Signature Page

RHO Provider______

For program compliance, all signatures are required on this form.

By signing below I acknowledge that I have read and understand the contents of the Returning Home Ohio Program Manual. I agree to abide by the policies, requirements, and terms contained in the manual.

Please retain the signed original in your files, and forward a scanned copy to

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(Program Director/Manager)Signature Date

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(Housing Specialist) Signature Date

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(Case Manager/RHO Coordinator) Signature Date

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(Other Program Staff) Signature Date

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Returning Home Ohio (RHO)

Program Manual

Table of Contents

I.Program Overview 1

II.Permanent Supportive Housing Overview 2

III.RHO Target Population 3

IV.Outreach and Referral Process 4

V.Collaborators 6

  • CSH 6
  • Ohio Department of Health (ODH) 6
  • Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OhioMHAS) 7
  • Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) 7

VI.RHO Providers 8

VII.Reporting and Compliance Requirements11

  • Month and Quarter Reports11
  • Quarter Narrative Outcome Reports13
  • Quarter Financial Reports13
  • Tenant Status Evaluations (TSE)14

Initial and Updates14

Checklist14

  • Report Timeline Table15
  • Tenant Paperwork and Charts17

Housing Documentation17

Supportive Services Documentation17

  • Training Expectations17

VIII.Grant Terms19

  • Program Requirements19
  • Program Outcomes20

IX.ODRC Databases21

  • Gateway Portal, Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS)21
  • Community Corrections Information System (CCIS)21

Web Intake21

Termination and Discharge21

X.Site Visits and Meeting22

APPENDICES23

  1. List of Acronyms
  1. RHO Provider Directory
  1. Evaluation Summary of the Pilot by the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center
  1. Home for Good – Rental Subsidy Program
  2. Health Quality Inspections – Frequently Asked Questions

Health Quality Inspections Checklist

  1. Report Templates

G/CSH/ReturningHomeOhio/FormsProcesses&Information/ProgramManual page 1

Revised January 2014

Section I

Program Overview

In February 2007, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) and CSH collaborated to establish Returning Home Ohio (RHO), a five-year pilotprogram providing permanent supportive housingfor exiting offenderswho are homeless or at risk of homelessness and live with a disability. A rigorous quasi-experimental research study of the pilot found that RHO reduced the likelihood of reincarceration by 60% and rearrest by 40%. The pilot program concluded on June 30, 2012, and on July 1, 2012, RHO became an ongoing program at ODRC, and a part of their policies governing placement options.There is a two page summary of the evaluation by the Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Centerin Appendix A.

Potential RHO tenants are referred to RHO Providers via email by ODRC’s institution staff, Ohio Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services (MHAS) Community Linkage Workers, Ohio Dept. of Health (ODH) Case Managers, appropriate community agency staff from Probation/Parole Offices, ODRC Halfway House/TransitionalHousing Programs, Homeless Shelters, or other agencies coming in contact with the target population.

RHO Providers supply housing and a range of needed supportive services. Supportive services are provided via RHO Provider staff and established linkages with appropriate community agencies in order to meet the unique needs of each individual RHO tenant. RHO Providers establish relationships with Public Housing Authorities (PHA) and any other entities for possible future rent subsidy. The housing and services provided give RHO tenants an opportunity to lead stable, independent, and healthy lives with the goal to avoid homelessness and reincarceration.

Another important feature of RHO is the continued collaboration, partnership and interaction between CSH,RHO Providers,ODRC, ODH,and MHAS. The effective communication and collaboration between these entities contributes to the success of the referral process and overall program operations. CSH monitors this importantcollaboration on an ongoing basis (see Section V, Collaborators for more information).

RHO recognizes the importance of providing opportunities to move to more independent housing for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) tenants who have the ability or potential to do so. These opportunities, often referred to as “moving on,” enable individuals who are ready, reach their maximum potential through moving out of PSH units. This also createsturnover in PSH units for others in need of, and qualified for, PSH.RHO Providers evaluate tenants for “moving on” via the tenant status evaluation (TSE) process (see Section VII for details).

A rental subsidy, Home for Good,was established as an option and safety net for RHO tenants who need continued rental subsidy and supportive services, and are not eligible (or will not be eligible for a significant period of time) for a publicly funded rental subsidy. RHO tenants can be recommended to the Home for Good rental subsidy via the TSE process mentioned above (see Appendix C for details of the Home for Good subsidy program).

The RHO program year (PY) is divided into the following quarters.

July through September (1st quarter)

October through December (2nd quarter)

January through March (3rd quarter)

April through June (4th quarter)

Section II

Permanent Supportive Housing Overview

Supportive housing is proven, innovative, and cost effective in the fight against homelessness by combining affordable, permanent housing with a range of supportive services that help people with complex challenges live with stability, autonomy and dignity.

PSH provides stable housing for qualified tenants by providing a rental subsidy so that tenants pay no more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities. Housing must meet Housing Quality Standards (HQS) set forth by HUD to ensure that the condition of units is “decent, safe and sanitary”. HQS define "standard housing" and establish the minimum criteria for the health and safety of program participants. Current HQS regulations consist of 13 key aspects of housing quality, performance requirements, and acceptability criteria to meet each performance requirement. (See Appendix D for frequently asked questions and theHQS Inspection Checklist developed by HUD). RHO providers do not have to use this exact inspection checklist. If an alternative one is used, all items in the HUD checklist must be included.

PSH is not time limited nor is it transitional housing. The tenant holds a lease with all the associated rights and responsibilities. Coordinated supportive services are essential and integral to PSH. Services are voluntary, individualized, designed to be flexible, responsive to individual needs, and target housing stability and retention. Case managers engage the tenant to determine the benefits of participating in services; however, accepting services is not a condition of tenancy. Case managers must coordinate services with various service providers for tenants since a single PSH provider may not be able to directly provide all the services the tenant may need. Linkages to mental health or substance abuse treatment, medication, psychological care, recovery groups, physical/medical care, financial/money management services, vocational services, and job readiness/job placement are examples of the types of linkages that must be coordinated.

PSH is most successful with vulnerable populations such as those who are chronically homeless, those who cycle through institutional and emergency systems and are at risk of long term homelessness, those persons with a serious mental illness, and dual disorders where housing and assistance are critical to the maintenance of recovery and stable living. PSHallows the individualto access and make effective use of treatment and supportive servicesthereby breaking acontinued cycling through institutional or emergency systems, homelessness and even reincarceration.

Research has shown that supportive housing has positive effects on housing stability, employment, mental and physical health, and school attendance. People in supportive housing live more stable and productive lives.

Section III

RHO Target Population

RHO tenants are offenders released from ODRC state correctional facilities who are identified by ODRC’s institutional staff as homeless or at high risk to become homeless and, 1) have a severe or persistent mental illness (SPMI), with or without a co-occurring disorder, or 2) have been identified as HIV positive. Priority is given to people identified as being most likely to require housing linked to supportive services in order to maintain housing and reduce recidivism. The exiting offender does not have to be released on supervision in order to be eligible. Offenders already released from prison for 120 days or less may be accepted into the RHO program if all other eligibility requirements are met.

In general, offenders with a history of violent crime or who have a medium to high Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) score are not good candidates for the program. Exceptions can be consideredon an individual basis by RHO providersat the request of ODRC or MHAS staff.

Intake and termination decisions are made by each RHO Provider based on their core competencies and the best interest of the potential tenant.

Section IV

Outreach and the Referral Process

Outreach

Due to each agency’s unique service population, geographic area, and core competencies RHO Providers develop individualizedoutreach strategies to engage state prisons and local, community agencies in order to build referrals. At a minimum, each RHO Provider is expected to attend appropriate ODRC institution basedre-entryfairs and to coordinate with appropriate ODRC institution Unit Management Chiefs (UMC), or their designees. Also, RHO Providers are expected to reach out to local re-entry task force groups, Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) teams, homeless continuum of care groups, and shelter providers; and to network with all other appropriate local community agencies.

CSH will support RHO Provider efforts to maximize referrals. CSH will periodically email each ODRC institution’s UMC with RHO program reminders and updates to encourage referrals. CSH will also periodically sendupdated directories via email of RHO Providers, MHASCommunity Linkage Social Workers, ODH Case Managers and UMCs to all theseagencies.

Referral Process

The UMCis responsible for referring offenders from state prisondirectly to RHO Providers via email. Although the UMC is the designated contact for referrals, he/she may appoint a designee. Referrals may also comefrom MHAS Community Linkage Social Workers (CLSW), ODH Case Managers,Case Managers at ODRC institutions or community partners. Referrals from these other sources also go directly to the RHO Provider via email. RHO providers are to respond to referral emails within 24-48 hours due to the time sensitive nature of potential release dates of offenders and/or their current status of homelessness. If the primary contact for referral decisions at the RHO provider agency is out of the office, an alternate must be designated to receive and respond to the referral emails.

Upon receipt of the initial referral email from the ODRC UMC, or the referral sources mentioned above, RHO Providers respondwith unit availabilityvia email to the referral source. If a unit is available, RHO Providers request placement materials from ODRC or the referral source. Placement materials include reason for referral, appropriate consents/releases, homeless/at risk of homeless status, conditions for supervision (if applicable), criminal history including current offense, behavior in prison (if applicable), ORAS score (if assessment was completed), and a mental health assessment documenting a SPMI or medical information documenting HIV positive.

ODRC referrals

Assuming unit availability, the following process is followed. Note: the UMC (if the UMC didn’t make the referral) and the CLSW assigned to the institution must be copied on all of the response emails. CSH is copied only when an RHO provider rejects a referral at the initial determination or after the interview.

  • RHO Provider requests the UMC, designee, or other staff making the referral at ODRC, via email, to upload the placement materials to the Gateway Portal (see Section IX, ODRC Databases for more detail). (the UMC, if the UMC didn’t make the referral, and the CLSW assigned to the institution are copied)
  • RHO Provider views the material in Gateway for completeness. If the placement materials are not complete, i.e.: the mental health assessment is missing, RHO provider sends an email to the referral source at ODRC requesting the missing information.(the UMC, if the UMC didn’t make the referral, and the CLSW assigned to the institution are copied)
  • Once all placement material is received and reviewed by the RHO Provider, an initial decision is made whether tomove forward with the referral or not. RHO Providerreplies to the referral source at ODRC via email stating thatthey are moving forward with the referral or thatthe referral has been denied. If the referral is denied, the reason for denial must be included in the email and CSH must be copied at . (the UMC, if the UMC didn’t make the referral, and the CLSW assigned to the institution are copied)
  • If the RHO provider is moving forward with the referral,arrangements are made directly with the referral source at ODRC via email, to interview the offender either in-person, over the phone or via the web at the local adult parole/probation office to make a final eligibility determination. (the UMC, if the UMC didn’t make the referral, and the CLSW assigned to the institution are copied)
  • After the interview, if the RHO provider is accepting the referral for placement in RHO,an email is sent to the referral source at ODRC stating that the referral is accepted into RHO. Transportation arrangements are then made, via email or phone call, between the RHO Provider and the referral source at the ODRC Institutionforthe date the offender isreleased. (the UMC, if the UMC didn’t make the referral, and the CLSW assigned to the institution are copied)
  • If, after the interview, the RHO Provider finds the offender does not meet the provider’s eligibility requirements, an email is sent to the referral source at ODRCincludingthe rationale for the denial, with a copy sent to CSH.(the UMC, if the UMC didn’t make the referral, and the CLSW assigned to the institution are copied)

Referrals from sources other than ODRC NOTE: these referrals will be for offenders already released and within the 120 day post release period. Because the offenders are already released from prison the UMC or CLSW are not copied on the emails.

Assuming unit availability, the following process is followed

  • RHO Provider requests, via email to the referral source, placement materialsbe sentvia email (if there is no medical/confidential information) or via fax. Because these referral sources may not be familiar with all of the eligibility criteria of the RHO Program, the email should also detail what to include in the placement material. RHO Provider can also call the referral source to discuss the referral if that would be more helpful.
  • Once all necessary information is received and reviewed by the RHO provider, a determination is made regarding initial appropriateness for the program. RHO provider sends an email to the referral source stating that they are moving forward with the referral or that the referral is being denied. If the referral is denied, the reason for denial must be included in the email and CSH must be copied at .
  • If it is determined to move forward with the referral, RHO Provider contacts the referral source via email or phone to arrange an interview with the person referred. Since these referrals are usually within the local community, the interview should be in person. Exceptions can be made if there are extenuating circumstances.
  • After the interview, if the RHO provider is moving forward with the referral,transportation arrangements are made between the RHO Provider and the referral source via email or phone, to admit the person as soon as possible or upon completion of a program.
  • If, after the interview,the RHO Provider finds the offender does not meet the provider’s eligibility requirements, an email is sent to the referral source including the rationale for the denial, with a copy sent to CSH.

Section V

Collaborators

CSH

Vision: We envision a future where high-quality supportive housing solutions are integrated into the way every community serves the men, women and children in most need.

Mission: To advance solutions that use housing as a platform for services to improve the lives of the most vulnerable people, maximize public resources and build healthy communities.

Values: CSH’s core values are integrity, respect, persistence and making a difference. We incorporate them into our daily work and our management policies and practices.

CSH is responsible for the management, administration and oversight of the RHO program. CSH monitors and renews grant agreements. CSH providestechnical assistance and support to ODRC and RHO Providers.CSH also maintains regular communication via email, meetings, and phone calls with ODRC UMCs, MHASCommunity Linkage Social Workers, and ODH Case Managersto assist with the referral process, answer questions, provide updates, and provide general information about the program.

CSH receives month and quarter reports from RHO Providers,conducts regular meetings, holds trainings, conductsmonitoring site visits and receivesother required RHO Provider documentation. (See Section VII, Reporting and Compliance Requirements for details.) CSH collects and reviews reports for analysis of occupancy and outcome data to monitor performance and provide feedback to the RHO Providers. CSH provides written quarterly narrative and financial reports to ODRC. CSH may request additional information deemed necessary for its ongoing program evaluation.

CSH maintains a directory of ODRC UMCswith their associated institution, MHASCommunity Linkage Social Workers and their assigned institutions, ODH Case Managers and their assigned area, and RHO Providers, and will make every effort to keep the directory current. As the directories are updated, CSH will disseminate the directory, via email, to all the parties. Please notify if/when you become aware of changes impacting the directory.