HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRA-R-08-0062 Backup•
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Camillus House Courtyard Program
• In 2006, to honor a promise to the business community, Camillus invited people who are
chronically homeless' to come and spend the day and evening in the atrium and the space that
was formerly a parking lot.
• Our goal was to provide overnight shelter in a safe environment to persons who would otherwise
sleep on the streets of downtown Miami.
• What began as an experiment to create a safe environment for an estimated 40 - 60 guests, has
since blossomed into a formal program called the Camillus House Courtyard Program
• With over 240 guests in the Courtyard today, the number of individuals currently participating in
the Courtyard program is four to six times the numbers for which we initially planned.
• According to information provided by the participants in our Courtyard Program themselves, the
vast majority of them are from racial and ethnic minorities groups, especially Black (54%) and
Hispanic (15%). Approximately one quarter (26%) are women. 120 of the guests are chronically
homeless, 80 have chronic conditions but do not meet the criteria of being chronically homeless.
• For local businesses, tourists, residents and visitors of downtown Miami, the number of persons
living on the streets has been dramatically reduced. The program's impact has been elsewhere
discussed in the attached Miami Herald article.
• Through the Courtyard program, Camillus House helps keep persons who are chronically
homeless in Miami off the downtown streets — at night and during the day — and prepares many to
begin on a path that will lead to the treatment and rehabilitation that will lead to them breaking
their individual cycles of homelessness and the remaining 40 are in the process of being assest.
Public Perceptions of Camillus House:
Public opinion research recently published (May 2008) by the Loretta Marketing Group documents that
over the past three years, public perceptions of the important role that Camillus House plays in solving the
problem of homelessness in Miami -Dade County continue to increase.
• When asked the question unaided, Which organizations come to mind that are helping homeless
people? Camillus House is 5 times more likely to be named then the other agencies/churches
serving persons who are homeless in Miami.
• A remarkable 87% of respondents report a positive view of Camillus House versus a 1% negative
perception. The remaining respondents had a neutral or no opinion.
• 9 out of 10 of respondents rate every Camillus House service as Important or Very Important.
• Sheltering the homeless continues to be perceived as the most important service provided by
Camillus House.
Program Outcomes
• At least 240 people a night who had for years slept on the street of downtown Miami (50%
chronically homeless) are benefiting from Camillus Courtyard Program.
5 A person is classified as "chronically homelessness" by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) if he or she has been homeless for a year or longer, or has had four significant episodes of homelessness and
has a disabling mental or physical condition, is chemically addicted or has HIV/AIDS.
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• 720 meals a day are provided.
• A trusting relationship with the new guests has been established by Camillus House, paving the
way to seeking services that will help break the cycle of homelessness.
• New higher levels of needs are addressed as a result of the established relationships. These
include:
o Immediate access to medical care;
o Psychiatric and other mental health services;
o Substance abuse diagnosis and treatment;
o Case management and referrals; and
o Vocational counseling and job placement.
• A caring, cost effective service program for chronically homeless individuals is in place. For only
$3,548 Camillus House provides food, shelter, basic health care treatment, case management and
referrals and vocational counseling for one formerly homeless person per year.
• For local businesses, tourists, residents and visitors of downtown Miami, the number of persons
living on the streets has been dramatically reduced.
Budget and Funding
To provide basic and address higher level needs of approximately 240 new guests and keep them off the
streets of downtown Miami the Courtyard Program requires additional funding of $840,000 annually.
Courtyard Program 2008-2D09 Budget
Total salaries and benefits $532,500
Includes the supervisor of the program,
safety monitors, direct care staff who provide
showers, clothing and prepare meals, case
managers and clinical staff to address mental
health and substance abuse issues. Services
are delivered 24/7.
Program expenses $169,500
Includes security, client care items and food.
Operating costs $43,000
Includes utilities, repair and maintenance and
insurance.
Medical services and supplies $95,000
Provides for a full time nurse and supplies to
address the health concerns of the guests in the
Courtyard.
Total Program Cost $840,000
Daily cost per person $9.72
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CAMILLUS HOUSE
Helping even more homeless people
BY PAUL R. AHR
www.camiltus_arg
A,1 iami has made significant
strides toward becoming
the tirsi major city in America to
solve the problem of homeless-
ness. The pioneering efforts of
Alvah Chapman are being
brought to maturity under the
leadership of Ron Book and the
more than two dozen
agencies in Miami -Dade
County supported by the
Miami -Dade County
Homeless Trust. Accord-
ing to the Homeless
Trust. the slumber of peo-
ple living on the street in
this county has been
reduced to less than 1,400 from
more than 0,000 in just 10 years.
As the overall number of people
living on the streets has declined.
the proportion of those who can
be defined as "chronically home-
less" has increased. These are
people who have been homeless
for a year or longer and have a
disabling condition such as a seri-
ous addiction, mental illness
and/or medical problem. They
are well-known to Camillus
House, where we have been serv-
ing individuals and families who
are homeless since 1960.
A new page in Camillus' his.
tory of service to the Miami com-
munity began to be written in Jan-
uary 2007. To honor a promise to
the business community, we
opened the parking lot adjacent to
our main shelter on Northeast
ANp
First Avenue to all people who
wanted to spend the night there
under our watchful eye. Our goal
was to relocate inside our gate the
40 or so people who had for years
slept on the street in front of our
door. Within months we were
accommodating about 240 people
a night. Initially funded by an
unexpected one-time charitable
gift — now exhausted —
the ongoing monthly cost
of $70,000 for our "Court-
yard Program" needs to
be raised from public and
private sources.
During the ensuing 16
months, hundreds of
homeless people have
taken advantage of this new
Camillus Courtyard Program. Our
staff has interviewed 400 of these
overnight guests, about three -
fourths men and one-fourth
women. They come from all racial
backgrounds. Eased on self -re-
ports and staff observations, we
estimate that on any night about
half of our 240 guests can be con-
sidered "chronically homeless."
Another 80 or so have a disability
but have been homeless for less
than a year. The remaining 40 or
so guests have not yet stayed long
enough for us to determine then'
circumstances.
From the perspective of tour-
ists and other visitors to down-
town Miami, an moat days or
nights there are no people living
on Northeast First Avenue
between Miami Bade College and
the 1-395 overpass_ Small clusters
of homeless people sometimes
gather on Northeast Eighth Street,
and they are also welcome at
Camillus for our services.
Camillus House visitors and
stiff are struck by the quiet,
orderly, even polite demeanor of
our guests. The guests themselves
have created a community at
Camillus and they have set and
enforced the unwritten rule that
"street behavior shoWd be left at
the door."
Courtyard Program
benefits ourguests and
the entire community.
As for the hundreds of people
who have benefited from this ini-
tiative, the first story told to me
In January 2007 speaks to the
impact of our new approach on
homeless people themselves. 1
visited the courtyard one night,
two weeks after opening. A man
got up to thank me for letting him
spend the night, proudly telling
me that he had not done drugs
for the past 10 nights because
"the drug dealers can't get to me
here." Every guest who stays
with tit believes that Camillus
House is a safer place to be than
on the streets of Miami, reaffirm-
ing our belief that this approach
is in the best interests of these
homeless people as well as our
community at large.
Becoming the first major city
in America to end homelessness
will depend on the extent to
which this community provides
effective treatment and appropri-
ate housing for its residents who
are or may become chronically
homeless. The future Camillus
House campus will provide in
one location a comprehensive
array of services for this vulnera-
ble but difficult to treat popula-
tion. Our courtyard experience
enhances our confidence that
this new campus will allow us, in
less than 10 years. to eliminate
chronic homelessness in Miami.
Working together with other
fine agencies funded by the
Homeless Trust, and with finan-
cial support from our commu-
nity, we look forward to days and
nights on which no one lives on
the streets of Miami -Dade
County. I urge you to support
Camillus House's initiative to
end chronic homelessness and
make our community a better
place for everyone.
Paul R. Ahr is president and
CEO of Camillus House. Inc.
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