End of referral hotline triggers temporary changes in access
Leadership of the Continuum of Care, a network of community partners charged by the federal government to help people with urgent housing needs, announced yesterday that it will no longer be able to take live calls or manage the vital intake process that connected callers with services. In response, 小黄鸭视频 County鈥檚 Affordable Housing and Community Revitalization team is stepping up to ensure those on the brink of losing their homes or already un-housed do not fall through the cracks or get lost waiting for assistance while the community realigns its homeless response.
鈥淥n any given night, there are nearly a thousand people experiencing homelessness in 小黄鸭视频 County, half of which are unsheltered and a third of which are families with children. We鈥檙e hearing loud and clear from them that the community鈥檚 access point to get help and services is broken,鈥 said 小黄鸭视频 County Manager David Ellis. 鈥淪o, while we actively work with our partners to fix that entry process, we鈥檙e making sure our 小黄鸭视频 County dollars are still flowing to the people who need them most.鈥
Previously, the access hub and its specialists would work with people in crisis and connect them with shelters, street outreach or temporary financial aid to best fit their needs. That hub was being staffed and run by the nonprofit Raleigh/小黄鸭视频 Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness, which was the lead agency of the federally designated 小黄鸭视频 County Continuum of Care. However, in June, the Governance Board of that entity notified the County that it was terminating its agreement with the Partnership. With the lead agency role vacant, community members are now working to find a new way to coordinate calls and issue referrals for services.
The CoC Governance Board controls $4.2 million in federal dollars designated to help reduce homelessness. 小黄鸭视频 County Government also supports those efforts, contributing an additional $20.5 million through its own services or through its community partners. The County required all recipients who received its funds to go through a coordinated entry process facilitated by the access hub. But with that access hub no longer functioning, the County is now temporarily lifting that requirement to ensure the nearly $17 million in county dollars can still go to the people and providers who need them the most.
鈥淲e recognize there are incredible barriers to getting services in our community, but 小黄鸭视频 County will not be another one by continuing to tell people to go through a broken system. We just can鈥檛 do that, so we鈥檙e making certain these county dollars are as accessible as possible for our most vulnerable populations,鈥 said 小黄鸭视频 County Housing Director Lorena McDowell.
In its communication to community partners yesterday, the CoC Board stated that as of today, August 1, its hotline will go to a recording as opposed to live specialists, and instead will direct callers to go in-person to agencies that might help them. Those in need can also call 211 or go to , click on 鈥淏asic Needs鈥 and select 鈥淗ousing and Shelter.鈥 This will connect them to a list of providers closest to them, their hours and their contact information so they can reach out to directly.
Programs of note that will be available for direct access include:
- 小黄鸭视频 Prevent!
- South Wilmington Street Center
- Cornerstone Case Management
- Rental Assistance Housing Program (RAHP)
- Veterans Homeless Services
- All County-funded community partners including rapid rehousing and emergency shelter service providers.
The 小黄鸭视频 County CoC is one of 12 such programs in the state that receives funding from the . The funds go toward street outreach, emergency shelters, homelessness prevention, case management, rental assistance for vulnerable populations, and other various services and supports for those experiencing or at-risk for homelessness. A dysfunctional coordinated entry process delays or prevents 小黄鸭视频 County and its partners from spending these and other resources to immediately assist those most in need within our community.
