Left to right: MCCH Executive Director Susie Sinclair-Smith, Jonathan Cox, Senior Associate of t3, with Jen Schiller,
MCCH Chief Programs Officer and Jeff Olivet, President of t3.
Emphasized national best practices for local professionals working to end homelessness
Rockville, MD – More than 240 individuals attended Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless’ (MCCH) 2016 HOME Conference on May 17 at Johns Hopkins University’s Montgomery County Campus.
In its 10th year, the conference’s theme was Embracing Change for Vulnerable Populations, with plenary remarks and workshops focused on the application of recognized best practice models that have effectively advanced efforts to end homelessness in local communities.
This unique conference included federal and state officials, local service providers and national experts with deep expertise in strategies to end homelessness. Key sessions included an exploration of the issues at the intersection of the criminal justice system and homeless services; the unique needs of LGBTQ individuals experiencing homelessness; and strategies for staff to manage the challenges of working with vulnerable populations.
During the conference, attendees also learned how Montgomery County successfully ended veteran homelessness in 2015, in an effort to build upon this significant achievement by ending chronic homelessness in Montgomery County by 2017. Federal partners additionally benefitted from these sessions to learn how Montgomery County’s successes can be shared with other communities across the country.
The conference featured plenary remarks by national experts, including Sam Tsemberis, developer of the Housing First model and Founder and CEO of Pathways to Housing, Jennifer Ho, Senior Advisor for Housing and Services to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, and Jeff Olivet, President/CEO of the Center for Social Innovation.
MCCH Executive Director Susie Sinclair-Smith said, “Montgomery County is truly fortunate to be in such close proximity to our many federal partners who work daily to implement the 2010 Opening Doors Federal Strategic Plan to prevent and end homelessness. At lunchtime, our local audience was overjoyed to hear from HUD Secretary Castro’s Senior Advisor Jennifer Ho who applauded our County’s accomplishment as one of four communities nationally to functionally end veteran homelessness.”
Dr. Tsemberis educated attendees on the foundation of Housing First. Emphasizing that “the entry point in a Housing First program is the case management relationship”, he focused on the critical need for staff to engage clients in building trust to help them move forward in their lives.
Dr. Tsemberis also highlighted the importance of programs hiring staff members who have the necessary core values and principles to put the Housing First model into action. “It’s harder to change values than it is to teach skills.”
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