Presented by: Karla Avalos, City of Tucson Mayor s Office/25 Cities Lead & Elisha Harig-Blaine Principal Housing Associate (Veterans & Special Needs)

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1 Presented by: Karla Avalos, City of Tucson Mayor s Office/25 Cities Lead & Elisha Harig-Blaine Principal Housing Associate (Veterans & Special Needs) National League of Cities (NLC)

2 Mayor s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness- A way to solidify partnerships and secure commitments to end Veteran homelessness from mayors across the country. 25 Cities-Is a key Federal strategy through which 25 communities are receiving technical assistance and are mobilizing local planning efforts and partnerships to create effective systems for aligning housing and services interventions through coordinated systems to end homelessness. Zero: Is a movement of communities working to end veteran homelessness by the close of 2015 and end chronic homelessness one year later by optimizing local resources, tracking progress against monthly housing goals, and accelerating the spread of proven strategies.

3 Clearly defined goal Leadership Will- Commitment and buy in from community leaders who wield influence, can make policy decisions, have convening power and will galvanize more support toward the goal. Convening the appropriate people/partnerships to the table. Set clear priorities Set clear timelines Set clear responsibilities

4 The Mayor s Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, 25 Cities & Zero: 2016 all have well defined goals.

5 Leadership Will- Commitment and buy in from community leaders who wield influence, can make policy decisions, have convening power and will galvanize more support toward the goal. Mayor s, City Council members, City Managers, County Administrators, County Supervisors, PHA Directors, Executive Directors of agencies/organizations, Veterans Administrations and local COC. Why?- Once you solidify support from leaders, policy and processes work can get done!

6 Convening the appropriate people/partnerships to the table is very important. This will keep streamline your priorities, time lines & responsibilities in a coordinated effort Tucson example: Mayor s Office, Pima County (HMIS Lead), PHA, VA & lead agencies doing this work effectively. These partnerships/relationships are critical to effective communication, teamwork, morale and sustainability.

7 Technical assistance- The providing of advice, assistance, and training pertaining to the installation, operation, and maintenance of an initiative/program/goal. Technical assistance is extremely helpful in helping communities define priorities, time lines and responsibilities. Especially if the T/A provider is an outside, neutral entity. However, at the end of the day maintenance and sustainability rests on the local actors.

8 What if your community does not have multiple initiatives or any initiatives in their community? The fact remains that, if there is a need in your communities that requires a solution, the following still applies: Clearly defined goal Leadership Will- Commitment and buy in from community leaders who wield influence, can make policy decisions, have convening power and will galvanize more support toward the goal. Convening the appropriate people/partnerships to the table. Set clear priorities Set clear timelines Set clear responsibilities

9 Local consultant experienced w/ asset mapping and need exploration to facilitate work planning. Your commitment and passion must outweigh any potential complications that could arise when applying the following- Clearly defined goal Leadership Will- Commitment and buy in from community leaders who wield influence, can make policy decisions, have convening power and will galvanize more support toward the goal. Convening the appropriate people/partnerships to the table. Set clear priorities Set clear timelines Set clear responsibilities

10 Community Ownership- Remember that at the end of the day the work that is being done and the achievements made belong not to a single agency/entity but to the community! No one agency can, nor should they take credit for the efforts & achievements made by a collaborative. This will tarnish a collaborative s communication, teamwork, morale and sustainability.

11 709 local leaders 45 states, DC & Puerto Rico 550 mayors 151 county and city officials

12 Regional forums Austin Philadelphia Chicago Kansas City WA/ID/MT/AK Washington, D.C. Boston Las Vegas Los

13 Is my Mayor a part of

14 How can I get my Mayor to join the challenge? What should I do if my Mayor is a part of

15 Develop collectively agreed upon ask Ensure ask is specific and concrete Use data to contextualize ask Example: -Landlords -Public event to raise awareness -# of remaining homeless veterans -# of document

16 Elisha Harig-Blaine Principal Housing Associate