Government White PP Assignment

Community Alliance for the Homeless (CAFTH) is a not-for-profit entity that provides planning, technical assistance, and service coordination to public and private agencies working to end homelessness in Memphis and Shelby County. The mission of CAFTH is to lead effective community practices to end homelessness in Memphis and Shelby County. CAFTH was formed in February 2010 from the merger of Partners for the Homeless (Partners) and the Greater Memphis Inter-Agency Coalition for the Homeless (GMICH). Partners, originally known as the Homeless Resource Coordinating Council, was established in 1995 and assumed responsibility in 1996 for preparing and submitting the local Continuum of Care (CoC) application process. GMICH was founded in 1988 as a community-wide collaborative of over 150 participants, including homeless service providers, public and private, and community and faith-based organizations. This collaborative became the Continuum of Care (CoC). The CoC is designed to assist individuals (including unaccompanied youth) and families experiencing homelessness and to provide the services needed to help such individuals move into permanent housing with the goal of long-term stability. More broadly, the CoC Program is designed to promote community-wide planning and strategic use of resources to address homelessness; improve coordination and integration with mainstream resources and other programs targeted at people experiencing homelessness; improve data collection and performance measurement, and allow each community to tailor its programs to the particular strengths and challenges in assisting homeless individuals and families within that community.

The work done following the creation of CAFTH as the Lead Agency has significantly changed how the community and the federal government view and address homelessness. The focus has shifted from providing homeless services to ending long-term homelessness and ensuring future homelessness is rare, brief, and one-time. Under their leadership, systems were developed, and tools and training were provided to allow service providers and funders to measure their outcomes. The community can measure progress toward the goal of ending homelessness. CAFTH endeavors to promote evidence-based practices, support local non-profits in the transition to more effective interventions, and increase the resources available to local organizations to implement these strategies.

As the Lead Agency, CAFTH is responsible for implementing and complying with the HEARTH Act, which is the federal requirements surrounding homelessness. These responsibilities include: operating the CoC, the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), and the Coordinated Entry System (CES). They serve as the Collaborative Applicant for the annual CoC Program Grant application to HUD and all other system-wide grant applications. They also evaluate programs and facilitate planning and policy development, ensuring the CoC meets all rules and regulations promulgated by HUD. CAFTH performs annual system-wide gap analysis and leads the annual Point-in-Time Count. They seek additional resources for the community and create valuable collaborations. They convene and staff the CoC Governing Council and all CoC committee meetings. They train in best practice models of service provision. In 2022, they hosted our first annual Symposium to End Homelessness. The Symposium was free to their partners and included Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Two hundred (200) community partners attended.

CAFTH programs are designed to ensure that our community meets the HUD requirements to maximize the funds CoC agencies receive to provide vital services to people experiencing homelessness. CAFTH’s programs are designed to operate the CoC system. CAFTH can develop community-wide programs, resources, and initiatives that a single homeless service provider could not. CAFTH's been a driving force in generating various resources that have tremendously impacted the changes and progress our community has made toward ending homelessness.

CAFTH facilitated the following community resources:

Received $76.6 million in HUD funding for local homeless service providers between 2009 – 2021; increased the annual HUD award from $5.1 million in 2009 to $9 million in 2022;

CAFTH formed a relationship with the Memphis Housing Authority (MHA) that resulted in the creation of additional Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), formerly Section 8. The vouchers included; HUD Family Unification Program (FUP) Housing Choice Vouchers for reunifying foster children and homeless youth aging out of foster care - HUD Non-Elderly Disabled (NED) HCVs for homeless individuals exiting congregate homeless programs. During the COVID epidemic, CAFTH & MHA secured 190 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV). All referrals for these vouchers came directly through CAFTH.

CAFTH developed and implemented the following initiatives: Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing model (HPRP) for families; Coordinated Entry System (CES); increased outreach to and assessment of the chronically homeless; use of the Housing First model and offering of Permanent Supportive Housing for those who are unable to live successfully without support. Developed partnerships and funding for wrap-around services for the most vulnerable homeless population; the 100,000 Homes initiative which has resulted in permanent supportive housing for over 150 men and women who had been living on the streets for many years; the shift to scattered site housing which allows homeless individuals and families to be integrated into many different communities; a much more accurate and meaningful annual Point in Time count; development and funding of several Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects to help homeless families and individuals secure market housing with decreasing financial and social support; a Federally funded demonstration project in partnership with Department of Children’s Services, the City of Memphis, University of Tennessee Health Services, and other non-profit providers to place families involved with the Child Welfare system and at risk of separation into permanent supportive housing where the children can be safe in their own families and the parents can heal; Project Homeless Connect, which brings together on one day under one roof a multitude of connections homeless persons need to work their way out of homelessness. CAFTH developed a close working relationship with Regional One’s One Health program, working with designated staff from the program to locate permanent supportive housing with services.

CAFTH applied for and received a community-wide $3.8 million two-year renewable grant to support youth ages 18-24. Currently, they are developing a youth-specific homeless service system that is youth-led. This approach has enabled them to understand that housing navigation was the most requested intervention for youth experiencing homelessness.

In addition to these programmatic accomplishments, CAFTH has been instrumental in providing numerous pieces of training on the Principles of Permanent Supportive Housing, Housing First, Trauma-Informed Care, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing/Stages of Change, Rapid Rehousing, and various assessments used in prioritizing persons for housing. The changes in how our community responds to homelessness and the progress they have made in reducing it would not have been impossible without access to this training.

CAFTH’s long-range plans focus on ending long-term homelessness and making future homelessness rare, brief, and one-time. An overarching goal is to enhance the organization's ability to serve the community in its efforts to eradicate homelessness.

They plan to continue to 1) implement the HUD-required duties and responsibilities of the CoC on behalf of the Memphis and Shelby County governments and community partners; 2) assist partners in their efforts to use evidence-based practices to end homelessness; 3) increase resources for community-wide efforts to end homeless; and 4) effectively lead the Homeless Consortium in the implementation of the goals and action steps described in the 901 Home Together Community-wide Strategic Plan. For the three years of 2023-2025, their goals are to 1) increase community resources for people experiencing homelessness, 2) improve participation in and analysis of homeless data, and 3) Expand the services and access points to include more mainstream partners, especially those that serve youth.

Number of Individuals Served

4,600

Programs

Community Alliance provides year-round community planning, technical assistance, performance and data management, and management of multi-partner initiatives for the Memphis/Shelby County Homeless Consortium. Their key programs, activities, and accomplishments include 1) community planning and process enhancements, 2) application for the annual Continuum of Care, 3) Coordinated Entry System, 4) implementation of the 901 Home Together Community-wide Strategic Plan, and 5) technical assistance and data management.

1) Community Planning: CAFTH is designated by the CoC Governing Council and Memphis and Shelby County governments to serve as the Lead Agency and planning entity for homeless services. The landscape and evidence for effective interventions to end homelessness have changed dramatically since 2002. Beginning in 2011, CAFTH led a transformation into a new community process governing the year-round planning and funding activities that impact homelessness. They created a new Homeless Consortium, a primary decision-making body known as the Governing Council, bylaws including an election process for officers, and five functioning committees that meet regularly to identify service gaps and strategize to address these gaps. This created a heightened level of transparency, shared decision-making, and ownership of the community’s response to homelessness that did not previously exist. From a programmatic perspective, CAFTH has led multi-agency partnership efforts that redefine how they serve homeless families and chronically homeless individuals in our community. Beginning with the 2009 redesign of family homelessness programs, the 100,000 Homes/Memphis100 Campaign to identify and prioritize the most vulnerable individuals for permanent supportive housing, the Memphis Strong Families Initiative, the coordinated assessment online tool, and most recently, the Coordinated Entry System. They bring together the best practices from around the nation and create Memphis-specific solutions that make a crucial difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness.

2) Successful CoC application: A primary responsibility of the Alliance is the submission of the community's annual CoC funding application. CAFTH, and its predecessor organization, Partners for the Homeless, have served as the Lead agency for the CoC since 1996. Since 2009, CAFTH has worked with partners in the community to compete for and secure over $76.6 million in HUD funding for local homeless service providers. The funding for the CoC in Memphis and Shelby County has grown from $5.1 million in 2009 to more than $9 million in 2022. This significant funding growth measures the organization's effectiveness in community planning and performance management. Their work has positioned the community in the best possible way to compete for funding.

3) Coordinated Entry System: CES is the mainstream homeless crisis response system within Memphis/Shelby County that allows people experiencing homelessness to swiftly and efficiently access services and housing. The CES is designed to ensure that the systemic response to homelessness is well coordinated, well-managed, inclusive, transparent, easily accessible 24/7, achieves positive outcomes, quickly houses all people experiencing homelessness without preconditions, and ensures that people are housed remain housed. CAFTH oversees and mandates that the city-wide crisis response meets the above characteristics while focusing on consumer-driven strategies to make the process fair, equal, and accessible to all. All programs receiving HUD funding are required to participate in the CES. All housing and service referrals to HUD-funded programs must come from the CES. Programs are not allowed to accept participants from another source. If HUD programs aren't meeting the performance standards, participants suffer, and our community risks losing valuable HUD dollars. Therefore, CAFTH is not only implementing HUD policies and procedures but providing assistance to safeguard the housing funding stream.

4) Technical Assistance and Data Management: They partner with some top national consultants to provide technical assistance to Memphis to improve the community performance. Training has played a significant role in the attitude shift and providers' skills, which resulted in the implementation of the Housing First model. Most recently, they've received technical assistance from HUD to support the community in developing a comprehensive plan to provide services for youth 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness. The aid has been critical in improving overall service provision and reducing homelessness. They administer the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for the Memphis/Shelby County area. Their HMIS Department provides intensive technical assistance to homeless services providers to assist them in evaluating their programs. The work done by CAFTH in the area of data management has had a significant impact on improving the quality of services and positioning Memphis as a high-performing community.

5) Implementation of the Strategic Plan: Since 2011, CAFTH has been designated as the official entity responsible for implementing the Mayors’ Action Plan to End Homelessness. They recently created a new plan, 901 Home Together Community-wide Strategic Plan. They have focused on developing strategies and policy approaches to help us achieve the plan's goals.