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Making Homelessness Brief, Rare, and Non-Recurring in Yellowstone County
A coalition of leaders joining forces to re-imagine our homeless response!
Yellowstone County Continuum of Care
Includes members from the Healthcare sector, City & County Representatives, Housing providers, Treatment providers, and Support Service providers with over 30 members in these areas.
- Change the Status Quo
- Of how we address homelessness from isolated and competitive to coordinated and effective.
- Assess & Plan
- Together to create effective and efficient action that combines our strengths. A robust assessment and shared planning is currently in progress.
- Share Data
- In meaningful ways to guide action. Current data sharing includes a Data Dashboard and use of the Pathways system.
- Optimize Efforts
- By working together in a manner that combines our strengths, reaches more people, and saves more money.
Working together from data, we are housing our most vulnerable:
- “Front Door” agencies assess anyone in need (whether their client or not) in order to break down barriers and serve more people.
- A comprehensive list of housing provides a clear view of resources.
- A shared database keeps agencies connected and working together.
- Case Conferencing takes place every other week to prioritize our most vulnerable and house them first.
"Front Door" Agencies
Community Crisis Center - Downtown Billings Alliance - HomeFront - HRDC District 7 - Rimrock Foundation - RiverStone Health - Salvation Army - St. Vincent De Paul - STEP, Inc. - South Central Mental Health Center - Tumbleweed - Veterans Administration - Veterans Inc - Volunteers of America - YWCA Billings
- Developed and secured funding for a diversion fund.
- Provides rental assistance and other needs to prevent homelessness.
- Gives people a hand up during crisis to get them back on their feet before the situation spirals out of control.
- Diversion has been shown to not only help individuals but to also save tax payer money and reduce the burden on social systems.
- A grant project through Montana Healthcare Foundation.
- Involves assessment, planning, and coordination to support homeless persons who are also high utilizers of local services.
- Reduces the burden on social and safety systems while saving money long-term.
- The Yellowstone CoC is widely supported by the community.
- The CoC values community collaboration and supports other coalitions; including Substance Abuse Connect.