Message from Nikki
2021 has been both a rewarding and challenging year for the Family Solutions Collaborative and our members. As we work toward our shared vision of preventing and ending family homelessness by ensuring a fair and equitable way in which families can be connected to and receive services, the ongoing pandemic and lack of affordable housing in Orange County, have heightened the need for additional support and services. Through it all, our Member Agencies, Family Shelters and Access Points have responded, every step of the way.
The Family Solutions Collaborative is dedicated to ensuring families are represented and supported at every level of their housing crisis – working to ensure family homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring, using best-practice, non-discriminatory, low-barrier, and trauma-informed, system-wide practices.
We don’t do this alone. Our FSC Members, Access Points, Family Shelters, community partners and Stakeholders are the fabrics that weave together the leadership, support, programs and services, that are in alignment with the goals and values of the Family Solutions Collaborative. We are building a system where collaboration over competition is supported and celebrated.
During the last year, COVID had a direct impact on family housing stability. We saw a 28% increase of families requesting housing and/or shelter supportive services, through the Family Coordinated Entry System. Despite this increase in families in need and seeking services through the FSC, our Family Access Points, Members, FSC Family Shelters and Housing Providers were able to serve these families at the same rate and pace prior to COVID. That is an incredible feat and shows the true spirit of collaboration and commitment to the families our collaborative members serve.
Also, during the last year, we were able to move families through the process of connecting to housing support services more quickly. By working collaboratively and identifying pressure points and implementing best-practices, we decreased the time it took for families to receive a needs assessment by an average of 10 (ten) days, compared to 2020. This is important because as a system, we are able to identify the needs and resources and begin to support families much more quickly on their path to housing stability.
We are committed to this work because we know that no child should be homeless, and housing is a human right. We are grateful to the dedicated and hard-working staff at the FSC, the Executive Committee who work to support the mission and vision and to our Members, Partners and Stakeholders for their dedication and work to end family homelessness in Orange County. Thank you for being part of the solution!
For the families,
Nikki Buckstead
Executive Director
Emergency response to families during COVID-19
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Family Solutions Collaborative provided temporary motel assistance to families who were experiencing a housing crisis as a result of the Pandemic. Families experiencing homelessness were provided temporary motel assistance as they waited for emergency shelter to become available in order to reduce their risk of contracting COVID-19. Families needing to isolate or quarantine due to COVID-19 were provided temporary motel assistance until they recovered.
Funding for these services were provided through Orange County Health Care Agency and First 5 Orange County Children and Families Commission.
Motel Stays
1
Combined # of Motel Nights
1
Families Served
1
Children Served Age 0-5
1
Children Served Age 6-17
1
Adults Served
Emergency Solutions Grant
The Family Solutions Collaborative has provided and continues to provide Rapid Rehousing assistance to homeless families who have been impacted by COVID-19.
Families are receiving assistance and support to help identify and obtain permanent housing, move-in costs, financial help to cover medium to long-term rental assistance, and ongoing housing stabilization case management services through four of our member agencies. Our member agencies who we provide funding to administer these programs and services are: Pathways of Hope, Illumination Foundation, Families Forward, and Mercy House.
Funding for these services are provided by the Orange County Health Care Agency, Office of Care Coordination. Learn more about the Emergency Solutions Grant
Rapid Rehousing Assistance*
$0
Financial Assistance Provided
1
Families Housed
1
Children 0-5 Housed
1
Children 6-17 Housed
1
Adults Housed
*Program launched in April 2021
Emergency Housing Vouchers
The Family Solutions Collaborative has provided and continues to provide Emergency Housing Vouchers to families during the Pandemic. The Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program is available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The Family Coordinated Entry System, managed and administered by the Family Solutions Collaborative, received a total of 80 EHVs for families in Orange County, and has referred families for all 80 vouchers. The EHVs provided are able to assist families experiencing homelessness, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability.
On this project, we work collaboratively with the Orange County Office of Care Coordination and the four Housing Authorities in Orange County: Anaheim Housing Authority, Garden Grove Housing Authority, Santa Ana Housing Authority, and Orange County Housing Authority.
Families who are interested in receiving supportive services work with a housing provider, which will provide funding and staff support to assist with housing navigation and case management. The supportive services for the majority of families who receive an EHV are funded by the Family Solutions Collaborative and work with our member agencies: Pathways of Hope, Illumination Foundation, Families Forward, Family Assistance Ministries, and Colette’s Children’s Home.
Emergency Housing Vouchers*
1
Families matched to an EHV and working with a FSC member agency for services
*Program launched in July 2021
Diverting Families “From the System”
One of the goals of the Family Solutions Collaborative’s Diversion Project is to move families out of the homeless system as quickly as possible. This is done by utilizing best-practice interventions which work on the strengths and resources of the family, to self-resolve their housing crisis or receive help within their own social or support network, to include a one-time diversion funding assistance through the FSC when needed.
Using Emergency Solutions Grant funding, families were provided with limited assistance needed to end their housing crisis.
*Program launched in April 2021
1
Families Housed
1
Adults Housed
$0
Financial Assistance Provided
1
Children Housed Age 0-5
1
Children Housed Age 6-17
Upstream Investment: Preventing Family Homelessness
The Family Solutions Collaborative homeless prevention programs aims to assist families at-risk of homelessness to be able to maintain their current housing. Through these programs, families are assisted with rental assistance or provided move-in costs when they are in a situation that is considered to put them at high-risk of falling into homelessness.
Funding for these programs are provided by the Homeless Emergency Aid Program, Homeless Housing and Assistance Program and the City of Tustin.
$0
Financial Assistance Provided
1
Families Served
1
Children Served Age 0-5
1
Children Served Age 6-17
1
Adults Served
Family Coordinated Entry System
The Family Coordinated Entry System is the system by which families experiencing, or at risk of, homeless are connected to housing and shelter programs in an equitable, fair, and coordinated manner. This system helps prioritize housing and shelter resources based on vulnerability and severity of service needs to ensure that families who need help the most can receive it. The Family Solutions Collaborative manages and operates this system for Orange County.
The Family Coordinated Entry System is funded by the Office of Care Coordination, Orange County Health Care Agency.
For more information on the Family Coordinated Entry System, click here.
1
Families Served*
1
Children Served Age 0-5
1
Children Served Age 6-17
1
Adults Served
1
Referrals Made to a Housing Program
1
Families Housed with a Housing Program Referral
1
Prevention Assessments Completed
1
Families Diverted
*Includes families experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness
FSC Emergency Shelter Bed Reservation System
This innovative Bed Reservation System is the system by which families are connected to Emergency and Transitional shelter in Orange County.
This system was created in 2019 to help streamline the way families are connected to shelter with a prioritization process. There are nine emergency shelters and two transitional shelters that participate in the FSC Bed Reservation system that families can be connected to.
Learn more about the FSC’s Bed Reservation System and to see a listing of the FSC Family Shelters.
1
Families Successfully Connected to Shelter
1
Participating Shelter Units
1
Participating Transitional Housing Units
1
Children Served Age 0-5
1
Children Served Age 6-17
1
Adults Served
First 5 Housing Navigation
The Housing Navigation project is funded by First 5 of Orange County, Children and Families Commission and was implemented to assist families experiencing homelessness at seven shelters with finding safe and stable housing.
The goal of this project is to develop and implement best practices and improve the housing focus in the family shelter system. The project provides: Tenant Education, Housing Resource Consultations, Housing Identification, Landlord Cultivation and Landlord Mediation services.
The FSC subcontracts with one of our member agencies, Families Forward to deliver and provide these services to FSC Family Shelters.
1
Families Served by Project
1
Children Served Age 0-5*
*This project focuses on serving families with children age 0-5
Collaborative Work
We provided over 25 community presentations to over 410 people in 2021 regarding the FSC and family homelessness.
In 2021, we added three new FSC Members – StandUp for Kids, Laura’s House, Interval House and added a new family Access Point, Families Forward, to the Central Service Planning area.
In April of 2021, moved into our first office at Shared Spaces Village in Santa Ana.
In May of 2021, the FSC developed a process to ensure that our Domestic Violence Members were integrated into the family homeless response system, as a best-practice. Click here to learn more
During the summer of 2021, we invited our FSC Members to vote on our new FSC logo. This allowed us to re-brand and begin the development of our website. As part of our re-branding process, we surveyed our Members to identify the top attributes of the Family Solutions Collaborative. They are as follows:
- Collaborative
- Committed
- Responsive
- Supportive
- Trusted and Strategic (tied)
Launched our innovative Diversion Expansion Project, supported by First 5 Orange County, in July of 2021. Click here to learn more
Implemented the FSC Shelter Network Committee in September 2021 to ensure consistency and best practices throughout the participating family shelters. Click here to learn more
In October of 2021, convened two listening sessions with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to provide input and feedback on the Federal Strategic Plan on homelessness. In two separate sessions, we invited our Member agencies and families who had been experiencing homelessness – to provide their first-hand experience, to provide feedback.
In response to new best-practice and trends throughout the family homeless response system, we update to the Shared Family Shelter Guidelines in October 2021. These Shared Guidelines are the requirements the Family Shelters in the FSC Network agree to adhere to. Learn more here
Through a collaborative process with our FSC Members, published the Family Solutions Collaborative Governance Charter in November 2021.
Launched our official website in November 2021.
In December 2021, through an evaluation, focus groups and feedback from the families and agencies, we launched our updated our Family Service Request Form to be trauma-informed, incorporate a simple safety screening and developed a closed-loop process.