Carrfour Supportive Housing

Q.	What is Carrfour?
A.	Carrfour is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1993 by the Homeless Committee of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. The name Carrfour means “crossroads” in French.

Q.	What is Carrfour’s mission?
A.	To bring together the resources and expertise needed to provide permanent housing and supportive services to maximize the self-sufficiency of the formerly homeless in Miami-Dade County and other cities in Florida through joint ventures with other non-profit organizations.

Who does Carrfour serve?

From its inception, Carrfour has been serving people emerging from a period of homelessness. However, two years ago, the organization modified its mission to include people at risk of homelessness, namely those who have extremely low incomes (less than $10,000 per year for a single person and less than $22,000 per year for a family) and who have special needs. Today, it is generally recognized that supportive housing can help a variety of people – people with psychiatric disabilities, people with histories of addiction, seniors, families, young people aging out of foster care, formerly homeless people, and people living with HIV and AIDS - to live independently with dignity in the community.

Q.	What is supportive housing?
A.	It is a combination of affordable independent housing for extremely low-income people and coordinated, comprehensive service delivery system tailored to individual needs. Each of these – housing and services – work best in tandem.

Q.	What does supportive housing look like?
A.	Carrfour residences look like any other type of permanent housing. Tenants have their own dwellings, hold their own leases and are responsible for meeting the terms of those leases. Carrfour owns or leases entire buildings and also utilizes scattered apartments and houses. Carrfour prides itself on providing housing that not only fits the neighborhood, but improves it.

Q.	How effective is supportive housing?
A.	For people with special needs, who would otherwise be institutionalized or homeless, supportive housing offers the best housing solution. With an 85% nationwide success rate, it has proven to be both cost-effective and results-oriented, enabling formerly homeless people to lead independent lives. Carrfour’s success rate in 2004 was 96%.

Q.	How long does it normally take to complete a supportive housing development?
A.	Supportive housing developments require at least three years. Planning and building any type of building usually requires approximately two years. The extra time required by supportive housing is due to the many layers of funding required, typically 5 to 12 different sources, each with its own application cycles.

Do all formerly homeless people need supportive housing?

No. The majority of people who become homeless do so because they cannot afford housing. Usually, this occurs as a result of a crisis in employment or a temporary disruption of other forms of support. The growing gap between incomes and the cost of housing, generally, is a major factor in homelessness. Once the crisis is resolved, these households return to community housing. Those best served by supportive housing for an extended period of time are people dealing with multiple, long-term issues. Under current HUD programs only people with disabilities may reside in government funded supportive housing indefinitely. All others, including families with children are limited to two years.

Q.	How many people does Carrfour house and serve?
A.	By the end of 2006, Carrfour will be serving approximately 1000 residents, who will be living in nearly 700 units.

Q.	Where is the housing located?
A.	Carrfour strives to disperse its housing throughout the County to provide maximum choice to residents. Since residents usually lack reliable transportation, proximity to bus lines, employment and commercial services are important considerations.

What does it cost to provide a unit of supportive housing?

The capital costs are the same as other housing, ranging from $50,000 for an efficiency to over $100,000 for three- and four-bedroom units. Because of the extremely low income of the residents, projects usually cannot support debt and must be owned free and clear. Funding is also needed to subsidize building operations and the cost of supportive services – these are approximately $6,000 per tenant per year. Studies document that it costs taxpayers just as much to leave a person homeless as it does to provide supportive housing, based on the direct expenses incurred for police, jails, shelters and emergency room visits.

Q.	How is supportive housing financed?
A.	Supportive housing developments are financed by a combination of residential rents, federal, state and local grants and loans; tax credit equity and contributions from private foundations and organizations.

Q.	How many supportive housing units are needed?
A.	The best estimates suggest that a community the size of Miami-Dade should have approximately 3,000 units of supportive housing.

What supportive services does Carrfour provide to assist homeless persons?

A Carrfour service coordinator works individually with each resident or family to formulate a customized plan for permanent housing and adequate income support. Everyone, including those living with disabilities is encouraged to maximize their income. Service coordinators provide assistance with activities of daily living, such as budgeting, transportation, housekeeping, and getting along with others. They also advocate for residents in obtaining outside community health, legal and employment services and managing income supports.

Who are the leaders of Carrfour?

Carrfour’s Board of Directors is comprised of noted business leaders, homeless advocates and Carrfour residents. Since Carrfour was founded by the Chamber’s Homeless Committee, five of its Board members are appointed from the ranks of the Board of Governors of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. A third is comprised of resident representatives. The Board itself appoints the rest of the members.

How is Carrfour staffed?

Carrfour employs the highest caliber of professionals in their respective fields. The management team consists of the President/CEO, the Vice President, Finance, the Vice President, Resident Services and the Vice President, Real Estate Development. Two-thirds of Carrfour’s staff (35 out of 47 employees) is directly involved in providing services to residents. The remaining ten oversee construction of $40 million for developments in progress.

How does Carrfour relate to the Homeless Trust, the Homeless Assistance Center, and other organizations serving the homeless?

The Homeless Trust is a quasi-public body that coordinates the entire Continuum of Care for the homeless, of which Carrfour and other homeless housing and service providers are a part. The greatest need in completing the Miami Dade Continuum of Care and implementing the adopted Homeless Plan is supportive housing. Carrfour primarily receives referrals from other organizations including shelters and the Homeless Assistance Centers when people are ready to live independently in the community once again.

Q.	Does Carrfour receive funds from the food and beverage tax for the homeless?
A.	No. This revenue is administered by the Homeless Trust and is used primarily to fund part of the operations of both Homeless Assistance Centers and the operations of the Trust itself.

Q.	How are Carrfour’s efforts different from those of other “affordable housing” developers?
A.	Carrfour provides supportive services in addition to housing households with much lower incomes than “affordable housing” is currently reaching. Carrfour uses many of the same funding sources except that Carrfour residents generally cannot pay enough rent to cover even the operating expenses. The rents will not support a mortgage and properties require an on-going operating subsidy.

Q.	What is the relationship between the private dollars and government dollars?
A.	Private dollars are needed in order to fill the gaps left by government programs. They may be viewed as an up-front investment to obtain the government dollars.

What has Carrfour accomplished so far?

Carrfour has demonstrated its value to the community by securing $70 million dollars in restricted project funding from local, state and federal government sources as well as private entities. These funds will pay for “bricks and mortar” as well as operating costs for three to ten years, depending on the program. The majority of these funds would not have come into the community without Carrfour’s efforts.

Q.	In view of all this funding, why are private funds needed?
A.	The programs that fund Carrfour’s efforts do not fund some of the direct and indirect costs required. Furthermore, there is a substantial lag, even years, between expenditures being incurred and reimbursement received.

Q.	What is the private fundraising objective?
A.	$1 million from 2004 through 2006 and $500,000 per year thereafter.

Q.	Who is leading the fund development campaign?
A.	The fund Development Committee is chaired by Scott DeLoach. More members are needed on this committee. Those interested in serving on this committee, should call 305-371-8300 ext. 326.

Q.	Who audits Carrfour’s financials and how often does auditing take place?
A.	Carrfour and its affiliated organizations are audited annually by an independent auditor. Carrfour is also registered with the State of Florida as a charitable organization. In addition, all of its funding sources audit performance and expenditures under their programs.

What are the three key challenges for Carrfour to achieve its goals?

1.	Continued county, state and federal funding to build and operate the desired housing inventory and provide services
2.	Consolidated and streamlined funding so Carrfour can dedicate its efforts to providing housing and services rather than filling out endless applications and reports.
3.	Widespread community awareness and support of this effort.

Why should people support Carrfour’s campaign?

•	To create a permanent inventory of supportive housing for Miami-Dade County.
•	Because it leverages $100 project dollars on behalf of the community for every unrestricted, private dollar raised or donated to Carrfour.
•	As a taxpayer, investing in supportive housing is a better, more effective, and more humane use of tax dollars than the status quo. Rigorous, independent university studies have documented that supportive housing pays for itself in direct savings in usage of emergency rooms, hospitals, and jails.
•	To improve the quality of life in the community. The homeless have taken over sidewalks, parks, and highways for purposes for which they were not intended, impairing the use and enjoyment of these public spaces by others.
•	To improve the image and economic vitality of the community, particularly its business and tourist centers. Tourists, shoppers and restaurant patrons avoid situations that make them uncomfortable, including homeless people.
•	Because it is the right thing to do. This is a more effective way to end homelessness for the people who need it most and our society has the collective resources to do it.