The Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs (ICCHP) is an advisory group created to advise the Governor and the Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on issues affecting persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The ICCHP's 2012 annual report, "A Status Report on Homelessness in North Carolina: Where We Are and Where We're Going," is available to read here.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness published a summary and analysis of the changes to the definition of homelessness under the HEARTH Act. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the final regulation on December 5, which went into effect on January 4. The brief highlights the changes to the definition compared to both the previous regulation and the draft changes proposed by HUD in April 2010. The brief includes a table summarizing the changes to various categories of homelessness. It also outlines the decisions that communities and individual programs will have to make as a result of these changes. Click here to download the summary or read it on the NAEH website.
This paper, written by students at the UNC School of Public Health, addresses the perceived need for respite care in Durham and reviews respite programs in other communities that could serve as models. Click here to download the report.
The Corporation for Supportive Housing has published "Housing Credit Policies in 2009 that Promote Permanent Supportive Housing". The report provides a synopsis of 2009 Low Income Housing Tax Credit Qualified Allocation Plans (QAP) and describes the strategies used in different states to support the creation of supportive housing within the QAP – such as scoring incentives, set-asides and the use of thresholds. Tax credits have been an important source of capital financing for permanent supportive housing projects (PSH) for some time and the report describes how an increasing number of Housing Credit Agencies are also now using them to promote a diverse array of supportive housing models. These models range from projects with 100% of units dedicated for PSH, to projects with only a small proportion of units (10%) dedicated for supportive housing. Click here to read the full report.
This report provides an assessment of the cost effectiveness of supportive housing provided by the Lennox Chase development in Wake County. Lennox Chase is a Low Income Housing Tax Credit housing complex for individuals with low incomes, many of whom were formerly homeless. The complex was developed by DHIC. The development provides 36 efficiency apartments, each with a kitchen, bath, bedroom, and living area. Each apartment is designed for single room occupancy. All residents pay rent which is based on the individual’s income. The complex opened in 2003. This analysis identifies a number of potential benefits of supportive housing. One benefit is stability. More than half of the residents interviewed have been living in the complex for more than three years. Case management and crisis management services are provided by an onsite social worker. Read the full …
In March, 2008, Uptown Shelter Director and NCCEH Board member Carson Dean sent a survey to 136 homeless shelters across North Carolina. The goal was to gain some collective insight regarding the challenges service providers were facing with discharges from mental health facilities, medical hospitals, and prisons. For the purpose of this survey, the term “shelter” meant any emergency, transitional, or day shelter. In return for their candor, those surveyed were assured that they would not be identified, thus there is no list naming the shelters participating in this survey. This report does identify the communities (city/county) representing survey responses received. For participating in the survey, providers were offered nothing in return except receipt of the final report. Read the final report, "Discharge Planning Challenges Facing North Carolina's Homeless Shelter Providers," here.
Transformation of the North Carolina public mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse services (MH/DD/SAS) system benefits from, and requires, collaboration at both state and local levels. This annual report identifies some of the most successful collaborative approaches and accomplishments undertaken during state fiscal year 2006 from July 1, 2005 to June 30, 2006.
A recurrent theme in many state and local plans to end homelessness is an acknowledgment that increased focus on the housing needs of ex-offenders is required if community goals are to be met. Data in this report shows that 7% of those entering a correctional facility in NC meet the definition of homeless, while 23% of those exiting the system report that they will exit into federally defined homelessness. Implications and the need for future research are addressed. Read the pdf article here.
The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services is charged with examining, on a continual basis, the system-wide issues affecting the development, financing, administration, and delivery of mental health, developmental disabilities, and substance abuse services, including issues related to governance, accountability and quality of services. Their 2007 report includes an assessment of the current system and recommendations for improvements. View the committee's 2007 Report to the General Assembly