
officers to additional calls they
may not otherwise be available
for. Outreach Fort Collins is a great
partner, resource, and service to the
community. .”
- Justin Allar, Director, Information
Services Division, FC Police Services
31
incoming calls required
additional
Emergency Services
Response
98%
of community calls resolved
Without Additional
Emergency Service
Involvement
Total
Incoming
Community
Calls
Safety Concern: 29%
Disruptive Behavior: 20%
Resource Inquiry: 20%
Service Coordination: 13%
Verbal Check-In: 12%
Follow-Up: 4%
Community Engagement: 2%
““Total Calls: 1,307
2022 Year in Review | page 10page 9 | 2022 Year in Review
970.658.0088
outreachfortcollins.org
info@outreachfortcollins.org
A special thanks to our funders:
Outreach Fort Collins
OutreachFortCollins
OutreachFC