Council on Homelessness
Continuum of CareCommittee Call Minutes
Wednesday, February28, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.
PARTICIPANTS:
Erik Braun, Director
Zachary Summerlin, Deputy Director
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Amy Datz, DOC
Susan Pourciau, FL Housing Coalition
LEAD AGENCIES/OTHERS
Karen Hill, Marion County
Don Anderson, Pasco County
Jeannie Sutton, Lee County
John Eaton, Flagler Hospital
Brittany Coronado,Flagler Hospital
Ed DeMarco, Suncoast Partnership
Jennifer Lee, Suwannee Valley United Way
Cathy Jackson, Doing Good by Doing Well, LLC
Janet Bartow, Lee county
Kathleen Bente, Palm Beach & Broward
Angela Hogan, Gulf Coast Partnership
Dianna Moore, Opening Doors NWFL
Louise Hubbard, Treasure Coast CoC
Sarah Yelverton, Walton County
Yvonne Petrasovits, Doorways of NWFL
Barbara Wheeler, Mid FL Coalition
DISCUSSION:
- Discussion re: Tentative results from PIT counts – Susan Pourciau
Panhandle/NW area – Yvonne Petrasovits – went up approx. 75 people for first time homelessness. Increase up do to better efforts
Treasure Coast – Louise Hubbard – huge shift from streets to couch surfing/household sharing. Need to look at families affected by the hurricanes, technically cannot return to their homes – they are homeless.
Heartland – Cathy Jackson – couch surfing up 73%. Approx. 25% increase in people living on the streets. Seeing substantial decrease to householdsliving in cars with children.
Jennifer Lee – Lafayette & Suwannee – decrease in street count due to cold weather. Cold night shelter not opened the night of the count as weather was not cold enough.
Barbara Wheeler – will probably see increase in numbers because we’re getting into more camps and getting better numbers.
ACTION ITEM re: PIT Counts: Erik Braun – to draft a narrative re: the areas where there is an increase in numbers due to better effort, etc.
Angie Hogan – Re: hurricanes, more conversations needed re: FEMA and who has been put into hotels – they’ve been placed out of county. Looking for guidance from HUD to see if we can count them. Help Desk ticket placed with HUD.
ACTION ITEM – Susan Pourciau – will get guidance from HUD/FEMA re: those put in hotels due to hurricanes
- Call for stories or special initiatives and policy recommendations for Annual Report - Erik Braun
Will call for data at the end of April. Submit stories on utilizing Challenge Funding.
Send either to Coalition or to Erik Braun.
Susan Pourciau – request for photos, graphs and narrative. If anyone has HMIS system with good coverage, please let us know.
Erik Braun – The impact re: storms – questions re: homeless numbers – things that are impacting your numbers – please send these to our office. How are the systems working across the state?
Disaster Recovery – Puerto Rican evacuees –Get those numbers/percentages – these can be put into the Annual Report.
- FCH statute revision discussion – Susan Pourciau
Susan Pourciau will walk through revisions with the Council members at March 14 Council meeting in Tallahassee.
Erik Braun –Best way to get into Legislative packet is through our office for the 2019 session. Susan and I are prepping the Council re: the changes and at the next quarterly meeting in March will present to DCF for approval. Received draft in December.
ACTION ITEM: Erik will send out information re: Quarterly Council meeting to lead agencies
- 2018 Legislative update – Erik Braun
Bryan Cherry and the PinPoint Team went into a budget conference and will be giving a legislative update. Main issue: Staffing Grant is fully funded. Big issue is Senate and their budget proposals.
Susan Pourciau –FL C for the Homeless. Conference Call every Friday at 1:00pm
- Open discussion
Louise Hubbard – Are the new rules re: amendments getting approved?
Erik Braun – Amendments that need approval are in the Governor’s office now.
Cathy Jackson – Is there a timeline for re-bidding of unified contract?
Erik Braun – Brief overview of the 2019 Unified Contract process – there will be workshops. Issue solicitations next January. Extended discussion in October re: funding and allocating. Between March & July focusing on all getting funded. From July to October [FL Coalition for the Homeless conference] there will be extensive pre- workshops re: funding.
Adjourned at10:47 a.m.