Legislature(2019 - 2020)SENATE FINANCE 532
02/12/2019 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Evaluating Multi-agency Initiatives on Housing and Homelessness. | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE
February 12, 2019
9:01 a.m.
9:01:15 AM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Stedman called the Senate Finance Committee
meeting to order at 9:01 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Natasha von Imhof, Co-Chair
Senator Bert Stedman, Co-Chair
Senator Click Bishop
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Donny Olson
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator David Wilson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Lyman Hoffman
Senator Mike Shower
ALSO PRESENT
Dick Mandsager, Rasmuson Foundation Senior Fellow for
Homelessness; Mike Abbott, Chief Executive Officer, Alaska
Mental Health Trust Authority; Brian Wilson, Executive
Director, Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness;
Jasmine Khan, Executive Director, Anchorage Coalition to
End Homelessness; Mike Abbott, Chief Executive Officer,
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority; Bryan Butcher, Chief
Executive Officer and Executive Director, Alaska Housing
Finance Corporation, Department of Revenue.
SUMMARY
PRESENTATION: EVALUATING MULTI-AGENCY INITIATIVES ON
HOUSING and HOMELESSNESS.
^PRESENTATION: EVALUATING MULTI-AGENCY INITIATIVES ON
HOUSING and HOMELESSNESS.
9:01:48 AM
Co-Chair Stedman discussed the agenda for the day.
Co-Chair von Imhof remarked that the impetus of the
presentation had come from some of her work with the
Rasmuson Foundation. The foundation had found that housing
allowed individuals to pivot to other areas of life such
as: health, mental well-being, employment, or education.
She asserted that addressing homelessness created a
foundation for a healthier and safer lifestyle. She noted
that many other organizations were doing similar work, and
the foundation had asked the others to collaborate for an
informational presentation to Senate Finance. She mentioned
that she was a board member of the Rasmuson Foundation; and
it was an uncompensated position. She informed that the
foundation directed $25 million in resources into the state
each year. She introduced the president and vice-president
of the foundation.
9:04:41 AM
DICK MANDSAGER, RASMUSON FOUNDATION SENIOR FELLOW FOR
HOMELESSNESS, introduced himself and discussed his
background. He had been a pediatrician and had worked in
hospital administration. He had retired the previous spring
before beginning his work at the Rasmuson Foundation. He
introduced his fellow testifiers. The group would discuss
data showing what was known about homelessness; as well as
issues of mental illness, substance abuse, and how public
housing contributed to solutions and challenges.
Mr. Mandsager discussed the presentation "Homelessness
presentation to the Senate Finance Committee" (copy on
file).
Mr. Mandsager turned to slide 2, "Who are we?":
? Dick Mandsager: Rasmuson Foundation Senior Fellow
for homelessness
? Mike Abbott: CEO, Alaska Mental Health Authority
? Bryan Butcher: CEO/Executive Director Alaska
Housing Finance Corporation
? Brian Wilson: Executive Director, Alaska Coalition
on Housing and Homelessness
? Jasmine Khan: Executive Director, Anchorage
Coalition to end Homelessness
Mr. Mandsager showed slide 3, "Today's Objective:":
? Describe the current state of homelessness in Alaska
including:
Root causes
Data
Prevention of homelessness
Homelessness is a complex problem
Mr. Mandsager emphasized that homelessness intersected with
many issues of public policy in education, prisons,
corrections, and other areas.
Mr. Mandsager spoke to slide 4, "Outline for today":
? What do we know about homelessness in Alaska:
Jasmine Khan and Brian Wilson
? What are the connections between mental illness,
substance abuse disorder and homelessness: Mike Abbott
What is the role of AHFC to prevent and to address
homelessness: Bryan Butcher
? Conclusions: Dick Mandsager
9:07:18 AM
Mr. Mandsager displayed slide 5, "Why should the community
care about homelessness?":
? Ethical and moral issues:
importance of "home"
data that shows increased ability to address medical
issues, education, job acquisition
Religious teachings that it should be our priority
to care for the most vulnerable in our midst
(Christian, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism)
? Cost to our community
? Public health and safety
? Business vitality
Mr. Mandsager stated that the intersection of a home and
health became apparent to him in his work in a hospital. He
quoted a doctor in Spokane who said, "As an ER doc, the
first and most important prescription is home." He asserted
that it was hard to feel safe and heal physically or
psychologically without a home. He referenced data that
showed that individuals were much better able to deal with
life issues when one had a home.
Mr. Mandsager continued to address slide 6, noting that
homelessness had been a deeply rooted issue that had been
addressed in many religions. He stated that upcoming slides
would address the costs of homelessness. He emphasized the
importance of language and asked for consideration of the
phrase "people who experience homelessness."
9:11:01 AM
BRIAN WILSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA COALITION ON
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS, introduced himself. He thought
the previous testifier had introduced the topic well.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 6, "Homelessness in Alaska
Presentation for Alaska Senate Finance Committee."
Mr. Wilson reviewed slide 7, "Why the urgency to end
homelessness in Alaska?":
Homelessness is a non-partisan statewide concern
inextricably linked to other community challenges:
? Mental, Behavioral & Physical Health
? Public Health & Safety (including crime)
? Low-Income and Affordable Housing
? Statewide Economics
? Substance Misuse
? Domestic Violence & Child Abuse
Mr. Wilson spoke to the complexity of the issue of
homelessness. He asserted that people that experienced
homelessness fell into a situation of not having a safe
reliable home for different reasons.
Mr. Wilson turned to slide 8, "What causes homelessness?":
Many factors contribute to homelessness:
? Life event changes (divorce, job loss, health
changes, death of a family member, natural disaster)
? Mental and physical illness
? Physical and sexual abuse
? Poverty
? Lack of available housing
Substance Misuse
Mr. Wilson spoke to slide 9, "Who are the key partners in
this work?":
Alaska Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (AKCH2)
? Anchorage Coalition to End Homelessness (ACEH)
? Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC)
? Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority
? Anchorage Homelessness Leadership Council
? Local Housing & Homeless Coalitions
? Association of Alaska Housing Authorities
? Service Providers & Advocates
? Government Services (police, fire and healthcare)
Mr. Wilson noted that there had been a variety of entities
that had identified homelessness as an important issue to
address, and the slide listed only those the coalition
worked mostly with. He discussed the challenge of becoming
siloed in work. He emphasized the need for deliberate and
consistent communication of policy coordination and
resource delivery.
Mr. Wilson turned to slide 10, "What is a Continuum of
Care?":
A Continuum of Care (CoC) is designated by the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to
coordinate local homeless services. Continuums of Care
work to reduce homeless and promote long-term housing
stability through:
Community-wide planning
Coordination of resources and programs
targeting people experiencing homelessness
? Data collection and performance measurement
9:15:37 AM
Mr. Wilson turned to slide 11, "What is a Continuum of
Care?":
Core Elements of a CoC
? Housing and Support System
? Coordinated Entry
? Homeless Management
Information System
? Active partnerships with cross sector stakeholders
Those with lived experience
Providers
Government Entities
Funders
Non-Profits
Law Enforcement
Housing Entities
Advocates
Mr. Wilson discussed the importance of having a diverse
board that utilized diverse perspectives.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 12, "What housing and supports are
included in the Continuum of Care?" The slide showed a flow
chart and a table entitled 'Leveraging Services Across the
Coc.' He mentioned Co-Chair von Imhof's comments regarding
the importance of housing in a person's wellbeing.
Mr. Wilson emphasized the need to link individuals with
supportive services and more mainstream resources such as
Section 8 housing vouchers, Medicaid, and behavioral health
supports. He asserted that when any changes happened to any
of the supportive services, it had a ripple effect on the
housing program because the programs were inter-reliant. He
thought it was important to view the situation
holistically.
Mr. Wilson discussed slide 13, "Homeless Management
Information System (HMIS)":
Client Data is collected during a variety of
interventions
? Street Outreach
? Program Intake (Shelter, Housing Program, etc)
? Coordinated Assessment (in person or telephonic)
? Annual Point in Time Count
(January)
Mr. Wilson explained that data from the information system
included demographic data, mental/behavior/physical health
complications, access of programs, and where individuals
were being referred. He encouraged members to access the
coalition website for aggregate level community data
available to learn about what services were being accessed.
9:19:35 AM
Mr. Wilson displayed slide 14, "Homelessness in Alaska." He
stated that the testifiers had been asked to describe the
state of homelessness in Alaska, which was incredibly
difficult to do in a short time period.
Mr. Wilson turned to slide 15, "Homelessness in Alaska":
Presentation Overview
1. Statewide Homelessness Measures
2. Existing Statewide Homeless
Interventions
3. Severe Overcrowding & Shortage of
Housing Stock
4. Homelessness in Anchorage
5. What is working in Alaska?
6. What is needed?
Mr. Wilson discussed slide 16, "How many Alaskan are
Experiencing Homelessness?" The slide showed a map of the
state. He mentioned the Point in Time Count, which the
coalition completed each year. Organizations were required
by HUD to complete the count, after which HUD used the data
in part to inform resource allocation. The goal of the
count was to find the number of individuals that were
unsheltered or were accessing emergency shelters or
transitional housing. There were coordinated counts in 17
regions.
Mr. Wilson noted that the dots on the map represented areas
where the counts were collected. He drew attention to the
Kenai Peninsula area. The previous years data found just
over 2,000 individuals without permanent housing options;
with over 300 of which were unsheltered. He noted that it
was -30 degrees in Fairbanks during the count, and there
had been 32 unsheltered individuals.
Mr. Wilson noted that two-thirds of the individuals
identified in the count were outside of Anchorage. He
reminded that homelessness also existed in rural areas. He
thought it would be helpful to consider what resources were
available for housing interventions statewide.
9:23:50 AM
Mr. Wilson displayed slide 17, "Existing Year-Round
Resources," which showed a map of the state and a data
table. He noted that the following six slides would tell
the story of why there was homelessness in rural areas. The
heat map showed how many total beds there were in each
census area per capita. He clarified that only year-round
resources were counted.
Mr. Wilson expanded that more densely populated areas had
more dedicated resources. He noted that areas in red had
little or no resources. He emphasized that it was critical
to remember that not every single bed was targeted for any
person that was experiencing homelessness. He pointed out
that the state had a relatively high number of options in
the state for victims of domestic violence.
Mr. Wilson turned to slide 18, "Existing Year-Round
Resources Excluding Domestic Violence Beds," which showed
a map depicting year-round resources excluding domestic
violence beds. He noted that if a person in Adak was not
fleeing a domestic violence situation, the nearest resource
was 1,000 miles away. He discussed the challenge of
ensuring fair and equal access to all individuals who
become homeless. He noted that the next four maps would
look at individual types of interventions.
9:27:01 AM
Mr. Wilson looked at slide 19, "Existing Year-Round
Emergency Shelter," which showed a data table and map.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 20, "Existing Transitional
Housing," which showed a data table and map.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 21, "Existing Rapid Re-Housing
Beds," which showed a data table and map. He noted that
raid re-housing was a best practice housing intervention
and was one of the most successful housing models in the
state, which provided temporary waning-off assistance for
rent and deposit and utilities.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 22, "Existing Permanent Supportive
Housing," which showed few resources for the most
vulnerable population. He stressed that one of the biggest
challenges was the lack of resources in many communities in
which people were presenting as homeless. He discussed
possible scenarios that could lead to homelessness.
Mr. Wilson turned to slide 23, "Defining Homelessness." He
considered that individuals in Department of Education and
Early Development(DEED) would have a different definition
of homelessness than HUD. Even within the definitions,
there was subcategories. He introduced the term "chronic
homelessness."
Mr. Wilson showed slide 24, "Defining Homelessness," which
showed a HUD flow chart to aid in showing how complex the
subject was. He explained that HUD released the chart to
communities to help agencies determine if an individual was
chronically homeless. He added that the condition was a
prerequisite for some individuals to receive some housing
supports. He pointed out that definitions tried to provide
some clarity and order to resource allocation and
policymaking; but the definitions did not necessarily
explain homelessness in the state. He discussed the unique
characteristics of the state and noted that homelessness in
rural Alaska often played out differently than in other
areas.
9:30:38 AM
Mr. Wilson displayed slide 25, "Severe Overcrowding," which
showed a state map depicting the percentage of homes by
census areas that were considered overcrowded by HUD's
definition. He thought the slide showed the problem linked
to the homeless situation in the state. He pointed out that
in more populated areas the percentages were low, but in
some areas of Western Alaska more than half of homes were
considered overcrowded or severely overcrowded.
Mr. Wilson continued to address slide 25. He noted that the
coalition had presented the challenges the previous year to
the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness,
which was made up of 19 federal departments. The council
could not believe the numbers.
Mr. Wilson spoke to slide 26, "Overcrowding Rates by ANCSA
Region," which showed a bar graph of the 13 ANSCA regions.
He noted that the national average was shown at the bottom
of the slide, and the slide showed that every single one of
the state's ANCSA regions had overcrowding rates higher
than the national average. In some cases, Alaska had
regions that had 12 times the national average of severely
overcrowded homes.
Mr. Wilson discussed slide 27, "Housing Shortage and
Overcrowding Visualized." The slide showed photographs of
two houses in Savoonga that were severely overcrowded.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 28, "Housing Shortage and
Overcrowding Visualized," which showed more photographs of
overcrowded homes in rural Alaska. He discussed the lack of
homeless interventions shown on previous slides and noted
that homes in rural Alaska became shelters. He reiterated
that definitions of homelessness did not always reflect the
challenges in the state. The HUD definition of homelessness
did not account for any of the individuals that lived in
the houses pictured. He had visted a house with 26
individuals living in it.
Mr. Wilson explained that based on the HUD definition, data
would show zero homeless individuals in Savoonga, which was
a statistic that was used in part to allocate resources. He
thought rural housing availability (to scale) was a top
housing crisis in the nation.
9:34:28 AM
Co-Chair von Imhof appreciated the maps. She referenced
slide 26 and asked if different ANSCA regions were
addressing homelessness in each area. She asked what Alaska
Native corporations were saying with regard to addressing
overcrowding.
Mr. Wilson stated that holistically the need in the regions
was beyond the scope of what Alaska Native Corporations
could do independently. He continued that the coalition had
various partnerships in different regions. There were some
partnerships and housing programs with corporations that
provided services and even land for new housing programs.
He thought the connection could be improved upon.
Senator Wielechowski asked if Mr. Wilson had seen research
that demonstrated the importance of the Permanent Fund
Dividend (PFD) to people living in a state of homelessness.
Mr. Wilson told a story about visiting a home in Savoonga.
He had brought fresh fruit. He had asked every house about
employment and had concluded that in isolated communities
there was not the same scale of economy as in densely
populated areas. Individuals relied on PFD checks more so
than other communities as it was the sole income source for
many people. The funds paid for high heating costs and
transportation costs. He concluded that there was a
disproportionate effect in remote areas.
Senator Wilson referenced rapid rehousing as a best
practice.
Mr. Wilson agreed.
Senator Wilson asked if it would suitable for all
communities to invest in emergency shelter beds rather than
investing in rapid rehousing to keep people stably housed.
Mr. Wilson stated that given the wide variety of needs
within the homelessness community, investment in one
housing intervention would still leave a need for other
solutions. He did not see an emergency shelter as a housing
resource, but rather a life and safety resource that was
necessary for those immediately thrown into homelessness.
For a large portion of the population, rapid rehousing
would be extremely helpful. He considered the scale of
needs of individuals and noted that some people had greater
needs.
9:38:58 AM
Senator Micciche asked about the slide pertaining to active
partnerships and noted the absence of religious groups. He
asked if religious groups fell into another category.
Mr. Wilson stated that the coalition partnered with a lot
of religious institutions, and the slide was only a small
list of primary partners. He mentioned the Family Promise
Program in Juneau, which was an interfaith shelter program
run through churches. He stated that the religious
community was a key partner.
Senator Micciche asked for a definition of overcrowding.
Mr. Wilson stated that HUD's definition of "severe
overcrowding" was more than 1.5 individuals per bedroom.
Co-Chair von Imhof talked about the PFD, and thought
upcoming legislative discussions would pertain to cuts to
state government versus having a PFD. She pondered safe
housing and state services versus a PFD. She wondered if
Mr. Wilson had asked questions of that nature.
Mr. Wilson did not want to discuss the political nature of
the PFD. He noted that the PFD was a resource that
individuals were using in many communities to pay for
different expenses.
9:41:38 AM
Senator Wilson asked if overcrowding was defined by HUD as
1.5 persons per bedroom.
Mr. Wilson answered in the affirmative, that's HUD's
definition of "severe overcrowding" was more than 1.5
people per bedroom.
Senator Wilson asked if a married couple lived in a one-
bedroom apartment, it would be considered overcrowding by
HUD's definition.
Mr. Wilson found it frustrating that the definitions had
such low thresholds. He thought a new definition was needed
to understand the scale of overcrowding. He described that
many of the communities he had visited had a one-bedroom
with 16 to 20 people living in it.
Senator Wilson wondered if a state agency could re-define
overcrowding in order to better understand the issue.
Mr. Wilson thought the executive director of AHFC would
have a response to Senator Wilson's question. He noted that
a piece of his advocacy with federal partners was to inform
about the issue.
Senator Micciche stated he would like to see an Alaskan
definition of overcrowding; and by the HUD definition, as a
child he had never lived in an under-crowded situation. He
referenced member's comments about the PFD. He thought that
for a family to wait for the PFD to survive was in a
constant state of emergency management. He thought
excellent points had been brought up. He mentioned the
possibility of other state services being eliminated and
what it would mean to the people being discussed.
Co-Chair Stedman thought it was a difficult concept to
recognize 1.5-plus people being over-crowded. Most of the
families in the community he grew up in had shared rooms.
He thought there was a serious benchmark error in the data.
9:45:25 AM
JASMINE KHAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ANCHORAGE COALITION TO
END HOMELESSNESS, introduced herself and referenced the
Continuum of Care structure mentioned by Mr. Wilson.
Ms. Khan displayed slide 29, "Homelessness in Anchorage,"
and wanted to provide information as a case study for the
different challenges faced in urban and hub communities.
Ms. Khan showed slide 30, "Homelessness in Anchorage":
? A moral issue
? An economic issue
? A visible issue
Ms. Khan noted that the City of Anchorage had been
aggressively pursuing a conversation with the public
regarding homelessness. Her team had spoken to about 1,700
people over the previous six months in different forums.
The team had discovered that there was agreement in
Anchorage that there was a critical problem that needed to
be solved urgently. She referenced the Point in Time count
data that indicated that at any given moment there was
about 2,000 people experiencing homelessness in the state,
1,094 of which were in the Municipality of Anchorage. She
detailed that the municipality served about 7,500 unique
individuals in its homeless services array.
Ms. Khan spoke to slide 31, "Who is experiencing
homelessness in Anchorage?" The slide showed three pie
charts and two bar graphs. She thought it was important to
talk about the interplay between rural and urban areas of
the state. She emphasized the number of individuals that
were living in a state of homelessness that had shared that
they came to Anchorage for opportunity.
She noted that the graphs were a snapshot that described
the population of individuals living with homelessness and
could be found on both coalition websites. She highlighted
that about 60 percent of the people served in Anchorage
were men that fell into the age range of 25 to 65. Most
individuals came to the coalition looking for employment
assistance or some sort of health and safety services. She
thought it was important to note that about 50 percent of
the individuals served in Anchorage had some sort of formal
disability.
9:49:22 AM
Ms. Khan discussed slide 32, "Anchorage Point in Time
Count," which showed a bar graph showing the number of
people experiencing homelessness on the one night of the
count. She observed that the count in Anchorage looked flat
over the previous five years; but asserted that the data
did not match the community dialog. She stated that the
Municipality of Anchorage had done a second Point in Time
Count during the summer months. It was found that between
2017 and 2018 the number of unsheltered people in the
summer months went down by 240 individuals. There had been
a reduction in people in unsheltered environments, while
there had been a corresponding increase in the number of
individuals using shelter services.
Senator Wilson discussed camp abatements, whereby police
moved homeless camps out of certain areas. He questioned
whether the abatements were effective as a tool for the
City of Anchorage.
Ms. Khan stated that success depended upon what was
complementing the abatement services. The Municipality of
Anchorage had invested in ancillary services, including the
mobile intervention team. The team was made of trained
individuals that worked with camp residents to triage and
shepherd individuals to needed services before abatement.
Senator Wilson asked if Ms. Khan had data to reflect
whether individuals had followed through with services
recommendations during abatement.
Ms. Khan agreed to provide the data at a later time.
Co-Chair Stedman asked Ms. Khan to provide the data to his
office.
9:53:33 AM
Ms. Khan showed slide 33, "Anchorage Housing at a Glance,"
which showed graphs and charts. She highlighted that there
had been an interesting conversation with the National Low-
Income Housing Coalition. The data on the slide was
Anchorage-specific. She thought it was important to
consider the lack of affordable housing for "extremely low-
income" individuals, which was defined as the same or less
than the poverty level or 30 percent of the state's median
income.
Ms. Khan continued to address slide 33, noting that about
19 percent of the renter population in Anchorage fell under
the category of extremely low income. Based on the data,
there were about 6,700 less rental units than was needed.
Of the individuals, 38 percent were working; an additional
31 percent were formally disabled, and an additional 20
percent were seniors. In summary, 90 percent of the
individuals that fell into the category were working or
could not work.
Ms. Khan summarized that current annual median income for
renters in Anchorage was about $17.82 per hour. To rent a
one-bedroom apartment in Anchorage the cost was about
$19.90 per hour; and for a two-bedroom apartment it was
required to earn about $25.71 per hour. She mentioned the
recent earthquake in Anchorage and noted that there were
many people that lived paycheck-to-paycheck and through an
unexpected circumstance had experienced homelessness for
the first time. She discussed the challenge of the initial
investment to rent an apartment and resources needed to
secure housing. She referenced Mr. Mandsager's comments and
agreed that the first prescription for health was housing.
9:57:25 AM
Senator Bishop asked how the state's homelessness
percentage compared to other northern circumpolar countries
with comparable population sizes such as Norway, Finland,
Iceland, and Denmark.
Ms. Khan did not have the data available but offered to
provide the information at a later time.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 34, "What is working?"
Mr. Wilson reviewed slide 35, "Housing First," which showed
a housing flow chart. He asserted that the whole nation was
in a paradigm shift toward using a housing-first model. The
model eliminated barriers for people to access housing;
with the idea that in housing it was easier to address
medical, behavioral, mental health, and income challenges.
Mr. Wilson showed slide 36, "Housing First in Alaska,"
which showed photographs of permanent supportive housing
resources in Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage.
Mr. Wilson turned to slide 37, "Forget Me Not Manor
(Juneau) Service Use Changes," which showed a line graph
that showed the use of services by individuals that entered
the Forget Me Not Manor in Juneau. The chart showed that
utilization of police contacts, emergency room visits and
other services had dropped significantly for the most
vulnerable individuals that were utilizing the housing.
Mr. Wilson reviewed slide 38, "Housing and Serving
Veterans," which showed a line graph entitled 'Alaska
Homeless Veterans and HUD-VASH Voucher Allocation, 2008 -
2017.' He noted that homeless veterans had been a targeted
population for the program. The blue line showed the
statewide number of housing vouchers, and the orange line
was the number of homeless veterans that had been
identified. He thought the inverted lines showed what
impact a continued investment in such a program could have.
10:00:59 AM
Mr. Wilson displayed slide 39, "What is working to decrease
homelessness?":
Housing First Projects (Juneau, Fairbanks, Anchorage)
? VASH Vouchers
? Connecting the vulnerable to mainstream resources
? Housing Vouchers and Subsidies
? Employment Services
? Health Care Supports (Physical, Mental and
Behavioral)
? Childcare Assistance
? Substance Abuse Treatment
? Connecting the vulnerable to the right homeless
services:
? Coordinated Entry
? Safety Net Services to decrease unauthorized
encampments
Mr. Wilson addressed slide 40, "What is Needed?"
? Prevention and Diversion
? Housing for Extremely Low-Income community members
? Employment and education services
? Homeless Response Services
? Housing Vouchers
? Rapid Rehousing Funds and Supports
? Permanent Supportive Housing
? Transitional Supports (Re-Entry)
? Infrastructure and Data Support
? Housing Opportunity Through Available Housing Stock
Mr. Wilson informed that prevention and diversion programs
were highly successful but ran out of money each year. He
emphasized that it was much easier to prevent homelessness
than to treat homelessness; and the longer a person was
without a home, the more ancillary problems arose. He
discussed the importance of increasing resources in rural
areas. He referenced the heat maps in prior slides and the
complete lack of services and overcrowding in certain
areas.
10:02:46 AM
MIKE ABBOTT, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH
TRUST AUTHORITY, introduced himself. He noted that his
remarks would be brief and wanted to inform as to why the
Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (AMHTA) was interested
in the topic of housing and homelessness. He stated that
virtually all of Alaska's homeless population were also
trust beneficiaries. The trust assumed that everyone that
had struggled with homelessness over a significant period
of time had: a serious mental illness, a developmental
disability, a traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's or some
form of dementia, or a substance abuse issue. Among the
chronically homeless in the state, there was the greatest
convergence of co-occurring conditions that would make them
trust beneficiaries. Other factors included economics,
family circumstances, and relationship challenges.
Mr. Abbott continued his remarks, noting that if
individuals found themselves in the condition of not being
able to provide housing, there was typically existing
conditions that qualified the individual as a trust
beneficiary. Over the previous ten years, the trust had
been an active participant in supporting a variety of
housing interventions to address the conditions that
beneficiaries experienced. He relayed that the trust was an
active funder and willing advocate for programmatic
solutions. The trust partnered with the coalitions as well
as AHFC.
10:06:18 AM
Mr. Abbott continued his remarks. He informed that AMHTA
had begun funding for staff in local governments to work to
create local solutions to address homelessness. In Juneau,
Fairbanks, and Anchorage; AMHTA funded staff in the office
of the mayor or city manager to work on the issues from a
local level. He was happy to answer questions on the role
of the trust. He stated that in FY 19, AMHTA funding for a
variety housing-related programmatic work was between $3
million and $3.5 million.
Co-Chair Stedman asked if the trust had any assistance in
the Alaska Pioneer Homes system.
Mr. Abbott answered in the affirmative. He expanded that
the trust was currently funding a variety of projects
supporting the Pioneer Homes operations. He mentioned the
reopening of part of the Anchorage Pioneer Home to address
Alaskans with particularly serious dementia and
Alzheimer's-related concerns.
Senator Wilson thought Premera Blue Cross Insurance had
announced its involvement in wanting to fund homelessness
efforts. He wondered if the trust had partnered with the
agency to best utilize the funds for the state.
Mr. Abbot answered in the affirmative. He stated that the
Rasmuson Foundation would be an excellent source of
additional information on the topic. The trust was
gratified that Premera had expressed a willingness to work
on homelessness and the insurance company was considering a
variety of funding proposals. He was aware that the company
had made several specific grants to different housing
projects in Alaska.
10:09:10 AM
Co-Chair von Imhof referenced an earlier slide that showed
Karluk Manor in downtown Anchorage. She inquired about
proposals to build a second similar Karluk Manor in
Anchorage and asked about obstacles that might be facing
the project.
Mr. Abbot stated that Anchorage had between 200 and 250
units of permanent supportive housing, most of which was in
single-site facilities. He mentioned other facilities in
the municipality and thought most were in downtown and
North Anchorage. He shared that there were significant
neighborhood concerns relating to the location of permanent
supportive housing projects. The Fairview neighborhood had
found its concerns to be mostly addressed by the operator
of the facility as well as the support entities that worked
with the facility. It was found that there was a reduction
in the impacts that the housed individuals had caused in
the neighborhoods. He thought most neighborhoods recognized
the benefits of permanent supportive housing. He thought
the people in downtown hoped that future investments in
permanent supportive housing would take place in other
neighborhoods.
Mr. Abbot continued that the United Way was planning to
roughly double the capacity of the permanent supportive
housing in Anchorage. The first investment that the trust
was funding was a scattered-site model, whereby permanent
supportive housing would be provided in rental housing
scattered throughout the community. Instead of having the
support system on-site, the services would be mobile and
would have to go to the clients. In addition, there would
have to be a variety of landlord supports.
10:12:31 AM
BRYAN BUTCHER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, ALASKA HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF
REVENUE, introduced himself. He clarified that HUD's
definition of severe overcrowding was 1.5 individuals per
room of a house. He stated that AHFC continued to focus a
lot more on the issue of overcrowding in rural Alaska. The
trust would be funding a position focused specifically on
rural homelessness. He discussed the different ways
homelessness could manifest and mentioned the challenges
and health challenges of overcrowding.
He discussed the presentation "Initiatives on Housing &
Homelessness" (copy on file).
Mr. Butcher turned to slide 2, "How AHFC addresses
homelessness":
? People Served
? Prevention
? Homeless Assistance
? Housing Production
? Partners in Housing Programs
? New Initiatives
Mr. Butcher noted that it was the cheapest and healthiest
to prevent homelessness rather than address it after the
fact.
10:15:01 AM
Mr. Butcher showed slide 3, "People Served":
? In SFY 2018 approximately 14,700 Alaskans
experienced or were at risk of homelessness and
received assistance from AHFC.
- 1 in every 10 homeless are chronically
homeless.
- 1 in every 10 homeless are victims of domestic
violence.
- 3 in every 10 homeless are families with
children.
(AKHMIS data 2018)
Mr. Butcher pointed out that the number depicted not only
those that experienced homelessness but also those at risk.
He thought Mr. Wilson did a good job pointing out that
homelessness was more than one issue. He discussed the
rates of families with children experiencing homelessness.
Mr. Butcher reviewed slide 4, "Prevention":
? Rental assistance to 6,602 low income households
(13,350 people) of which two thirds are either
seniors, children or people with disabilities
? Set aside housing vouchers for vulnerable
families/individuals
Mr. Butcher noted that AHFC had about 1,600 public housing
units statewide, and about 5,000 housing choice vouchers.
He noted that the vouchers were federally funded and
administered by AHFC for HUD. There was a specific voucher
program for victims of domestic violence, as well as for
foster children; which was in AHFC's capital request.
Mr. Butcher showed slide 5, Prevention Persons Served by
Public Housing," which showed a pie chart. Over 80 percent
of individuals were at 30 percent of median income or
under. The extremely low-income population was close to
homelessness and would be so without a voucher.
10:19:08 AM
Mr. Butcher addressed slide 6, "Homeless Assistance":
AHFC administers a mix of federal and state homeless
programs to support 13 communities through 38
nonprofit partners.
? Permanent Supported Housing
? Rapid Re-housing
? Emergency Shelters
Mr. Butcher thought rapid rehousing was the greatest return
on investment to helping people say out of homelessness. He
stated that AHFC also funded emergency shelters through the
capital budget; and the vast majority of the funds went
towards operating funds for homeless shelters and domestic
violence shelters.
Mr. Butcher showed slide 7, "Homeless Assistance":
? Direct rental assistance to partners supplying
housing to at-risk populations
? Construction and operating grants for developing
safe, quality and affordable housing
Mr. Butcher referenced conversation with Co-Chair von Imhof
pertaining to providing a snapshot of housing development
in rural Alaska. He stated that AHFC had focused on
increasing the amount of housing options available. He
discussed the high cost in urban Alaska and even higher
cost in rural Alaska. He noted that most new housing being
built was being built by regional housing authorities that
received money from HUD and supplemental funds from AHFC.
Mr. Butcher reviewed slide 8, "Housing Production: AHFC
Funded Properties":
Urban and Rural: All Programs
? 125 Communities Served
? 365 Properties Funded
? 7,115 Units Built
Rural Housing: All Programs
? 105 Communities Served
? 121 Properties Funded
? 470 Rural Professional Units
? 827 Affordable, Senior and Special Needs Units
Mr. Butcher noted that the properties listed on the slide
had been funding by AHFC or funded in large part by federal
low-income housing tax credits run by the Internal Revenue
Service and administered by AHFC. The slide also showed a
pie chart illustrating the distribution of AHFC properties
funded in urban and rural areas.
Senator Olson considered the number of communities served
in rural Alaska and asked about the distribution.
Mr. Butcher noted that AHFC primarily served communities in
Northern Alaska and Western Alaska, but also in Southeast
Alaska. He offered to get the committee a list of
communities served.
Senator Olson asked if there was any service in Southwest
Alaska.
Mr. Butcher answered in the affirmative.
10:23:08 AM
Mr. Butcher addressed slide 9, "Housing Production: Rural
Teacher Housing":
? Quick Facts:
o 48 Sponsors
o 86 Communities
o 121 Properties Built
o 470 Units Funded
? Program Partners
o Rasmuson Foundation (2015 Present)
o Denali Commission (2004-2009)
Mr. Butcher noted that AHFC's rural Teacher Housing Program
started 15 years previously. The program was developed to
attract teachers to stay in rural communities. He noted
that the program had been expanded to house healthcare
professionals and public safety professionals and freed up
other housing in the community.
Mr. Butcher discussed slide 10, "Housing Construction in
Communities":
? 2018
130 new construction
139 rehabs
Total Project costs
? HUD = $20,589,602
? AHFC Supplemental = $3,430,429
? 2017
77 new construction
155 rehabs
Total Project costs
? HUD = $13,679,364
? AHFC Supplemental = $2,250,000
Mr. Butcher noted that the map on the slide showed housing
construction that was happening in the state. He discussed
the quality of housing in the state, specifically in rural
Alaska. He informed that the weatherization program that
AHFC administered had played a role in improving and
extending the life of housing. It was estimated that the
number of units needed to keep up with growth in certain
areas was in the 1000s.
Mr. Butcher spoke to slide 11, "Partners in Housing
Programs":
? Rasmuson Foundation
? Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority*
? Department of Health and Social Services*
? Department of Corrections
? Alaska Council on the Homeless
? Association of Alaskan Housing Authorities
*Denotes funding partner in programs managed by AHFC
Mr. Butcher commented that AHFC had worked hard to bring in
partners and experts in the field. He mentioned the program
for vouchers for victims of domestic violence, and AHFCs
partnership with shelters.
10:27:14 AM
Mr. Butcher discussed slide 12, " Housing Needs":
? 16,107 units are needed to alleviate overcrowding.
? 2,066 additional units per year are needed to meet
the housing demand from population growth and
alleviate overcrowding by 2025.
Mr. Butcher spoke to slide 13, "New initiatives":
? Creation of a Statewide Homeless Housing Office to
provide partners statewide with easy access to
information about homeless housing resources
? Special Purpose Funding Round
? Dedicated Supportive Housing funds for rural
communities
Mr. Butcher explained that the Statewide Homeless Housing
Office could be reached by phone or internet. He discussed
the additional hardship of those without resources. He
discussed tax credits that supported permanent supportive
housing awarded to Juneau and Wasilla. There was also a
pilot project in Nome. He stated that it was difficult in
rural Alaska to bring services to a smaller regional hub.
He was confident that the pilot program would be
successful.
Co-Chair von Imhof asked about slide 10 and asked if there
was a different scenario the housing construction was on
the same pace as the previous two years, or if there would
be a different trajectory for 2019.
Mr. Butcher relayed that construction would stay about the
same for 2019. The HUD funds that had been coming to
regional housing authorities had stayed at the same level
for well over a decade.
10:30:38 AM
Mr. Mandsager spoke to the presentation "Conclusions" (copy
on file). He addressed slide 1:
? Homelessness should be rare, brief and one-time
? Alaska can be a community where this is our
norm
? This requires partnership of government
(federal, state, and local), private funders,
local citizens and faith communities
? With a home:
? Educational success is better
? Growth and development for our kids is better
? Recidivism to prison is less
? Job success is better
? Community well-being is better (safer trails,
etc.)
? Lower community costs for police, healthcare,
EMS, prisons, etc.
Mr. Mandsager asserted that the national and state
conversations around homelessness had been goal centered.
He argued that it should be an aspirational goal of the
state to have homelessness be rare, brief, and one-time.
Mr. Mandsager discussed housing efforts and noted that
there were multiple funders besides government that
contributed. He emphasized the connection to homelessness
and public safety. He referenced studies that showed that
housing reduced recidivism. He argued that housing needed
to be considered in discussions around public safety in
order to have a healthier community. He discussed the
effect of homelessness on education and efforts to keep
kids from changing schools.
10:35:13 AM
Mr. Mandsager addressed slide 2, "Conclusions":
? Why is reducing homelessness such an important
priority?
? We are at crisis level in most Alaska communities.
? Working as separate systems (healthcare, housing,
police, corrections, etc.) isn't working well enough;
we need a much more integrated and wholistic approach.
? Because of the many and varied root causes,
virtually none of the challenges in our communities
are solvable without addressing the homelessness
component to that issue.
Mr. Mandsager asserted that housing and healthcare were
interrelated, as well as police and corrections.
Senator Micciche did not know what proportion of
homelessness had a correlation to Adverse Childhood
Experiences (ACES) in the state. He mentioned early
intervention and the importance of breaking the cycle. He
wondered about advocacy and how it could collide with being
enabling. He asked what kind of efforts were in place to
reduce ACES impacts on Alaskans.
Mr. Mandsager thought Senator Micciche had identified the
most important question about the next generation. It was
known that children that experienced ACES had a higher
likelihood of poor outcomes. He thought addressing the
matter early was important. He spoke to the complexity of
the problem. He referenced the Bible.
Mr. Mandsager addressed slide 3, "Recommendations":
? AHFC services and programs are essential and require
at least as much funding as presently exists.
? More housing creation and maintenance is needed all
over our state
? Mental health services and substance abuse disorder
treatment are also essential and more services and
service locations are needed
? Medicaid is a key structural component for mental
health treatment, substance abuse disorder treatment
and for some of the support services needed by the
most vulnerable people; if we want to keep them
housed. Don't reduce this coverage provided by
Medicaid
Mr. Mandsager mentioned a proposed alcohol tax in Anchorage
as a funding mechanism for increased substance abuse
treatment. He mentioned Medicaid as a key structural
component and key supportive services.
10:39:19 AM
Mr. Mandsager turned to slide 4, "Recommendations,
continued":
? We have an opportunity to test "pay for performance"
in the "Pay for Success" pilot in Anchorage. We
propose $4.5 million (matched by $3.5 million per year
for 3 years from other funders) to be set aside for
matching and for outcomes
? We encourage regular dialogue regarding
homelessness, you should expect improvements and
expect data
Mr. Mandsager addressed the first bullet point on the slide
and noted that the concept of "pay for performance" had
first been introduced in England and was now being tested
across the country. He encouraged regular dialogue on the
topic of homelessness. He quoted an ancient Hebrew prophet
Micah, "Love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly with your
God."
10:42:05 AM
Co-Chair von Imhof thanked the presenters. She thought the
presentation had been informative and eye-opening. She
thanked the committee members. She reminded that the
governor's proposed budget would be revealed the following
day, and there had been forewarning that there would be
significant reductions in government. She thought it was
important to allocate funds to the highest priorities and
areas where the state could get the most benefit. She
thought the presentation had illuminated that with a home,
educational success was better. She listed improvements
that could be made by investing in providing housing. She
thought the presenters had made the case that investing in
homes was the highest and best use of state dollars.
Co-Chair Stedman discussed the agenda for the following
day.
ADJOURNMENT
10:44:10 AM
The meeting was adjourned at 10:44 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 021219 Housing and homelessness conclusions 3.pdf |
SFIN 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
Housing and Homelessness |
| 021219 AHFC Housing and Homelessness Presentation 2.pdf |
SFIN 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
Housing and Homelessness |
| 021219 Housing and homelessness Presentation 1.pdf |
SFIN 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
Housing and Homelessness |
| 021219 Response - Alaska Pay for Success Permanent Supportive Housing Project Feb 2019.pdf |
SFIN 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
Housing and Homelessness 2019 |