Providers Gather to Focus on Rapid Rehousing
At the end of October, 800 service providers and Continuum of Care leaders focused on making rapid rehousing (RRH) a key component in their efforts to prevent and end homelessness came together for two intensive days of workshops, presentations, and teamwork. Two Rapid Rehousing Institutes were held a few days apart in Duluth, GA and Los Angeles, CA, coordinated by TAC in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Abt Associates, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, and the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and the Department of Labor were also represented at the Institutes.
At each gathering, a Practice Track offered service practitioners direct training in the core components of RRH and effective service delivery strategies. Concurrently, a System Track designed for leaders with planning and implementation responsibilities covered community-wide practices relevant to RRH as a primary response to homelessness. Along with working sessions, Nan Roman, president and CEO of the National Alliance, and Elisha Harig-Blaine, Principal Housing Associate for the National League of Cities, gave plenary addresses – and for a little extra fun, groups competed in rapid re-housing Mad Libs and bingo! For more highlights, check out #RRHI2017.
TAC Staff in Action
Staff Activities
Senior Policy Advisor Francine Arienti and Senior Associate Gina Schaak traveled to Hickory, NC to train providers on assessing people’s needs and preferences before helping them move into supportive housing; Senior Associate Jon Delman presented on “Improving Work Conditions for Peer Specialists” at the annual gathering of the International Association of Peer Supporters; Jon also joined Associate Jenn Ingles, Senior Associate Melany Mondello, and Senior Consultants John O’Brien and Jim Yates in Montgomery, AL to help launch a statewide strategic housing initiative; In October, Managing Director Marie Herb and consultant Jake Mihalak facilitated the first on-site meeting of the Violence Against Women Act – Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (VAWA-HOPWA) Demonstration Program initiative; Senior Consultant Sherry Lerch presented to the National Coalition of State Housing Agencies on “The Supportive Housing/Health Care Nexus”; Executive Director Kevin Martone brought a national perspective to a recent article in Mental Health Weekly on New York state’s efforts to fund supportive housing; Senior Consultant John O’Brien gave the opening presentation at the National Dialogues on Behavioral Health conference, and spoke on “Strategies for Outcomes and Value-Based Payment” at an American Public Health Association roundtable on systems transformation; and Associates Phillip Allen, Lauren Knott, Ashley Mann-McLellan, and Douglas Tetrault, Senior Associates Melany Mondello, Gina Schaak, and Liz Stewart, consultant Naomi Sweitzer, TA & Training Coordinator Kyia Watkins, Federal Contracts Assistant Kim Wilder, and Housing Intern Madison Tallant all hit the road to put on the first Rapid Re-Housing Institutes in Duluth, GA and Los Angeles, CA (see above).
