Transcript Don Watt Director, Office of Program and Public Affairs

DCA’s Efforts to Support Choice in
Supportive Housing Options
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Over 189,500 units on the site
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24,700 (13%) do not require a criminal background
check
 Of which, 1,586 units are available for rent
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23,121 units (12%) do not require credit check
 Of which, 1,522 units are available for rent
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NEW: 120 properties on the site with project-based
rental assistance
 Of which, 75 properties have units available for rent
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Supportive Housing developments can
participate in the competitive round
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Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing Plan Threshold Criteria
 Marketing Plan must include outreach efforts to each
service provider, homeless shelter or disability
advocacy organization in the county in which the
project is located.
▪ Establish and maintain relationships between management
agent and community service providers
▪ Requires marketing to underserved populations 2-4 months
before occupancy
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Integrated Supportive Housing/Section 811
Project Rental Assistance
 Points awarded to applications that agree to
accept Section 811 PRA for up to 15% of the units
▪ 15% of the total units at property must be 1 bedroom
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DCA’s HCV has a preference to house individuals
who are eligible under the Settlement
Agreement. First in the Nation.
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Partnership offers HCV as a substitute for GHVP
assistance, enabling individuals to move to
federal program and, thus, freeing up more
flexible GHVP vouchers for those most in need.
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82 HHs have transitioned, with 26 in process.
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Similarly, DCA is proposing to create a similar
tool which would allow individuals eligible
under the Settlement Agreement and
currently on the sponsor-based S+C
assistance who can and desire to live in a
more independent setting, to move to DCA’s
HCV program.
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Opens S+C assistance to those who are
homeless and most in need.
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In 2011, HUD renewal funding in GA was
more than $26M.
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While HUD cannot tell us specifics, we know
that 4% of these funds were not used – that’s
150 vouchers in GA.
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Based on CoC rules, existing projects can
overserve.
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DCA currently has 1,676 units in production,
increasing by 15 units per month as projects
move to maximum utilization.
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Rate of increase is sustainable for at least the
next 8 months, increasing our total units in
production to at least 1,800.
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In late September, DCA proposed a new policy and
made it available for public comment that seeks to
encourage the integration of S+C vouchers
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Sponsors must have a written policy of how it will
maximize client choice in the placement of Shelter
Plus Care units, how it will seek to place units in as
diverse an area as possible, how it will consider
requests from clients to move to other areas served by
the Sponsor, and how it will assist with requests to
move outside of the Sponsor’s service area. The policy
must be approved by DCA’s S+C Coordinator.
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S+C vouchers may not be used to support 50%
or more of any single complex’s units. This
applies to complexes of 20 units or more.
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If any existing Shelter Plus Care program does
not meet the above condition, the Sponsor will
be obliged to follow an attrition procedure,
where they will move the units once the current
household has left the occupancy agreement.
DCA would not expect any client to move units
unless they had expressed this option as their
choice.
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To this end, DCA will consider individual
agency circumstances and provide a waiver
based on the following circumstances:
 The S+C voucher is a Project Rental Assistance
voucher, and thus unable to be moved to other
locations.
 The S+C voucher is being used to support a
program that was designed as congregate
permanent supportive housing and was supported
by DCA, either through direct financing, or in
partnership with another entity, at the time of
planning and implementation.
 There are unique factors within the community
that make it impossible to scatter the vouchers in
more than one location. A Sponsor would need to
provide due diligence to show their efforts in
finding alternate units. Mitigating factors to
consider include rents, transportation,
affordability, and community based services. Any
client consultation will also be considered.
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Comments were accepted until November
15th.
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Final policy expected to be effective early in
2014.
Georgia’s SAMSHA Policy
Academy to End Chronic
Homelessness
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Georgia was one of 4 states selected to participate in
a Policy Academy to End Chronic Homelessness
sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services (SAMHSA). Also participating:
 California
 Louisiana
 Washington
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Goal was to create a set of goals and an action plan of
steps designed to end chronic homelessness
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Participation:
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Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities
Department of Community Health
Department of Corrections
Department of Human Services
Department of Juvenile Justice
Governor’s Office of Disability Services Ombudsman
State Board of Pardons and Paroles
Brother Charlie Rescue Center
The Carter Center
City of Atlanta
Cobb Douglas CSB
Hope Atlanta
River Edge CSB
Urban Residential Development Corporation
US Department of Health and Human Services
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
US Department of Veterans Affairs
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Maximize the Use of Existing Resources
 Shelter Plus Care
 HUD Housing Choice Voucher
 VASH
 State funded Georgia Housing Voucher Program
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Seek to Broaden Interagency Council on
Homelessness Representation
 GAHRA
 Statewide Community Action Association
 GA Family Connection Partnership
 GA Police and Sheriff’s Association
 Georgia Municipal Association
 Association of County Commissioners Georgia
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Data Integration
 Examine further opportunities to share data
between agencies
 Create some reports that will inform the work to
end chronic homelessness
 Examine successes in other states - Washington
 SAMSHA wants to help, possibly with funding
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Institutional Discharge Planning
 Develop a statewide discharge planning
document that consists of agency policies and
practices to, to the maximum extent possible,
eliminate the discharge of institutionalized
individuals to unstable or unknown housing
destinations
▪ Build on the work of the various Offender Re-Entry
Discussions
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Community-based Housing and Services
 Create regional housing and service inventory analysis
▪ Determine gaps
▪ Evaluate the effectiveness of “housing first” approaches in
Georgia
 Create Regional Housing Specialists
▪ Coordinate collaboration regionally between housing
providers (private, PHAs), service providers, parole and
corrections, governments, CoCs, etc…
▪ Seek funding where needed to expand the full array of
housing
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Final Policy Academy
 December 11 & 12
 Finalize Action Plan Recommendations
 Develop Action Plan Implementation Schedule
 Incorporate into the work of the Interagency
Council on Homelessness to carry
implementation forward