People who use substances and are not in treatment are more likely to experience homelessness. There are an infinite number of factors that may impact this. Stress, an eviction record, unemployment, criminal activity, lack of medication, and a lack of affordable housing all contribute to someone using substances not being housed. The most impactful factors helping those using substances include access to treatment, recovery housing/voucher programs/housing assistance, and emergency rental assistance. Like Housing First Initiatives, when a person has access to rent assistance or other means of financial stability, there is reduced stress, which can help create pathways for their financial stability.

Contributing Factors:

• Access to treatment
• Underreported
• Recovery housing, voucher program, housing assistance
• Professional networking
• Ability to de-escalate situations
• Rapid rehousing money
• Emergency rent assistance
• Economic Support

Restricting Factors:

• Stress
• Eviction record
• Comfort zone
• Unemployment
• Criminal activity
• Lack of support
• Abusive family members
• Access to treatment
• Lack of medication
• Lack of affordable housing
• Disruptive relationship
• Lack of knowledge of housing opportunities
• Accessibility of information is difficult
• Choices
• Giving up
• Lack of hope

Root Cause: Lack of stability

When considering partnerships, the action team kept things as broad as possible. Not all potential partners are a vetted resource and partners for the CHIP process. However, it is still worthwhile to consider a wide range of options. Below is a list of potential partners that may have a link to housing, substance use, or housing options for those who use opioids. 

Potential Partner List:

1. 16th Street Community Health Centers
2. Addiction Resource Council
3. Aging and Disabilities Resource Center
4. Alano Club
5. Al-Anon
6. AA
7. American Lung Assocation
8. Ascension
9. Aspen Center
10. Aurora Health Care
11. Bethany Christian Services
12. Bethesda Park
13. Bridges Library System
14. Carroll University
15. Case workers
16. CDC
17. Community Care
18. Community Medical Services
19. Crosswalk Church
20. Denoon Recovery
21. Elevate
22. Elmbrook Church library
23. Emergency services
24. Evangelical & Reformed United Church of Christ
25. Family Promise of Western Waukesha County
26. First Baptist Church
27. First Congregational Church
28. First United Methodist Church
29. Friendships Unlimited
30. Froedert Community Memorial Hospital
31. Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church
32. Hebron Housing Services
33. Hope Center
34. Impact 2-1-1
35. Interagency Programs for the Intoxicated Driver Committee
36. James Place
37. Justice system
38. Lake Area Alano Club
39. Law enforcement
40. Lutheran Social Services/ Aspen Center
41. Medical Examiner's Office
42. Mental Health America
43. Mental Health America of WI NAMI
44. Meta House
45. Minooka Park
46. Moorewood Park
47. NAMI SE WI
48. NA
49. Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital
50. Phopenix Recovery
51. ProHealth Care Behavioral Health
52. ProHealth Care Rehabilitation Center
53. Public Health
54. Representative Adam Neylon
55. Representative Scott Allen
56. Rogers Memorial Hospital
57. Salvation Army
58. School Districts
59. Senator Chris Kapenga
60. SMART Recovery
61. Silver Haze Smoke Shop
62. Spring City Corner Clubhouse
63. St. Joseph's Catholic Church
64. St. Luke's Lutheran Church
65. St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church
66. St. Matthias Episcopal Church
67. Statewide Poison Center
68. Substance Use Advisory Committee
69. The Women's Center
70. Todd Wehr Memorial Library
71. Trinity Lutheran Church
72. Trinity Presbyterian Church
73. VA Medical Center
74. Vivent Health
75. Voices for Recovery
76. Waukesha Church of Christ
77. Waukesha City Church
78. Waukesha Comprehensive Treatment Center
79. Waukesha County Health & Human Services
80. Waukesha Memorial Hospital
81. Waukesha Public Library
82. Waukesha Springs Park
83. WC Public Health Center
84. WCTC Library
85. WHARP
86. WI DHS
87. Wisconsin Department of Community Corrections
88. Wisconsin Family Ties
89. Wisconsin Peer Support Certification
90. Wisconsin Society of Addiction Medicine
91. Wisconsin Community Services
92. WisHope Recovery

What Works is a collaborative brainstorming process where the action team explores and generates strategies to effectively tackle challenges related to housing instability and its impact on individuals dealing with substance use.

While the action team cannot undertake every identified strategy, community partners may find this list helpful as a collaborative resource to address safe housing for people using or in recovery from substances in Waukesha County. 

Evidence Based Strategies:

• Partnership with Housing Programs: Collaborate with existing housing programs to facilitate expansion, enhancing stability for individuals dealing with substance use.
• Increased Rapid Re-Housing: Work towards increasing the availability and access to Rapid Re-Housing programs to swiftly address housing needs.
• Permanent Supportive Housing: Advocate for and increase the availability of permanent supportive housing in Waukesha County, providing a stable housing solution.

Innovative Strategies:

• Rent Moratorium: Propose a "rent moratorium" during inpatient treatment, preventing eviction or rent charges during this period.
• Medicaid Benefit Utilization: Encourage local service providers to leverage the 1915i SPA Medicaid Benefit for Housing Supportive Services.
• Low-Barrier Temporary Housing: Explore innovative approaches to increase the number of low-barrier temporary housing options for individuals dealing with substance use.

Low or No Cost Strategies:

• Community Education: Develop initiatives to educate the community about housing options and available resources, fostering understanding and support.
• Coordinated Entry Communication: Communicate effectively on Coordinated Entry to Housing programs, ensuring seamless access for individuals in need.
• Additional Transitional Housing: Explore low or no-cost options to expand transitional housing, providing additional supportive solutions.

Data Development & Research Agenda:

• Provider Education: Enhance data collection and analysis methodologies through comprehensive provider education. Educate service providers on advanced terminology and nomenclature for entry questions, optimizing data richness for in-depth research insights.

Substance Use End Result 2: Waukesha County residents who use opioids have access to stable housing.

Selecting an effective strategy involves a meticulous evaluation based on four key criteria:

• Leverage, which assesses the potential impact on progress
• Feasibility, ensuring practicality and achievability
• Specificity, detailing budget and timeline considerations
• Values, ensuring alignment with the values of both the community and the organization

This comprehensive approach ensures that the chosen strategies have a meaningful impact, are feasible to implement, align with established values, and are supported by a clear budget and timeline.

Substance Use Team Selected Strategies:

Data Source: This data looks at adults in the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) who accessed emergency shelter or street outreach in the Waukesha CoC in a calendar year and identifies how many of those adults reported having either a drug use disorder OR an alcohol and drug use disorder at the time they were enrolled in that emergency shelter or street outreach program.

HMIS data provided via Hebron House.