Beginning in 2008, the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the City of Philadelphia's Medicaid Managed Care Behavioral Health Carve Out Organization, partnered to end chronic homelessness with the resources of Housing Choice Vouchers and Medicaid Funded Supportive Services. The resulting partnership is examined as an essential component to ending chronic homelessness in 2016.

1. Principles learned
when the City of
Philadelphia and
Philadelphia
Housing Authority
partnered to
decrease chronic
homelessness
using Medicaid
funded
supportive
services
A Blueprint
for Partnerships

2. Outcomes for Housing Choice
Voucher set aside program
 200 Housing Choice vouchers a year for
the past 5 years
 First three years, 587 single adults or
couples leased, since 9/23/08.
 As of May, 2012, 91% remain leased.
 An additional 253 persons leased since
last May. Reconciliation process with the
Housing Authority is coming up.
DATA

3. What does it take?
 POLITICAL WILL!
 DATA
 Diverse partners that are experts in their area
and recognize the expertise of their partners.
 Strategically constructed teams
 Administrative structures that acknowledge
the challenges but remain focused on end
goal.
 Flexibility
 Focus on the end goal: ENDING
HOMELESSNESS.
Principles

4. Political Will: Key Partners
 Governor. Where is your state on Medicaid
Expansion?
 Mayor
 Local Housing Authority Board and Leadership
 Downtown business community
 Advocacy community
 Provider community
 Is there an organized Peer Community of
Formerly Homeless Persons in your
community? If so engage with them, if not
START ONE.
Political Will

5. Downtown Development
 The reigning model in urban planning is using
downtown development to fuel economic
activity for a region
 Most cities, large and small, as well as
suburban and rural towns are focused on
downtown development.
 Most long term street persons congregate on
downtown streets.
 This can be used to advantage to build
political will, partnerships and coalitions.
Partnerships

6. Data
 Clearly defined goals: Start and end every
meeting with a data update.
 How many PSH units in your community? How
are they allocated? Who receives turn over
units?
 How does your Housing Authority allocate
resources? Does this make it easier for harder
for priority groups (e.g. chronically homeless
persons) to be prioritized for these resources.
DATA

7. Data: (Continued)
 Whose eligible for Medicaid in your community?
 Who manages Medicaid resources in your community?
They are currently focused on the impact of Affordable
Care Act (ACA). Many are looking at pilot programs for
their high needs persons, many of whom are chronically
homeless.
 What are the supportive service needs of the persons
you want to prioritize for PSH? Do you have a
partnership with the state or local authority who
manages those resources?
 Always spend time and attention on data quality.
Otherwise no one believes your numbers, nor should
they.
DATA AGAIN!

8. Your Diverse operational
partners:
 Include Key staff from
 Housing Authority
 Medicaid resources in your community
 McKinney Continuum of Care resources
 Staff must be at strategic levels of
authority.
Partnerships

9. Strategically constructed teams
 Staff high enough with operational authority, low
enough that they do not turn over every 4 or 8
years.
 Persons with roles of
 Cheerleader
 Data geeks
 Management structures and supports
 Some to span boundaries and nurture the
partnership.
 Persons who know day to day operations
 Strong leaders that are respected in multiple areas
of the community
Partnerships, AGAIN!

10. Administrative Structures to
support the partnership.
 Quarterly meetings with the partners who brokered
the agreement. Focus on outcomes and data here.
 Get things in writing, law preferably. Staff change,
make sure that does not end your partnership.
 Weekly on operations. Use those meetings to focus
on learning each other’s systems. What must be
done from a partner’s perspective and what can
remain flexible?
 Assign staff who have a defined role of “Boundary
Spanner”.
Partnerships

11. Flexibility
 Never forget the end goal.
 Always ask WHY? Use each tough case as an
opportunity to learn about each other’s systems.
 Build relationships! This takes time and conscious
effort.
 Learn each systems’ challenges, priorities and
cutting edge.
 Does the system you come from have resources to
address? Housing Authorities want to keep turn
over rates low. Medicaid has pressure to
decrease costs, which supportive housing has
been proven to do. Politicians need to raise
money and get re-elected.
Partnerships

12. Focus on End Goal: Ending
Homelessness
 Filter all decisions through “does this get us
closer or further away from ending
homelessness”
 Pick your battles strategically.
 Look for opportunities to build on the
partnerships.
 Use each other’s challenges as
opportunities.
DATA

13. Outcomes for Housing Choice
Voucher set aside program
 587 single adults or couples leased, since
9/23/08.
 As of May, 2012, 91% remain leased.
 An additional 253 persons leased since
last May. Reconciliation process with the
Housing Authority is coming up.
DATA

14. Contact Information
Marcella Maguire, Ph.D.
215-685-5419
Marcella.Maguire@phila.gov
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Partnerships