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8:30 am	Networking & Refreshments
9:00 am	Welcome & Opening Remarks	HHR Governing Board Chair Commissioner Trista Martinson & Vice Chair Deputy Mayor Tincher
9:10 am	Consent Agenda Approve HHR Charter Revisions	Vice Chair Deputy Mayor Tincher
9:15 am	HHR Elections for Governing Board and Steering Committee	HHR Nominating Committee - Heather Alden
9:25 am	State of the CoC: Heading Home Ramsey’s 2023 Year in Review	Chair Commissioner Martinson & Vice Chair Deputy Mayor Tincher
9:40 am	HHR Data Reflections	Leigh Ann Ahmad, CoC Coordinator
9:45 am	HHR Work Group Reflections and 2024 Goals	HHR Work Group Leads
10:05 am	Keynote: From Homeless to Dr.: A Story of Hope and Resilience! Presented by Dr. Tommy A. Watson
10:45 am	HHR Election Results for Governing Board and Steering Committee	HHR Nominating Committee - Chair David Doren
10:55 am	Closing Remarks	Chair Commissioner Trista Martinson
11:00 am	Adjourn

Welcome

Governing Board, Steering Committee, and Community Members!

Resiliency: Embracing Opportunities & Growth

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Consent Agenda

Current HHR Governing Board and Steering Committee members are to approve the Heading Home Ramsey Governance Charter revisions Quorum will met by providing a verbal response

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2024 Heading Home Ramsey Elections

Heather Alden, HHR Steering Committee Member At-Large, Nominating Committee Member

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Governing Board Background

Per today’s charter revision, it consists of an odd number of members not to exceed 23.
The Board must be racially diverse and include a range of stakeholders.
Members must have fiscal and/or program authority of the entity they represent.
12 representatives are elected and 11 are designated.

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2024 Heading Home Ramsey Governing Board Elections

Instructions: a timer will be set for four minutes. Vote for 3 candidates only once given one of the following methods:

Using a mobile device: scan the QR code on the screen or at your tables
Using another electronic device (i.e. laptop): open a new web browser and type the link

Link: https://forms.office.com/g/J7AnqxKDpm

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Steering Committee Background

The Steering Committee consists of 25 people with intimate knowledge of the field, operations and funding and have decision-making authority.
The Steering Committee must be racially diverse and represent a breadth of perspectives. Members carry out detailed work to advance the CoC’s mission, vision, and strategic imperatives and lead work groups.

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2024 Heading Home Ramsey Steering Committee Elections

Instructions: a timer will be set for four minutes. Vote for 5 candidates only once given one of the following methods:

Using a mobile device: scan the QR code on the screen or at your tables
Using another electronic device (i.e. laptop): open a new web browser and type the link

Link: https://forms.office.com/

g/fM9Y2jEZcY

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State of the CoC:

Heading Home Ramsey’s 2023 Year in Review

Commissioner Trista Martinson, HHR Chair

Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher, HHR Vice Chair

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DATA AND LIVED EXPERIENCE FEEDBACK

Leigh Ann Ahmad, CoC Coordinator

Quantitative and Qualitative Data to Center our Work

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UNSHELTERED HOMELESSNESS CONTINUES �TO INCREASE

Since 2018, the number of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness has nearly tripled
The 2024 PIT count is likely again to show well over 300 unsheltered individuals
Warming Spaces have regularly hosted more than 150 adults, youth and families every night
Ramsey County’s family shelter waitlist has had 25+ families waiting for available space

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POINT-IN-TIME COUNT 2018-2023

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��EMERGENCY SHELTERS IN RAMSEY COUNTY SERVE REGIONAL NEEDS

Ramsey County accounts for:

9.5% of the statewide population.

24% of all emergency shelter beds in the state of Minnesota.

Only one-third of our emergency shelter entries have a last known residence in Ramsey County.

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RAMSEY COUNTY HAS SIGNIFICANT RACIAL DISPARITIES IN HOMELESSNESS

American Indians are

14.1 TIMES MORE LIKELY...

Black or African Americans are

7.4 TIMES MORE LIKELY...

Latinos/as of any race are

2.2 TIMES MORE LIKELY...

to be homeless than people who identify as white.

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WHAT PEOPLE ARE TELLING US???�**YOUTH**

Pair me with adults. Have adults help me to navigate county systems
Provide “better” workers who have improved communication and amplify youth voices
Hire more people with lived experience
Peer mentors
Provide felony-friendly opportunities (more flexibility with background checks)
Mental health support
Help with navigating dangerous and harmful situations when staying with others (youth more likely to be doubled up)

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WHAT PEOPLE ARE TELLING US???�**FAMILIES**

Help with credit building and life skills
Help figure out how to increase income to make rent payments for the long-run
Provide more case management (in person and more frequently)
Help with diagnosing disabilities and identifying resources
Providing support once housed- including negotiations with property managers and landlords

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WHAT PEOPLE ARE TELLING US???�**SINGLE ADULTS**

Low barrier access to jobs; access to meaningful employment; and understanding of career pathways
Residential work programs
Transportation to jobs
Felony forgiveness (jobs)
Change policies that suspend licenses for child support arrears
Provide transportation to services
Easier access to shelters
Detox attached to shelters

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THE WORK AHEAD

A persons Choice and Housing First

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THE WORK AHEAD

Services and $upports

from Transactional to Transformational

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THE WORK AHEAD

Policies and Procedures Rooted in Racial and Health Equity

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

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HHR Work Group Reflections and 2024 Goals

Coordinated Entry

Family Shelter

Prevention and Tenant Stabilization

Single Adult Shelter

Youth Advisory Board

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HHR Vision: Homelessness is Brief (with adequate crisis response)

Work Group	Coordinated Entry (CE)
Project Lead(s)	Lead: Alan Ostergaard HSD Staff Lead: Heather Clemen
Description	The Coordinated Entry Workgroup is comprised of assessors, providers, priority list managers and practitioners who work to make the process of referring individuals to appropriate housing referrals fair and equitable.
Two Highlighted Accomplishments	Updated Housing Provider Agreement and Transfer policies Began conversations on updating new assessor and recertification trainings and the potential for incorporating community cross-platform educational trainings
One Goal/Charge for the year	We are looking to update our Prioritization Policy & Assessment materials in the coming year. The group is also looking to map ways to integrate with other processes (SPE, Prevention/Diversion, Mainstream Benefits) within the homeless continuum to streamline the experience for the consumer so they can be best served in ways that meet their current and future needs.

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HHR Vision: Homelessness is Brief (with adequate crisis response)

Work Group	Family Shelter
Project Lead(s)	Leads: Heather Alden & Sara Liegl HSD Staff Lead: Jartue McCoy
Description	The Family Shelter Work Group emphasizes the inclusion of children and youth as part of the dialogue at the Steering Committee level and serves as an opportunity to educate Heading Home Ramsey regarding the needs of families. This work group aims to expand shelter resources for families to functionally eliminate the waiting list.
Two Highlighted Accomplishments	Familiar Families Presented to Steering Committee and Governing Board as a recommendation to be a programmatic and legislative priority for 2025; ADOPTED BY MAYOR CARTER AS A FULLY-FUNDED PROGRAM IN STATE OF CITY ADDRESS 3/11/24; JOINTLY FUNDED CITY OF ST PAUL/ST PAUL FOUNDATION/MANAGED BY HSD Intentionally and strategically bringing families into discussions across various areas (Warming Center. creating Familiar Families as a parallel to Familiar Faces)
One Goal/Charge for the year	Identify supports for asylum-seeking families Analyze and strategize increasing shelter capacity: 165 beds inadequate-FF will assist to some extent; constant waiting lists

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HHR Vision: Homelessness is Rare and Non-Recurring

Work Group	Prevention and Tenant Stabilization
Project Lead(s)	Lead: Patty Paulson Staff Lead: Renee Theese
Description	Stop the inflow of households that experience homelessness and/or enter the homeless response system: 1) Map, analyze, and develop solutions regarding gaps in the system, 2) Find and act on small wins to advance issues, 3) Recommend actions to improve the system.
Two Highlighted Accomplishments	Crafted recommendations for policy changes to Emergency Assistance and Emergency General Assistance to address current issues. Crafted recommendations for public facing information regarding prevention for the HHR Website and Housing Stability webpage of Ramsey County.
One Goal/Charge for the year	Ensure a consistent pre-screening and referral process to reduce the social services run around: “The Front Door” - Build a common application and/or pre-screening tool to improve access and provide a consistent response. “The Back Door” - Address infrastructure needs to improve coordination: technology, staff resources, funding needed.

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HHR Vision: Homelessness is Brief (with adequate crisis response)

Work Group	Single Adult Shelter
Project Lead(s)	Leads: Molly Jalma & Larene Randle Wade HSD Staff Lead: David Zaffrann
Description	To serve the needs of single adults experiencing homelessness, increase the flow of individuals through shelters into housing to ensure that homelessness is brief, and recommend improvements that will lead to a more balanced, equitable shelter system with differentiated shelter programs.
Two Highlighted Accomplishments	Winter Warming Spaces Success backfilling shelter beds from WCs this year Average of 162 visits every night in 2024, including ~50 Youth Single Point of Entry approval, funding, MOU, and implementation
One Goal/Charge for the year	Single Point of Entry refinement and continual assessment of single adult shelter capacity

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HHR Vision: Homelessness is Brief & Non-recurring (with adequate crisis response)

Work Group	Youth Advisory Board
Project Lead(s)	Leads: Trell Armstrong & Shiloh Keleekai HSD Staff Lead: Jartue McCoy
Description	Mission Statement To increase awareness of youth homelessness and to advocate for them. Overview Youth Advisory Board Members engage in opportunities including advising the CoC regarding youth homelessness, professional and leadership development, community engagement and networking experiences leading to connections and partnerships, and discovering youth advocacy and policy pathways.
Two Highlighted Accomplishments	Connections with other young people Networking and rising partnerships beyond youth homelessness
One Goal/Charge for the year	Youth-led cross collaboration efforts with the Youth Advocacy Work Group and other youth-specific agencies

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From Homeless to Dr.: A Story of Hope and Resilience!

Dr. Tommy A. Watson

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2024 Heading Home Ramsey Governing Board Election Results

Congratulations to HHR’s newly selected designees and elected Governing Board Members:

DESIGNEES
Mike Krachmer, Mayor, City of Vadnais Heights	Dr. Stacey Gray Akyea, St. Paul Public School District

ELECTED
Holly Henning, Women’s Advocates Molly Jalma, Listening House Liliana Letran-Garcia, Interfaith Action

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2024 Heading Home Ramsey Steering Committee Election Results

Congratulations to HHR’s newly elected Steering Committee Members:

Rachel Greenwald, Face 2 Face Chris Michels, City of St. Paul Maricella Pacheco, Ain Dah Yung Center Larene Randle-Wade, MN One Stop for Communities�Sgt. Bev Rodriguez, Metro Transit Police

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