People experiencing chronic homelessness on DC streets benefit from the new housing-focused engagement strategies implemented by the BID through SAMs and HOST.

Downtown business benefits from the innovations of consumer-focused engagement and Housing First as implemented by Pathways to Housing DC.

DC taxpayers benefit from the partnership of business and innovators ending homelessness and costly use of public systems by people experiencing chronic homelessness.

The International Downtown Association, which has research and documented effective downtown partnerships focused on homelessness, has been a key partner to the efforts of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, under the leadership of IDA President Dave Feehan. IDA has collaborated in jurisdictional 10 Year Plan initiatives in which Downtown Associations and Business Improvement Districts have played key leadership roles. Founded in 1954, the IDA's more than 650 member organizations worldwide cover North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

IDA President Dave Feehan has led the association in its search for and adoption of innovative ideas, especially in solutions to homelessness. IDA has hosted Council Executive Director Philip Mangano when he spoke at IDA's "Big Idea" meetings and this year recognized him with a "Lifetime Achievement Award" for his work on behalf of cities. 

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	WHAT RESULTS ARE BEING ACHIEVED AND REPORTED FROM THE INNOVATION?

Through this partnership of business and social service, over 100 people have moved off the streets of the District of Columbia and into their own apartments through Pathways to Housing in the past year.

Another key result has been strong consensus on strategies and partnership. "It's extremely encouraging to see growing consensus in DC about how to eliminate homelessness," says Chet Grey, the Downtown BID's Homeless Services Director. "The Downtown BID has been committed to DC's homeless population since our inception in 1997. Although much more still needs to be done, we're pleased to see this level of progress."

According to Pathways to Housing's COO Linda Kaufman, who previously worked with the BID as Director of Homeless Services, "The members of Downtown DC's business community have put their money where their mouth is and contribute over $500,000 a year to this effort. With the support of Downtown DC, Pathways to Housing DC has provided street outreach, connection and referral, a free trip home or connection to housing to hundreds of individuals who had been stuck on the streets of Downtown DC."

In addition, the BID is building a coalition of food service providers, advocates and government agencies to address and find solutions to uncoordinated food distribution programs in parks and enlist "park regulars" who avail of the food services into pre-housing programs. The BID also distributes Street Information Cards that provide information about homeless services and occasionally conducts brown bag discussions on homelessness.

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	WHO IS THE INNOVATOR?

Downtown DC, with its Homeless Services Director, 120 safety, hospitality and maintenance workers, known as SAMs, and specially trained team of 12 known as the Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST).

Pathways to Housing DC, the nation's capital innovator of Housing First as pioneered by Dr. Sam Tsemberis in New York City, is creatively partnered with the DC Business Improvement District.

The International Downtown Association, which set out key lessons of partnership in its 2000 publication, "Addressing Homelessness: Successful Downtown Partnerships." Excerpts are quoted here, courtesy of IDA.

"Even though each partnership is created out of different circumstances and employs different tools and resources, it is clear that certain lessons prevail.

"Homelessness, poverty and mental illness are of society, not outside it. How we choose to help homeless people, people with mental illness and those living in poverty will help to determine the long-term viability of our cities as communities.

"There is no magic pill - not in the form of money, power or bureaucracy. These are not finite projects - they are ongoing programs of response, programs that grow and evolve.

"Everyone with an interest in the problem has a legitimate set of goals that need to be respected and reflected in the program response. Success does not require each interest group to embrace the goals of the others. If the programs create outcomes desired by each of the partners, then those outcomes need not be identical.

"Partnerships of the business, social service, and advocacy communities do not relieve the public sector of its vital role. Indeed, government resources can go further, with less duplication or gaps, and toward a set of goals that are bipartisan and community wide.

"Technical skill is no substitute for leadership, mutual respect, and the agreement to cooperate. Without the skills of human cooperation, interaction, and commitment, no amount of programmatic wizardry will do.

"Partnerships between business and service provider organizations require that the different missions, perspectives, professional jargon and competencies come together to address a community concern. As in any business relationship, transcending these initial barriers requires learning to respect that the other party has legitimate vested interests that need to be addressed, building trust between the respective parties and exercising leadership to convene and facilitate discussions. Partnerships that have invested in building a relationship across organizational lines have found common ground to then advance the interests of the business community and service providers for the betterment of homeless persons and the community at-large."  
  

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	WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INNOVATOR?

Learn more about Pathways to Housing DC and Housing First at: 
http://pthdc.org/

Learn more about the International Downtown Association's initiatives: 
www.ida-downtown.org