CCC Homeless Enhanced outreach And Response Team (HEART) - Central City Concern’s Old Town HEART (Homeless Enhanced outreach And Response Team) is a street outreach and engagement team serving individuals in downtown Portland, Oregon who are experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders (SUDs) and/or co-occurring disorders (CODs). In 2022, 20.9% of the 3,000+ unsheltered residents in Multnomah County were staying in Old Town area and surrounding neighborhoods. The neighborhood has seen a dramatic rise in street homelessness, an increasing prevalence of more dangerous substances including fentanyl and methamphetamines, and an escalating police response. Grant goals include: Reduced overdoses, addiction and mental health symptoms, increased access and retention in services, improved housing stability, and reduced trauma among the Old Town community and those who serve them. Strategies include (1) an expanded, trauma-informed infrastructure for integrated behavioral health treatment, peer support, recovery support and pathways to permanent supported housing, (2) culturally appropriate, trauma-informed SUD/COD TX to homeless individuals referred by HEART, including quality of living situation referrals, access to medical care, & transportation to services, (3) collaboration with homeless services organizations and housing providers to identify sustainable permanent housing, including public housing agencies, (4) outreach and connection to local pre-engagement services to unsheltered (including encampments) and sheltered populations, (5) support with discharge plans from Unity Psychiatric Emergency Room (assessing rising BH risk, referring to acute stabilization in support of housing stability, and (6) providing Trauma-Informed Critical Incident Debriefings to local housing providers, shelters, clinic staff, and businesses. During the 5-year grant period, HEART will provide outreach and engagement services to 750 individuals experiencing or at-risk for homelessness and case management and direct SUD/COD treatment to a subset of 200 individuals engaged through this process. PSU’s Regional Research Institute will track and assess project implementation, sharing outcomes and lessons with CCC and its Old Town HEART for program planning purposes. The anticipated project period is September 30, 2023 through September 29, 2028.
