2012 – 2014 HOMELESS GRANTS PROGRAM APPLICATION
JULY 1, 2013 – JUNE 30, 2014
REVISED – OVERVIEW
Post Application Training
Prepared and Distributed by:
Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board
1946 N. 13th Street, Suite 437
Toledo, OH 43604
(419) 244-9440
City of Toledo
Department of Neighborhoods
One Government Center, Suite 1800
Toledo, OH 43604
(419) 245-1400
HOMELESS GRANTS PROGRAM (ESG/CDBG*HS/HCRP)
APPLICATION OVERVIEW
HUD Emergency Solutions Grants Purpose - Foundation
The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act) was amended by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, which included major revisions to the Emergency Shelter Grants program, now called the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program. The ESG program is designed to identify sheltered and unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness, as well as those at-risk of homelessness, and provide the services necessary to help those persons quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.
Please review and apply appropriately the following: to be posted at tlchb.org
- ESG Interim Rule (Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing: Emergency Solutions Grants Program and Consolidated Plan Conforming Amendments: Federal Register/Vol. 76, No. 233/Monday, December 5, 2011/Rules and Regulations) at HUDHRE.info
- Continuum of Care Interim Rule
- Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness (FSP) at usich.org
- HEARTH ACT at HUDHRE.info
- HEARTH Definition of Homelessness Final Rule at HUDHRE.infoRT
Homeless Grants Program Description
The HGP implements and advances a systems approach to reduce and prevent homelessness pursuant to the Toledo Lucas CoC Housing Collaborative Network.
The TLCHB and the City of Toledo will utilize FY2013 ESG, coupled with Community Development Block Grant-Homeless Service (CDBG-HS) Allocation and the Housing Crisis Response Program (HCRP) Allocation funds to further the Housing Collaborative Network to fund the following eligible activities, each with limitations on their use with priority given to those addressing the needs of persons and households identified as homeless per new definition:
- Housing Crisis Centralized/Coordinated Response System (intake and enrollment for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing assistance, and providing diversion services).
- Emergency Shelter Component: selected essential services (i.e., limited case management, childcare, educational services, employment assistance, life skills training, and transportation); structure renovation and rehabilitation[1], shelter operations.
- Homelessness Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Assistance
o Housing Re-location & Stabilization Services
§ Housing Stability Case Management
§ Housing Placement
o Short-term and Medium-term Rental Assistance
- Temporary Housing*
- Permanent Supportive Housing*
- HMIS
- Administration
* by definition is not eligible for emergency solution funding.
Request for Proposals - Funding Opportunities
ESG: Emergency shelter; Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing stabilization services
HCRP: Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing stabilization services (case management; housing placement)
CDBG-HS: Homeless Prevention/ Housing stabilization services as noted below. (match pool)
Emergency Shelter Funding: (ESG)
The emergency shelter funding will be limited to $265,500, of which a minimum of $20,500 will be awarded for emergency shelters serving single adults only. Based upon current utilization data, costs, and established standard of an average length of stay in emergency shelters of 34 days, the projected need is 149 beds for emergency services, of which a minimum of 40 beds for adults only.
The specific activities funded by ESG for emergency shelters are limited to the following services:
- Shelter operations (maintenance, rent, security, fuel, equipment, insurance, utilities, food, furnishings, shelters)
- Limited case management
- Life skills training, and
- Transportation.
As housing stability case management and housing placement services will be provided to clients identified as candidates for rapid re-housing through Coordinated Assessment, emergency shelter will provide limited case management. Shelter residents identified as a rapid re-housing candidate, will benefit from the following limited case management services:
- Assistance in obtaining necessary documentation to obtain permanent housing;
- Assistance in meeting necessary appointments on-time;
- Assistance in maximizing client’s access to available Federal, State and local cash and non-cash benefits; and
- Monitoring and evaluating program participant progress on individualized housing and service plan.
Candidates identified as candidates for transitional or permanent supportive housing, will benefit from the following more extensive case management services until placement in TH or PSH:
- Development of an individualized housing and service plan, including path to permanent housing stability;
- Counseling;
- Assistance in securing and coordination of services identified in individualized housing and service plans;
- Assistance in obtaining necessary documentation for permanent housing or transitional housing placement;
- Assistance in obtaining Federal, State and local cash and non-cash benefits; and
- Monitoring and evaluation of program participant progress on implementing individualized housing and service plan.
Homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing housing stability case management funding: (HCRP/ESG)
A minimum of 2 FTE case managers sought as team members to current multi-agency effort under TLCHB project management. Housing stability case management activities eligible for funding from this homeless prevention and rapid re-housing funds include the following:
- Development of an individualized housing and service plan, including path to permanent housing stability (i.e. budgeting, employment, education);
- Assistance in securing and coordination of services identified in individualized housing and service plans;
- Assistance in obtaining necessary documentation for permanent housing or transitional housing placement;
- Assistance in obtaining Federal, State and local cash and non-cash benefits; and
- Monitoring and evaluation of program participant progress on implementing individualized housing and service plan;
- Quarterly recertification;
- Landlord-tenant education; and
- Landlord-tenant mediation.
Homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing housing placement pool: (HCRP/ESG)
1 FTE sought to be a team member to current multi-agency effort under TLCHB project management. Homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing housing placement services include the following:
- Development and maintenance of landlord pool;
- Housing search based on client housing needs;
- Housing standards and lead-base paint visual inspections and reinspections;
- Determination and compliance with rent reasonableness and FMR regulations;
- Review of draft rental assistance agreement for regulatory compliance; and
- Review of lease agreement for regulatory compliance.
Priority Match Funds: (CDBG-HS)
Eligible activities for funding from this pool are intended to advance CoC goals to rapid re-house clients quickly, bring additional resources to the CoC for services that would become unavailable except for this funding, and fill an TLCHB identified need. Project applications will be reviewed based upon the project type and project subpopulation priority rankings (see page 5).
Based upon the applications, their priorities and their scoring, it is possible that no funds from this pool will be awarded.
Eligible priority match pool services and projects may include, but not limited to, the following:
1. housing stability case management services to assist clients to achieve permanent housing quickly through rapid re-housing and/or to maintain that positive housing solution,
2. housing stability case management services to assist clients to achieve permanent housing quickly and/or to maintain that positive housing solution in a permanent supportive housing,
3. housing placement or relocation services or supportive services (e.g., legal services and only to assist clients to achieve services to support permanent housing projects, permanent supportive housing and transitional housing shelter operations and eligible essential services.
4. Transitional housing.
The specific activities for which funds may receive funding by transitional housing are limited to the following services:
- Operations costs for congregate transitional housing owned or leased by agency (maintenance, rent, security, fuel, equipment, insurance, utilities, food, furnishings, laundry facilities/service),
b. Lease and utility payments for individual transitional housing units leased by agency (lease, operation, supportive services)
c. Administration
d. Case management, but does not include intake and assessment including the following activities:
- Development of an individualized housing and service plan, including path to permanent housing stability;
- Assistance in securing and coordination of services identified in individualized housing and service plans;
- Monitoring and evaluating program participant progress on individualized housing and service plan,
- Assistance in obtaining necessary documentation for permanent housing or transitional housing placement;
- Counseling;
- Assistance in obtaining Federal, State and local cash and non-cash benefits;
- Assistance in obtaining necessary documentation to obtain permanent housing; sand
- Assistance in meeting necessary appointments on-time.
e. Transportation,
f. Life skills training,
g. Employment assistance, and
h. Child-care (e.g., only for large temporary shelters).
Street outreach and emergency shelter activities are ineligible for the priority match pool.
Partner Award Requirements for the Application
· Be or become at time of contract award a Contributing Homeless Management Information System Organization (CHO) (HMIS)
Exempt Service Point Organizations are required to have an MOU with Toledo HMIS defining acceptable and comparable data-base and reporting requirements
· Be or become at time of contract an active[2] member of the Toledo Area Alliance to End Homelessness
· Be or become active in the Housing Collaborative Network as defined by TLCHB
· Align as a team member with a written Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with TLCHB Prevention & Rapid Re-Housing Stabilization Services, financial services and centralized intake.
· Comply with TLCHB Shelter Standards.
· Comply with all TLCHB policies and procedures.
Threshold Requirements for Applicants – see application
Toledo Lucas County CoC Priorities
The CoC Interim Rule, ESG regulations and the State of Ohio guidelines require that ESG and CoC are used in complement of one another and must further HUD’s objectives of re-housing quickly and ending community homelessness. The City of Toledo DON has designated a portion of FY 2013-14 HUD CDBG to TLCHB to act in complement of ESG / CoC as well so as to advance the City’s Consolidated Plan goal to End Homelessness.
The priorities below were affirmed by the TLCHB based on recommendations of the 2013 Citizens Review Committee who were informed by the CoC Priorities, CoC Interim Rule, CoC recommended projects, ESG Regulations and approved Performance Indicators. The City of Toledo DON approved the priorities as affirmed by TLCHB
Project Type Priority/Need Ranking:
1. Rapid Re-housing
2. Coordinated Access / HMIS
3. Permanent Supportive Housing
4. Support Service Only – Special Populations (DV, HIV/AIDS)
5. Supportive Service Only – Other
6. Emergency Shelters
7. Transitional Housing for Special Populations (DV, HIV/AIDS)
8. Transitional Housing for Other Adults
9. Transitional Housing for Other Families with Children
Population Served Priority Ranking:
1. Chronic Homeless Families
2. Chronic Homeless Individuals
3. Veterans
4. Families w/ Children (Homeless Definition #1 & #4
5. Special Populations (DV, HIV/AIDS)
6. Individuals (Homeless Definition #1 & #4)
7. Families w/ Children (Homeless Definition #2)
8. Adult Only Households (Homeless Definition #2)
Note: Category #3 requires HUD permission supported by documented quantifiable evidence warranting the local use of CoC funds for this category. Current local data does not support seeking this permission at this time.
Federal Priorities
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH Federal Strategic Plan Goals (FSP Goals) must be addressed and achieved as follows:
A. Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness in five years
B. Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans in five years
C. Prevent and end homelessness for families with children under age 18 and unaccompanied youth ages 18 to 25 in ten years
D. Set a path to ending all types of homelessness
HEARTH Act CoC Performance Measures
- Reduce average length of time persons are homeless
- Reduce recidivism
- Improve program coverage
- Reduce number of families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness
- Improve employment rate and income amount of families and individuals who are homeless
- Reduce number of families and individuals who become homeless (first time homeless)
- Prevent homelessness and achieve independent living in permanent housing for families and youth defined as homeless under other Federal statutes
TARGETS
HUD Goals
- Increase percentage of homeless persons moving from TH to PH by 65%
- Increase percentage of homeless persons employed at exit by 20%
- Decrease number of homeless households with children
Toledo Lucas County CoC ES, HP and RRH indicators
1. Length of Stay in Program
a. Emergency Shelter: 35 days
b. Transitional Housing: 180 days
c. Permanent Supportive Housing: No target, but see “PSH Retention”
d. Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing: 120 days for Prevention, 120 days for Level 1 & 2 profiles on National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) Triage Tool, 210 days for Level 3 and higher profiles on NAEH RRH Triage Tool.
2. Exits to Permanent Housing
a. Emergency Shelter: 25 percent
b. Transitional Housing: 80 percent
c. Permanent Supportive Housing: 60 percent
d. Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing: 84 percent
3. Recidivism
a. Emergency Shelter: 15 percent
b. Transitional Housing: 10 percent
c. Permanent Supportive Housing: No target
d. Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing: 5 percent
4. Improvement in Income
a. Emergency Shelter: 5 percent
b. Transitional Housing: 21 percent
c. Permanent Supportive Housing: 15 percent
d. Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing: 20 percent
5. Adults Employed at Exit
a. Emergency Shelter: 10 percent
b. Transitional Housing: 25 percent
c. Permanent Supportive Housing: 22 percent
d. Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing: 35 percent
6. Households Exiting with Non-Cash Benefits
a. Transitional Housing: 90 percent of families with children
b. Permanent Supportive Housing: 90 percent of families with children
c. Homeless Prevention/Rapid Re-Housing: 90 percent of families with children
7. Improved Discharge Reasons
a. Emergency Shelter:10 percentage points
b. Transitional Housing: 10 percentage points
c. Permanent Supportive Housing: 5 percentage points
8. PSH Retention
a. Permanent Supportive Housing: 90 percent of households staying at least 181days
Other Local Goals
- Provide steps to emerge from homelessness and gain stability
- Provide emergency, transitional housing and services to homeless individuals, families
- Provide emergency, transitional housing and services to specialized populations: i.e., chemically dependent; domestic violence