Transcript Distribution of Resources on PIT Single Adults

HEARTH Act:
Planning for Impact
Julie Dixon
The Planning Council

Signed into law May 2009, first update
since 1995

Broadens definition of homeless to include
those at imminent risk and those who are
unstably housed
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Shifts focus and funding to more
Prevention and Rapid Re-housing
Key Changes
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Stimulus for System Change
New activities allow CoCs to provide
more services to prevent homelessness
and incentives to rapidly move
homeless people back to housing
Emphasis on outcomes enhanced with
new, additional measures that evaluate
both systemic and individual program
results
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Reduce length of time people spend in the
crisis of homelessness
 Rapidly exit people from homelessness to
permanent housing
 Provide services in the home to achieve
housing stability and prevent returns to
homelessness
 Focus on income and employment

HEARTH Objectives
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Decrease numbers of people who are
homeless
Decrease length of time people are
homeless
Increase exits to Permanent Housing
Increase income (employment/benefit)
Reduce returns to homelessness
◦ Will apply to shelters, transitional and
permanent supportive housing programs
HEARTH Indicators/Measures
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
Areas of Focus
◦ Program Evaluation and Development
◦ System Evaluation and Reorganization
◦ Coordination Beyond the Continuum of Care
Meeting HEARTH Objectives
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Decrease in newly homeless

Decrease length of stay

Increase income and exits to PH and
decrease returns to homelessness
◦ Prevention/Diversion
◦ Rapid Re-housing
◦ Reduce time in Shelter and Transitional Housing –
use rapid exit approach
◦ Housing Stabilization Services
◦ Critical Time Intervention (CTI)
◦ Connections with mainstream and communitybased services
◦ Eviction Prevention Services
Achieving Performance Measures
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
The FY2012 budget for the ESG program
is $286 million, an increase of $36 million
from FY2011
◦ Assist communities to transition programs
created under the Homeless Prevention and
Rapid Re-housing Program
◦ Shelter diversion
◦ Funds are expected to particularly impact
homeless families with children, a HUD priority
population
Emergency Solutions Grants
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Coordinated Intake
◦ All ESG and CoC recipients must use a
centralized/coordinated system to ‘initially assess
the eligibility and needs of each person who seeks
homeless assistance or prevention assistance’
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At least 40% of funds must be spent on
Prevention/Diversion and Rapid Rehousing
New activities:
Short/medium term rental assistance
Housing relocation/stabilization to homeless or at
risk – financial assistance – utilities, arrears,
moving costs
System Readiness –
New ESG Rules
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
Virginia Department of Housing and
Community Development:
◦ Homeless Solutions Grant (HSG)
◦ Homeless Prevention Program (HPP)
*Bring new agencies to the table as part of the
ongoing Program Monitoring committee
Other Funds at Play
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HSG Outcomes
Percentage of households seeking
shelter where the immediate crisis
has been averted (preventing
homelessness)
Percentage of households diverted
from homelessness stabilized in
permanent housing
Reduction in the number of
households entering the homeless
assistance system
Reduction of the length of shelter
stays
Reduction in the number of
households returning to
homelessness
HPP Outcomes
Percentage of eligible households
assisted with HPP where
homelessness is prevented
Percentage of diverted households
stabilized in permanent housing
Reduction in the number of
households entering the homeless
assistance system
N/A
N/A
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Establish coordinated intake
Divert at the front door to shelter
wherever possible
 Move people rapidly into permanent
housing from emergency shelter and
transitional housing
 Focus on employment, income and
benefits
 Provide aftercare or access to services to
stabilize once in housing
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Program Readiness
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ESG grantees must coordinate with CoC
◦ Consult on allocation of funding for ESG
activities
◦ Must participate in HMIS
◦ Coordinated Intake
◦ Outcomes will be reported in CoC Exhibit 1 in
2012
Systems Coordination
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Performance (as described above)
 Community Plans focus on:
 reducing homelessness
 educational needs of children and
 needs of all homeless sub-populations
 CoC plan aligns with Ten Year Plan (TYP)
Measureable targets, timelines,
funding, leadership and staff
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Selection Criteria for Funding
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
Look at current portfolio of projects:
 expenditure of funds
 performance - to determine what, if any, changes
should be made
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Begin considering which projects, in whole or
in part, they may want to reallocate to free
up resources for new efforts
Conduct an analysis to determine which
partnerships within your community work
well and which need more attention and
focus
HUD Advice –
Preparing for HEARTH
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Renewal Evaluation Process
Training/Support to Agencies
Review data on:
1.
2.
3.
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4.
Length of Stay (LOS)
Exits to permanent housing, to unknown and to
homelessness
Rates of maintaining and increasing income
Evaluate funding and program allocations,
outcomes and returns on investments
◦ Consider program conversions/modifications to
achieve outcomes
Steps to Take Now
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The CoC has been flat funded
 HUD has been aggressively recapturing
funds from grants that have not been fully
expended
 Through this process, HUD is also identifying
grantees that consistently return money
 HUD strongly encourage grantees and CoCs to
review all renewal project budgets and spending
rates to prevent these types of recaptures,
thereby demonstrating strong stewardship of
federal funds at both the grantee and CoC levels
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Is there is money for HEARTH?
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HUD is in the final stages of clearing for
release both the Continuum of Care (CoC)
 2012 NOFA will reflect the HEARTH
requirements and all grants awarded
through the 2012 competition will be
required to comply with the interim rules
 HUD will be deciding which provisions of
HEARTH to implement in 2012 to
maximize the impact
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Where are the HEARTH Regs?
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Thank you