At our May Community Meeting, Homes for Families honored mother figures and recognized the layered health challenges faced by the many mother-led families within the EA system. Mental and emotional health and well being is an important aspect of health for any mother whether in shelter or not. Being a mom, and a new mom especially, can be utterly exhausting and is a lot of work. This, coupled with even the most supportive of shelter settings, is going to have its added challenges.
It’s not surprising that the majority of parents within EA say that their stress level increased since entering EA shelter (see image below). For a link to the full report that this data point came from click here.
Our network of programs, families and allies all want families and moms to succeed. We want to create the supports mothers need to be emotionally and physically well. EA shelters provide an incredibly vital service and staff and families work hard every day to foster stability and opportunity. However, practices and policies can get in the way. Participants at community meeting named a number of punitive and unhelpful practices that hinder rather than facilitate moms’ success. Lack of flexibility around: chores where a pregnant woman can be required to mop floors in the late evening; not being able to leave your children unattended; and lack of access to transportation to get to and from appointments, for the parent, are just some examples.
There is opportunity to assess how policies and practices can be implemented through a more trauma informed and whole-family lens and for seeing each child’s success as inextricably tied to their primary caretaker’s ability to get their emotional, mental and physical needs met. Given that families experiencing homelessness are disproportionately people of color, we must continue to acknowledge and dismantle structures that systematically disadvantage people of color, women, and families with low incomes. As one Community Meeting participant said: “If middle class white people were subjected to this [unreasonable policies], they would have changed a long time ago.”
If you want to take action right now towards improving the policies that impact families in shelter, check out our most recent state budget-related blog post!
At Community Meeting, we began with notes to our mother-figures and so we will end here with some of those beautiful messages:
“If the providers understand the family’s perspective on things, they are better able to help, are more sympathetic, and the family’s needs can be better met.”
— Homes for Families Consumer Advocacy Team (CAT) Member, 2017
In September of 2017, HFF released a full report on Family Experiences of Homelessness in Massachusetts. We are continuing to explore and build off of the survey data used in that report, and one way we are doing this is with this blog series, a continuation of the “Putting Survey Data Into Practice” document released in January. The series incorporates the perspectives of families and providers in relation to key data points, and works towards solutions for families and family-centered care.
Stay tuned every Monday in April at 10am for a new (coffee break) installment of this blog series!
Housing & Homelessness History
Important points from the survey results (page numbers correspond to the full report):
We wanted to hear from families! What would be some of the best approaches to address trends in housing and homelessness history for families experiencing homelessness? The HFF Consumer Advocacy Team (CATs) shared their reflections, summarized here:
Where do we need to focus our attention to prevent homelessness and better understand multi-generational cycles?
Focus on families that are struggling with domestic violence (DV).
Improve access to the necessities for housing stability and economic stability (affordable housing; access to jobs; access to child care; education, etc.).
Effective and sustained stabilization services are essential to prevent homelessness, as well as to prevent multi-generational cycles of housing instability and homelessness. This should include supports for emotional and medical stability.
“If the providers understand the family’s perspective on things, they are better able to help, are more sympathetic, and the family’s needs can be better met.”
— Homes for Families Consumer Advocacy Team (CAT) Member, 2017
In September of 2017, HFF released a full report on Family Experiences of Homelessness in Massachusetts. We are continuing to explore and build off of the survey data used in that report, and one way we are doing this is with this blog series, a continuation of the “Putting Survey Data Into Practice” document released in January. The series incorporates the perspectives of families and providers in relation to key data points, and works towards solutions for families and family-centered care.
Stay tuned every Monday in April at 10am for a new (coffee break) installment of this blog series!
Demographics
Important points from the survey results (page numbers correspond to the full report):
We wanted to hear from families! What would be some of the best approaches to recognize and address the needs of families who identify as LGBT? The HFF Consumer Advocacy Team (CATs) shared their reflections, summarized here:
Are we doing enough to support the LGBT population?
As a community, there is not enough being done to support the LGBT population of families experiencing homelessness.
There is a lack of understanding in what needs to be done to better support LGBT families, and the compounded challenges they may face.
More training around supporting LGBT families and removing judgement are important steps in the right direction.
“If the providers understand the family’s perspective on things, they are better able to help, are more sympathetic, and the family’s needs can be better met.”
— Homes for Families Consumer Advocacy Team (CAT) Member, 2017
In September of 2017, HFF released a full report on Family Experiences of Homelessness in Massachusetts. We are continuing to explore and build off of the survey data used in that report, and one way we are doing this is with this blog series, a continuation of the “Putting Survey Data Into Practice” document released in January. The series incorporates the perspectives of families and providers in relation to key data points, and works towards solutions for families and family-centered care.
Stay tuned every Monday in April at 10am for a new (coffee break) installment of this blog series!
Community Connections
Important points from the survey results (page numbers correspond to the full report):
Families in congregate shelter were less likely to feel shelter staff helped them become aware of community resources (p. 18)
We wanted to hear from families! What would be some of the best approaches to support and facilitate community connections for families experiencing homelessness? The HFF Consumer Advocacy Team (CATs) shared their reflections, summarized here:
How can organizations support well-connected relationships between families and community resources?
Keep in contact with families.
Maintain awareness of existing, new, and changing community resources and share this information with families.
Actively work to engage families in a community that may not be their own, recognizing and supporting the challenges that come with being in a neighborhood other than one’s own.
Understanding families’ needs on a personal level and maintaining contact for as long as necessary to support community connections.
“If the providers understand the family’s perspective on things, they are better able to help, are more sympathetic, and the family’s needs can be better met.”
— Homes for Families Consumer Advocacy Team (CAT) Member, 2017
In September of 2017, HFF released a full report on Family Experiences of Homelessness in Massachusetts. We are continuing to explore and build off of the survey data used in that report, and one way we are doing this is with this blog series, a continuation of the “Putting Survey Data Into Practice” document released in January. The series incorporates the perspectives of families and providers in relation to key data points, and works towards solutions for families and family-centered care.
Stay tuned every Monday in April at 10am for a new (coffee break) installment of this blog series!
Children
Important points from the survey results (page numbers correspond to the full report):
1 in 4 families surveyed indicated that they had additional children not with them in shelter (p. 10)
Nearly a third of families with school-aged children switched schools at least once (p. 16)
We wanted to hear from families! What would be some of the best approaches to address children’s needs and support the whole family while experiencing homelessness? The HFF Consumer Advocacy Team (CATs) shared their reflections, summarized here:
How can we better support family re-unification and serving the needs of the whole family?
Connect families with the resources they need, working to thoroughly identify needs across the whole family.
Increase support teams who will listen to the needs of families and help prepare families for re-unification.
Provide stabilization and support systems that work for the whole family.
How can we better address issues related to children switching schools?
Having focus groups with parents to further explore the issue.
Minimize the need for switching schools (placing families nearby children’s prior schools, providing transportation, etc.)
Ensure proper support systems that recognize the effects that switching schools may have on the whole family.
Where can we do better by children and families by making needed supports for children truly accessible, while keeping families intact?
More personalized understanding of a family’s whole situation, deeper than what shows up “on paper.”
Ensure that when families identify needs, connections are made toward the proper resources.
Support families’ needs early on, before separation occurs.
“If the providers understand the family’s perspective on things, they are better able to help, are more sympathetic, and the family’s needs can be better met.”
— Homes for Families Consumer Advocacy Team (CAT) Member, 2017
In September of 2017, HFF released a full report on Family Experiences of Homelessness in Massachusetts. We are continuing to explore and build off of the survey data used in that report, and one way we are doing this is with this blog series, a continuation of the “Putting Survey Data Into Practice” document released in January. The series incorporates the perspectives of families and providers in relation to key data points, and works towards solutions for families and family-centered care.
Health & Wellness
Important points from the survey results:
Mental health is captured as a contributing cause of homelessness
A high percentage of parents reported their health and stress got worse after entering shelter.
We wanted to hear from families! What would be some of the best approaches to address families’ health and wellness needs while experiencing homelessness? The HFF Consumer Advocacy Team (CATs) shared their reflections, summarized here:
How can programs move toward addressing clinical needs?
Assessments—identify mental health needs and provide early support before homelessness, or challenges following homelessness, occur.
Front-door assessments are an opportunity to identify whether or not mental health may have been a contributing cause to a family’s displacement, and providing supports early on if they are necessary.
Provide childcare to families—some are unable to receive proper care without it.
How can serving mental and emotional health needs be built into practice?
Recognize the different practical needs that families face compared to individuals—families should not have to choose between their health and their children.
Trauma-informed care, a better understanding of the health issues associated with families being displaced; providers should have easy access to training, resources, and connections to health centers.
How can we create a system that allows for greater flexibility and more specialization of services?
Find support early on, and do so through intake assessments to avoid making assumptions about a family’s specific needs.
Staff training in specialty areas that address the different challenges families may face (domestic violence, substance abuse, etc.).
We are excited to release our Scattered Site Brief, a report presenting promising practices and policy recommendations around this Emergency Shelter Assistance (EA) model. We created the brief in partnership with EA providers. It includes family voice and a variety of types of data from providers. Note there is a tool in the Appendix meant to facilitate provider assessment of their practices in relation to recommendations in the report.
We welcome reactions, comments and feedback on the brief, as well as experiences and ideas from families and staff relative to the scattered sites.
Massachusetts is home to the country’s only statewide shelter system with a legal mandate to provide immediate shelter to all families who meet the strict eligibility criteria. TheEmergency Assistance (EA) shelter program is administered by the Department of Housing and Community Development funded by state dollars and includes 52 distinct non-profit shelter providers. Homes for Familiesis dedicated to learning from the experiences and perspectives of families overcoming homelessness and family shelter community. As a part of that work, we embarked on a three year research project funded by the Oak Foundation. The research intended to look at the role and components of assessment, the range of shelter programs in Massachusetts, the experiences of families in EA shelters, and national trends and research to inform the next steps address homelessness in the Commonwealth.
Our research took place from 2014 to 2017. During this period, there were increases to the level of services in motels; an expansion of contracted shelter beds, the development of the co-shelter model; the restructuring and expansion of diversion practices; and increases to the benefit level of the HomeBASE program, and an increase in prevention funding and investments in the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. According to statistics from the Department of Housing and Community Development from January 2014 through June 2017:
the average daily caseload during this time period was reduced from 4,458 to 3,545, a decline of 20%
the motel caseload declined by 98% from 2,098 families to 46
the number of contracted shelter beds increased from 2,018 units in September 2013 to 3,682 in June of 2017, a total of 1,644 units were added, an increase of 82%
the diversion rate increased from 5% to 21%
9,140 families in shelters and motels were re-housed with the HomeBASE resource
15,484 families received prevention assistance through the RAFT program
Over 1,700 families in shelters and motels were re-housed with vouchers through the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program
As the numbers and graph clearly indicate this was a period of tremendous progress in addressing family homelessness, especially when family homelessness in other high cost cities continues to rise (e.g. New York City, Washington, DC). At the same time the system is still serving more than double the number of families since before the Great Recession, about half of the families that apply for shelter do not meet the eligibility criteria, and thousands more families are facing housing instability. It is imperative that the system continues to evolve to address the structural causes and individual instances of homelessness.
Our research provides a pathway forward through a series of 4 reports. Each paper examines the ongoing crisis of family homelessness through a distinct lens; however, there are clear themes shared across the series. Common themes across the four papers include:
Structural Gaps: We must address the structural issues that have created this crisis, namely the shortage of housing and the widening gap between wages and rent. We know that housing is the foundation to stability and services and opportunities can create a pathway to success.
Children: There must be a greater focus on children. The safety and developmental needs of children must be an integral and core component of all policies, programs, and systems addressing the needs of families without homes.
Assessment: There must be an improved focus on conducting comprehensive, family-centered, and trauma-informed assessments. The pathway to stability and improved well-being for parents and their children begins with a solid assessment. Strengths must be identified and risks assessed, and reliable and valid measures used to effectively target service resources.
Data: Evidence based solutions are driven by data; data is key to driving policy decisions. To craft and implement policies that will make a real difference in the lives of families experiencing homelessness, it must be accurate, reflect their voices, and capture the full range of their experiences- from shelter through stabilization. In research, practice, or policy, family input and data are required for effective outcomes.
The first paper in the series was released in March of 2015.Assessment of Families Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Practitioners and Policymakers takes a step back to look at what is meant by the term “assessment” and walks through tips and strategies for a meaningful assessment process. The paper highlights the critical need to include children in the assessment process and the imperative to use the data to steer policy decisions.
The second paper was released in June 2015, The Family Shelter System in Massachusetts: A snapshot of program models, service needs, promising practices, and challenges gives a general overview of the shelter programs across Massachusetts, with sections on system and family demographics, needs identified by providers and promising practices. This paper makes both programmatic and systemic recommendations, including issues around safety and program flexibility, a stronger focus on data and assessment, addressing generational poverty, cliff effects, and increasing coordination with community resources.
We are pleased to release the final two papers:
The third in the series, Family Experiences of Homelessness in Massachusetts: The Case for Family Centered Care highlights key data from a survey we administered with families in the Emergency Assistance (EA) program. The survey was developed with the guidance of the Consumer Advocacy Team (CAT), a group of parents who have experienced homelessness and severe housing instability and that are full partners in our work. Using a Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, a total of 117 parents were surveyed in the Springfield and Boston areas in motels, congregate scattered sites, and co-shelters. This paper provides a glimpse into families’ experiences within the shelter system and other systems of care and makes the case for family centered care as a model to best align family needs with service delivery. Click here the summary of the data.
The final and fourth paper in the series, Evidence Based Stabilization:A Solution to Reduce Family Homelessness inMassachusettsreviews national research about families experiencing homelessness and evidence based practices across the country. The paper concludes by recommending an assessment and evidence based stabilization model be implemented across the Commonwealth.
We would like to that the authors and researchers, Dr. Carmela J. DeCandia of Artemis Associates LLC and Marvin So, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; the Department of Housing and Community Development and shelter providers for their assistance in this project; and the staff, interns, and consultants who provided great support and leadership. We give special thanks to the Consumer Advocacy Team, and to all the families that participated in the survey and ongoing work of Homes for Families.
We look forward to our continued work to ensure the voices and viewpoints of families and shelter providers are heard and understood. We must couple those efforts with data to drive positive systems change and solutions. We welcome your reactions, ideas and feedback.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives have finalized their budget proposal, and now it is the Senate’s turn. The Senate Committee on Ways and Means, lead by Chairwoman Karen Spilka, will be releasing their proposal on Tuesday, May 17th. Amendments will be due on Thursday May, 19th. Debates will begin on Tuesday, May 24th.
We are not certain about what will be in the budget; and therefor what amendments may or may not be needed, but we do know that Senate President Stan Rosenberg is focused on “Kids First”. And we also know that Chairwoman Spilka has been a strong advocate on issues of housing, prevention and access to shelter, as evident in this video.
The Senate also established a Special Senate Committee on Housing which started meeting in April of 2015 and issued a report in March of 2016. The report may offer some insight as to what will be in the Senate Budget proposal:
And we also know that revenues have been low, and that there are multiple priorities for the elected officials and people of the Commonwealth. Your voice will be important as Senators work through the budget process. If you want to look up your State Senator and their contact information, click here, and get ready to advocate! Let #OurVoice be heard!
Homes for Families is part of the On Solid Ground Coalition, which partners with families who have experienced homelessness and includes advocacy groups and other organizations from across distinct sectors such as housing, workforce development, domestic violence, child care, health care and public health, and prevention. The coalition believes that focusing on housing and economic stability, instead of the short-term goal of reducing shelter numbers, thousands of families will avoid the need for shelter, and families in shelter will be less likely to re-enter in the future.
A primary recommendation of the coalition is Systems Change:to build a coordinated service delivery system across government departments. The coordinated system will support homelessness prevention, minimize cliff effects, and provide integrated case management services.
The coalition’s white paper, released in February of 2015, called for the appointment of a Special Secretary. A Bill was filed, by Representative Rushing, to establish this short term position to oversee the Commonwealth’s programs, policies and initiatives relative to homelessness.
The Governor has appointed an Executive Director of an Interagency Council on Homelessness which could serve some of the functions that we envisioned for the Special Secretary. The Coalition has worked to redraft the language of Bill H.2812 to establish a Memorandum of Understanding across Government agencies. This MOU would establish monthly meetings, a mechanism for community input, and reporting requirements.
Thank you for the opportunity to present testimony in support of Bill H. 2812, An Act Establishing a Special Secretary to Reduce and Prevent Homelessness and Increase Economic Mobility. My name is Libby Hayes, Executive Director of Homes for Families. We are a membership organization of family shelter providers dedicated to the inclusion and leadership of families overcoming homelessness.
Family homelessness is simultaneously the most simple and the most complex social injustice facing the nation. Wages have simply not kept pace with rent; we simply don’t have an adequate supply of housing; too many jobs in the Commonwealth simply do not pay enough.
Homelessness is also complex, as the root causes of those dynamics are entrenched in racism, sexism, and NiMBYism. Complex as it involves our tax structure, banks and corporations, the job market, health and social services and education systems. Complex because we are talking about families and about children, and about individual, organizational and societal responsibility, accountability, and limitations.
While the Department of Housing and Community Development is charged with providing shelter, their ability to solve the crisis is contingent on all state agencies. This bill — and the redrafted language we are proposing to establish a Memorandum of Understanding between state agencies and reporting mandates — would provide a blueprint to prevent the inefficiencies and counter-productive policies which have impeded our collective progress.
A greater focus on the intersections and accountabilities across state agencies would address the following:
The need for cross training and collaboration: staff at one state agency may not know the eligibility criteria, rules, and protocols of another, creating confusion and mixed messages; duplicative services and unaligned service plans.
Policy decisions are made to reduce costs in one department or program but lead to exorbitant cost for another. For example, restricting access to family shelter has forced families to turn to Emergency Rooms for safety. While DHCD may be saving $80 for a motel room that night, MassHealth will be charged at an even higher rate.
Success is defined in a vacuum and may not equate success for a family or for the Commonwealth. Take the mom who was granted a short term subsidy through a pilot program, and when it expired; she was so intent on not going back to shelter; she committed crimes for rent money. She was caught and incarcerated; her daughter to foster care. Yet, for purposes of the pilot, she is counted as a success because she did not return to shelter.
Progress in one area can result in negative consequences in another. For example, eventual increases to the minimum wage will create another cliff for families trying to access benefits and shelter.
Resources are allocated based on definition and arbitrary criteria instead of need; for example families in domestic violence and substance abuse shelters cannot access HomeBASE or some child care resources because they are the wrong kind of homeless.
The focus is managing the short term or immediate crisis not on long term prevention. A more preventative focused system would consider predictors of homelessness such as: dropping out of high school, aging out of foster care, incarcerations, chronic medical needs and include those systems in discussions and initiatives to address homelessness
Each state agency is required to balance their budget and operate programs under their distinct set of regulations. However, we see every day, the resulting inefficiencies, service gaps, and costs this creates. This bill would require state agencies to work together in a new ways to simplify a complicated system and support families to be on solid ground.
Thank you for your consideration of this testimony.
Homes for Families: Opening Doors 