Link to Permanent Housing (Link) Overview At least 5% of a rental development’s total units are set-aside for ELI households with Special Needs that are referred by a designated referral entity Generally, each development has between 4-7 Link units Rent for the Link unit is significantly lower, and usually includes an utility allowance Example: Maximum monthly rent for a 1 bedroom Link unit in Broward is $427, compared to $777 per month for a 60% AMI household for the same unit Special Needs Households are persons with mental illness, developmental disabilities, and physical disabilities; youth aging out of foster care; survivors of domestic violence; and homeless households Units are held open for referred households for a limited time, before being offered to general ELI household applicants Link residents have the same lease rights and responsibilities as any tenant Due to not having a statewide coordinated household referral system, the development chooses from designated referral entities in that county to execute an MOU There are currently 45 designated referral entities and serve one or more special needs household demographics. Most are local or regional based, a few have a broader service area At this time, there are 228 rental developments across the State that have 2-33 Link units each accounting for a total of nearly 2,000 units statewide There are currently 37 developments in the pipeline that will be required to execute MOUs in 2016 and early 2017 that will account for more than 265 new Link units coming into service

Coordination Database – Household Information The household applicant information section may be customized to include information needed to be collected to determine applicant’s unit preferences, priorities and unit eligibility criteria (income, credit history, and ability to pay the rent). The resident applicant information section also includes contact information of the household and referral entity.

Coordination Database – Waitlist Management After the application data is collected, the applicant is added to the waitlist The household applicants can be prioritized in any type(s) of order based on need, program, initiative or mandate It can be customized to be organized and show a referral entity or coordinator the status of persons on the waitlist, track date/time of actions, and any specialized information.

Coordination Database – Unit Information Property management enters customized unit information into the database including: Location Bedrooms/Baths Rent/Deposits Household eligibility criteria Accessibility features Proximity to public transport community resources Property management contact information The system can customize how the units are matched with the household waitlist and displayed for referral entity through filter system

Coordination Database – Specialized Searchs The system has the capability of being customized to enable designated referral entities, case managers or housing coordinators to also search the database’s available units for specific households on the waitlist. It can enable the status of the household to be changed daily, if necessary.

Coordination Database – Referral and Rental Status It can be customized so referral entities and property managers can record and track actions regarding a referred household’s status in accessing an available unit This is an important feature for program reports, research, and tracking compliance requirements It also provides instant access and the ability to populate rental documents, notification letters and other related forms.

Coordination Database – Benefits Summary Determine household eligibility for Link units Populate household information into online pre-screening tool to be used by referral entities and housing coordinators Waitlist and prioritize eligible households by eligibility criteria, needs, unit preferences and program Can be customized for one or many programs, initiatives and mandates Match special needs households to available units Instant on-line matching of available units and eligible households based on priority, needs and preferences Manage and track communication between property managers, referral entities and service providers regarding units, applicant households and Link residents Designated referral entities, property managers, and, if applicable, service providers correspond through secure on-line and correspondence system Designated Florida Housing and DCF staff have access to correspond or track communication, actions and household status Designated referral entities, service providers and property may track and correspond regarding households issues related to the rental application, as well as residents maintaining their lease requirements. Track referral entity and property management compliance related to appropriate and timely entering information into the database, communication, unit availability, household referrals, processing resident applications, as well as keeping track of utilization of set-aside units Access Link information and technical assistance resources, standardized documents, and policies and procedures Utilize a customized database for research, evaluation and reporting purposes related to referred households and resident characteristics, timeliness of procedures and processes, unit need and utilization, length of residency, and services provision