Consolidated Homeless Grant

May 2014

Overview

Guidelines Review•Housing and Essential Needs•Targeted Prevention•Assessments, Stability Plans, and Rent Subsidies•Certifications and InspectionsSeeking Your Input•Webinars •Fall Forum

What’s different with the Housing and Essential Needs Program

HEN Referral•DSHS now makes 12 month referrals•Suggest checking BVS monthly to review HEN Referral eligibility

What’s different with the Housing and Essential Needs Program

Housing Stability Plans•Required minimum, developed collaboratively with HH

Homeless Homeless or At RiskMust address immediate barriers to obtain housing (income, criminal, credit, rental history)

Must address barriers to maintain housing stability (ability to pay rent, follow lease)

Plan identifies amount and duration of rent subsidy, needed services and referrals, goals and action steps.

What’s different with the Housing and Essential Needs Program

Income Eligibility•Review income eligibility every 3 monthsContinued Eligibility – what do you do?•Over AMI but still in HEN Referral•Under AMI but lost HEN Referral

What’s different with the Housing and Essential Needs Program

Friends & Family •Certification of Payment Obligation / Potential Eviction from Friends Family Utility Only Assistance

What’s different with the Housing and Essential Needs Program

Landlord Certification or Inspections•Required for HEN clients moving into a unit

HEN conference workshop

B2 – 9:00 a.m. Thursday

Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) Provider Discussion

Targeted Prevention: What is it?

• Prioritized based on a standardized, evidence-based assessment for risk of homelessness.

• An important part of your coordinated entry system.

• Reduce homelessness, without spending a lot of time and money on people who would never become homeless.

Targeted Prevention: Requirements

• Required with CHG, as of January 1, 2014.

• Commerce has provided a tool – available on CHG website.

• You don’t have to use our tool, but you must do something similar.

Targeted Prevention: Challenges traditional beliefs about homelessness

Mythical predictors of homelessness

Factual risk factors for homelessness

At or below 50% AMI At or below 15% AMI

Receive an eviction notice Past homelessness

Pay > 30% of their income toward rent

Pay > 65% of their income toward rent

Have a disability Under 30 and pregnant or parenting a young child

Targeted Prevention: Transforming your prevention program

Traditional prevention Targeted prevention

Help those most likely to succeed Help those most likely to become homeless

Limit services per HH once a year HH helped as needed

Preference to HH that have not been helped before (to be “fair”)

Preference to HH who have been in your homeless system before (reduce returns!)

Provide fixed amount of subsidy based on household or unit type

Amount of subsidy based on HH needs and availability of other resources

Targeted Prevention: Conference workshop

B1 – 9:00 a.m. Thursday

Strategic Use of Community Resources: Homeless Diversion and Prevention Programs

Assessments

An assessment is required for each household to identify:•Immediate barriers to obtaining permanent housing, and•Barriers to maintaining permanent housing stability.

Housing Stability Plans

This assessment informs a Housing Stability Plan to include:•The amount and duration of rent subsidy,•Services and referrals addressing barriers, •Housing and self-sufficiency goals, and•Action steps, including completion dates, leading to housing stability.

Rent Subsidy

Percent of Household Income

OR

Percent of the Rent

AND

Household share should increase based on goals or steps and adjusted overtime as necessary

Example of Rent Subsidy

Percentage of Income:Monthly Recertification of Household Income Percentage Range

Monthly Gross Income Percentof Income

Rent Range

TANF - 700 35% 0-280 700-1000 40% 280-400

1000-1400 45% 450-630 1400-2000 50% 700-1000 2000-2400 55% 1,100-1,320

2,400+ 60% to full rent 1,548+

Example of Rent Subsidy

• Percentage of rent:Level Months in

Program% of Rent

Level 1 0-3 Months 30% of rentLevel 2 3-6 Months 50% of rentLevel 3 6-9 Months 65% of rentLevel 4 9-12 Months 80% of rent

Certifications and Inspections – CHG standard, EFH, and HEN

RENTCertifications, Inspections, Lead-Based Paint Visual Assessment •Family/Friend Certification •Landlord Certification•Inspections•Lead-based paint visual assessment

Certifications and Inspections – CHG standard, EFH, and HEN

General Requirements•Required for all units households will be moving into•Visual assessment required for all units•Completed before subsidy paid•Procedures to address household concerns and inspections

Certifications and Inspections – CHG standard, EFH, and HEN

Friend/Family Certification•Certification of Payment Obligation/ Potential Eviction from Friend/Family form•Certification of safe and habitable housing

Certifications and Inspections – CHG standard, EFH, and HEN

Landlord Certification•Landlord Habitability Standards Certification Form•Landlord Tenant Act•Valid for household tenancy or 12 months if new household in same unit

Certifications and Inspections – CHG standard, EFH, and HEN

INSPECTIONS•Use in addition to or in lieu of landlord certification•Commerce Housing Habitability Standards (HHS) form OR•HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS)•Other inspections

Certifications and Inspections – CHG standard, EFH, and HEN

FACILITY SUPPORTInspections, Assessment•Inspection and lead-based paint visual assessment•Once per year•Occupancy > 90 days, < 2 years•Commerce Housing Habitability Standards (HHS) form OR•HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS)

Seeking Your Input•Webinars •Fall Forum