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Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness Update.
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Staff: |
Department: |
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Sarah Viñas, Director |
Affordable Housing and Community Connections |
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Nate Broman-Fulks, Assistant Director |
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Overview: The Town has a long-standing commitment to addressing homelessness. One of the key initiatives that aligns with that commitment is the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness (OCPEH), a collaboration between all of the local governments in Orange County focused on coordinating funding and activities to end homelessness in Orange County. Rachel Waltz, Manager of the Partnership to End Homelessness, will present the 2022 Annual Report highlighting the status of homelessness and provide an update on the effort to close homeless system gaps in Orange County.
Background:
Town Commitment to Addressing Homelessness
In an effort to address gaps in the homelessness system in the County, the Town of Chapel Hill has focused on a variety of strategies:
§ Creating and preserving affordable housing through funding affordable housing projects, initiating development projects, owning and managing affordable housing, and creating and implementing policy.
§ Providing financial support to address homelessness gaps and organizations addressing homelessness, including:
• Domestic Violence Rapid-Rehousing (Compass Center)
• Emergency Shelter Services (Inter-Faith Council)
• Food Programs (Inter-Faith Council)
• Integrated Service Center (Inter-Faith Council)
• Weekly Food Distribution (Town)
• 24-hour bathrooms (Town)
• Orange County Rapid Rehousing Program (Orange County)
• Housing Locator Staffing (Orange County)
• Housing Helpline Staffing (Orange County)
• Street Outreach and Harm Reduction Staffing (Orange County)
§ Providing a 24-hour co-response team through the Crisis Unit for persons in crisis situations. The Crisis Unit was established in 1973 as one of the earliest examples of law enforcement and human services professionals working together.
§ In total, the Town has provided about $7,750,000 in funding to address homelessness. $7.2 million for development projects that will serve households below 30% of the Area Median Income and $544,000 for homelessness services.
Challenges to be Addressed
§ Identifying additional funding for development of units that serve people transitioning out of homelessness.
§ More fully meeting the need for emergency shelter and aligning existing models with best practices.
§ Developing a more holistic and integrated approach toward addressing the community’s homeless and broader housing needs to allocate resources in a way that maximizes impacts and aligns with organizational roles and priorities, as articulated by the Mayors, Managers and Chairs Human Services and Housing Committee.
Town Support for the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness
The Towns of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County updated the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness in 2022. In line with the MOU, the Town of Chapel Hill has staff and Council representation on the Partnership to End Homelessness, with Councilmember Anderson serving as the Council’s representative. Based on the funding agreement outlined in the MOU, this fiscal year the Town is providing $96,000 to support three Partnership positions, the Homeless Programs Manager, the Housing Access Coordinator, and the Homeless Programs Coordinator. In addition, this year, the Town is providing $126,000 to the County to support four Street Outreach and Harm Reduction positions.
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Recommendation(s): |
That the Council receive the report and update.
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Attachments: |
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• Draft Partnership to End Homelessness Presentation |
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• 2022 Annual Report |
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• Homeless System Gaps Analysis |
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• Memorandum of Understanding - OCPEH |
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The Agenda will reflect the text below and/or the motion text will be used during the meeting. |
presenter
PRESENTER: Rachel Waltz, Manager, Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness
RECOMMENDATION: That the Council receive the report from the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness.