2024 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER)

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not routinely placed in shelters for housing. A gap exists for those exiting Epworth that opt not to use Oaklawn in coordinating services. Corrections: The local parole district is committed to keeping parolees out of the homeless services system whenever possible.A Re-entry Accountability Plan is completed in advance of the inmate's release date and shared with re-entry supervising agencies. The Ducomb Center's transition program provides local services and support and only refers individuals that need housing to shelters when absolutely necessary. A re-entry Task Force, established by the Community Corrections Advisory Board, has developed a resource guide which is distributed to area service providers and is available online. Goodwill Industries also offers a Second Changes program to increase employability of ex-offenders so that they might avoid or quickly exit the homeless assistance system. Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again Efforts were made to move chronically homeless individuals, including those with severe mental illness, veterans, and victims of domestic violence, into rapid re-housing options instead of traditional shelters. For those with substance abuse issues,expanded services within a traditional shelter model were used. The Center for the Homeless Robert L.Veteran's Center, Oliver Apartments (32 units), and Hope Avenue Apartments(22 units) provide permanent supportive housing. Progress was also made in addressing the Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness. Since 2020, 119 permanent supportive and affordable housing units have been added, with 97 more in development.These projects are funded through federal and other sources. During the pandemic, the City worked with Our Lady of the Road to convert a motel into a non-congregate shelter to reduce COVID-19 exposure. While effective,a permanent solution is still needed. To address the need for affordable housing, the City is working on a plan that includes a low-barrier shelter with 50 beds for men and 30 for women,featuring amenities like meeting rooms, medical exam space, and continued services from Oaklawn Psychiatric Center.The plan also calls for 30-40 additional low-barrier beds.The City is identifying sites for this new facility. The Youth Service Bureau of St. Joseph County(YSB) has completed a larger facility to better serve homeless youth and young families, offering shelter and transitional housing. In 2021, IHCDA reached out to regions for Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs), with the Coordinated CAPER 30 OMB Control No:2506-0117(exp.09/30/2021)