U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Improving Access to Mainstream Services for "Chronically" Homeless Persons, Including Individuals with Serious Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Problems, Hyatt Harborside, Boston, Massachusetts, April 9-11, 2002


Slide 1:

Improving Access to Mainstream Services for “Chronically” Homeless Persons, Including Individuals with Serious Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse Problems

OVERVIEW

Jointly Sponsored by
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
and
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Slide 2:

What is the Focus of the Policy Academy?

  • Enhancing integration among systems providing mainstream services for homeless persons
  • Identifying and sharing evidence-based practices
  • Identifying and coordinating resources

Slide 3:

What is a Policy Academy?

  • Process, not an event
  • Technical assistance to help decision makers:
    • Think through policy options
    • Make existing systems and programs more effective and coordinated; and/or
    • Design and implement new systems and programs

Slide 4:

What’s Involved in a Policy Academy?

Academy Stages:

  • Pre-Academy work(including application and in-State meeting)
  • Formal Policy Academy meeting
  • Post-Academy implementation of Action Plan including provision of technical assistance and periodic progress reports
  • National conference to share progress, best practices, and lessons learned

Slide 5:

Why a Policy Academy?

  • Promote strategic planning
  • Provide opportunities to learn from other State experiences
  • Establish/reinforce dialogue
  • Build consensus and plan for change

Slide 6:

Purpose of this Academy

For your team to develop a State-wide policy initiative (Action Plan) that can be realistically implemented in your State to increase access to mainstream services for “chronically” homeless persons and to enhance the coordination of services with housing.

Slide 7:

Participant States

Academy II

Colorado, Georgia, New Hampshire, Hawaii, New York, Maine, Puerto Rico

Slide 8:

General Team Composition

  • Senior-level policymakers from State agencies
  • State legislators
  • Local, county, or city-level government representatives
  • Regional health and human service officials
  • State/local advocates

Slide 9:

Key Leaders from Mainstream Programs and Services

  • Governor’s Office
  • Medicaid
  • Mental Health Treatment Systems
  • Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Systems
  • Health Promotion and Treatment Systems
  • State-level Homeless Services Administrators or Continuum-of-Care Contacts
  • Head Start/Project Directors

Slide 10:

Potential Outcome(s)

  • Executive Order(s)
  • Legislation
  • Budget proposals/funding mechanisms
  • Interagency agreements (Memoranda of Understanding Agreement)
  • Informal partnerships
  • Rules or regulations
  • Program standards/ guidelines (licensure requirements)
  • Task forces/Committees
  • Other

Slide 11:

Pre-Academy Meeting Objectives

  • Discuss the Policy Academy format
  • Familiarize teams with the action planning process
  • Identify key components of a comprehensive integrated service system
  • Begin work on vision statement and reality assessment