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Florida Supportive Housing Coalition, April 2003 Newsletter
As the Florida Supportive Housing Coalition enters its second year, we have the opportunity to translate into action the vision our members helped to create in our first year. At the center of our agenda is the lack of affordable housing for the lowest of incomes. The people who benefit from supportive housing are often among the poorest of the poor. A lack of stable housing only exacerbates other personal challenges that might include a chronic illness, disability, addiction, or domestic abuse. We will focus on bridging that housing gap this year. We continue to create linkages to complementary efforts such as eradicating homelessness and ensuring that people with disabilities can live in independent, integrated settings. For example, the Council on Homelessness is focusing on developing a supportive housing pipeline as one of its main activities this year. In support of these advocacy efforts, the Coalition has launched a three-pronged research agenda. First, we continue to quantify the need for supportive housing. Secondly, we are assembling the evidence of how effective supportive housing can be in promoting independence and reducing costly emergency interventions. The last component is identifying systems change strategies that can help bring supportive housing to scale in Florida. This year we will commission a Policy and Resource Mapping Study, a project you’ll be hearing more about in the near future. The Coalition will again host a Strategic Planning Retreat in early June. And in September, we hope you will join us in Miami Beach for our second annual conference. Join our growing membership now, and be a part of creating real housing solutions for people with special needs in Florida. Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Maria Pellerin Barcus and Carrfour Supportive Housing for receiving the 2002 MetLife Award for Excellence in Affordable Housing for the Rivermont House in Miami. Back to TopState Affordable Housing Funding Is Cut The threat began when Governor Jeb Bush proposed a budget that swept all of affordable housing’s dedicated funding source into general revenue. A portion would be returned to affordable housing programs, but future funding is uncertain. The House followed suit, passing a budget that supported the Governor’s position. The Senate passed a budget that keeps the affordable housing trust funds in place. Now the House and Senate appear to be locked in a stalemate. It’s up to the conference committee to resolve the differences between the House and Senate budgets. As this edition goes to print, joint conference committee members have yet to be named because the budgets are so starkly different. In recent years, the combined total of the housing trust funds has been about $250 million. Some funds support local initiatives, including home ownership, through the State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP). The remaining funds are distributed through the Florida Housing Finance Corporation through highly effective programs such as the State Apartment Incentive Loans (SAIL). You can get the latest on this issue—and see if joint conference committee members have been appointed—by visiting www.myflorida.com or the Florida Housing Coalition website at www.flhousing.org. Make sure your local representatives know what a critical difference these funds are making in your area. Let your Senators know you support their budget, and ask your House Representatives to support the Senate position as well. Back to TopFlorida Supportive Housing Coalition’s The Florida Supportive Housing Coalition and the Florida Housing Coalition will for a second time hold concurrent annual conferences this fall. The Florida Supportive Housing Coalition will host its conference at the Radisson Deauville Resort in Miami Beach on September 24. The Florida Housing Coalition conference will take place September 22-24 in the same location. Be sure to sign up or renew as a coalition member now to receive a discount on your conference registration this fall. Back to Top2002 Accomplishments: The Year In Review Founded just over a year ago, the Florida Supportive Housing Coalition has forged an alliance among advocates, housing developers and service providers, all sharing the same goal—to create long-term housing solutions for people with special needs in Florida. Our members, over 65 to date, represent a broad spectrum of populations that can benefit from supportive housing—people with mental illnesses and those recovering from addiction, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS or a chronic illness, young people aging out of foster care, elders, veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals, and the homeless. In 2002, the Coalition brought together a dedicated board of directors, crafted a Strategic Plan to guide its efforts, and hosted a first annual conference. The 2002 Supportive Housing Toolkit Conference, held in Sarasota on October 23, welcomed over 80 participants. Distinguished keynote speaker, Philip Mangano of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, started out the day with a lively presentation on how systems of care for homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, foster care, corrections, public health and more, must work in concert to link housing opportunities with needed services. Supportive housing may take the form of an apartment building with services available on-site, or perhaps a flexible service coordination program linked with portable housing subsidies. Several “best practices” case studies were presented in the morning session, including Carrfour’s Rivermont House in Miami, Lee County’s Living Independently For Today (LIFT) program, Coastal Behavioral Health Care’s community support program, and Sarasota’s Coalition to Assist Supported Living (CASL) homes for people with developmental disabilities. Blending services with housing requires an ongoing commitment of funds at several levels. Panels in the afternoon discussed how an organization pieces together housing resources with supportive services funds. Though time was short, participants got an introduction to some of the building blocks, and then continued to explore these strategies in “Resource Roundtable” discussions. A special thanks goes to Washington Mutual, the Florida Department of Health’s Bureau of HIV/AIDS, and all the sponsors of our 2002 Toolkit Conference. Back to TopPolicy Academy Team Takes on Chronic Homeless Issue As a part of the national effort to end chronic homelessness, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has convened multiple Policy Academies, including one in January attended by a team from Florida. Florida’s Policy Academy team has identified the following priorities: 1) Increase amount of housing linked to supportive services, 2) Prevention by getting results from mainstream programs, 3) Outreach and access to services, 4) Sheltering/increasing supply of beds, and 5) Maximizing effective use of data, funding sources and planning infrastructure. The Policy Academy team is chaired by Celeste Putnam, Director of Mental Health at the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The lead staff person for the effort is Tom Pierce, Director of the Office on Homelessness, also within DCF. Back to TopNew Membership Structure & 2003 Committees At its January meeting, the Coalition board voted to simplify our membership structure and add a few categories to encourage your participation in 2003. The popular “Founding Membership” category is replaced this year with the “Sustaining Membership.” Over twenty organizations and corporations took the opportunity to become Founding Members in 2002 with a $1,000 contribution. When you become a Sustaining Member this year, your organization’s name will appear on our web page and promotional materials. Your investment of $1,000 ensures the continued success of the Coalition’s efforts in its second year. We also created “Consumer Memberships” for residents and participants in supportive housing programs. Consumer Memberships are free with a paid Organizational Membership. Small organizations may nominate two Consumer Members, while Large Organizations may nominate up to five. When we receive your membership and dues, we will send you a nomination form. All members receive newsletters, E-mail updates, and discounted conference registration. Members can also participate in any of our committees. The Advocacy Committee tracks national and statewide issues of interest to members. The Statewide Coordination Committee interfaces with other statewide initiatives linking housing and services, while also building local networks. The Education & Data Committee is compiling resources on supportive housing’s effectiveness, and the need for more of it. The Conference Planning Committee is preparing for our next fall conference, and the Fundraising Committee ensures continued support for our organization’s work. Back to TopBaker Act Reform Supportive Housing & Mental Health Medicaid Reform Supportive housing advocates would like to see more flexibility in how Medicaid funds are used. For example, allowing services to be offered in community settings rather than in a hospital or institution saves money and increases a person’s independence. The National Governors Association has convened a Medicaid Reform Task Force, and Governor Bush has been named to this committee. For more background on how Medicaid changes can increase independent living for people with disabilities, visit www.aimmm.org. Back to TopUpcoming Events & Important Dates April 24: Florida Supportive Housing Coalition, Board of Directors meeting in Orlando. Back to TopCopyright © 2003, Florida Supportive Housing Coalition. All rights
reserved.
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Florida Supportive Housing Coalition 
2868 Mahan Drive, Suite 1 Tallahassee, FL 32308
Phone: (850) 878-7403 Fax: (850) 878-6584 Email: admin@flshc.net
Copyright © 2006. Florida Supportive Housing Coalition. All Rights Reserved.