HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9810 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9810
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council October 20, 2015
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•a SUBJECT: DIRECTIONS HOME UPDATE
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Directions Home, adopted by the City Council in 2008, is a ten-year plan for making
homelessness rare, short-term and non-reoccurring. Successful implementation of the plan
requires participation and collaboration from many public and private agencies and organizations.
The City has supported the plan with funding to implement plan initiatives and provides for two
full-time positions in the Neighborhood Services Department.
In May 2015, the City entered into a four-month contract with Tarrant County Homeless Coalition
(TCHC) to provide temporary administration of the City's Directions Home funding. The need to
contract this work was brought on by the departure of the manager of the Neighborhood Services
homelessness division and the need for the second staff person in the division to be out for an
extended period of time. During this time, the ongoing activities of the Fort Worth Advisory
Commission on Ending Homelessness were suspended due to the lack of City staff available to
support the Commission's activities. The second staff person, who was expected to return and
carry on the work of the division, resigned her position unexpectedly during her absence. As a
result, two new staff members will be hired and the contract with TCHC to provide administration
and oversight of the Directions Home program has been temporarily extended through
November.
The work program for the two new staff members in the Neighborhood Services Department will
include the following:
• support for, and regular updates to, the Fort Worth Advisory Commission on Ending
Homelessness,
• contract administration for the contracts with United Way and TCHC,
• support for permanent supportive housing initiatives and development,
• serve as the City's point of contact for issues regarding the homeless community,
• organize and support City initiatives and events aimed at ending homelessness,
• develop and propose the annual budget for the use of Directions Home funding with the
goal of optimizing the leverage of other funds,
• develop and administer the Request for Proposals process to distribute the Directions
Home funding to local agencies providing the various services in support of the program,
• enter into and administer the various contracts with the awarded agencies, and
• track program effectiveness and performance.
It is anticipated that the new staff will be in place by late November. If you have questions or
concerns, please contact Allison Gray, Interim Director of Neighborhood Services, at 817-392-
8030.
David Cooke
City Manager
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS