Targeting, Screening and Assessment

Definition of Terms: Targeting: Defines the people who are eligible for assistance by your program. Determines every aspect of your program, from outreach to community partnerships. Serves as the basis for screening. Screening: Process of determining if an applicant meets the SSVF eligibility requirements and program targeting requirements. Determines if applicant will become a program participant. May include prioritizing applicants. Assessment: Determining the barriers that prevent your applicants or participants from getting and/or keeping housing. Used to plan how to overcome barriers. 2

The Search for the Perfect Tool… A screening tool is relatively simple to construct (see example). It walks the screener through each of the eligibility criteria defined by the funder and any additional criteria added by the grantee. There is no universal assessment tool. Assessment depends upon what is relevant to this participant, in this program. This will vary!

Targeting Start with SSVF eligibility requirements 1.Veteran household 2.Very low income 3.Occupying permanent housing These are non-negotiable. 4

Targeting (cont.) Decide if you will add one or more additional criteria to narrow the target population further, such as: Households that meet the BUT FOR criteria. Extremely low-income households Families with a minor child Chronically homeless or history of chronic homelessness Be sure that you are not setting criteria that require a household to have already resolved personal problems or to agree to work on personal problems while in the program! This is contrary to the SSVF program mission. 5

Targeting (cont.) If your targeting is too broad, you may have more applicants than you can assist. –How will you decide? –Do you need VA approval to narrow your targeting? If your targeting is too narrow, you may have trouble finding sufficient program participants. –Do you need VA approval to broadening your targeting? 6

Screening 1.Does this household meet the SSVF eligibility requirements? What documentation is needed to verify Veteran status, income and housing status? (See the Program Guide for verification and documentation requirements) 7

Screening (cont.) 2.Does this household meet your program’s additional targeting requirements? How will you verify that additional requirements have been met? 8

Screening (cont.) 3.Will you give more priority to households whose crisis is more urgent? *Those who have the shortest time to resolve their housing crisis *Those who would be put at the highest risk if the crisis is not resolved (due to vulnerability or situation). 9

Screening (cont.) 4.Does the household meet any criteria for priority assistance? How will you verify that priority criteria have been met? 10

Screening for vulnerability as a priority For people experiencing homelessness: Where are you staying now? Can you stay where you are for awhile, or do you need to leave right away? Why do you need to leave? What do you think might happen if you stay? For people who are trying to keep their current housing: Is there anything special about the location of your home or the kind of housing unit you’re in that is essential for your family? What is essential? Why? If you had to move from your current housing, would this have a bad effect for anyone in your household? Who? In what way?

Assessment Controversial! What do you need to know? What will you do with the information? How will you get the information? When will you obtain the information? Do you use the information for screening applicants in/out? Or do you use it to determine how to assist participants to achieve housing stability? 12

Assessment (cont.) What you assess should be timely and relevant. Start with assessing the situation. Assessment of the person is not always relevant or timely. Be aware how your philosophy about the necessity of treatment for all persons with a disability may bias your assessment. Question your assumptions!

Assessment (cont.) Disability Diagnosis: Why are there so many disabled people in homeless shelters? What is the relationship between a disability diagnosis and homelessness? 14

Disability Diagnosis: Relationship to Homelessness? Poverty is the primary cause of homelessness. Poverty is both a cause and a result of disability. Disabled people are % more likely to be poor than non-disabled people. Disabled people are more over-represented among the poor than are ethnic/racial minorities or single parents. About two-thirds of working age adults who experience long-term poverty have a disability. 15

Disability Diagnosis: Relationship to Homelessness? (cont.) A diagnosis names an impairment. The demands of the environment interact with the impairment. The result can be an “activity limitation,” reducing the ability to do a task or activity OR If more severe, it may result in a “participation restriction,” causing problems within one or more life areas. 16

International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health “All aspects of a person’s life (development, participation and environment) are incorporated into the ICF instead of solely focusing on his or her disability. A diagnosis reveals little about one’s functional abilities. Diagnoses are important for defining the cause and prognosis, but identifying the limitations of function is often the information used to plan and implement interventions.”

An example: Suppose I have an “impairment”--a back injury. I have “activity limitations” that affect tasks such as lifting, standing, bending. I have been able to compensate for my impairment by physical therapy, medications and, most important, having a white collar job. Thus, I have an income that supports housing stability. If I had to get a job requiring physical labor, I would have a “participation restriction.” I would be unemployed. My degree of disability is directly related to my resources (training, education, experience) and environmental demands (local job market). 18

So, what does “disability” mean for SSVF programs? 19

Assessing Function and Environmental Demands What tasks and life situations is this person going to face to get and keep housing? How much does the person’s impairment limit or restrict their ability to do what is required? Can the environment be changed so the impairment is less limiting? Can teaching new skills allow the person to deal with the demands of the environment? What supports/resources can be used to compensate for the impairment?

How is a disability diagnosis used by homelessness programs? Positive: To help a person understand why s/he has had difficulties To obtain disability income or a job suited to the impairment To develop a plan to minimize activity limitations and participation restrictions by improving skills and supports and/or by changing environmental demands. Negative: To screen out applicants because of an assumption that they cannot achieve housing stability 21

Assessment: Where to Focus The immediate housing crisis—what is needed NOW. And: Tenant Screening Barriers: Barriers that would prevent a decent landlord from agreeing to rent to the person. Housing Retention Barriers: Barriers that have historically prevented a household from keeping their housing. 22

Assessing Housing Barriers Tenant Screening Barriers Used by landlords to accept/reject applicants for housing. This practice has grown exponentially as more and more electronic databases have become accessible. Based upon an assumption that past history predicts future behavior Focuses on ability to pay the rent, follow the lease, care for the unit, get along with the landlord and other tenants. 23

Assessing Tenant Screening Barriers Buy a report from a tenant screening agency* or Conduct your own screening: Consent for Release of Information Free Credit Reports Contact previous landlords, employers. Check public eviction and criminal history databases. *People are highly mobile so there may be many databases to search, each with its own software and access issues. 24

Assessing Housing Barriers Housing Retention Barriers The patterns behind the Tenant Screening Barriers: the WHY Used to help the household create a plan for avoiding future housing instability Assessed when/if the household has a pattern of housing instability that is caused by factors beyond poverty. 25

Assessing Housing Retention Barriers Interviews, and observations during home visits Immediate: Information on the current housing crisis. Later: Other retention barrier assessments Identify financial problems, skill deficits, lack of knowledge, relationship and/or communication problems, impairments, etc., that affect housing stability Timely, relevant and respectful. 26

Putting it all together: Homes R Us From the grant proposal: “ Homes R Us will assist eligible very low-income Veteran households occupying permanent housing.” (Homes R Us is located in a large, densely-populated urban area.) Who are they targeting? How will they screen for this target population? What will they assess—and how will they use the assessment information? What problems might result from their targeting, and how could they resolve these? How would the targeting solution affect their screening? Assessment? 27

Another Example: Heartland Family Services From the grant proposal: “ Heartland will assist eligible very low-income Veteran families occupying permanent housing who have minor children and where the Veteran is experiencing a combat-related disability but is not actively using illegal drugs.” (Heartland is located in a geographically-large, rural area.) Who are they targeting? How will they screen for this target population? What will they assess (or refer for assessment)—and how will they use the assessment information? What problems might result from their targeting, and how could they resolve these? How would the targeting “solution” affect their screening? Assessment? 28

La Hacienda La Hacienda targets single male Veterans who meet SSVF eligibility criteria. They screen for SSVF requirements, criminal history, and sufficient income to pay rent. They assess Tenant Screening Barriers and Housing Retention Barriers What observations or questions do you have about their targeting, screening and assessment processes? What would you recommend that they do differently? What changes would La Hacienda have to make to implement your recommendation? 29

Home Again vs. Home To Stay Home Again targets SSVF-eligible Veteran households who are homeless or will be homeless within 5 days or less. Home To Stay targets SSVF-eligible Veteran households. When screening referrals, they give priority to households who are homeless or will be homeless within 5 days How might these programs face different challenges in outreach to find eligible households? In screening program applicants? How might each approach assessment? 30

Let’s Talk! Who does your program target? How will you screen? What will you assess? How and Why? 31