Community LINC

We deliver Housing and Prevention Programs and services year-round which enhances the human services ecosystem Metro Kansas City by addressing the community needs of housing stability in a market plagued by unaffordable housing and ongoing gentrification, and homeless services and housing navigation for those experiencing homelessness. Financial stability is increased by addressing the underlying causes of homelessness and creating long-term stability for people served. This is done through provision of services designed to resolve housing-related barriers like debts, evictions, childcare, etc. so clients can get and remain permanently housed. To increase self-reliance and regain stability, we help clients secure employment and work towards resolving housing-related barriers (debts, evictions, childcare, etc.) so they can get and remain permanently housed. Clients are assigned a volunteer financial coach; together, they establish a workable plan to achieve housing and stability goals starting with debt reduction. Un- and under-employed clients learn interview and job-searching skills; clients work with our Housing Coordinator to address other financial barriers (like rent, utility arrearages) and connection to other resources and support to remove barriers. Extensive partnerships with Metro Kansas City landlords and agencies help clients secure safe, affordable housing.

Community LINC utilizes agency dashboards where data is linked from reports to guide our strategies and how we improve and evlove. Community LINC also monitors case management sessions and quarterly reviews through internal tracking spreadsheets. Results are quantified by measuring debt satisfaction, employment, meeting attendance, and lease agreements. We use the Michigan Self-Sufficiency Matrix to measure a family's level of need at intake and to track their self-sufficiency and growth. We also use an outcome questionnaire to measure both adult and children's coping skills. Externally, outcomes are also monitored through Caseworthy, the HUD-mandated web-based HMIS data system. The HMIS tracks all services received from families in poverty. The reports allow us to evaluate graduate clients who access food, clothing, utility, rent assistance and most importantly shelter from repeated homelessness, should that happen.

Community LINC is proud to be a data driven evolving agency that is guided by our participants and it shows. Our diligence town governance with flexibility has allowed us to remain stedfast in our mission and goals to end and prevent homelessness in our community. Our rich history of outcomes, transparency and effective programs are relfecged by. the stewardship growth and actions listed below:

• Recognized with a four star rating from Charity Navigator for the last five years.
• 20 years of meeting audits and 990 performance standards
• The delivery of over 30 federal grant awards of over $12MM with clear audits and meeting performance standards
• During COVID we raised $2.4 Million dollars’ worth of critical capital improvements
• Provided over $2MM worth of Emergency Assistance during COVID to prevent homelessness.
• In 2021 we launched an affordable housing pilot with the goal to complete 25 houses in phase one. Today we have five homes and two more under construction.

• Increase financial security. Nearly all families make progress in resolving judgments (i.e., bad debts adjudicated by the courts) and retiring delinquent debts. In 2022, 38% of the people who exited to permanent housing increased their income, and 84% of adults decreased housing-related debts.

• Generate taxable income and decrease dependence on public assistance. In 2022, we continued to see a significant decrease in taxable income, but our clients still generated more income than they received in safety net benefits. A five-year trend of income earned is approximately $3.9M in taxable income and a decrease in public assistance of $133,000.

• Secure permanent housing. In 2022, 74% of program participants left Community LINC for permanent housing.

• Achieve long-term independence. In our most recent five-year retention study on all program graduates based on data from the Kansas City Metro Homeless Management System, from 2018 to 2022, 87% of families remained housed and self-sufficient

Specific Participant Accomplishments for 2022 include:

• 74% of families in our housing programs left Community LINC for permanent housing.
• Graduates from 2018 to 2022, 87% of families remained housed and self-sufficient based on data from the Kansas City Metro Homeless Management System.
• 84% of the households served decreased housing related debt and 40% increased income from all sources.

Community LINC is at a pivotal stage in our growth and is embarking upon new thought leadership to further our efforts based upon the complex and comprehensive needs of the community. In 2024, Community LINC will embark upon a strategic planning process to equip leadership with a vision for how to best allocate resources and develop programming to meet the needs of our target population. This planning process is informed by past evaluation results and environmental factors which impact our target population.