HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 10/29/2024 - Memorandum from Brittany Depew re Quarterly Homelessness Update – Q3 2024Social Sustainability Department
222 Laporte Avenue
PO Box 580, Fort Collins, CO 80522
970-221-6595
bdepew@fcgov.com
CC: Executive Sponsors: Rupa Venkatesh, Assistant City Manager & Jeff Swoboda, Chief of Police
Beth Yonce, Social Sustainability Department Director
MEMORANDUM
Date: October 16, 2024
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
Through: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
Jacob Castillo, Chief Sustainability Officer
From: Brittany Depew, Lead Homelessness Specialist
Subject: Quarterly Homelessness Update – Q3 2024
BOTTOM LINE
Addressing homelessness in Fort Collins is a collaborative, multi-sector effort that involves dedicated, cross-
departmental staff and funding resources from the City, the Northern Colorado Continuum of Care, nonprofit
organizations, and community members to make homelessness rare, brief, and nonrecurring. Ongoing efforts
address both short-term, targeted response and long-term, systemic approaches.
SHORT-TERM, TARGETED RESPONSE
Staff and Partner Collaborative Response
Homelessness Tactical Team (HTT)
• This rapid response team, consisting of City staff and partner agencies, meets weekly to discuss needs
related to homelessness in our community.
• Ongoing projects include quarterly community hot breakfast events (hosted at the FoCo Café) for
people experiencing homelessness, weekly site cleanups, and assessing mitigation options for hot
spots (frequently utilized/impacted locations).
• An ongoing hot spot has been Gateway Bridge, just west of the Whitewater Park, and issues are being
addressed by a collaborative group from Natural Areas, Police, Stormwater, Parks, Code Compliance
and Forestry. Some under-bridge mitigation efforts are being contracted out and will be expensed to the
cleanup budget.
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Homelessness Policy Advisory Team
• The Policy Advisory Team held its first meeting in mid-April and meets monthly, with a focus on policy
needs and updates related to homelessness response.
• The initial topics addressed by this team have included policy considerations around property cleanups,
repeat offenses, abandoned property, RVs, trespassing, and the Grants Pass v Johnson Supreme
Court ruling.
• Additionally, Park Rangers have seen an increase in contacts and disruptive behavior in Parks
throughout the city, with many taking place at Lee Martinez Park. The Policy Advisory Team is
discussing and working to address these concerns.
Homeless Outreach and Proactive Engagement (HOPE) Team – Police Services
• During Q3, the HOPE Team responded to 872 calls for service, issued 267 citations/arrests, helped
with 6 bike theft recoveries and 8 RVs tows, supported 300 site cleanups, and held 29 community
events.
• In September, HOPE engaged with a family and three dogs living in a vehicle at Edora Park. HOPE
Officers utilized several local resources to aid the family and were able to connect them with McKinney-
Vento, Homeward Alliance, Street Dog Coalition, and Outreach Fort Collins. Officers provided rides to
school for the child, occasionally taking him out for ice cream and providing dinner for his family. The
family is awaiting stable housing but is on a better path thanks to community collaboration and
compassion.
Site Cleanups
In Q3, over the course of 10 cleanup days, 278 sites were cleaned, including 255 cleared with
assistance from a contracted cleaning crew, and the remainder completed by Natural Areas staff. Parks
staff, rangers, or other groups (including occupants of active camps).
Of the sites that were cleaned, there were 179 sharps collected, 504 total person hours, 107 cubic
yards of waste (approximately 559 bags), 41 cubic yards of metal recycling, and 45 shopping carts.
There are approximately 50 sites awaiting cleanup (this does not include active sites or sites that are
pending cleanup from other agencies).
During Q3, the average days to completion for a given site was 10 days.
To date, the average cost per cleanup is $6,198, which generally includes around 23 individual sites.
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In Q3, approximately $60k was spent from the site cleanup budget (for contractor cleanups only, does
not include vehicle tows, etc.).
Extreme Weather Activations
Extreme Heat
• The Extreme Heat Response Plan (EHRP) is activated when the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC)
and National Weather Service’s (NWS) joint HeatRisk Map forecasts a “major” heat risk event. These
calculations include many factors like temperature, humidity, time of year, and length of heat wave.
https://ephtracking.cdc.gov/Applications/HeatRisk/
• During the summer of 2024, the EHRP was activated for a total of two days.
Extreme Cold
• Heading into the colder months, staff will check weather forecasts daily and activate the Emergency
Weather Shelter Plan (EWSP) if any of the following criteria are met:
o The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts overnight temperatures of zero degrees or below
and/or issues a severe winter storm warning and/or a severe windchill advisory.
• During an activation, shelter providers allow anyone seeking shelter to access services, even those on a
current ban (the City funds additional security, if needed); Transfort also makes every effort to provide a
shuttle between locations if an activation takes place on a day without regular bus service.
• On average, this plan is activated 12-15 nights between November-April.
Seasonal Overflow Shelter
• Beginning in April, Fort Collins Rescue Mission entered into the Development Review process to host an
auxiliary winter shelter at 117 N. Mason St. from November 1, 2024-April 30, 2025.
• FCRM, with their consultant Ripley Design, had their Planning & Zoning Commission hearing on
September 19, where the proposal passed unanimously. No appeals were filed.
• Staff have applied for a temporary certificate of occupancy for this site, which allows the shelter to operate
for up to 180 days per calendar year.
• This auxiliary shelter will open on November 1 and serve up to 70 men per night.
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LONG-TERM, SYSTEMIC APPROACHES
Prevention & Supportive Services
• Nonprofit agencies continuing to face financial challenges with the end of ARPA funding, capacity, and
space limitations, while also seeing positive trust-building engagement with clients.
• See nonprofit agencies’ updates in Appendix A
Evaluation, Metrics, and Reporting
• All ARPA-funded programs are required to report into the Homeless Management Information System
(HMIS) and share quarterly reports outlining the impact of these funds.
• Quarterly, HMIS data is shared with the City to demonstrate impacts of funding and services, track the
current number of program utilizers, and help analyze community trends.
• In Q3:
o There were 2,770 homeless individuals with active enrollments (seeking services)
o There were 572 people experiencing chronic (more than one year) homelessness in Fort Collins
o 23 people who had been experiencing chronic homelessness exited into permanent housing
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Funding
• For 2024, the final year of homelessness initiatives being funded via ARPA recovery dollars, $500k was
allocated through a competitive grant process:
o $250k contracted for Resource Navigation services at Disabled Resource Services, Catholic
Charities, Homeward Alliance, Neighbor to Neighbor, Outreach Fort Collins, and the Matthews
House.
o $250k contracted for 24/7 shelter operations at Catholic Charities, Crossroads Safehouse, and
Fort Collins Rescue Mission.
• An additional $455k was directly contracted with three agencies for programmatic and operational
expenses: Homeward Alliance, Northern Colorado Continuum of Care, and Outreach Fort Collins.
• In Q3, 3,085 people were served by these funds across all homelessness programs.
Strategic Planning
• Homeward Alliance has retained two consulting firms (JG Research & Evaluation and OMNI Institute)
to oversee the development of a strategic plan for addressing homelessness in Larimer County. From
October 2024 through September 2025, the firms will work with local municipalities, nonprofits, people
with lived experience and other stakeholders to develop the strategy. From October 2025 through
September 2026, Homeward Alliance will lead the beginning stages of the implementation of that
strategic plan.
State of Homelessness
• At the end of August, two reports were published on the current state of homelessness – one each at the
regional and national level:
o Northern Colorado Continuum of Care
The NoCO CoC released their 2024 State of Homelessness report for Larimer and Weld
Counties – their first such report since their formation in 2020.
Key findings and link to full report in Appendix B
o National Alliance to End Homelessness
NAEH’s 2024 State of Homelessness Report shares national data and trends.
Key findings and link to full report in Appendix C
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APPENDIX A
Community agency updates for Q3:
• Catholic Charities
o Continue to see more families seeking emergency shelter than capacity (at Catholic Charities
and as a community).
o Energy Outreach Colorado no longer has the funds that it did during Covid. This resulted in a
significant reduction in the amount of direct assistance funding CC received this grant year
(10/1/24-9/30/25) for utility assistance. As of the end of this week, will already have exhausted
available utility assistance funds for the quarter, excluding Xcel.
o We have seen a recent increase in single women seeking emergency shelter and are gearing
up for that to continue to increase as the weather gets colder.
• Fort Collins Rescue Mission
o In Q3, FCRM served 12,035 meals, provided 7,991 shelter beds, turned away 182 (duplicated)
men, had 3,957 case management touchpoints, helped 8 clients secure employment, and saw 5
clients move into more stable housing.
o A former guest stopped by to thank FCRM staff and let them know he is now living
independently in stable housing.
o Offering showers to men who are not staying at FCRM while the Murphy Center is under
constructions and their showers are not available.
• Homeward Alliance
o The Murphy Center clinic is open, nearly fully staffed, and serving Murphy Center guests via
walk-in hours and appointments. The clinic provides integrated behavioral and physical
healthcare; it served 96 unduplicated individuals in September.
o Construction at the Murphy Center is slated to conclude in early November. The project includes
the addition of four gender-neutral shower stalls, a new laundry room with additional
washers/dryers, and renovations/addition of new stalls to guest bathrooms.
o The wind-down of COVID-relief funding continues to impact nonprofits and people experiencing
homelessness. Numerous programs have been defunded or reduced, but the need for services
remains large. Without significant new funding across the region, Homeward Alliance believes
firmly that homelessness is poised to increase and local nonprofits (particularly smaller
organizations) will be forced to shrink or close.
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• Family Housing Network
o Family Housing Network has completed - short term move to the space next door as the agency
continues to look for a buyer for the remaining Day Center space. This will allow FHN to go to the
next step of the plan to centralize the overnight and day shelter programs in one location.
o The restrictions (fire watch and low capacity limits) placed upon the Community Based Shelter
Program have been too much for two of FHN's faith communities and they have pulled out of
providing services. Two more are considering leaving as well. This places additional burden on
faith venues who have fire suppression systems and on Catholic Charities to shelter large
families.
o The only family-focused Rapid Rehousing Program in Larimer County has been paused due to
funding cuts post-COVID and will resume when funding becomes available again.
o Since 2021, FHN and Catholic Charities have tripled overall capacity and yet families continue to
be turned away most days. Families calling for shelter today are significantly more compromised
than prior to COVID, more evictions, more landlord debt owed, similar income but face much
higher rental prices.
• Outreach Fort Collins
o Engagement with the 10 highest utilizers decreased by 18% in Q3, with all other trends staying
consistent from Q2.
o OFC staff engaged with 516 unduplicated clients, offering immediate needs education and
resources 979 times and completing 93 agency referrals.
o Outreach Fort Collins is excited to announce new operating hours designed to better serve
stakeholders and the community. After careful consideration and discussion, OFC is now
available Monday - Friday, 8am - 6pm. The change allows our team to better assist businesses,
service providers, and community partners.
o Brad Rhoda has stepped down as the Director of Outreach Fort Collins. During his three years
of leadership, Brad led OFC in expanding services into Midtown Fort Collins, growing outreach
capacity, and diversifying funding to ensure ongoing financial sustainability of the organization.
The OFC Board of Directors has launched a robust hiring process for a new Executive Director,
with the hopes of having a new leader in place in the coming months. Longtime staff member
Andy Sprain is serving as Interim Director.
• Outreach Fort Collins + HOPE Team Collaboration:
o OFC received 42 unique client referrals from the HOPE team in Q2, of which 20 were previously
unknown to OFC.
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o In Q2, OFC had a total of 360 contacts with all previously referred HOPE clients, including
offering immediate needs education and resources 133 times and completing 22 agency
referrals.
o A year ago, OFC received a referral from the HOPE Team for a client and their adult son living
in an RV with no utilities. The client, dealing with cancer treatments and poor health, was
struggling to find stable housing. OFC was able to enroll the client in our community's
Coordinated Entry program and they were assigned a housing resource. Despite the voucher
and multiple attempts to connect them with community providers, the client continued to face
barriers in securing a permanent place to live. After several months, OFC took the lead on their
housing search and helped them apply for an eligible apartment. The application was accepted!
The client moved in over a month ago and reports a significant improvement in quality of life and
an increased ability to attend physical health treatments. This outcome would not have
happened without a close partnership between OFC and the HOPE team.
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APPENDIX B
Northern Colorado Continuum of Care 2024 State of Homelessness (Larimer & Weld Counties)
Key Findings
• The top three identified causes of homelessness in 2023 were relationship problems/family breakup,
lost job/could not find work, and unable to pay rent/mortgage.
• The average two-bedroom apartment in Fort Collins is $1,541/month – at this cost of housing, a four-
person household with an income at 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI) will spend about 57% of
their income on rent.
• The majority (74%) of people enrolled in supportive programs are between 25-64 years old, and 13%
are children under 17. About 28% of all people experiencing homelessness are chronically unhoused
(unhoused for 12+ months with a disability).
• People of color are disproportionately represented in the population of people experiencing
homelessness. In Larimer County, Black/African American residents make up 1% of the total population
and 9% of the homeless population; and Native American residents total 1% of the population and 3%
of the homeless population.
• Full report: https://tinyurl.com/CoCStateofHomelessness (the conclusion on page 27 provides a nice
data summary)
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APPENDIX C
National Alliance to End Homelessness 2024 State of Homelessness (National Report)
Key Findings
• The response system works effectively; however, while it serves more people each year, it needs more
resources to combat the affordable housing crisis.
• A record high of more than 650,000 people experiencing homelessness were counted in January 2023,
a 12% increase over 2022.
• The number of people experiencing first time homelessness increased more than 23% in 2023.
• A record high of 39% of people experiencing homelessness were unsheltered (sleeping in places not
meant for human habitation, such as parking garages, parks, benches, vehicles, etc.).
• The number of households spending more than 50% of their income on housing increased by 12%.
• The number of homeless veterans and people experiencing chronic homelessness are both on the rise.
• Link to full report and dashboards: https://tinyurl.com/NAEH2024Report
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