Consolidated Homeless Grant May 2014

Overview Guidelines Review Housing and Essential Needs Targeted Prevention Assessments, Stability Plans, and Rent Subsidies Certifications and Inspections Seeking 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 HomelessHomeless or At Risk Must 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 months Continued 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, 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% AMIAt or below 15% AMI Receive an eviction noticePast homelessness Pay > 30% of their income toward rent Pay > 65% of their income toward rent Have a disabilityUnder 30 and pregnant or parenting a young child

Targeted Prevention: Transforming your prevention program Traditional preventionTargeted prevention Help those most likely to succeedHelp those most likely to become homeless Limit services per HH once a yearHH 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 Percent of Income Rent Range TANF % % % % % 1,100-1,320 2,400+60% to full rent 1,548+

Example of Rent Subsidy Percentage of rent: LevelMonths in Program % of Rent Level 10-3 Months30% of rent Level 23-6 Months50% of rent Level 36-9 Months65% of rent Level Months80% of rent

Certifications and Inspections – CHG standard, EFH, and HEN RENT Certifications, 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 SUPPORT Inspections, 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