The Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund (VHPF) was established in late 2007 as a project of the Ventura Social Services Task Force (VSSTF) and in response to a need identified by participating social services providers that might be addressed in the context of implementing the Ventura 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness.

The fund's purpose is to forestall imminent homelessness for those families on the verge of becoming homeless due to the impact of a one-time, non-repetitive - but consequential - event such as an illness or accident.

The Homeless Prevention Committee of Ventura's Task Force negotiated an arrangement with Ventura County United Way to receive, maintain, disburse, and account for funds contributed to the Homeless Prevention Fund at no cost to the Task Force. Tax deductible contributions are made to the United Way and credited to this fund.

To be eligible to receive homelessness prevention funds, an applicant must be a Ventura resident still in housing, but in imminent danger of eviction or otherwise losing their housing. The precipitating cause of the problem must be determined to be a one-time, non-repetitive tractable event or circumstance, such as an accident, loss of job, or temporary illness, that the case worker determines can be effectively mitigated with short-term corrective action if the candidate or family can remain in current housing. The candidate must be willing to provide information sufficient for the case worker to verify facts and circumstances and to prevent fraud, scamming, or double dipping and to confirm employment or sufficient income to meet other normal needs. The intent is that a one-time housing grant of this type will have a good probability of achieving the intended result of successfully maintaining the family in housing.

Assistance is limited to $1,000 and is available only once per year per family or household. Checks are made payable only to landlords, mortgage companies, medical providers, auto shops, etc. - always third party, never to the applicants directly.

Three local social services agencies who maintain case management operations, who frequently encounter candidates for assistance, are skilled at evaluating needs and circumstances, and who already administer similar or related programs - Ventura's Project Understanding, Catholic Charities, and the Salvation Army - operate the fund. Applications are taken for aid by the agencies. Applicants are interviewed and evaluated for assistance, and facts are investigated and confirmed with landlords, mortgage companies, hospitals or medical providers, and employers. Funds are then distributed to qualified eligible candidates.

At the same time the agencies also refer candidates to related assistance and often facilitate access to other types of appropriate aid. The agencies undertake follow up at 90 day and one year intervals to review continued housing status and report the outcome of the case to the Task Force. Responsibility for case management rotates monthly among the three agencies so as to reduce administrative burdens. The agencies do not charge the fund for their case management activities or administration of the funds.

People at risk of homelessness benefit from the availability of a community resource that can avert homelessness and connect them to other needed resources, along with ongoing followup.

Providers of other services benefit from having a centralized, expert set of agencies focusing on the prevention of homelessness, so that referrals for aid and other resources can be effectively streamlined.

The community benefits from having a locally administered resource for homelessness prevention that reflects broad community partnership in alignment with the jurisdictional 10 Year Plan. As stated in the Plan: "The need for continual expansion of emergency shelter beds and related services will stop within a jurisdiction that becomes more adept at preventing homelessness."

The Ventura Task Force's initial goal was to raise $60,000 this year and save 60 families from homelessness. To date over $30,000 has been contributed to the fund, and more is anticipated as local churches, service organizations, and clubs become aware of the fund, its purpose, and effectiveness. As of this month 38 families have been assisted at an average cost of about $750 per family. To date, according to Ventura City Council Member Neal Andrews, who made the inaugural contribution to the fund, only one of these assisted families has fallen into homelessness within six months after receiving prevention aid.

The Rotary, United Way, and a number of individuals have donated to the fund so far. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura raised nearly $2,900 through two special offerings designated for the Ventura Homeless Prevention Fund. The Unitarian Universalists extended a friendly challenge to other congregations in Ventura to do the same.

Ventura is working to meet its 10 Year Plan housing goal of 59 people a year which was based on its original assessment that meeting that housing goal and preventing more people from being added to the count would move Ventura towards its goal of ending homelessness.

Construction was also started on 40 units of transitional housing this year, plans were approved plans for 40 more very low income farm worker housing units, and dozens of other people have moved to individual housing solutions. Ventura is also employing very pragmatic approaches like home sharing and "Adopt a Family" within its faith community. Ventura is also about to launch its version of "Room at the Inn." A "Caring Circle" has now taken responsibility for acting as a model support group for a homeless woman who is now in her own housing, employed, and being mentored.

Ventura County also stepped out early in the face of the mortgage/foreclosure crisis, as County Supervisor Kathy Long, Chair of the 10 Year Plan, brought partners together to consider how foreclosed stock might meet 10 Year Plan goals.

The Ventura Social Services Task Force (VSSTF) is a community-based organization recognized by Ventura County and tasked by the Ventura City Council to end homelessness in the city of Ventura, according to the "10 Year Strategy to End Homelessness for Ventura County". Karl Keller, the Chairman of the Ventura Social Services Task Force, has recently been named Ventura Citizen of the Year by the Ventura Chamber of Commerce.

Learn more about the homelessness prevention innovation featured today.

Learn more about the Ventura Task Force: http://www.vsstf.org/about/about.htm

Learn more abut one of the local agency partners, Project Understanding: http://www.projectunderstanding.org/about.html

08 in 08, continues tomorrow with a Special Issue focused on . . . Street-level engagement in the Nation's Capital by a Business Improvement District Partnership: From the streets and long-term homelessness to Housing First . . .

Don't miss a single episode during this 08 in 08 Innovation series . . . but, if you do, you can always access the Council's "on demand" service and catch up. Just visit our web site at www.usich.gov/innovations. You can also view our previous Innovations series: 20 in 20 and 5 in 5, all profiles of what's working to end homelessness.

email: usich@usich.gov

web: http://www.usich.gov