A Home of Their Own

Accomplishments of New Mexico’s Supportive Housing Initiative

June 2010 1

Supportive Housing Initiative

Transformative: promotes best practices and interventions for integrated, permanent supportive housing Collaborative Partnerships: State Housing Finance; C of C; Providers, Housing Developers; Public Housing Authorities; multiple State Agencies Innovative Approaches : Local Collaboratives and consumers driving housing projects; Local Lead Agency framework serves cross-disability populations Leverages Funds and Efforts: Federal, State, and Local resources for both housing development and mainstream support services

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New Mexico’s Supportive Housing Plan

Guiding Document Develop 5,000 Units of Supportive Housing Goal 1: Create Local Supportive Housing Partnerships Goal 2: Create a ‘ Pipeline’ of Supportive Housing Units Goal 3: Create Rental Assistance Opportunities Goal 4: Develop Best Practices for Housing Supports and Services

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Supportive Housing Investments

Behavioral Health Collaborative State Agencies Housing Development Fund (s) Uses Linkages Supportive Housing Program: $ 300,000 Rental Vouchers $ 50,000 Non-Profit Support Services Transitions Supportive Housing Program: $ 169,000 Rental Vouchers CYFD Staff and CCSS Staff Annual Recurring Allocation $400,000 Accomplishments Created 97 supportive housing units in 8 locations HSD Recurring Appropriation $ 350,000 HSD Recurring Appropriation $ 167,000 CYFD Recurring Appropriation Houses 39 homeless, or at risk of, persons with severe mental illness in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Silver City area Houses 20 youth ages 18 – 21 who are transitioning from the juvenile justice system or aging out of foster care in Albuquerque

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First Phase Accomplishments of New Mexico Supportive Housing Plan Goal Accomplishments Create Local Supportive Housing Partnerships Create a ‘ Pipeline’ of Supportive Housing Units Developed Partnerships with LC-4, San Miguel, Mora and Guadalupe; LC-5 Roswell, Lea and Chaves Counties; LC 11 Farmington/San Juan County Instituted bonus points for supportive housing in tax credit projects in 2009 Qualified Action Plan (QAP) and cross disability special needs definition in 2010 QAP via partnership with State Housing Authority resulting in 73 supportive housing units in 11 affordable housing projects Create Rental Assistance Opportunities Develop Best Practices for Housing Supports and Services Rec’d 215 VASH; PHAs applied for Family Unification Program and Non-Elderly Disabled voucher programs; 39 Linkages and 20 Transitions vouchers; created Statewide Section 8 HCV data base that tracks waiting lists for vouchers for persons with disabilities; Analyzing effective usage of CCSS platform for Supportive Housing; Developed 8 module Provider Training; initiated Local Lead Agency framework

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Goals of the Two State-Funded Supportive Housing Programs

Linkages and Transitions

• • •

Develop community support

for supportive housing model and receptivity Determine

financial resources

needed for:

– –

housing rental subsidies support services

Determine

policies, practices changes

service delivery system in

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Linkages Program Status

•

Began February 2008

•

All 39 vouchers are being utilized with high demand for more vouchers; low consumer turnover

•

Reaching the ‘hardest to serve’ homeless

•

Supportive housing is cost effective and transforms lives

•

Forging successful partnerships between Housing Administrators & Service Provider Agencies

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Lessons Learned from Linkages Program

• • • •

Requires effective and ongoing consumer engagement strategies after tenant housed Ensure support services agency is at all times tuned into tenant / landlord / neighbor relationships and skilled in conflict resolution Need to help tenant develop crisis / safety plan for them to implement and Provider be available on an ‘on call’ basis Coordinate monthly home visits check on welfare of tenant (or more frequently at first) to

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Challenges:

Putting the ‘Supports’ in Supportive Housing

• • •

Services using recovery and resiliency model include:

Assist persons in their housing search and application process; and, making reasonable accommodations and modifications Ensure 24/7 supportive services to help consumers in crisis Provide ongoing supportive services to resolve issues, teach problem solving, life skills and prevent eviction – Pay rent and utilities timely – Maintain apartment according to lease requirements – Communicate effectively with landlords & neighbors 9

Contact Information: Janie McGuigan, Supportive Housing Coordinator New Mexico Behavioral Health Collaborative Human Services Department [email protected]

505-222-4522

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