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Help! I Don’t Speak Housing!

Dave Mayo-KielyAnchorage School District

Jeremy RosenNational Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

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Goals•Answer all your housing questions!

•Make sure when someone talks to you in housing speak, you can answer right back.

•Motivate you to participate in local COC.

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Who Wants Alphabet Soup?

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.

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What Does This Alphabet Soup Mean?

Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act or Emergency Solutions

Grant might keep a family in their home, but if that doesn’t

work Housing and Urban Development may tell you to try a

Public Housing Authority that can give you Veterans Affairs

Supportive Housing or Family Unification Program, and if that

doesn’t work under the Continuum Of Care plan for

implementing Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid

Transition to Housing maybe the family can get Permanent

Supportive Housing.

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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?

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What is a CoC?• Continuum of Care.

• Government agencies, nonprofit service providers, advocates, and homeless / formerly homeless persons working together to end homelessness in a local community, metro area, or 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.

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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 $$$.

• Taking more responsibility for managing grant funds, meeting new outcome targets, and administering “broader” definition of homelessness.

• What gives the CoC authority? HEARTH!

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Why do we care about HEARTH?• Framework for how HUD’s homeless programs operate.

• New focus areas – more homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing, less emergency shelter; more permanent housing, less transitional housing.

• “Expansion” of homeless definition.

• All HUD funded homeless programs must do things for you and the kids you serve!

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Concerns about HEARTH?• HUD defines homelessness differently than US Department of Education.

• Potential for ¾ of ED “homeless” not to be considered HUD “homeless.” And even if “homeless”, eligible for what?

• Primarily those “doubled up” / in motels.

• Also burdensome documentation requirements.

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Categories of “Homeless”Category 1 Literal Homelessness

• Individuals and families who live in a place not meant for human habitation (including the streets or in their car), emergency shelter, transitional housing, and hotels paid for by a government or charitable organization.

• Families paying for motels themselves not covered.

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Categories of “Homeless”Category 2Imminent Risk of Homelessness

• Individuals or families who will lose their primary nighttime residence within 14 days and have no other resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

• Seems like this would cover doubled up families but burdensome documentation requirements mean that in most cases it will NOT. Also, only eligible for prevention $$$.

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Categories of “Homeless”Category 3Homeless Under Other Statutes • Unaccompanied youth under 25 years of age, or families with children and youth, who do not meet any of the other categories but are homeless under other federal statutes, have not had a lease and have moved 2 or more times in the past 60 days and are likely to remain unstable due to special needs or barriers.

• Again, documentation is a huge barrier! Also, only eligible for prevention $$$.

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Categories of “Homeless”Category 4Fleeing Domestic Violence

• Individuals or families who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and who lack resources and support networks to obtain other permanent housing.

• Does cover more people here; use it!

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What Can We Do?• Homeless Children and Youth Act• H.R. 5186 / S. 2653• www.helphomelesskidsnow.org• Makes all ED “homeless” (and RHYA, VAWA, Head Start, child nutrition) eligible for HUD homeless programs and for a broader range of services.

• Eliminates documentation requirements to prove eligibility; simple referral form OK.

• Returns focus to community priorities.

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CoC Requirements• Continuum of Care applicant is 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.

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CoC Requirements• Continuum of Care applicant is 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.

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CoC 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.

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CoC 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.

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Continuum of Care

PermanentSupportive

Housing

EmergencyShelter

TransitionalHousing

PreventionResources

PermanentSupportive

Housing

TransitionalHousing

RapidReHousing

Emergency Shelter

Assessment

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Prevention / Rapid Re-Housing

• Payments to avoid eviction (rent arrears, utilities, etc.)

• Assistance with move in costs

• Temporary rent subsidies

• What next?

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Emergency Shelter

• Shorter term• Length of stay up to 120 days

• No fees• Case management

• Support services• Single site

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Bridge Housing• Provides temporary housing until a housing option is available

• Emergency shelter may serve as the “bridge” until a Section 8 voucher is assigned.

• A family might be moved from the streets to a hotel room until there is room in an ES.

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Transitional Housing• For families needing a longer-term intervention than ES

• Length of stay up to 2 years

• Case management• Intensive support services• Some single site, some scattered site

• HUD outcome: 65% exit to permanent housing

• Becoming disfavored!

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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.

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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

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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

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Subsidized Housing• An option for low income families• Makes market rate housing “affordable” for families at 30-80% 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

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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)

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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)?

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Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act

• PTFA is a 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).

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PTFA• May expire at end of 2014; your state may have a similar law.

• Find out at:http://www.nlchp.org/documents/Eviction_Without_Notice

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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.

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Contact Information

Dave Mayo-KielyAnchorage School District

(907) 742-3832Mayo-kiely_david@asdk12.org

Jeremy RosenNational Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty

(202) 638-2535 ext.210jrosen@nlchp.org