Welcome Kate Budd! | Council For The Homeless

By Kate Budd, Council for the Homeless

From Kate Budd
As I begin my new role as Council for the Homeless (CFTH), Executive Director on February 12, 2018, I gratefully accept the torch passed by our outgoing executive director, Andy Silver. Andy’s leadership for the past six years has been incredibly impactful and stabilizing for the agency and the homeless crisis response system. Our goals for the future are possible because of the successful leadership, advocacy, and solutions of the past.
Below are a few highlights that come to mind as I reflect on how the previous work of the Council propels us into the future, as we strive to provide community leadership, compelling advocacy, and practical solutions to prevent and end homelessness in Clark County.

Community Leadership

Through community leadership, the Council increased the network of housing first programs that serve those most likely to die on the streets. This means over 50 people who have been living on the street for the greatest length of time, now live in a permanent home at Lincoln Place or in units throughout Clark County, benefiting from the support of skilled staff and peers.

CFTH will continue to lead efforts to increase the capacity and effectiveness of the homeless crisis response system; meeting the basic human needs of those who are unhoused and helping them secure safe and stable homes. We will realize this by working to integrate planning and align funding community-wide, increasing the community’s knowledge regarding homelessness, and convening partners early and often to progress efforts.

Compelling Advocacy:

In 2016, Andy Silver’s unwavering enthusiasm powered a successful campaign leading to the voter-approved City of Vancouver Affordable Housing Fund. This effort brought new partners together, created a heightened awareness of the affordable housing crisis and helped to show direct correlations between a lack of affordable housing and increased rates of homelessness.

CFTH will continue to focus on current and future advocacy priorities on all levels of government. These include, stabilizing and increasing funding for the local homeless crisis response system, strengthening tenants’ rights, and addressing barriers to increasing affordable housing options in our communities.

Practical Solutions:

The CFTH Housing Solutions Center (HSC) was created in 2013, as a practical solution to multiple disconnected access points for housing programs. The Council led a community visioning process forging a new collaborative and coordinated access point (the HSC) for over 40 different housing programs in Clark County. The HSC not only tracks the number of households served, it tracks the collective unmet need of those seeking emergency shelter and housing assistance. This allows for community agencies to better identify gaps and pursue additional funding. It also gives people without homes one number to call and one process to engage in to find their best-fit housing solution.

The future of the CFTH HSC will concentrate on being accessible to all who are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. This includes adopting a trauma informed approach and reducing barriers to access through community outreach. Data will be utilized more formally to strategically make informed programmatic decisions and pursue additional funding partners. Efforts to rapidly serve those who simply need one-time assistance will be increased. In addition, the work of the Council’s Housing Initiative will pursue partners to develop mission-driven mixed-income apartments, with a laser like focus on housing those in the homeless crisis response system. The Council is fortunate to have Andy Silver transition to serving as CEO of the Housing Initiative, where his intellect and strong relationships will exponentially increase efforts.

The Council is well poised to make progress toward making homelessness rare, brief, and one-time. This is only possible by working in partnership with community agencies, communities of faith, government, business, and community members to progress a shared vision. Please join the Council’s board of directors, volunteers, staff, and me in these efforts, because everyone should have access to safe and affordable housing.