2017 Challenge Finalist – Page 2

Collective Impact on Homelessness

Problem

Salt Lake County has seen homelessness expand and, as the opioid epidemic has also grown, the area surrounding our main homeless shelter has been unsafe for the public and for those experiencing homelessness. There were no easy solutions to address the challenges that are complex and diverse. In order to effect the system it required stakeholders from the criminal justice, law enforcement, homeless services, nonprofit, faith, and philanthropic sectors to work in a more sophisticated and organized manner. There is no easy or quick fix and collaboration at the highest level is required to effectuate the changes needed.

Solution

Mayor McAdams convened Salt Lake County’s Collective Impact on Homelessness, a coalition of stakeholders from state, county and city government together with over 30 providers of homeless services to reform how services are delivered and better help those experiencing homelessness to overcome crisis and regain a greater degree of self-reliance. By working as a coalition, we have secured financial support from state leaders who are investing unprecedented funding in our efforts to realign the system (includes securing $30 million in state funds to reshape the emergency shelter system), and to provide treatment as well as other stabilizing resources to ensure that homelessness in Salt Lake County is rare, brief and non-recurring. Work has also involved two Pay for Success initiatives launched in early 2017 (Salt Lake County’s ‘Homes not Jail’ effort and REACH initiative to improve outcomes for individuals with moderate to severe substance use disorders), as well as getting to the final stages of negotiating an expansion of Medicaid.

Creating Empowerment School Zones

Problem

While Massachusetts consistently ranks first in education when compared to the rest of the country, there are still many schools and school districts that have fallen behind and are in need of improvement. As legislators, it is our job to find methods and models of education that provide standards and guidelines to our schools, teachers and administrators while also creating enough flexibility in schools and allowing educators to make necessary changes that will provide a better learning environment for our students.

Solution

My legislation would allow for statewide expansion of the Springfield Empowerment School Zone model – a partnership between the state, school officials and the teachers’ union in which select schools in a district operate autonomously, under control of an independent board of directors, gaining flexibility in the following areas: curriculum, budget, school schedule and calendar, staffing, professional development and school district policies and procedures. The Empowerment Zone model enabled eight middle schools in Springfield to build on current systems and preserve local talent, while simultaneously bringing in new talent and making improvements elsewhere. As Massachusetts determines the best path forward to improve struggling schools and close the achievement gap, the Empowerment Zone model has emerged as key strategy, hinging on school level autonomy and accountability, along with a focus on an explicit inclusion of local voices.