2.09 Tips to Creating a Partnership With Your Public Housing Authority 2017 National Conference on Ending Homelessness July18, 2017

What We Do We shelter. We provide services to help individuals and families achieve their goals. We deliver a spectrum of housing services. We operate Rapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing programs. We help empower people to build a support network, increase income and remain stably housed. We end homelessness.

Our Programs Housing First shelter and Housing First programs 76 % of all homeless individuals in Utah are sheltered at The Road Home – we shelter about 1,000 men, women and children each night in winter Housing priorities for Families, Veterans, Individuals who are Chronically Homeless, Elderly and otherwise vulnerable Develop housing strategies for long-term shelter stayers Central Housing Agency for families in Salt Lake County Rapid Rehousing and Progressive Engagement Permanent Supportive housing for most vulnerable individuals and families

Partners Services Housing Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake Utah Community Action Prevention, Diversion, Family Support, Food Pantries, Head Start and more Volunteers of America, Utah Outreach, Youth, Detox, Treatment Fourth Street Clinic YWCA & South Valley Services Domestic Violence shelters, Family Justice Many others Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake Salt Lake City Housing Authority Salt Lake City, County, State Low Income Housing Tax Credit Properties and other Landlords and Property Managers in Salt Lake County

Tips - Find Common Areas Overlap in target populations Housing Authority Commission Members Connections to local government Areas of Advocacy Mission goal in common – to help people obtain and retain housing

Tips – Staff Relationships Develop relationships and frequent contacts between staff at all levels All HA staff can advocate within their agency for new initiatives and partnerships Help HA staff to obtain all the required documents, forms and signatures for applications, drive clients to appointments and orientations at Has Work with HA Program Managers to partner on new grant opportunities Include HA Directors in community planning and advisory groups

Tips – Proactively Engage Provide helpful data, research, information Show up to HA public hearings Provide input in writing for every Housing Authority Annual Plan Serve as a link between landlord and client and keep the HA informed of any issues Help clean out a trashed unit

Tips – Resident Advisory Board All Housing Authorities have them Input and Recommendations from RABs are taken seriously by Commission Understand Their Perspectives and Concerns With limited number of vouchers, anything that is set-aside for one population affects the remainder. Remind them that homeless individuals are already part of the waiting list group.

Examples – Just a Few of Many Housing Retention Program – The Road Home & Utah Community Action staff on-site at the Housing Authority to provide support to formerly homeless households who are identified by the HA as being in jeopardy of losing a voucher. CoC Rental Assistance (and many others) contracted to and managed by the HA and The Road Home provides the case management. Project Based Sec. 8 vouchers contracted to The Road Home for permanent supportive housing.

Stay Engaged for the Long Term If you get a no, find out why and look for the next best thing Start small – pilot programs. EXAMPLE: We advocated for a HCV preference for formerly homeless households who accessed Rapid Rehousing with Progressive Engagement and were later identified as needing long term assistance. What we got is the HA commitment of CoC (old Shelter + Care and new Rental Assistance) to our Family Progressive Engagement Coordinated Access process. And a small number of HCV set aside for those who no longer need the services required by S+C and could move on to a rental assistance only program.

Helping people step out of homelessness and back into our community Michelle Flynn mflynn@theroadhome.org The Road Home 210 South Rio Grande St Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 801-819-7320 www.theroadhome.org