Chat One

"Helping Chronically Homeless Individuals Access and Stabilize in Housing"

Thursday, May 15 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Increasingly, communities and programs are adopting a Housing First approach to respond to homelessness. By helping individuals and families move rapidly into housing and providing services on a voluntary basis primarily following the placement into housing, communities are stabilizing the lives of individuals with mental illnesses who have experienced chronic homelessness and reducing the number of families residing in shelter.  

Some people who experience homelessness remain in shelters or outdoors for years at a time or have recurrent episodes of homelessness.  Typically, these individuals have mental health or substance use disorders and often are in poor health.  Sam Tsemberis, with Pathways to Housing, helps people with mental illness move straight from the streets to apartments. Once the individuals are in stable housing, services are offered to make progress toward recovery and self sufficiency. The panelists will describe how to implement a Housing First approach, including the types of funding that can be used, challenges in working with private sector landlords, and the remarkable impact Housing First is having on communities and the lives of individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness.

Panelists

Sam Tsemberis, Executive Director, Pathways to Housing, New York City, NY
Arturo Bendixen, Vice President, Programs and Partnerships
Norm Suchar, Senior Policy Analyst, National Alliance to End Homelessness, Washington, DC (Moderator)

To join the online chat

KnowledgePlex Expert Chats are free to attend and use Microsoft's Live Meeting Software, a small and free program you must first install. Simply click on the Attendee URL (below) and follow the prompts to install Live Meeting. (For more instructions on the installation, click here). While you can install Live Meeting at any time, we recommend you do so at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the chat. Please note - while you may install the software at any time, you will not be allowed into the chat room until 30 minutes before chat time.You may listen to the chat through your computer or by dialing into a conference call.

To join the chat, click or cut and paste this URL into your browser:

https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/fanniemaefoundationseminars/join?id=HousingFirst&role=attend

To listen via phone, dial 641-715-3828 and use this access code: 8360630#

The opinions expressed in this event are those of the participants and do not necessarily represent the views of KnowledgePlex staff, its officers or directors.

 Chat Two

"Rapidly Re-housing Families Who Experience Homelessness"

Thursday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Rapid re-housing programs minimize the time families experience homelessness by providing short and long term rental assistance, housing search and placement assistance and home-based case management.  The focus is on help families return to housing and their communities more quickly, reducing the strain on the shelter system.  The panelists will describe the transformation of homeless shelter programs to ones that help families move into housing quickly. They will discuss the skills and staffing that a program needs to acquire, funding challenges, as well the broader impact on communities that adopt a Housing First approach.

Panelists

Britt Shawver, Housing Opportunities for Women, Chicago, IL

Marge Wherely, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN
Sharon McDonald, National Alliance to End Homelessness (moderator)

More information on joining this chat will be posted soon.