Homelessness Prevention Task Force — Portland, ME
Date: 2012-03-29

City of Portland’s Homelessness Prevention Task Force
 March 29, 2012 Meeting
 9:00am‐11:00am

 AGENDA


9:00AM Welcome & Introductions – Task Force Tri‐Chairs: Jon Jennings, and Dory
 Waxman

9:15AM Questions and Answers from the February 15th Meeting – Josh O’Brien,
 City of Portland and Jon Bradley, Preble Street

9:30AM Presentation – Continued Orientation –Josh O’Brien, City of Portland,
 Jon Bradley, Preble Street and Tom McLaughlin, UNE

9:45AM Introduction to Focus Group Work –Task Force Tri‐Chairs and Staff

 CHARGE:
  Statement and definition of each individual focus group ‐ Mission and
 Vision.
  Summarize what we know works now and what are our resources in
 that particular area.
  Define larger stakeholders pertaining to each particular group so as
 we move out into the community we can include their voices in this
 conversation.
  Prevention ‐ How do we incorporate the thread of prevention in the
 bigger picture toward the strategic master plan in all sub groups?

10:00AM Focus Group Work – Identified Facilitators and Tri‐Chairs
 1. Supportive and Affordable Housing – Jon Jennings & Tom
 McLaughlin
 2. Access to Health Care and Behavioral Health Services – Pat
 McKenzie & Doug Gardner
 3. Emergency Shelter – Josh O’Brien & Suzanne McCormick
 4. Youth and Families Homelessness – Dory Waxman & Jon Bradley

11:00AM Wrap‐up and Adjournment – Task Force Tri‐Chairs
 Task Force on Homelessness: Notes from 3/29/12 Meeting



Continued Orientation points:

  ME 503 CoC funding consists of renewal projects..no new projects budgeted in.
  Private Shelters do not have much impact on overall needs. (Deliverance Center : small numbers
 but good care.)
  Large city‐run shelters like Portland’s are unusual USA‐wide. Especially with such low barriers.
  Portland’s % of homeless per capita is fairly high compared to rest of country.
  Point in time surveys are completed in winter which affects numbers.
  General Assistance (GA) will pay $26 out of the $76 cost of a night in a shelter. GA proposing
 limiting shelter stay to 90 days.
  Hospitals are going to start to be charged for readmissions so should cut down on inappropriate
 discharges. Proves need for respite care. Doug has two beds through Health Care for the
 Homeless.
  Mike Gendreau: Mercy has pilot program for respite care (8 beds) but grant is coming to an end
 but it is a good model which would be easy to replicate.



General Points:

  What should outcome of Focus Group work be? Brian Petrovek stated that the charge to
 “prevent and end” homelessness is far different than creating an action plan for change.
  Dana Totman suggested that considering that the State is voting soon to curtail funding GA and
 that a crisis may be coming due to major cuts that the environment the Task Force is working in
 now is very different from when the City charged it with “preventing and ending.” He suggested
 that the Tri‐Chairs consider narrowing the Focus Groups’ recommendations to improvements vs.
 ending.
  Is 6/4/12 deadline to “prevent and end” realistic considering above?




Focus groups: be sure to say what you think…build trust.