Transcript Help! I Don’t Speak Housing! Mattie Lord, UMOM New Day Centers (602) 889-0671 - [email protected] Jeremy Rosen, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (202)

Help! I Don’t Speak Housing!
Mattie Lord, UMOM New Day Centers
(602) 889-0671 - [email protected]
Jeremy Rosen, National Law Center
on Homelessness & Poverty
(202) 638-2535 x210 - [email protected]
We have to help families move from temporary
situations to permanent housing.
Shelter
Housing
Goals
•Answer all your housing questions (or give
you candy)!!!
•Make sure when someone talks to you in
housing speak, you can answer right back.
– Anyone not think this sentence is in Greek?
PTFA or ESG might keep a family in their
home, but if that doesn’t work HUD may tell
you to try a PHA that can give you VASH or
FUP, and if that doesn’t work under the COC
plan for implementing HEARTH maybe the
family can get PSH.
What is HUD?
•
•
•
•
A building in DC with a leaky roof?
A federal housing agency?
An old movie with Paul Newman?
A group of people who don’t know how to
define homelessness?
What is a CoC?
• Government agencies, nonprofit service
providers, advocates, and homeless /
formerly homeless persons working
together to end homelessness in a local
community or in a larger rural area of a
particular state.
• Should you be part of the CoC?
– Even if you’re not in Fargo – “You betcha.”
– You are the voice for the kids and families you
work with! Don’t assume someone else is.
Continuum of Care
Emergency
Shelter
Prevention
Resources
Permanent
Supportive
Housing
Emergency
Shelter
Transitional
Housing
Permanent
Supportive
Housing
Assessment
Rapid
ReHousing
Transitional
Housing
What does a CoC do?
• Plans for ending homelessness in your
community, sets priorities for how your area’s
homeless assistance funds will be spent, and
picks agencies who will receive the $$$.
• Beginning to assume more responsibility for
managing grant funds, be responsible for
meeting new outcome targets, and administer
broader definition of homelessness.
• What gives the CoC authority? HEARTH!
Why do we care about HEARTH?
• Framework for how HUD’s homeless
programs will operate in future.
• New focus areas – more homelessness
prevention and rapid re-housing, less
emergency shelter; more permanent
housing, less transitional housing.
• Modest expansion of homeless definition
• All HUD funded homeless programs must
do things for you and the kids you serve!
HEARTH Requirements
• The Continuum of Care applicant will be
required to demonstrate that it is
collaborating with LEAs to assist in the
identification of homeless families as well
as informing these homeless families and
youth of their eligibility for McKinney-Vento
education services.
HEARTH Requirements
• Continuum of Care applicant will be
required to demonstrate that it is
considering the educational needs of
children when families are placed in
emergency or transitional shelter and is, to
the maximum extent practicable, placing
families with children as close to possible
to their school of origin so as not to disrupt
their children’s education.
HEARTH Requirements
• Project applicants must demonstrate that
their programs are establishing policies
and practices that are consistent with, and
do not restrict the exercise of rights
provided by the education subtitle of the
McKinney-Vento Act, and other laws
relating to the provision of educational
rights and related services to individuals
and families experiencing homelessness.
HEARTH Requirements
• Project applicants must demonstrate that
programs that provide housing or services to
families are designating a staff person to ensure
that children are enrolled in school and
connected to the appropriate services within the
community, including early childhood programs
such as Head Start, Part C of the Individuals
with Disabilities Act, and McKinney-Vento
education services.
New Categories of “Homeless”
• People losing housing within 14 days
(including from a motel b/c can’t pay).
• Families and youth defined as homeless
by ED, if they have not been in permanent
housing for a long time and have moved
frequently.
• Individuals / families fleeing DV or other
dangerous / life threatening conditions.
Prevention / Rapid Re-Housing
• Payments to avoid
eviction (rent
arrears, utilities,
etc.)
• Assistance with
move in costs
• Temporary rent
subsidies
• Basic case
management
Bridge Housing
• Provides temporary housing until a
housing option is available
• Emergency shelter may serve as the
“bridge” until a HUD VASH voucher is
assigned.
• A family might be moved from the streets
to a hotel room until there is room in an
ES.
Emergency Shelter
• Shorter term
• Length of stay up
to 120 days
• No fees
• Case management
• Support services
• Single site
Transitional Housing
• For families needing a longer-term
intervention than ES
• Length of stay up to 2 years
• Program fees up to 30% of income
• Case management
• Intensive support services
• Some single site, some scattered site
• HUD outcome: 65% exit to permanent
housing
Housing First
• A philosophy
• End the homelessness by moving them
into housing first.
• Work on other issues that may jeopardize
the stable housing while they are in
housing.
• Support them in the housing.
• Services are voluntary.
Permanent Supportive Housing
• Typically funded by
HUD McKinney-Vento
• Housing subsidies
• Program fees up to
30% of income
• Must have a
documented disability
• Includes case
management and
ongoing support services
• No time limit
Affordable Housing
• Housing that a family is able to afford
without exceeding 30% of their income
• No time limit
• No programs or support services
• Lease = Landlord Tenant Act applies
Subsidized Housing
• An option for low income families
• Makes market rate housing “affordable”
for families at 30-60% AMI
• Typically subsidized by local or state tax
credits
• Typically mixed income properties
• Must recertify annually; otherwise no time
limit
• Lease = Landlord Tenant Act applies
Section 8 Housing
• HUD program with Public Housing Authorities
• Sex offenders and people with certain drug
offenses are ineligible
• Other eligibility criteria determined by local PHAs
• No time limit
• Lease = Landlord Tenant Act applies
• Project-Based
– Subsidy remains with the unit
• Housing Choice Voucher
– Subsidy remains with the family
– Family can select unit (based on FMR and inspection)
Ask and You May Receive!?!?
• Go talk to PHA (Public Housing Authority)!
– Do you have any Section 8 or public housing?
– What about when units turn over? (Another
secret – most people only keep Section 8 or
public housing for a few years)
– Can we create a preference for homeless
families? (They can if they want to!)
– Got any FUP (Family Unification Program) or
VASH (Veterans Affairs Supported Housing)?
PTFA
• Federal law protects tenants in properties
where owner was foreclosed on.
• After foreclosure, tenant does not have to
move out right away. Tenant can stay
until end of lease or minimum 90 days.
• Must be bona fide tenant (fancy way of
saying someone paying fair market rent,
and maybe not to family member).
Takeaways…
• Understanding of CoC, programs it
administers, and need to participate.
• Understanding of other housing resources
for children, youth, and families we care
about, and ideas for accessing them.
• Ability to speak housing – use terminology
with confidence.