9th Annual Supportive Housing Conference

The Conference Center at Mercer

West Windsor, NJ

Conference Agenda

Program: Morning Workshops (pick 1 for each time frame)

Program: Afternoon Workshops (pick 1 for each time frame)

9:00—10:45 Morning Workshops

• Supportive Housing-The Next Generation

• Supportive Housing and Land Use

• The Why and How of Homeless Court

• Housing First-Tenant Involvement in Supportive
  Housing

• Beyond HUD – Accessing Federal Funding For
  Supportive Housing

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Morning Workshops - 1st Set 9:00 - 10:45 AM

Federal Home Loan Bank: 
The Federal Home Loan Bank of NY provides up to $500,000 per project to fund rehabilitation, acquisition or construction of housing units. The scoring system has points for permanent housing for the homeless and disadvantaged populations. We will review application and scoring criteria for funding.
Presenter: Beth Bently, Federal Home Loan Bank of New York

Federal Housing Policy Advocacy:
The presenter will highlight current issues before Congress related to funding and housing policy including Section 8, housing tax credits, public housing, national housing trust fund, and homelessness legislation. This session will also put housing issues in a political context and cover recent Congressional action affecting the availability and sustainability of affordable housing.
Presenter: Carol Wilkins, Director of Public Policy, CSH

Harm Reduction-Working with Dual Diagnosis of Serious and Persistent Mental Illness & Substance Abuse:
Learn the approach that aims to reduce harms experienced by individuals, families and communities without necessarily reducing the consumption of drugs. This session will teach a set of practical strategies that reduce the negative consequences of use/abuse for individuals who are dually diagnosed.
Presenter:

 Developing Mixed Population Projects:
As supportive housing evolves, so do supportive housing models. Single population projects have given way to new mixed population projects that have exceeded expectations. Presenters will share experiences and expertise on how to develop
mixed population projects and make them work for all that live there.
Presenters:

Greening of Supportive Housing:
This workshop will present lessons learned from supportive housing projects with green design features and the panel will present best practices for incorporating sustainable features into any housing project.
Presenter: Lidia Tom, Enterprise
 

Morning Workshops - Second Set
10:50 AM- 12:20 PM

Overcoming Barriers to Housing: 
The presenters will provide information on housing clients with criminal records,
homeless individuals with no prior rental history, clients with serve and persistent mental illness and with little or no income, and clients with all of these barriers to securing permanent housing.
Presenters: Ricki Jacobs, Hyacinth Foundation; Angle Perez, Association on Corrections

Project Homeless Connect (PHC)
Reaching Clients who “fly under the radar”:
PHC events have taken place in many communities throughout NJ. These events bring homeless individuals to one location to access a myriad of services. Preliminary data suggests that many served through PHC have not received any type of homelessness assistance. Is PHC and minimal threshold access to services a way to reach this hard to
serve population? A summary and discussion of experiences, data and questions from PHC events in NJ will be presented. 
Presenters: Tarry Truit, Mercer Alliance to End Homelessness
                   Andrea Krich, Middlesex Interfaith Partners for the Homeless
                   Karen Talerico, Cathedral Kitchen, Camden

 A Place at the Table– Roles within a Supportive
Housing Development Team:
Is your organization developing supportive housing for the first time and your wondering who needs to be involved to make the project a success? Are you curious about the role of an architect, contractor, development consultant, attorney and many others involved in the development process? This workshop will identify the typical members of a development team with each members roles and responsibility in the process including the needed expertise.
Presenters: Sharon Levy, Monarch Housing Associates; and the Project Development Team from Cape Counseling.


Ending the Cycle of Incarceration and Homelessness:
Many people experiencing homelessness also cycle in and out of local correctional systems. This session will explore this dynamic and present an array of solutions at work in NJ and across the Country including a discussion of various initiatives that integrate the efforts of Corrections, Housing and Health and Human Services agencies to create supportive housing for this difficult population.
Presenters: Andy McMahon, CSH National
                   Pat McKernan, VOA Delaware Valley
 

Engagement Strategies– Working Effectively with Homeless People Who Are Not Excited to Work with You:
Have you ever been surprised that some homeless are less than thrilled with the services you have to offer? Often times the most resistant are the most in need. This workshop will discuss strategies for engaging challenging clients, address resistance, and building effective relationships by providing hands on skills and sharing ideas from practice.
Presenters, John Monihan & Point Staff, Greater Trenton Behavioral Health
 

12:30pm—1:25pm Networking Luncheon
 

 1:30pm—2:30pm 

                  Keynote -   Scott Chesney    

Afternoon Workshops 2:45pm—4:15pm

Supportive Housing-The Next Generation:
The University Behavioral Healthcare Supportive Housing Program has developed a unique treatment team approach that takes into account many of the challenges that consumers face in achieving wellness and recovery. Learn how this team approach
has allowed our consumers to achieve levels of independence which has fostered self sufficiency and self confidence in their ability to function in the larger environment through an array of treatment strategies, and the integration of community resources aimed at wellness and recovery.
Presenters:  Natalie Gaber, UMDNJ
                    Christine Munck, Case Manager
                    Denise Allen, APN
                    Robin Pabon, Special Education Teacher
                    Brandi Davidson, Employment Specialist
                    Consumer Volunteer, Graduate UBHC Supportive Housing Program

Supportive Housing and Land Use:
This workshop will provide an overview of land use and zoning issues as they relate to supportive housing, from how financing affects zoning matters to opponents who utilize the zoning process to fight supportive housing. Participants will learn the process of
zoning and how to eliminate land use obstacles.
 Presenter: Colleen Fitzgerald Velez, CSH

The Why and How of Homeless Court:
The Why and How of Homeless Court: What is Homeless Court and how does it work? Why can it be beneficial for my community? This workshop will answer those questions and provide insight on how one New Jersey community is implementing the program.
 Presenters: Carmel Galasso, United Way of Hudson County
                    Susanne Byrne, York Street Project

Housing First -Tenant Involvement in Supportive Housing:
How can you ensure that your housing and services are really what your tenants want and need? This workshop will look at innovative ways of involving tenants in every aspect of project development and operations, and of creating a community in which tenants are empowered stakeholders. Housing providers and tenants will discuss the challenges and
the many rewards of engaging tenants in the decision-making process.
Presenters:

Beyond HUD – Accessing Federal Funding For Supportive Housing:
Representatives from Federal Agencies - Interagency Council on the Homeless, Department of Labor, Veteran’s Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, and Social Security will discuss various funding options for supportive housing from their respective agencies. This workshop will provide attendees with an opportunity to ask questions regarding policies, eligibility and the application process for various types of non-HUD funding.
Presenter:  Samuel Miller, HUD


 

Directions to The Conference Center at Mercer

From North or South via US 1
Exit onto Quakerbridge Road, South 533.
After two miles, left onto Hughes Drive.
Follow Hughes Drive past Mercer County Park entrance.
Campus entrance is on left.

From North or South via Interstate 95/295
Take Interstate 95 (which becomes Interstate 295) to Exit 65A, Sloan Ave. East.
East on Sloan Ave. (becomes Flock Rd.) to end (Edinburg Rd.).
Left onto Edinburg Rd. to campus entrance (jughandle right).

From North via NJ Turnpike
NJ Turnpike Exit 8.
Follow signs onto Rt. 133 West (the new bypass) toward Princeton.
Take Rt. 133 West to the end and exit immediately onto Rt. 571 West.
Move immediately to the far left turning lane and turn left on to Rt. 535/Old Trenton Road.
Follow Rt. 535/Old Trenton Road for approximately 5 miles.
The College and Conference center are on the right.
 
From South via NJ Turnpike
Turnpike Exit 7A (Interstate 195).
West on I-195 to Exit 5B (first exit off I-195).
North on NJ 130 to second light - make left onto Robbinsville Allentown Road (526W).
Go through traffic light and make immediate right onto Robbinsville Edinburg Road (526W).
At the end of (526W), make left onto Old Trenton Road (535).
Follow (535) for two miles to campus entrance on right, after Mercer County Park .

From The East
Take Rt. 33 West and follow until you see signs for Rt. 133 West (the new bypass route). Make a right turn onto Rt. 133 West. Take Rt 133 to the end and exit immediately onto Rt. 571 West. Move immediately to the far left turning lane and turn left on to Rt. 535/Old Trenton Road. Follow Rt. 535/Old Trenton Road for approximately 5 miles. The College and Conference center are on the right.