A new report jointly authored by the Howard County Department of Community Resources and Services’ Office of Community Partnerships and the Howard County Coalition to End Homelessness provides a new multi-year outlook on the county’s collaborative effort to build a community where no one is homeless.
The Path Home outlines a five-year strategic plan to ensure that homelessness in Howard County is rare, brief and nonrecurring. The report builds upon the county’s 2010 plan that focuses on strategies to assist those who are chronically homeless and/or situationally homeless. Goals outlined in the updated plan were informed by a three-month assessment conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). According to the assessment, county resources currently accommodate approximately 33 percent of eligible homeless residents.
Through the plan, the county will implement a set of strategic goals that align resources and services within the homeless response system. These goals will address capacity limitations, with a focus on providing safe alternatives to entering the homeless system whenever possible; increasing exits from emergency shelter; and creating innovative partnerships with landlords, businesses and other community stakeholders to leverage resources and increase housing options.
The full report can be downloaded at www.howardcountymd.gov/OCP.