MAYOR NUTTER AND FEDERAL PARTNERS ANNOUNCE RESULTS OF PHILADELPHIA’S HOMELESS OUTREACH WEEK

Compelling Data Emerges as Volunteers Complete Surveys of 528 People Who Are Homeless:rnFirst Respondent is Housed, Fifty To Move Into Permanent Housing By Year’s EndrnrnPhiladelphia, May 20, 2011 – Mayor Nutter joined City and Federal officials to announce the results of Philadelphia’s Homeless Outreach Week survey. Two hundred fifty volunteers took to the streets and parks of Philadelphia this week to compile a by-name, photo-detailed database of people living on the streets. Participants in Outreach Week, a local partnership with the national 100,000 Homes Campaign, surveyed 528 individuals in Philadelphia, identifying more than 51% of them as physically vulnerable and at increased risk of death. The first individual to be housed through the campaign moved into an apartment on Wednesday.rnrn“When I agreed to enroll Philadelphia as a participating community in the 100,000 Homes campaign, I knew that the information we would collect would be invaluable to our efforts to help the homeless in our City,” said Mayor Nutter. “Philadelphia is part of a national movement to end homelessness, a problem that can only be solved through partnerships across agencies and with strategically invested resources. The most important thing that we can learn from this week’s survey is that we truly can end homelessness in Philadelphia.”rnrnVolunteers gathered data using the Vulnerability Index, a 34-item questionnaire utilized by the 100,000 Homes Campaign and administered across the nation. Volunteer teams captured data on health status, institutional history (jail, prison, hospital, and military), length of homelessness, patterns of shelter use, and previous housing situations. In the coming months, the City of Philadelphia, Outreach teams, and housing providers will use this data to identify the most vulnerable members of the region’s homeless population and prioritize them for permanent housing. Nationally, this approach saves lives and an average of $30,000 dollars per person in publicly funded services.rnrnThe Vulnerability Index is based on research by Dr. Jim O’Connell of Harvard University, which shows that certain medical conditions place homeless individuals at much higher risk of death than members of the general population facing identical conditions.rnrn“The collaboration of service providers, businesses, government officials and local volunteers is a huge testament to the willingness of our community to come together to house Philadelphia’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Roberta Cancellier Deputy Director, Policy Planning and Administration, Office of Supportive Housing.rnrnOutreach Week identified 268 homeless individuals in Philadelphia who qualified as vulnerable by this standard. Of these, 44 are veterans, comprising 63% percent of all homeless veterans surveyed. Among the total surveyed homeless population (528), 15 are more than 65 years of age and 189 (36%) report being the victim of a violent attack since becoming homeless. Local homeless residents have spent an average of 3.9 years on the street. Among those listed as immediately vulnerable, the ‘on-street’ number jumps to 8.5 years.rnrn“Outreach Week in Philadelphia has been a huge success,” said Marcella Maguire, Director, Behavioral Health Homeless Services and Specialized Housing Initiatives, “We’re closing out the week with enormous cause for hope.”rnrnPlease see attachment for a detailed breakdown of all demographic data compiled over the course of Philadelphia Outreach Week.rnrn###rnrnSponsors include the Sheller Family Foundation, Keystone Mercy Health Plan, the Kirkbride Center, and Shoprite.rnrnPartner Organizations include: Bethesda Project, Broad Street Ministry, Horizon House, Inc., Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA, Pathways to Housing PA, Project H.O.M.E., and United Way of Southeastern PA.rnrnThe 100,000 Homes Campaign is a national project bringing together change agents from across the country to find homes for 100,000 of the most vulnerable and long-term homeless individuals and families by July 2013. The Campaign aims to transform the response to chronic homelessness by giving communities concrete, data-driven tools and connecting them with one another so that no one has to innovate alone. Visit the website at www.100khomes.org.