CITY DECLARED THE CURRENT HOMELESS CRISIS AS A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY. WITH THAT ALSO CAME PLANS TO START IDENTIFYING PARCELS OF LAND AND EXISTING PROPERTY THAT CAN BE FLIPPED TO CREATE MORE SHELTERS AND LONG TERM TRANSITIONAL HOUSING COUNCIL MEMBERS SAY THERE ARE MORE THAN A DOZEN OPTIONS RIGHT NOW. THOSE SAME COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ALSO TAKING NOTICE FROM OTHER CITIES TO SEE HOW THEY ARE ADDRESSING SIMILAR ISSUES. CHRONICLE TRAVELED MORE THAN 1500 MILES TO THE PLACES PITTSBURGH IS KEEPING AN EYE ON TO SEE FOR OURSELVES WHAT OFFICIALS THERE ARE DOING. REPORTER SHELDON INGRAM STARTED HIS JOURNEY IN HOUSTON, TEXAS, WHERE THE PRIMARY FOCUS IS ON PERMANENT HOUSING. SON RISE OVER HOUSTON. 6.7 MILLION RESIDENTS GIVE YOU 100. COULD GIVE YOU $100 OF MY MONEY. JESSE’S COLLEGE OF HOLLYWOOD KNOWLEDGE. WE’LL GET TO THAT IN 740 THIS MORNING HERE ON MIX. BUT NOT EVERY MORNING IS SUNNY FOR SOME PEOPLE. THEY AWAKE FROM CONCRETE BEDS, THE CITY SIDEWALKS, BUT PUTTING THEM IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IS THE MISSION OF THE HOUSTON COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS. THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT TO ME IS THE INDIVIDUALS MOST LIKELY TO DIE. THE COALITION IS LED BY CEO AND PRESIDENT MIKE NICHOLS. SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, MEANING A REAL UNIT WITH A LOCK AND A KEY AND AN AIR CONDITIONER AND A HEATER AND A KITCHEN, A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN STAY LONG AFTER THEY GET OVER THE TRAUMA OF HOMELESSNESS. THIS IS ACHIEVED WITH A PROGRAM CALLED THE WAY HOME. MORE THAN 100 ORGANIZATIONS PENS MAKE IT WORK UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE COALITION. THE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, SOCIAL SERVICES, PHILANTHROPISTS AND FEDERAL GRANTS ARE FOCUSED ON ONE STRATEGY. AND THAT STRATEGY WAS HOUSING THE MOST VULNERABLE INDIVIDUALS IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. NICHOLS SAYS THIS STRATEGY HAS PUT 28,000 PEOPLE IN PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING DURING THE PAST 12 YEARS, PUTTING THE POLICE CAR. WE FOUND TWO OF THEM. DARREL BOUDREAU DO YOU GET TIRED OF IT? AND KENNY DELCAMBRE, WHO SAYS HE NOW LIVES IN A HOUSE, THREE BEDROOMS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MEET SOME REAL GOOD PEOPLE. I GOT A ROOF OVER MY HEAD AND IN THE WAY HOME WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ME GETTING IT, REALLY, BECAUSE CAUSE I DID THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED IN OUR MEETINGS AND OUR CLASSES. YEAH. OKAY, HERE’S HOW IT WORKS. IT STARTS ON THE STREETS WITH ENCAMPMENT OUTREACH TEAMS. WE COULDN’T GET HIM INTO HOUSING. AND WHEN I FOUND HIM AGAIN, I WAS LIKE, WHAT HAPPENED? AND HE SAID THAT HE HAD TO CHECK INTO THE HOSPITAL AND HE WAS. THIS AREA IS CALLED 610 SOUTHWEST. SO WHAT WE TRY TO DO IS GET EVERYBODY READY FOR HOUSING. SO OUR PRIORITY IS GETTING THEM AN ID, VERIFYING THEIR HOMELESSNESS. ARE THEY DISABLED? THEIR AGE? HAVE THEY BEEN VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OR OTHER VIOLENCE? WE’RE AT 610 INFORMATION ON EACH PERSON IS LOADED INTO THE HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM KNOWN AS HMS, AS IT’S ACCESSIBLE TO ALL 100 AGENCIES IN THE WAY HOME PROGRAM. THIS IS THE FIRST STEP, ACTUALLY, ON GETTING SOMEBODY READY TO HOUSING THIS HOUSING ASSESSMENT, AND IT HELPS MATCH THEM WITH PROGRAMS THAT THEY’RE ELIGIBLE FOR AN THIS IS ANOTHER PLACE TO GET ON TRACK FOR HOUSING. WHEN MEETING WITH STREET OUTREACH, IS IT POSSIBLE THIS IS THE BEACON HOUSE, ONE OF SEVERAL DROP IN DAY CENTERS IN CENTRAL HOUSTON EACH DAY, 150 MEALS ARE SERVED FIVE DAYS A WEEK. YOU GUYS ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS? YES. THIS PLACE ALSO PROVIDES FULL LAUNDRY SERVICE FOR THE HOMELESS WHO DROP IN. THEY ALSO SHOWER HERE AND THEY CAN USE THIS FACILITY AS THEIR MAILING ADDRESS. IT’S MORE THAN 600. USE THAT SERVICE. THE HOUSING ASSESSMENT OFFICE IS A CRITICAL PIECE HERE. THIS IS WHERE PERSONAL INFORMATION IS LOADED INTO THE HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR THE 100 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, ABIGAIL ZAINO IS GETTING HELP HOMELESS FOR 14 MONTHS. SOON SHE’LL HAVE KEYS TO HER OWN PLACE FOR ASSISTING HER WITH THAT. BUT IT’S GOING TO HELP A LOT. AND THAT’S GETTING HER OFF THE STREETS, BUILDING TRUST WITH THEM. OUR STAFF, OUR VOLUNTEERS, THEY’RE ALL WELCOMING FACES AND WE REALLY BEGIN TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THEM ABOUT HOUSING AND GETTING ENGAGED IN THAT PROCESS. AND THIS IS WHAT SOME OF THE HOUSING LOOKS LIKE. THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX IS MANAGED BY AXIOM RESIDENTIAL. THE COALITION HAS THE LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY WITH AXIOM AND MANY OTHER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT. COMPANIES. 250 PROPERTIES DEDICATE TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. I THINK IT’S A VERY NEW APPROACH. THE LANDLORD ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY. HOW CRITICAL IS THAT? IT IS ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL. ALL PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. SOME OF THEM ARE PERFECTLY GOOD. THEY’RE VERY EQUAL IN NATURE. TO THE RESIDENTS THAT WE HAVE IN THIS COMPLEX. AND WE’RE JUST PROVIDING THEM WITH AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO GET BACK TO WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER KIND OF A NORMAL WAY OF LIFE. AND IT’S NOT SECTION EIGHT HOUSING TENANTS ARE PROCESSED IN A FEW WEEKS INSTEAD OF 60 TO 90 DAYS, RENT IS COVERED WITH HUD GRANTS. PUBLIC HOUSING VOUCHERS AND DONATIONS. THERE IS AN AGREEMENT FOR THE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE SOME FORM OF RENTAL ASSISTANCE AND GUARANTEE US THAT WE WILL GET PAID A NUMBER OF LANDLORDS WILL JOIN THE PROGRAM AND HOUSE OUR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, AND THAT’S BEEN HUGELY SUCCESSFUL. BUT THE COALITION DOES NOT FOCUS ON TRANSITIONAL HOUSING AND IT DOES NOT REQUIRE CLIENTS TO COMPLETE PROGRAM FOR ADDICTION OR MENTAL ILLNESS BEFORE RECEIVING HOUSING. THEIR STRATEGY FROM THE STREETS TO PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. WE WANT OUR FUNDING AND OUR FOCUS PUT ON PERMANENT HOUSING AND THEN MORE THAN 85% OF THOSE PEOPLE CAN STAY THERE, STAY OUT OF THE HOMELESS RESPONSE SYSTEM FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS.