Homelessness Prevention

SSVF:

Homelessness Prevention

Eligibility & Services

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SSVF Eligibility

• SSVF Eligibility: – A member of a “Veteran family”: Either (a) a

Veteran; or (b) a member of a family in which the head of household, or the spouse of the head of household, is a Veteran.

– “Very low-income”: Household income does not exceed 50% of area median income.

 – “Occupying Permanent Housing”

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SSVF Eligibility: Homelessness Prevention

• Occupying Permanent Housing: must meet Category 1 definition:

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Category of Occupying Permanent Housing Time RestrictionCategory 1: If a very low-income Veteran family is residing in permanent housing.

A grantee may continue to provide supportive services to a participant within Category 1 so long as the participant continues to meet the definition of Category 1.

SSVF Eligibility: Homelessness Prevention

• At risk of losing their housing and becoming literally homeless or remaining literally homeless but for SSVF assistance (strongly encouraged, but not required).

 – VA encourages grantees serving participants in

Category 1 to assess and document that the household would become literally homeless but for the SSVF assistance. In other words, a household would require emergency shelter or would otherwise become literally homeless in the absence of SSVF assistance.

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SSVF Eligibility: Homelessness Prevention

• Persons currently in permanent housing and at-risk of losing their housing and becoming literally homeless but for SSVF assistance may include persons who are:

– Losing their housing in 14 days or less: • An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime

residence within 14 days of the date of application for assistance; AND • No subsequent residence has been identified; AND• Lacks the resources or support networks, e.g. family, friends, faith-

based or other social networks, needed to obtain other permanent housing.

– Losing their housing in more than 14 Days: • An individual or family who will imminently lose their primary nighttime

residence in more than 14 days of the date of application for assistance.; AND

• No subsequent residence has been identified; AND• Lacks the resources or support networks, e.g. family, friends, faith-

based or other social networks, needed to obtain other permanent housing (strongly encouraged, but not required).

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SSVF Eligiblity: Homelessness Prevention

• Additional risk factors or targeting criteria to identify households at greater risk of homelessness. A few examples:

 

– Eviction within two weeks from a private dwelling (including housing provided by family or friends);

– Residency in housing that has been condemned by housing officials and is no longer meant for human habitation;

– Sudden and significant loss of income;– Mental health and/or substance abuse issues;– Physical disabilities and other chronic health issues, including HIV/AIDS;– Severe housing cost burden (greater than 50 percent of income for housing costs);– Homeless in last 12 months;– Young head of household (under 25 with children or pregnant);– Extremely low income (less than 30 percent of area median income);– High overcrowding (the number of persons in household exceeds health and/or

safety standards for the housing unit size);– Recent traumatic life event, such as death of a spouse or primary care provider, or

recent health crisis that prevented the household from meeting its financial responsibilities;

– Significant amount of medical debt.

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SSVF Services

• Grantees are required to provide the following supportive services: – Outreach Services – Case Management Services – Assistance in Obtaining VA Benefits – Assistance in Obtaining and Coordinating Other

Public Benefits Available in the Grantee’s Area or Community

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Homelessness Prevention:

Overview

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Why Prevention Assistance?

• Most households can successfully avoid homelessness with limited assistance.

• Preventing an episode of homelessness costs less than sheltering an episode of homelessness.

• Even more important, it helps diminish the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness for the individual or family.

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Why Prevention Assistance?

• The cost savings generated by an efficient prevention program can:– Reduce the CoCs need for and reliance upon

emergency solutions (i.e., shelter), allowing the community to reallocate resources towards other types of projects.

– Allow CoC providers more time and resources to address needs of persons with more severe housing barriers.

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Principles of Prevention Assistance

• Crisis Resolution: Prevention resources are most effective when they are targeted directly to resolving a particular household’s specific crisis & maintaining the housing.

• Targeting: Helping those at greatest risk for losing housing.

• “Just Enough” Assistance: Provide minimum financial assistance/services necessary for shortest time possible.

• Supportive Services: Financial assistance without services is often “Not Enough.”

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Homelessness Prevention:

Program Implementation Considerations

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Targeting

• Will the program serve a geographic catchment area?

• Will the program target one or more specialized population(s)?

• How will urgency be used to prioritize services? • Targeting criteria are in addition to SSVF

eligibility criteria

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Outreach

• Two parts to the provision of outreach services:– Identifying very low-income Veteran families

• Focus on Veteran families at greatest risk and perhaps difficult to otherwise identify

• Orient and establish referral relationships with local partners

– Train partners on basic program eligibility and to assess for risk of housing loss

• Host local informational events and/or participate in Stand Down (or similar) events

– Screening to determine eligibility

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Outreach• A Plan to Find Clients

– Identify the places and organizations that come into contact with people experiencing a housing crisis.

– Identify where people who enter shelter stay immediately before entering shelter.

– List the methods the program will use to find clients. – Design materials and test them with the target

population.

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Outreach• Possible partners:

– Local VA facilities– Grant & Per Diem Programs – CHALENG network– Emergency shelters– Existing supportive housing programs – Local information and referral agencies (e.g., 2-1-1, senior assistance

hotlines, etc.)– Department of Defense (DoD) Resources (e.g., Transition Assistance

Program)– VA Medical Center Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) / Operation Iraqi

Freedom (OIF) Care Management Teams– Community agencies serving low-income populations– Welfare offices

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Screening & Assessment

• Select or design a screening tool that includes all criteria required for eligibility and prioritization.

• Select or design an assessment tool that includes different levels, so more intrusive information is requested only when necessary and useful.

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Admissions Protocol• Draw a decision tree or flow chart of the

process for making a decision to accept a client or decline services.

• Decide who will make key decisions at each point.

• Determine what happens with persons denied services who may have other service needs.

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Program Rules & Expectations

• Identify and communicate critical “rules of conduct.”

– List the kinds of expectations that individuals will be required to meet for ongoing assistance.

• Define due process rights for clients whose services or financial assistance may be terminated.

• Determine how and when all clients are informed of program rules, expectations and client rights.

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Housing Stability Plan• Select or design a Housing Stability Plan for use

by staff and clients. – The Plan may be as simple as the one-time financial

assistance that will be provided to the client’s landlord. In the case of medium-term rental assistance, it may include steps the individual will take to transition off the subsidy.

• Plans should focus on goals and steps related to housing retention or relocation and not routinely include more personal or therapeutic goals.

• Identify how and when plans should be reviewed and updated.

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Program Services• What assistance and services limits have been

established (within SSVF constraints)? • How often will these be revisited?• Has flexibility been ‘baked in’ to the program?

– Successful programs typically are able to provide varying type/level/duration of assistance based on individual needs and program resources.

• Is a process in place for supervisory or management review if services or financial assistance exceed certain limits or to otherwise assure adherence to program assistance parameters and expectations?

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Program Services• What “public benefits” has the program established referral relationships with?

Are MOU’s needed?

• Health care services; Daily living services;

• Personal financial planning services; Transportation services;

• Income support services (e.g., disability benefits, social security, Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), unemployment assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or formerly, food stamps), etc.);

• Fiduciary and representative payee services;

• Legal services; Child care services; and Housing counseling services.

• With exception of health care and daily living services, grantees may choose to provide such benefits – though often much more cost-effective to partner

• Seek more formal arrangements with partners more critical to program success (e.g., local TANF office).

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Program Services• What “other services” will the program provide?

Includes “temporary financial assistance” or other services proposed by grantee and approved by VA. Temporary financial assistance includes:

• Rental assistance;• Utility-fee payment assistance;• Deposits (security or utility);• Moving costs; • Purchase of emergency supplies for a participant;• Transportation; and• Child care

• Are adequate policies/procedures in place to administer assistance?

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Program Services

• Assure focus on least costly interventions and those most needed by persons experiencing imminent housing loss:

– Landlord-tenant mediation– Case management – including budgeting,

information/referral/advocacy, etc.– Temporary financial assistance (in combination with

above)

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Rental Assistance

• Select the model(s) for rental assistance (within SSVF constraints).

• Determine how and when rental assistance amount or duration will be reassessed.

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Program Staffing• Generalists, specialists, or some combination of

both?• Reassign existing staff or hire new staff?• Can the program develop agreements with

specialists for staff training and case consultation?• How will the program define cultural competency—

and how will it assure that staff are culturally competent?

• What are staff qualifications and duties?• Who will provide supervision? What level of

supervision is needed?

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Landlords• Assess screening barriers of target population and

determine strictness of landlord screening. • How will landlords be recruited? • Determine process for using credible

intermediaries (prevention staff) with tenants who have screening barriers.

• Can the program provide financial incentives? Can the program repair common damage problems?

• Can the program co-sign leases?• What other incentives and/or direct assistance can

be provided that will entice landlords to partner and house persons with tenant screening barriers?

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Service Completion

• Define how staff and clients will know when services are completed.

• Develop criteria and processes, including a flow chart, for supervisory, peer and/or consultant review of case closing decisions.

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Data Collection & Utilization

• List data elements required by VA, other funder(s).

• List any additional data elements that are needed and will be utilized by the program to assess and improve effectiveness, efficiency, quality and access.

• Design forms and a flow chart for collecting the right information at the right time.

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Common Challenges & Solutions

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Implementation Challenge #1: Targeting

• Targeting is extremely critical if a prevention program is to be both successful and cost effective.

• The challenge is to identify those at greatest risk – i.e., those who will literally end up on the street or in emergency shelter “but for” the assistance.

• Remember - providing non-essential assistance to a program client will cost someone else in the community their housing.

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Targeting Prevention Assistance

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Targeting Households at “Greatest Risk”

• Examples:– Sudden and significant loss of income– High housing cost burden– Recent traumatic life event, such as death of a

spouse, or recent health crisis that prevented the household from meeting its financial responsibilities

– Homeless in last 12 months– Young head of household (under 25 with children or

pregnant)– High overcrowding (the number of persons exceeds

health and/or safety standards for the housing unit size)

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Can the most “at risk” households achieve stability?

• The majority of households that experience an episode of homelessness do NOT return to homelessness.

• The majority of households that rely on public benefits as their main income source do NOT become homeless, even without a subsidy.

• "Return to Normal" is the goal of crisis intervention.

• Housing stability does not imply the household will never again experience a financial or personal crisis.

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Implementation Challenge #2: Reaching the Target Population

• Facilitating Access to Assistance– Centralized Intake vs. No Wrong Door– Strategic Marketing– Strategic Partnerships– Dealing with Volume of Applicants – Screening/triage required

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Implementation Challenge #3: Providing “Just Enough” Assistance

• Goal of prevention assistance is to address the immediate crisis or situation and retain the housing.

• Not intended to resolve all of the household's ongoing barriers and financial needs.

• Keeps emphasis on short-term nature of assistance; can be used as a way to engage participants in establishing goals/plan.

• Allows community to stretch resources to serve more households.

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Implementation Challenge #4: Stabilizing Households

• Supportive services are essential• Household budgeting, credit repair, financial literacy • Help client negotiate with landlords; provide conflict

resolution assistance • Connection to/coordination with mainstream

programs– Employment/workforce services– Eligibility screening for TANF, SSI/SSDI, Medicaid, etc.– Help households apply for Section 8, HOME TBRA, etc.– Referral to mental health and substance abuse services

• Relocation an option, if needed

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Implementation Challenge #5: Efficient Administration of Assistance

• The challenge of prevention assistance: can’t intervene too early, but can’t wait too long. Consequently, procedures must be efficient!

• Specialization can be more efficient. Consider a network of providers that can address:– Variety of issues/barriers (eviction prevention/legal

assistance, credit repair, family reunification, employment assistance)

– Needs of different subpopulations (DV, youth, veterans)– Needs of households spread out across large geographic

area• But…consider centralizing the administration of

financial assistance to reduce costs and the risk of fraud/abuse.

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Implementation Challenge #6: Measuring Impact

• Use data to assess impact of prevention efforts, and to make modifications as needed.

• Questions to consider:– Is prevention assistance having an impact on the number of

persons/households entering shelter? Or on the characteristics of those entering shelter?

– Of those in shelter, where are they coming from? Can you intervene earlier with prevention assistance?

– What happens to households after they receive prevention assistance? What percentage ends up in shelter anyway? What percentage successfully avoids homelessness? What are the characteristics of those different groups?

– What is the average length of time it takes staff to process a prevention case (i.e., determine eligibility and issue assistance)? Can you make any changes to increase efficiency?

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Questions?

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