SSVF Program Launch: Establishing Services in Compliance with Goals and Regulations Practice Area 2: Assessment and the Housing Plan

Screening and Intake vs. Assessment and Housing Plan Screening: Determining whether the applicant is eligible for services and meets priorities Admission and Intake: Making the decision to open a case and collecting basic intake information Assessment: Identifying the participant’s barriers to getting and/or keeping housing Housing Plan: The steps (including financial and non-financial assistance) the participant and program will utilize to obtain and/or retain housing 2

Assessment Housing Plan Definition of Housing Stability: Not just semantics What you think should be assessed and how you think you should intervene will be influenced by your beliefs about: –The causes of homelessness –Poverty –Disability –Your professional role 3

Progressive Assessment Focus on the situation: what’s needed to get/keep housing: 1.Tenant Screening Barriers are critical to landlords and therefore directly affect access to housing. 2. Housing Retention Barriers are challenges that directly and imminently affect a participant’s ability to retain housing. 4

Tenant Screening Barriers (TSBs) Assessment of the participant’s TSBs is used to match them to the most appropriate landlord, NOT to screen the participant out. Buy and/or create the same screening “report” a landlord would see: - Income, Employment -Credit History -Criminal History -Rental History 5

Housing Retention Barriers Avoid subjective (or stereotyped) assumptions about the impact of life or health problems on the participant’s ability to retain housing. However, if a participant’s housing history clearly shows housing loss was attributable to a life problem, it is a Housing Retention Barrier. If the participant has had past housing crises, look for patterns of causation that may resurface. Most common HRBs: #1 Lack of income (employment/benefits) Lack of knowledge of landlord-tenant laws Lack of information/skills to meet “quiet enjoyment” clause in the lease (behavior of guests, children, noise, conflict, etc.) 6

Disability Disability is rarely a cause of homelessness; most disabled people lose their housing for the same reasons as non- disabled people. Disabled people are % over-represented among the lowest income groups—who are the participants most at risk of homelessness! A person should not be automatically assessed for a disability unless there is a specific reason: –Rental history includes housing loss clearly due to inability to manage a disability such as substance abuse or mental illness; –To obtain disability income supports or services/resources; –Because the participant wants help in this area. 7

Housing Plan Must be consistent with the core principles: Housing First, crisis response, participant choice. Focuses on rapidly resolving the immediate crisis: the barriers to retaining or obtaining housing (e.g. payment of arrears, locating housing, financial assistance, connections to employment, debt renegotiation, benefits, free or reduced- cost services/commodities, etc.) Limits the number of goals, particularly goals that require significant behavior change. Must be reasonable for the participant’s history and situation and for the local housing and employment markets. 8

A Housing Plan… Deals with immediate issues related to retaining or obtaining housing Goals are SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely Has action steps leading to the goals Specifies who is responsible for each step—staff or participant Includes a date for review of progress Is revised as needed until goals are met 9

Housing Plan Tips 10 Plan to make frequent revisions as actions and short-term goals are completed. Reduce or increase expectations based upon participant’s stress level and follow-through. Participants choose if, how and when to address other life issues --and are more likely to be willing/ able to do so after their housing crisis is resolved. Remember that most participants will successfully resolve their crisis, whether or not they significantly change their behavior or their income. Update at exit: ongoing goals and plan for future crisis