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Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan 85 End Note: A New Beginning The Alameda Countywide Homeless and Special Needs Housing Plan represents the culmination of a year of unprecedented communication and collaboration between systems, organizations, and jurisdictions. Despite past successes in Alameda County, planning participants acknowledge that continuing on the same path will not make ending homelessness possible. This plan itself, though" is only the beginning. In order to achieve the goals of this plan, these partnerships and the innovations they represent must continue. Ending homelessness and reducing housing instability for extremely low-income people living with serious and persistent mental illness and/or HIV/AIDS will be accomplished through actions in support of this plan's five major goals: · Preventing homelessness and other crises. Discharge from public institutions, such as hospitals and prisons or aging out of foster care, is the most predictable and frequent entry point into homelessness. Building on existing public sector involvement, implementing systems-wide discharge-planning guidelines, and ensuring housing availability upon exit will all significantly reduce future homelessness. · Increasing housing opportunities for the plan's target populations. The costs of securing 15,000 units of affordable housing will be significant; the estimated total cost to eliminate homelessness for our County's most vulnerable populations is $2.1 billion. Only one-third of these resources need to come from local sources; even so, realizing this vision will require new resources and new players. · Delivering flexible services to support stability and independence. Culturally competent, coordinated support services must accompany housing; for some, access to clinical services will also be important. Direct service providers in all systems throughout the county must have a "no wrong door" philosophy and a degree of knowledge about-and immediate access to-a range of housing resources and complementary support services. · Measuring success and reporting outcomes. Evaluating outcomes will allow systems and agencies to identify successful programs and target resources toward best practices. · Establishing a countywide leadership structure to guide implementation of the plan will ensure that momentum for the plan's implementation is sustained over the fifteen years of effort that will be required to achieve these goals. To accomplish this plan's ambitious goals, however, many new partners will also be needed. Every person in Alameda County is invited to help make a difference in ending homelessness by contributing their time, money, or support. Every contribution, no matter the size, will positively impact our community. The people of Alameda County can look forward to the day when each of us has safe, appropriate, and affordable housing.