Homeless Services Utilization Report available from UH Manoa's Center on the Family

News Release from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, May 26, 2016

The Center on the Family at UH Mānoa and Homeless Programs Office of the Hawai‘i State Department of Human Services have released the Homeless Service Utilization Report: Hawai‘i 2015. Authored by Dr. Sarah Yuan, Dr. Hong Vo, Kristen Gleason and Dr. Javzandulam Azuma, the report provides the most current data on the utilization patterns of homeless services in the state during the 2015 fiscal year, based on agency-entered data in the Homeless Management and Information System (HMIS).

The 2015 report discusses overall patterns of inflow, outflow and return flow to the homeless service system and highlights factors associated with changes since last year. In addition to providing information on the usage of homeless service programs, the current report compares service outcomes among different homeless sub-populations.

Thematic maps show geographic areas where people last resided before becoming homeless and where outreach services achieved tangible outcomes. This report also examined the permanent supportive housing programs that serve formerly homeless individuals, which include programs that adopt the “Housing First” approach.

Some highlights of the report:

• The 2015 fiscal year reported the highest number of people who sought homeless services in the state’s history: 14,954 in total — an increase of 4.7% (672 clients) from last year.
• The increase was highest among unaccompanied homeless adults: 8,250 accessed services in FY 2015, 9.9% (740) more than those served in FY 2014.
• The only group that showed a noticeable decline in numbers this year was homeless children, who dropped 1.8% from the statewide peak seen in FY 2014, to a total of 3,494 in FY 2015.
• The rate of clients leaving the homeless service system did not keep up with the increased enrollment, resulting in a total of 5,875 clients from last fiscal year who continued to access services in FY 2015 — 421 more system “stayers” than in FY 2014.
• The influx of new clients to the service system accounted for 38.2% of all service users (5,717 total), which was 256 more “newcomers” than last fiscal year.
• Newcomers, versus continuing/returning homeless service users, are more likely to be young children under 6 years old (14.6% vs. 10.2%) or young adults aged 18–24 (10.8% vs. 6.8%).
• The majority of new client households was assisted via homeless outreach services (54.1%), followed by shelter programs (41.0%). Only 4.8% sought assistance from rapid rehousing programs as their first resort.
• New client households with children are more likely to have lived in doubled-up situations or permanent housing prior to receiving homeless services, compared to single-person or adult-only households (28.2% vs. 11.1%).
• Half (48.5%) of new adult clients had lived in the state of Hawai‘i for 10 years or more. In the counties of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i and Maui, one fourth (23.9%) of new adult clients were new arrivals to the state (within 12 months).
• Zip code area 96792 on the Leeward Coast of O‘ahu had the highest number of new-client households (482) reported as their last permanent residence.
• In FY 2015, 981 individuals received rapid rehousing services, 8,030 received outreach services and 8,844 received shelter services. One in five individuals received multiple types of services. Of the shelter users, 4,950 participated in emergency shelter programs, 5,036 enrolled in transitional housing programs, and 12.9% utilized both types of shelter services.
• The state’s homeless service system assisted 3,257 people in obtaining permanent housing during the 2015 fiscal year, representing 42.8% of all service users who exited the system.
• People in family households had the highest rate, at 60.7%, of exiting to permanent housing, followed by children 6-17 years old at 60.1%, children 0-5 years old at 59.7%, and veterans at 56.6%.
• On the lower end of rates: People experiencing chronic homelessness exited at a rate of 20.8% to permanent housing, followed by 25.8% of service users in Kaua‘i County and 31.0% of unaccompanied adults and others in adult-only households.
• Rapid rehousing programs had the highest rate of exit to permanent housing at 73.4%, followed by 64.1% from transitional housing programs.
• The Emergency Shelter and Outreach Programs had much lower rates, at 27.7% and 17.4% respectively.
• During FY 2015, outreach programs assisted their clients to successfully obtain 6,333 non-housing outcomes, such as public benefits and case management. Half of these outcomes were reported from services delivered in two zip code areas: 96792 (Wai‘anae, Mākaha, Mā‘ili) and 96720 (Hilo). Statewide, half of outreach service users received one or more non-housing outcomes.
• The total number of Permanent Supportive Housing households has been growing in recent years, from 937 in June 2012 to 1,048 in June 2015. The growth was mainly due to the increases in the HUD-VASH program’s capacity in all counties and the establishment of Housing First programs on O‘ahu.
• Since FY 2013, an average of 244 households have entered PSHP each year. The current capacity of PSHP must be expanded in order to serve those with the highest needs among more than 2,000 chronically homeless individuals accessing the state’s homeless service system annually.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provided the funding that made the report possible. Copies of the report are available at the UH Mānoa Center on the Family, located at 2515 Campus Road, Miller Hall 103. The report is also available on the Center on the Family website at http://uhfamily.hawaii.edu/publications

Contact the UH Mānoa Center on the Family at (808) 956-4132 or via email at cof@ctahr.hawaii.edu, or see the website at http://uhfamily.hawaii.edu/. The Center on the Family is a unit within the UH Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

  *   *   *   *   *

HOMELESS SERVICE UTILIZATION REPORT

From UH Center on the Family

The 2015 fiscal year reported the highest number of people who sought homeless services in the state’s history: 14,954 in total. The problem of our growing homeless population raises the pressing need for better service coordination. Without a fully functioning, coordinated system of assessment and housing placement, sustaining the gains made and achieving long-term results in solving the homeless problem in our state will be difficult.

FY 2014 to FY 2015 saw an increase of 4.7%, or 672 clients, which can be attributed to the growing number of unaccompanied homeless adults accessing services. In the 2015 fiscal year, 8,250 unaccompanied adults were served—9.9% (740) more than those who received services in the last fiscal year. The only group that showed a noticeable decline in numbers this year was homeless children, who dropped 1.8% (65) from the statewide peak seen in FY 2014, to a total of 3,494 in FY 2015.

Two major system flow factors likely contributed to the elevated demand in the state’s homeless service system. First, the rate of clients “leaving” the system did not keep up with the increased enrollment, resulting in 421 more clients from last fiscal year who continued to access services in FY 2015—a total of 5,875 “stayers.” The second factor was the influx of new clients to the service system, for a total of 5,717 “newcomers,” an increase of 256 clients from last fiscal year. Some characteristics of these new clients are:

• Compared to continuing/returning clients, the newcomers were more likely to be young children under 6 years old (14.6% vs. 10.2%) or young adults aged 18–24 (10.8% vs. 6.8%).
• The majority was assisted via homeless outreach services (54.1%), followed by shelter programs (41.0%). Only 4.8% of the 3,720 new client households sought assistance from rapid rehousing programs as their first resort.
• 420 new client households had lived in doubled-up situations and 114 in permanent housing (14.4% of the total) prior to receiving homeless services; these households were 2.3 times as likely to be family households with children as single-person or adult-only households.
• Among the 4,005 new adult clients who sought shelter and outreach services, one in five (19.6%) were employed.
• Half (48.5%) of new adult clients had lived in the state of Hawai‘i for 10 years or more. In the counties of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i, and Maui, one fourth (23.9%) of new adult clients were new arrivals to the state (within 12 months). Data for Honolulu was inconclusive due to the high percentage of missing information.
• Zip code area 96792 on the Leeward Coast of O‘ahu was the last permanent residence of 482 new client households. Other noteworthy zip code areas where a large number of new client households (100–199 range) last resided are 96819, 96817, and 96815 on O‘ahu; 96732, 96793, and 96761 on Maui; and 96740 and 96720 on the island of Hawai‘i.

Hawai‘i’s homeless service system offers three major types of programs to people experiencing homelessness. One in five homeless service clients (19.4%) accessed multiple types of these program services in FY 2015.

Rapid Rehousing Programs are part of a newer strategy designed to provide targeted support to those who have recently become homeless to enable their return to stable housing as quickly as possible. Statewide, this program served a total of 981 clients, an increase of 19.1% (157 clients) from last fiscal year.

Shelter Programs provide a safe place for individuals and families to sleep at night and often include many additional services and resources. Emergency shelter service programs tend to be shorter than transitional housing service programs. The latter programs are designed to provide more intensive services to help individuals and families transition gradually into more stable housing situations. Statewide, a total of 8,844 people received shelter services in FY 2015, representing a 3.1% increase (270 clients) from FY 2014. Emergency shelter services accounted for the majority of the increase, while transitional housing services had only a slight increase statewide.

Outreach Programs target unsheltered individuals in order to provide resources and referrals for shelter and other services. Statewide, 8,030 people received homeless outreach services in FY 2015, representing 422 more people than the last fiscal year (5.5% increase).

The state’s homeless service system assisted 3,257 people in obtaining permanent housing during the 2015 fiscal year, representing 42.8% of all service users who exited the system. The rate of clients exiting to permanent housing tended to be associated with the socio-demographic backgrounds of the service users and types of service programs utilized.

People in family households had the highest rate at 60.7% of exiting to permanent housing, followed by children 6–17 years old at 60.1%, children 0–5 years old at 59.7%, and veterans at 56.6%. On the lower end, people experiencing chronic homelessness exited at a rate of 20.8% to permanent housing, followed by 25.8% of service users in Kaua‘i County, and 31.0% of unaccompanied adults and others in adult-only households.

Overall, the Rapid Rehousing Program had the highest rate of exit to permanent housing, at 73.4%, followed by 64.1% from the Transitional Housing Program. The Emergency Shelter and Outreach Programs had much lower rates, at 27.7% and 17.4% respectively. The City and County of Honolulu tended to have a higher rate of exit to permanent housing across almost all program types, with the exception of the Outreach Program, where clients in Neighbor Island counties experienced a higher rate of exit to permanent housing.

This year’s report also examined the Permanent Supportive Housing Program (PSHP) that serves formerly homeless individuals through funding from federal, state, and city governments. The PSHP is designed to couple housing with ongoing service support to those who might otherwise have difficulty maintaining housing. The total number of PSHP households has been growing in recent years, from 937 in June 2012 to 1,048 in June 2015. The growth was mainly due to the increases in the HUD-VASH program’s capacity in all counties and the establishment of Housing First programs on O‘ahu. Since FY 2013, an average of 244 households have entered PSHP each year. The current capacity of PSHP must be expanded in order to serve those with the highest needs among the 2,000 or more chronically homeless individuals served annually in the state’s homeless service system.

The 2015 Homeless Service Utilization Report is the tenth annual report produced by the Center on the Family at the University of Hawai‘i at M¯anoa and the Homeless Program Office in the Hawai‘i State Department of Human Services. In this report, references to the FY 2014 data are based on the 2014 Homeless Service Utilization Report and its Statistical Supplement, which can be downloaded from http://uhfamily.hawaii.edu/publications/list.aspx . Additional data tables and thematic maps are published in the 2015 Statistical Supplement, which is available from the web address above.

PDF: Entire Report

  *   *   *   *   *

SA: Record number of homeless asked for services last year

KITV: Homeless Service Utilization Report: Hawaii 2015

HNN: Report: Growing number of homeless put stress on provider network

HNN: Homeless provider sees influx of mainland clients