What does it mean to “end homelessness”?
The Fredericksburg Regional CoC will have ended homelessness when the homelessness response system is right-sized to ensure that all persons experiencing homelessness have a path to permanent housing. Specifically, it means:
- Identifying all persons experiencing homelessness
- Providing immediate access to shelter for anyone experiencing unsheltered homelessness
- Ensuring that all persons experiencing homelessness have the opportunity to move back into permanent housing within 30 days of becoming homeless
- Preventing new episodes of homelessness whenever possible
How will we end homelessness?
In 2014, the CoC adopted a 10-Year Strategic Plan to End Homelessness, which outlines the following goals:
- Achieve functional zero through a homeless services system that provides immediate access and needs assessment at the point of housing crisis to prevent homelessness and rapidly return the homeless to stable housing.
- Create a data-driven system for tracking and predicting service patterns, client needs, and program effectiveness within the Continuum of Care to guide decision-making and planning about the regional homeless services system.
- Ensure access to permanent housing through increased production and availability for low-to-moderate income households and those that are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless.
- Create a holistic, readily accessible network of supportive services agencies that connects the homeless to assistance based on their unique needs, helping households to achieve and sustain permanent housing and self-sufficiency.
- Create a system that eliminates correctional, emergency healthcare and other public service agency burden for servicing homeless clients by directing resources at data-driven discharge planning, targeted housing, and case management solutions.