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8A SWS UpdateSEVERE WEATHER SHELTERING 1 City Council| Jan. 15, 2019 Agenda Background on Severe Weather Sheltering (SWS) and Homeless Solutions for Boulder County Considerations for expanding SWS Boulder County Cares and helping people reluctant to use services Next steps and staff recommendation 2 Severe Weather Shelter Background •Supplemental to 210 shelter beds available nightly year-round •72 Beds activated when weather conditions are met: –National Weather Service (NWS) warning/watch for winter storms; or –NWS predicts a temperature of 32°Fahrenheit or below; or –NWS predicts a temperature of 38°Fahrenheit or below with precipitation 3 System context •Daily access to reserved and walk-up shelter and support •Change focus from emergency services cycling to housing •Housing = primary evidence-based intervention •Outcomes oriented, data informed •Over 400 people successfully exited4 New Housing Resources # New Resources Resource Description Partners 11 City of Boulder Permanent Supportive Housing Vouchers City of Boulder, Boulder Shelter, BHP 7 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Vouchers Boulder County Housing Authority 28 Housing Choice Vouchers for under age 62 and disabled BHP, Boulder Shelter 20 State funding to convert units to Perm. Support. Housing Boulder County, Boulder Shelter, Inn Between, MHP 70 Units of proposed supportive housing over next 3 years City of Boulder working with developers of new housing 6 Master lease program for subsidized rent for Ready to Work graduates Bridge House, Congregation Har- Hashem Housing support 5-year, $2.4M Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Grant for supportive services for people exiting to housing Boulder County, MHP 5-7 BHP set-aside of 1 out of every 3 new vacancies at 3 properties Boulder Housing Partners 5 Housing and Reunification Exits since System Adoption 6 Housing Exits in Boulder County Considerations for Opening SWS every night Shelter utilization patterns Likelihood of intended safety improvement Potential unintended consequences Timeframe and cost options for additional shelter nights 7 Shelter utilization patterns Median nights SWS used per person last season = 2 Average empty beds nightly this season Path to Home Nav = 11 Housing-focused Shelter = 5 SWS = 19 8 9 10 •Historical data does not suggest life safety benefit to SWS every night •Cause of death suggests housing as best approach to life safety Life Safety Goals 11 Source: Boulder County Coroner’s Office 12 Source: Boulder County Coroner’s Office Potential Unintended Consequences 13 •May prevent people from engaging in life-saving housing programs •Return to shelter-focused system limits housing results •Lower criteria than surrounding communities may increase migration to Boulder 14 10060 80 110 140 170 225 348 944 2513 2006 1256 1963 180 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 TurnawaysAttendanceHistorical Trends in Shelter Attendance and Turn-Aways New SWS Capacity BOHO Attendance Boulder Shelter Turn-Aways Severe Weather Shelter –Regional Guidelines 15 Warming Center/Shelter Location Weather Condition to Open Boulder SWS Boulder 32°F without precipitation 38°F or lower with precipitation HOPE (Prior to new system)Longmont 25 °F without precipitation 32°F when at least 1 inch of precipitation predicted Extreme Winter Weather Shelter Fort Collins 0°F, severe winter weather warning, or severe wind chill warning Severe Weather Shelter Network Metro Denver Suburbs 20 °F without precipitation 32°F with precipitation New Genesis Cold Weather Shelter Denver 32°F 15 •This season: additional 3 nights and $2K •Next season: additional 6 nights and $4K Dec. 1- Feb. 28 •This season: Additional 31 days and $21K •Next season: Additional 59 days and $40K Oct. 1- Apr. 30 16 Scenarios for SWS expansion Boulder County Cares Background 17 •Program began in late 1990s •BSH volunteers drove around, handed out cold weather gear •Originally 7 nights/week, became 3/nights week during ‘17 -18, additional capacity used for Coordinated Entry outreach pilot Why was Boulder County Cares Discontinued? 18 •Ineffective way to distribute gear –consolidated with existing Deacon’s Closet program •Significant additional shelter, outreach programs developed •Safety concerns Helping people reluctant to use services 19 •Challenge historically in Boulder and all communities •Nationally, most chronically homeless also unsheltered •Great work by Muni Court Navigator and HOT Team •New system helps through increased pathways to housing •Ongoing work for HSBC to increase engagement –Year 1 assessment Next Steps and Staff Recommendations 20 •HSBC 1-Year System Review in progress, at Council Mar. 19 •Recommend holding SWS decisions until review complete •SWS expansion not recommended •Any expansion of shelter funding should be matched with greater expansion of housing funding (5-1) QUESTIONS? 21