Collaborating with HUD’s Homeless Programs: The basics

1. Collaborating with HUD’s Homeless Programs: The basics National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth 22nd Annual Conference Houston, TX November 7, 2010

2. Overview of today’s workshop Provide an overview of the purpose, structure, and function of HUD Homeless Assistance (Continuum of Care) Provide information on new HUD homeless policies related to children, youth, families, and education Provide practical strategies for beginning, building, and sustaining relationships with your HUD Continuum of Care

3. Continuum of Care A Continuum of Care Plan is a long range strategic plan that the community develops to address the needs of homeless persons

4. Continuum of Care Grant • The CoC grant is an annual national competition for HUD homeless funding (McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act). • The CoC plan is a part of the CoC grant (Exhibit One). • You can not apply for CoC funding without having a CoC plan for your community.

5. Continuum ofCare Plan Comprehensive Community Based Collaborative Consensus Driven

6. Continuum of Care Plan Comprehensive • It is a long range strategic plan to address homelessness that is updated annually. • It sets realistic short- and long-term goals and accomplishments. • It should be tied to the local Consolidated Plan and other local planning efforts. • All eligible resources are identified and utilized to address homelessness, not just HUD funds.

7. Our Vision is that all homeless persons will have the opportunity and resources necessary to reach their maximum potential Continuum of Care Plan Community-Based • It is based on HUD guidelines but designed to meet local needs. • It reflects your community’s VISION for addressing homelessness.

8. Continuum of Care Plan Collaborative It includes all community members and agencies with an interest in helping homeless persons: • Shelter and housing providers • Supportive service providers • Faith-based groups and churches • Mental health agencies • City, County, State representatives • Homeless and formerly homeless persons • Businesses, banks and housing developers • Concerned citizens

9. Continuum of Care Plan Consensus Driven • There is a shared commitment to the vision of the coalition and the goals in the plan. • There is an open and fair process so all opinions are heard. • Decisions and priorities are built from dialogue, debate, and compromise. • There is an understanding of the benefit of collaboration (more funding for housing/services for homeless persons).

10. Prevention Permanent Affordable Housing Permanent Emergency Transitional Supportive Shelter Housing Housing Supportive Services HUD Continuum of Care System Outreach, Intake, Assessment Outreach, Intake, Assessment

11. CoCs in the Real World Streets Prevention Permanent Affordable Housing Outreach, Intake, Assessment Transitional Housing Emergency Shelter Permanent Supportive Housing Supportive Services

12. Supportive Services • Any service that helps a homeless person secure and remain in permanent housing or increases their ability to live independently. • Case management • Life skills training • Substance abuse treatment • Mental health services • Child care • Job training and placement

13. Emergency Shelter • Immediate short-term housing. • Provides an alternative to the streets. • Can be for a specific subpopulation, i.e. victims of domestic violence. • Provides intake and assessment to determine housing and service needs.

14. Safe Haven • Is not emergency shelter, transitional or permanent housing—aspects of all three • Serves hard-to-reach homeless persons with severe mental illness who are on the streets and have been unable or unwilling to participate in housing programs or services. • A Safe Haven can be an integral link to the outreach component in the CoC Plan.

15. Transitional Housing • One type of supportive housing used to facilitate the movement of homeless persons into permanent housing. • It is time limited (no more than 24 months). • It provides the services needed to enable homeless persons to achieve their maximum self-sufficiency.

16. Permanent Supportive Housing • Long term community-based housing (no time limit). • Only for homeless persons with disabilities. • Designed to enable persons to live as independently as possible. • Supportive services are required and can be provided by the grantee or another agency. • Permanent housing projects can only accept residents who are living on the streets, in emergency shelter or in transitional housing

17. Permanent Affordable Housing • Long-term community-based housing. • Supportive services are not attached to the housing. • Tenants can use rental assistance programs or homeownership programs to secure housing.

18. Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) • A computerized data collection tool. • Designed to capture client-level information to generate an unduplicated count of clients served within a community’s Continuum of Care system. • Will generate HUD required reports including the Annual Progress Report (APR).

19. Eligible Activities • Acquisition • Rehabilitation • New Construction • Leasing • Supportive Services • Operating Costs • Administrative Costs • HMIS

20. Key Steps in the Planning Process • Organize a Homeless Coalition • Conduct a Housing & Services Inventory • Assess the Number and Needs of Homeless Persons in the CoC Area • Identify Gaps in Service • Identify Priority Needs • Develop a Plan

21. Recently enacted legislation:HUD MckinNey-Vento Act Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act Amends HUD homeless programs; does not alter ED’s homeless programs When is the new law effective? Homeless definition – waiting for final regulations to be issued HUD is implementing a few pieces of bill through annual NOFA (grant application) process (more details later) Remainder of bill (not covered here) is awaiting draft regulations (e.g. provision preventing shelters from refusing to house families with teen boys, unless there is somewhere else for the family to go)

22. Hearth act: new hud definition of homelessness Definition category 1: People who will lose their housing within 14 days, as shown by: Court order (foreclosure or eviction) Living in a motel and doesn’t have resources to stay for more than 14 days Sharing housing and “credible” evidence that they will not be allowed to stay for more than 14 days Any oral statement found to be credible shall be considered credible evidence

23. Hearth act: new hud definition of homelessness Definition category 2: Unaccompanied youth and families with children defined as homeless under other federal laws, IF have not been in permanent housing for a long time, AND experienced persistent instability as measured by frequent moves, AND can be expected to continue this way due to disability, physical or mental health condition, addiction, DV or abuse history, or multiple barriers to employment (examples include lack of high school degree or GED, illiteracy, low English proficiency, history of incarceration or unstable employment)

24. Hearth act: new hud definition of homelessness Definition category 3: Individuals or families fleeing domestic violence or other dangerous or life threatening conditions in their current housing, including where the health or safety of children is jeopardized

25. Starting with the next application, due November 18: 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 act: new hud assurances related to education

26. Develop Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between the Continuum of Care and area school districts on protocols for identification and enrollment, including procedures for information-sharing. Share education information as part of intake and exit. Conduct joint trainings and visits. Form a child/youth subcommittee Hearth act: new hud assurances related to education: Strategies

27. Starting with the next application, due November 18: 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 act: new hud assurances related to education

28. Work with school districts to create a map that matches school addresses with shelter and transitional housing addresses, to assist in placing families and youth as close as possible to their schools Include school stability as a standard criterion in assessing the appropriate shelter or transitional housing programs for families or youth. Ask families for the names of the schools that their children are attending as part of intake processes Hearth act: new hud assurances related to education: strategies

29. Starting with the next application, due November 18: 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 act: new hud assurances related to education

30. Review and revise shelter policies to ensure children and youth are fully supported in exercising their education rights, including the right to remain at their school of origin. Help unaccompanied homeless youth to access higher education opportunities, including by verifying their status for the FAFSA. Hearth act: new hud assurances related to education: strategies

31. Starting with the next application, due November 18: 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 Hearth act: new hud assurances related to education

32. Consider who is the most appropriate staff person to be the “education and early care” coordinator. Convene a meeting of the newly designated HUD education/early care contacts, local school district liaisons, Head Start staff, and preschool staff. Assist in providing transportation to Head Start and other preschool programs and arranging after-hour child care. Invite early intervention and special education staff to shelters for child find activities. Hearth act: new hud assurances related to education: strategies

33. Hearth act: hprp/ESG • HPRP was ARRA / Recovery Act / “Stimulus” funding • Will be gone after 2011 • But HEARTH Act transformed current HUD ESG, or “Emergency Shelter Grant” into new ESG, or “Emergency Solutions Grant” • Key distinction is that old program had very limited allowable use for prevention; most $$$ went to emergency shelter. New program will get higher % of McKinney-Vento $$$ (20%), allowing MOE for shelter and expanded prevention use

34. HUD-ED-HHS demonstration vouChers • 6,000 Section 8 vouchers from HUD • Applicants are local Public Housing Agencies, demonstration collaboration with school district and with local TANF agency • If funded in FY 2011 federal budget, applications and awards will take place in calendar year 2011 • Data collection on housing stability will be part of demo • If successful, advocates can seek more vouchers

35. Reality on the ground Applying guidelines in your community Participation means advocacy Local liaison perspective

36. National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth http://www.naehcy.org National Center on Homeless Education http://www.serve.org/nche National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty http://www.nlchp.org National Network for Youth http://www.nn4youth.org resources

37. Mattie McVey-Lord, Chief Program Officer, UMOM, mlord@umom.org, 602-275-7852 Ken Martin, Executive Director, Texas Homeless Network, ken@thn.org, 512.687.5101 Jeremy Rosen, Policy Director, National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, jrosen@nlchp.org, 202-638.2535 Melissa Chapman, Homeless Liaison, Amarillo Independent School District, melissa.chapman@amaisd.org, 806-374-2779 Elizabeth Hinz, Homeless Liaison, Minneapolis Public Schools, elizabeth.hinz@mpls.k12.mn.us, 612-668-0174 Contact information