Transcript We currently do not have enough affordable housing in

Partnering with your
Public Housing Authority
to help end homelessness
Audio conference – January 10, 2008
Strengthening Families Collaborative, a joint initiative of
the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the Child
Welfare League of America and the National Center on
Family Homelessness
PHAs are key players in ending
homelessness
PHA plan
Con Plan
Community plans
that bring federal
resources
COC plan
Why PHAs participate in
Continuum of Care
• Can apply for housing
resources through
COC process
• Improved integration
with service-providers
of PHA residents
• Collaborative
housing/services
• Free snacks
How PHAs can be involved in COC
• Become an active member of the CoC
• Facilitate/host CoC meetings
• Coordinate planning process and application
development
• Apply for McKinney/Vento resources to create housing
(Supportive Housing Program or Shelter + Care)
• Create housing opportunities using PHA resources
Strategies for PHAs to use SHP
• Use SHP resources to purchase and renovate
property for use as permanent housing
• Work with a non-profit organization to obtain SHP
leasing funds to lease units in Public Housing.
Units would then be designated for this purpose
• Obtain SHP service funds to provide services to
designated units in Public Housing set aside for
persons who are homeless
Shelter Plus Care (S+C)
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A rental subsidy program that covers a portion of
the monthly rent. Generally, tenants pay 30% of
their income for rent, the rental subsidy pays the
difference between the tenant share and the unit’s
approved rent. 4 types:
Tenant-based
Sponsor-based
Project-based
SRO
Vancouver, WA Housing
Authority (VHA): key player in
ending homelessness
• Founded Council for the Homeless 1989
• Formed agreement w/ City, County
• Each provide Board reps, annual support
VHA collaborative projects that
serve homeless people
• Four shelters, managed by nonprofits
• Pinewood: VHA-owned transitional housing,
managed by homeless provider
• Operation Homestretch: Continuum of
Care-funded transitional housing
• Shelter + Care project
Other VHA projects
• Central Park Place: SRO on VA land:
serving homeless persons & veterans
• Orchard Glen: transition-in-place housing
& work force units
• Springbrook: used tax credits to create
mixed income development (w/ YMCA)
VHA partner in
Strategic Housing Plan
• Purpose: Guide community planning efforts
over 5 years and inspire future work.
• Goal: Obtain up to 1,250 new subsidized
housing units for households below 30%
AMI – through rental assistance & new
construction – using federal, state, local
and private resources.
Housing Authority of Portland
• Planning: ED and staff active in statewide and
local plans to end homelessness and COC
• Permanent Supportive Housing: public housing
units and 400 units of special needs housing
• Short-term rent assistance: manage on behalf of
two cities and county
• Shelter + Care: 7 grants
Examples of regional
collaboration among PHAs
• Sound Families: 7 PHAs in Seattle/King
County area
• Bridges to Housing: partnership among 4
PHAs in two states
• Regional collaboration among PHAs and
jurisdictions in 4 counties.
Regional Housing Managers:
CD directors, PHAs, HUD
• Group went after an earmark – creative
Used for a number of policy objectives. Helped fund Housing
Connections, Bridges to Housing, advocacy on State
housing trust fund, research on 811s.
• Continuing benefits:
-- Housing policy issues that affect region
-- Reduces urban-rural barriers
-- Emergency planning
Partner with PHA to prevent
homelessness
Section 8s are gold: partner with PHA to
support S8 retention. Examples:
• VOA’s eviction prevention program, funded by
Louisville, KY metro government and PHA.
• Housing Authority of Portland: Short-term Rent
Assistance fund – eviction prevention $$
Issues for advocates
• Locally: Monitor S+C management
• Locally & nationally: Get to know
challenges facing PHAs, such as reduced
HUD operating subsidies and change to
asset management
Websites
• To find out contact info for your local PHA:
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/states/ca.cfm
• Technical Assistance Collaborative, Boston: Curriculum on the
role of PHAs in addressing homelessness www.tacinc.org
• Bridges to Housing: 4-county, housing and services for high
need homeless families www.bridgestohousing.org
• Council for the Homeless: Nonprofit working to end
homelessness in Clark County, Washington. www.icfth.com
Thank you!
Sally Erickson, Homeless Program Coordinator
City of Portland, Bureau of Housing & Community Development
421 SW 6th Ave., Suite 1100
Portland, OR 97204
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 503-823-0883
www.portlandonline.com/bhcd