Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutUNITED WAY HOUSING SERVICES DAY CENTER - PDP - 30-06 - REPORTS - CORRESPONDENCE-HEARING (6)Steve Olt - FAQ Jan 2007.doc Page 2 What will you do about people hanging out around the facility? Loitering on Center property is, and will be, a violation of Center policy and loiterers will be denied services for such actions. Likewise, loitering on any private property around the Center is, and will be, a violation of Center policy and will result in denial of services. The Center will assist any homeless persons in securing transportation out of the area. The Center will also work closely with the Police and the neighborhood to address any loitering issues that may arise. What hours will the Center be open? Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8 a.m. — 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday: 8 a.m. — 7 p.m. Saturday: 8 a.m. — noon, by appointment only Where will people go when the Center closes at night? A large percentage of our clients will be families or individuals who have temporary shelter with friends or family, or who are "near homeless" and currently have a home. These people will return to where they currently live. Families without shelter will be provided with temporary housing through one of the various family housing programs in the community. Clients who are staying at an overnight shelter will be provided with transportation back to their shelter when the Center closes. How will individuals and families get transportation? A portion of homeless persons do have a motor vehicle. For clients that do not have their own transportation, we will assist them in some way. We plan to have a shuttle vehicle to take people to other community service centers or to other homeless facilities, as needed. Two agencies have committed to helping us transport people. We will also have a bus token system to assist clients. Who will be running the facility? Catholic Charities will be managing this facility. Catholic Charities has extensive experience operating programs to assist low-income families and individuals. They have a very successful operation in Denver that provides a full case management program. They own and operate The Mission on Linden Center Drive, which is currently a night-time homeless shelter. Catholic Charities is planning to expand The Mission's services to provide daytime shelter as well by the time the Center opens. Our visits to other Catholic Charities facilities give us confidence in their qualifications to manage this facility. Rest assured that the Center will be run by professionals who are knowledgeable and well -trained in assisting low-income populations. Who is involved in this project? The Housing Services Day Center is a community -wide collaborative effort. The partners in this project include: United Way of Larimer County, Larimer County, City of Fort Collins, City of Loveland, Fort Collins Housing Authority, CARE Housing, a variety of faith -based organizations, and other social service agencies. When will it be completed? We expect to begin construction in March or April of 2007. The building is expected to be completed by Fall 2007. The Board is committed to building a facility that is aesthetically pleasing and uses "Green Build" techniques to make it as environmentally -friendly and cost- efficient as possible. Contact Info: Kim Iwanski, Project Manager • 407-7063 • kiwanski@uwaylc.org 1.§t6ve Olt - FAQ Jan 2007.doc Page 1 . Housing Services Day Center Frequently Asked Questions (Updated January 17, 2007) What is the Housing Services Day Center? The Housing Services Day Center is a resource center for families and individuals who are homeless or near homeless. It is a place for people who want overcome their current situation, and who need some help doing so. There is no other single place in the County where people in a housing crisis can access the many resources they might need to stabilize their life. Where is it? The Center will be a 10,000 square foot facility located at the corner of Blue Spruce and Conifer. This area was chosen after careful consideration of more than 50 other sites including existing buildings and vacant lots. This site was chosen, in large part, because of its proximity to other social service agencies our clients will use, including Larimer County Health & Human Services, Salud Health Clinic, and the Food Bank for Larimer County. What will be located on the lot west of the Center? Part of the lot will be used as a parking lot for the Center. There are currently no plans to build anything else on that lot. If a building is ever built on that lot, it will not be a homeless shelter. Who will it serve and how? The Center will serve only families and individuals who are willing to work with a case manager on a plan to improve their situation. The Center will help clients access a variety of services: childcare, job assistance, housing resources, job training and educational opportunities, financial counseling, mental health and substance abuse counseling, as well as providing telephones and computers for making employment contacts. This facility will be the base where these resources are linked together and people find the support they need to make changes in their lives. Clients who come to the Center will be assessed by an intake worker when they enter the facility. They will then be assigned to a case manager. Clients will be required to meet with their assigned case manager and be actively involved in their plan for self-sufficiency, or they will not be able to utilize the facility. There is no quick fix to homelessness, and homelessness is not caused by lack of shelter alone. Multiple services are needed to transition from homelessness to self-sufficiency. The continuum of care offered at the Center will allow for coordinated, effective and non -duplicated services that create permanent solutions to homelessness. This facility will serve the community by helping families and individuals become more productive citizens. What will you do to ensure the safety of neighbors? There will be professional, well -trained staff managing the Center and enforcing standards and policies to ensure a safe environment. The Center will be operated with stringent policies to prevent clients from exhibiting disruptive or disrespectful behavior within the facility or in the surrounding neighborhood. Staff will not hesitate to contact the Police if there is ever someone who is considered disruptive, or a danger to themselves or others. The Fort Collins Police have been active in the planning of this Center, and have assured us that they will continue to support it. The Center will have a Police presence as we will provide a workstation near the entrance that a Police Officer can stop in and use at various times throughout the day. Steve Olt - Operations Plan for the HSDC Page 3 8. The Center's Responsibility as a Good Neighbor The Center is committed to being a good neighbor and will make it a top priority to keep the facility clean and orderly. The Center is also committed to daily trash pick-up in the areas adjacent to the Center grounds. Snow removal on the sidewalks along Blue Spruce and Conifer will also be a daily chore for our clients when required. The Center plans to create and maintain an aesthetically pleasing landscape around the facility. The Center desires to be part of a Police sponsored neighborhood watch group and will host such meetings if asked. 9. Neighborhood Outreach and Methods for Future Communication The Center will maintain a website containing information about its operations, volunteer opportunities, notices of upcoming events and Center contact information. Volunteer opportunities at the Center will be made available specifically for anyone in the neighborhood with a desire to volunteer. The Center will create a standing committee called the Neighborhood Relations Group that will serve as the primary vehicle for ongoing neighborhood and Center communications. This group will include Center board members, Center staff and representatives from the surrounding neighborhoods. This group will have a maximum of (10) members and will meet -at the request of either the Center or the neighborhood representatives. The purpose of this committee will be to offer recommendations to the Center board and/or to the neighborhood associations on how either can become better neighbors, develop options for engaging the neighborhood in Center activities, and, if necessary, neighborhood and Center dispute resolution. 10. Dispute Resolution Neighbors will be asked to call the on -duty Center staff for problem resolution. If the staff person can not resolve the problem, the complaint will be elevated, in a timely manner, to the Center's Executive Director. If the Executive Director and the neighbor cannot come to agreement, the issue can be elevated to the Neighborhood Relations Group for resolution. If that group is unable to resolve the issue, the neighborhood representatives from the Neighborhood Relations Group will be asked to present the issue to the Center's Board of Directors. If the Center board and the neighborhood representatives cannot resolve the issue, either party may request third party mediation and/or file a grievance with the appropriate City agency. Steve Olt - Operations Plan for the HSDC Page. 2 5. Drug and Alcohol Policies The Center has a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol. No one may enter the premises under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. Clients will undergo a breathalyzer test if the intake staff recommends it. If someone under the influence of drugs or alcohol shows up at the Center, they will be denied entry. Center staff will work with the denied person to find them transport from the area. The first option offered by staff will be a strong recommendation that the person be transported to the Poudre Valley Hospital's Crisis Assessment Center. The person will be offered a free ride, via Center shuttle or cab, to PVH. If this offer is refused, they will be offered a free ride, via Center shuttle or cab, to another location (such as a friend or relative's home). If the person refuses to work with the Center staff in finding suitable transport out of the area, they will be denied Center services for a minimum of one day to denial for life. If the person insists on leaving the Center property by foot, the Police will be called. If the Police are called, Center staff will try to maintain visual contact with the individual until the Police have arrived. No client will be allowed to have alcohol or drugs in the Center. All alcohol must be relinquished at intake. All alcohol relinquished at intake or otherwise found on the Center's premises will be disposed of or destroyed by Center staff. Any client found to have stored or left alcohol on Center property or on public or private property in the neighborhood shall be denied Center services for a minimum of one day to denial for life. Any illegal drugs turned in at intake will be turned over to the Police. Any resident found with illegal drugs in the Center will be denied Center services for at least 90 days. 6. Loitering Loitering on Center property is a violation of Center policy and those persons will be denied services for a minimum of one day to denial for life for such actions. Likewise, loitering on any private property around the Center is a violation of Center policy and will result in like denial of Center services. The Center will work with the neighborhood to address any loitering issues not addressed by the above policies. The Center will assist any homeless persons, who are not clients, in securing transportation out of the area. These persons will be transported via Center shuttle to a homeless shelter. The Shelter will work closely with the Police to address any loitering issues that may arise. Many residents will come and go from the Center by bus, which greatly reduces the possibility of loitering. The Center will offer free transport, via Center shuttle or bus tokens, to all qualified clients who need transportation. Shelter Employee Education All new Center employees are required to attend a 40-hour training program that includes instruction in areas such as: one-on-one communication skills, setting professional boundaries, recognizing and responding to mental illness, recognizing and responding to substance abuse, medical problems and emergencies, women's issues, interagency relationships, and all of the Center's written policies and procedures. Steve Olt - Operations Plan for the HSDC Page 1 Operational Plan for the Housing Services Day Center January 2007 1. Hours of Operation The Center will offer case management and complementary services during the following times: Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 8 a.m. — 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday: 8 a.m. — 7 p.m. Saturday: 8 a.m. — noon, by appointment only 2. Clients Served "Qualified clients" of the Center must be working under the guidance of a case manager in order to receive services. Clients will develop a plan of action with a case manager that will involve a variety of service referrals as needed including, but not limited to: job assistance, housing resources, job training and educational opportunities, financial counseling, healthcare providers, and mental health and substance abuse counseling. These clients are allowed access to the "daily living" services of the Center, which include showers, telephones, computers, snacks, laundry facilities and storage facilities for their belongings. 3. Security The Center staff will be well -trained in security issues and will monitor the facility closely The Center staff also relies on a strong relationship with the City of Fort Collins Police, which includes working with a dedicated Police liaison on a regular basis. The Center will not allow clients to come and go continually from the Center. Clients may only enter the facility two times during a day. Violation of this policy by any client will result in denial of services for a minimum of one day to denial for life. There may be rare exceptions to this rule, as in the case of a client with multiple appointments at the Center during one day. Any resident with any kind of weapon must relinquish it at intake. The Center considers any knife and most tools (such as box cutters and screwdrivers, etc.) as weapons. Failure to relinquish these items at intake will result in denial of Center services for a minimum of one day. Illegal weapons turned in at intake will be turned over to the Police. Any resident found with an illegal weapon in the Center will be denied Center services for at least 90 days. 4. Turn -away Management Any client expelled from the Center for a behavior violation will be strongly encouraged by Center staff to accept a free ride, via Center shuttle or public bus, to the destination of their choice. If the client refuses to work with the Center staff in finding suitable transport out of the area, they will be denied Center services for a minimum of one day to denial for life. If the person leaves on foot and is considered a danger to themselves or others, the Police will be called immediately. If a person is denied entry due to inebriation, please see drug and alcohol policies below. Social Service Agency Locations in Fort Collins Social service agencies located in close.proximity to the Housing Services Day Center Larimer County Department of Human Services Salud Family Clinic Food Bank for Larimer County Neighbor to Neighbor Wingshadow, Inc CARE housing complex Hope Infant and Children's Center Volunteers of America Social service agencies located north of downtown Fort Collins Catholic Charities — The Mission The Open Door Mission The Family Center/La Familia Disabled Resource Services Women's Resource Center Education and Life Training Center United Day Care Center Boys and Girls Club Social service agencies located in central Fort Collins Larimer Center for Mental Health — Oak Street Fort Collins Housing Authority CARE Housing The Matthews House Turning Point Center Crossroads Safehouse Consumer Credit Counseling Northern Colorado AIDS Project Sexual Assault Victim Advocates Project Self -Sufficiency Colorado Legal Services Boys & Girls Club Elderhaus Adult Day Programs Island Grove Social service agencies located in South Fort Collins Hospice of Larimer County Harmony House Foothills Gateway Larimer Center for Mental Health — South Shields Lutheran Family Services Partners Mentoring Youth Salvation Army Goodwill Industries (Under construction near Harmony & JFK) Larimer County Child Advocacy Center Respite Care RVNA SAINT(on Drake road) American Red Cross Springfield Court Early Learning Center Please note this list in not all-inclusive, but lists the major agencies in these areas. List of agencies and organizations that have worked on the Housing Services Day Center project through planning, advising and/or coordinating services to clients: • United Way of Larimer County • Catholic Charities • Larimer County Health & Human Services • City of Fort Collins • City of Loveland • Fort Collins Housing Authority • CARE Housing • Larimer Center for Mental Health • Interfaith Council • Interfaith Hospitality Network • Larimer County Workforce Center • Neighbor to Neighbor • Project Self -Sufficiency • Crossroads Safehouse • Education and Life Training Center • Salvation Army • Colorado State University • Poudre School District • Thompson Valley School District Steve Olt - Fwd: Page 1 From: Steve Olt To: Brigitte Schmidt; dlingle@alter-lingle.com; Andy Smith; jim@wetzler.us; ruthie.rollins@gmaii.com; stockover@aol.com Date: 01/18/2007 1:05:27 PM Subject: Fwd: Attached is additional information from Kim Iwanski of the Housing Services Day Center that is pertinent to your deliberation tonight at the public hearing. Steve