Housing and Homeless Coalition of Beaver County December 11, 2014 Meeting Agenda Welcome and Introductions

Norah Miller

Norah called the meeting to order at 1:38 pm and had new attendees introduce themselves: Justin Saunders, Rachel Ciccone, Jen Johns and Jenn Raab from Pressley Ridge; Harry Angelo and Adam Klevenhagen from Job Training Beaver County; Roe Collins from Tower of Hope; Brynna Manuel from Friendship Homes; Cathy Balko from the Red Cross; Michelle Rockwell from LINK and Rhiallte Gibbs and Courtney Hall, Geneva College interns for TRAILS. Attendees: Harry Angelo, Cathy Balko, Kevin Boozel, Darcy Casey, Rachel Ciccone, Roe Collins, Victor Colonna, Carl DeChellis, Janet Elder, Elizabeth Focer-Repman, Rhiallte Gibbs, Ray Gutowski, Courtney Hall, Jennifer Johns, Rosalyn Johnson, Lisa Kelleher, Molly Keresty, Jaime Kinkead, Adam Klevenhagen, Herta Madder, Brynna Manuel, Janice Matteo, Mary Ann McDevitt, Christy Miles, Norah Miller, Joyce Nicely, Dee Patillo, Dannielle Pugh, Jennifer Raab, Katie Rhodes, Michelle Rockwell, Brandi Sabol, Justin Saunders, Jim Sherwood, Ruth Shiers, Brenda Shultz, Cathy Smith, Lisa Smith, Josh Stiger and Carmen Wilkerson. Review of November Meeting Minutes

Norah Miller

There were no corrections to the November Meeting minutes. Several hard copies are available on the resource table.

OPEN DISCUSSION Janet Elder – Southwestern PA Food Securities Partnership: New calendars for Produce to People are available on the table and see attached. Janet is available to train staff in your office on how to register clients for SNAP. Kevin Boozel – PA211: Kevin distributed stuffers you can put in paychecks for free tax services, blue tote bags and poster flyers to hang up in office. PA211 will be able to assist individuals in scheduling free tax services. If they cannot schedule in your county, they have the ability to connect to services. This year PA211 received 71,000 calls. Types of assistance most often requested are: 1. Housing 2. Utilities 3. Taxes The$mission$of$the$Housing$and$Homeless$Coalition$of$Beaver$County$is$to$provide$support,$direction,$and$ collaboration$in$effectively$addressing$the$issues$of$homelessness$and$affordable,$sustainable$housing$in$ $Beaver$County$by$identifying$and$utilizing$all$available$resources.$

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Housing and Homeless Coalition of Beaver County 4. Food PA211 has also helped agencies in coordinating various events such as a “Stuff the Bus” fundraiser. Michelle Rockwell - LINK Coordinator: Michelle is the new LINK Coordinator covering Beaver County. PA Link is an Aging and Disability Resource Center. They are developing an online web resource to include all non-profits, skilled nursing etc. Please share your contact information. Their role is to link individuals in the aging or disability categories to appropriate resources. They also offer quarterly cross training and partner meetings. Beaver is one of 4 counties participating in a pilot collaboration effort with 211 to provide Options Counseling. Options Counselors will work with the individuals to get them connected and are a link between information & referral to case management. Counselors are available statewide. Beaver County Office on Aging, Beaver County Rehabilitation Center and the Housing Authority are the local Beaver County agencies with Option Counselors on staff. Carl DeChellis – Housing Authority of the County of Beaver (HACB): HACB has vacancies for 3/4 bedroom units. The HACB only received 76 applications last month, which is the lowest number Carl remembers. The longest wait list remains the one for 1-bedroom units. Danielle Pugh - Preservation Management: Danielle provided a comprehensive overview of immediately available low-income housing in Hermitage, PA. There is no waiting list for these subsidized units and they are currently accepting applications. Applicants must meet income criteria. Exclusionary criteria: 1. No more than 3 misdemeanors in a 1-2 year span. 2. No Felony convictions in the past 7-10 years. 3. Cannot accept sex offenders or those recently released on drug charges from prison. There is security on the premises and they are currently overlooking credit background. Preservation Management is a for profit agency. Kevin Boozel provided technical assistance to Danielle as to how they can be included in the PA211 resource network. For more information, contact Danielle directly at [email protected]. To see the apartments visit the website http://www.preservationmanagement.com/rental/property/orange-village-apartments Darcy Casey - The Cornerstone: Christmas Dinner reminder: Anyone is welcome to join approximately 1000 other people at the Beaver Falls High School from 11am-3pm on Christmas Day for the 21st Annual Christmas Day Dinner. Darcy is collecting brochures for the resource The$mission$of$the$Housing$and$Homeless$Coalition$of$Beaver$County$is$to$provide$support,$direction,$and$ collaboration$in$effectively$addressing$the$issues$of$homelessness$and$affordable,$sustainable$housing$in$ $Beaver$County$by$identifying$and$utilizing$all$available$resources.$

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Housing and Homeless Coalition of Beaver County table. Please get your agency brochures to Darcy by 12/19/14. The Cornerstone is located at 1217 Seventh Ave, Beaver Falls, 2nd floor. 724-846-6400 ext. 13 Elizabeth Focer-Repman - Columbia Gas: See attached reference sheet for income guidelines to access energy assistance and the Social Services matrix for the utility companies. Liz has been exceptionally busy as of late. This is the Dormant Survey time – in which the company tries to get service on for those who were shut off for non-payment of bills. This includes sending information by mail, hanging door packets, as well as calls to the homes. Herta Madder – Beaver County Behavioral Health: Herta distributed brochures for the Western Region Housing Options Coalition. See attached. This coalition is comprised of county representatives, and private nonprofit organizations to provide peer support and share ideas related to housing needs. If you are interested in attending or becoming a member, please feel free to get in touch with Herta at [email protected] and she will let you know when the next meeting is scheduled. Meetings are held at the Kings Family Restaurant in Grove City from 11am-1pm. Lisa Smith - CAP Program: Duquesne Light CAP assists low-income customers with assistance using Dollar Energy and LIHEAP grants as well as making referrals to different programs. Lisa reports a decline in the number of requests for assistance. Many current requests are for new service. Customers with low credit scores are required to provide a security deposit. During the winter moratorium (December 1 - March 31), a utility can pursue shut-off if you fall over 250% of poverty, however, that is not their first option. If you engage in illegal activities Duquesne Light will shut off the service. Some utility companies have Limiters that cap the amount of energy that can be used. In those rare cases just enough power is flowing to maintain basic needs such as furnace, medical equipment, etc. The County Assistance Office is receiving a large number of requests for emergency utility assistance and LIHEAP. Molly Keresty – Beaver County Children and Youth Services As of January 1, 2015, regulations regarding child abuse are changing. The following is a website with training www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu. The free training is about 3 hours long depending on how fast you read. There is a test at the end of the training. A Certification for Completion is available after passing the test. The new regulations apply to all mandated reporters who have a license to work with children and also apply to volunteers. The$mission$of$the$Housing$and$Homeless$Coalition$of$Beaver$County$is$to$provide$support,$direction,$and$ collaboration$in$effectively$addressing$the$issues$of$homelessness$and$affordable,$sustainable$housing$in$ $Beaver$County$by$identifying$and$utilizing$all$available$resources.$

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Housing and Homeless Coalition of Beaver County Jaime Kinkead – The Salvation Army: The Emergency Motel Program that is administered by the Salvation Army provided funding for 168 nights of emergency lodging for 15 women, 8 men, 9 children. This was an increase in the number of families from last year. Currently, there is some additional funding totaling approximately $2000 that is available through The Ladle. The Salvation Army will continue to administer the program so if you have a homeless individual or household who has exhausted all other options, contact Jaime at the Salvation Army who will coordinate the emergency lodging. [email protected]. Jaime announced that she has staff who are able to provide case management to people at the motels. When the funding is gone, Beaver County is able to tap into faith-based community to assist those who are homeless with short-term emergency shelter. Jaime is requesting help for a female with a newborn who only has a couch and TV. She needs everything else. [email protected] (note there is an underscore between first and last name, which you cannot see) Roe Collins offered the resources of Tower Of Hope for the newborn. Norah Miller: Housing and Homeless Coalition Rick Riley at Job Training asked that an announcement be made about Job Training employment opportunities. The agency is currently looking for applicants to apply for 3 available positions: Contact Rick at [email protected] for details about a temporary welfare case worker, a full-time job search coordinator and a full-time or part-time job search worker. Gianna Wright from the Urban League of Pittsburgh has resources for food and utility assistance. See attached. Norah is working with a gentleman who is facing eviction in Ambridge. His landlord covered a $700 water bill but wants to be repaid. Let Norah know if you know of any options. Katie Rhodes – TRAILS TRAILS is still accepting Angel Tree referrals to the program that provides gifts to Beaver County children whose parents are incarcerated. Call Abby at 724-891-7541 if you know anyone who meets this criteria. There are no income limits. The Angel Tree program has received about 300 referrals so far this year. TRAILS has also reached out to Halfway Houses. Victor Colonna – BCCAN Save the date. 1-6-15 Ethics in the Helping Professions. The training is free. Registration required. Contact Victor at [email protected]. The$mission$of$the$Housing$and$Homeless$Coalition$of$Beaver$County$is$to$provide$support,$direction,$and$ collaboration$in$effectively$addressing$the$issues$of$homelessness$and$affordable,$sustainable$housing$in$ $Beaver$County$by$identifying$and$utilizing$all$available$resources.$

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Housing and Homeless Coalition of Beaver County Cathy Balko – American Red Cross: November has been a quiet month at the Red Cross. One fire victim received assistance. Looking forward, the Red Cross is planning on rolling out the Pillow Case program in Beaver County schools by working to train people to address the impact of disasters on children grades 3-5. The 1 hour program helps children with coping skills and has demonstrated some success. Disney funds the program.

AGENDA December Housing Availability

Norah Miller

See attached inventory. There will be an opening in Harmony House in January, which will most likely fill up quickly with a Children and Youth family. Norah is encouraged when subsidized housing units accept applications even when full because sometimes the wait is not very long. Valley Terrace and Towne Towers will have openings in January. Stone Harbour Update

Norah Miller

There was an email sent out by the Continuum of Care Committee requesting letters of interest for agencies willing to take over administration of Stone Harbour when Supportive Services relinquishes its contract with HUD on December 15. The transitional housing program provides 12 beds for released offenders with cooccurring mental health/substance abuse disorders. The Salvation Army was the only agency to respond with a Letter of Interest. Jaime Kinkead from the Salvation Army is working with the Community Development Office to move the transition forward. Matching funds may be the most difficult barrier to implementation of a change in administration. Since the Salvation Army is a national program, additional administrative costs are incurred and funds must be identified to defray those costs. Jaime is meeting with the regional Salvation Army in Pittsburgh on Monday. Supportive Services is working with other entities to provide Stone Harbour residents with alternative living arrangements during this transition period. Tower of Hope

Roe Collins

Tower of Hope Inc is a non-profit Beaver County organization providing assistance to anyone who is pregnant or raising small children. The agency was formed in 2001 and received its 501C3 status. The organization’s name comes from scripture, Psalm 61.3 It is not affiliated with any single church although it is currently located in the The$mission$of$the$Housing$and$Homeless$Coalition$of$Beaver$County$is$to$provide$support,$direction,$and$ collaboration$in$effectively$addressing$the$issues$of$homelessness$and$affordable,$sustainable$housing$in$ $Beaver$County$by$identifying$and$utilizing$all$available$resources.$

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Housing and Homeless Coalition of Beaver County First Baptist Church in New Brighton. The offices are in a convenient location, accessible by bus. The Tower of Hope has signed on 50 new families in 2014. The organization is 100% pro life, offering support to women who have had abortions. Although adoption services are not provided, adoption information is available for referral purposes. The agency recently purchased a childbirth video and additional pregnancy support, non-medical, is available. Educational parenting support is offered. Free children’s clothing, diapers, wipes, bassinets, etc. are available to those in need. The Tower of Hope accepts donations of gently used infant and toddler clothing, baby furniture and toys. Diapers, wipes, lotion, etc. are always needed. See attached brochure. The Tower of Hope’s biggest fundraiser is a baby bottle campaign: take the bottle and fill it with change. Thanks to all the Coalition Members who filled 3 baby bottles during the meeting! Norah adjourned the meeting at 2:50. NEXT MEETING JANUARY 8, 2015

SAVE THE DATES! December 25

21st Annual Free Christmas Day Dinner Beaver Falls High School 11:30 – 3:00

January 6

Ethics in the Helping Professions CCBC 9:00 – 12:00 [email protected]

January 28

Annual Point in Time Homeless Survey

January 29

Neighborhood Legal Services Landlord/Tenant Training BCCYS Conference Room 9:30 - Noon

Season’s Greetings! The$mission$of$the$Housing$and$Homeless$Coalition$of$Beaver$County$is$to$provide$support,$direction,$and$ collaboration$in$effectively$addressing$the$issues$of$homelessness$and$affordable,$sustainable$housing$in$ $Beaver$County$by$identifying$and$utilizing$all$available$resources.$

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Housing Program Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Transitional Transitional Transitional Transitional Emergency Emergency Emergency

Type

Available Beds/ Units 8 units 1* 0 0 0 0 36 Units 0* 0 0 1* 0 1 0 24 33 12 12 8 8 41 Units 3 11 11 4 20 20 24

Total Beds/Units 67% 103% 100% 100% 100% 100% 12% 25% 73% 100% 75% 100% 95% 100%

Occupancy

Housing Authority Salvation Army Changing the World Harbor Point Housing Supportive Services Supportive Services Housing Authority Supportive Services BC Behavioral Health Housing Authority BCCYS BCCYS Lutheran Services Society BC Women's Center

Administrator

Current Beaver County Housing Inventory Availability December, 2014 Crescent Commons* Friendship Homes* Julie's Place* Lenwood Housing* Melrose Place* Safety Net* Community Residential* Stone Harbour* CRS Transitional Help House Harmony House BCCYS Housing Crossroads Men's Shelter Women's Center

List List List List

Bedroom Types Waiting Waiting Waiting Waiting

2BR and 3BR 2BR and 3BR 2BR and 3BR New Brighton Waiting List * Long list for efficiency apts. Aliquippa 2BR and 3BR Aliquippa 1 Efficiency Available 62+

New Brighton Beaver Falls Beaver Falls Conway

Location

*McKenney Vento Supportive Housing Programs - An Adult in the household must have a disability to be eiigible.

Subsidized or Section 8 Brightwood Manor Beaver Falls Plaza Connelly Apartments Conway Towers Housing Authority Beaver Falls sites Ambridge sites Aliquippa Valleyview Valley Terrace Towne Towers

* CH Male

* In transition

* CYS referral