United States Economic Recovery Act of 2009 Emergency Shelter Grant

1. Santa Barbara CountyHousing and Community Development DepartmentHousing Development and Grants Administration Division United States Economic Recovery Act of 2009 Emergency Shelter Grant Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing (HPRP) Community Forum John McInnes, Interim Director

2. Emergency Recovery Act of 2009 • Santa Barbara County to receive $829,013 in additional Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), funding • County partners include the Cities of Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, Buellton, Goleta, Solvang and Guadalupe, and Unincorporated Areas of County • City of Santa Maria has received its own allocation ($542,000) • New Program Established under ESG for the Economic Recovery Act: Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing (HPRP) • County Establishing Process, Guidelines and Criteria for Future Funding Allocation and Distribution to Qualifying Organizations and Households.

3. HPRP Program Design and Implementation Emphasis Development of Strategies for Identifying Eligible Program Participants Review Existing Models for Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Programs Create a Plan that Utilizes all Resources Available through the Economic Recovery Act in Order to Provide a Comprehensive Menu of Services to Assist Eligible Program Participants. Resources will be Targeted and Prioritized to Serve Households that are Most in Need of the Temporary Assistance and are Most Likely to Achieve Stable Housing, whether Subsidized or Unsubsidized. Target Population for this Funding is all Households at or Below 50% of Area Median Income.

4. Target Populations and Primary Goals and Objectives • Individuals and families who are currently in housing but are at risk of becoming homeless and need temporary rent or utility assistance to prevent them from becoming homeless or assistance to move into another unit (prevention) • Individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness (residing in emergency or transitional shelters or on the streets) and need temporary assistance in order to obtain housing and retain it (rapid re-housing; “housing first”) • Mortgage payments are not allowed under this program; however, a low-income homeowner at risk of becoming homeless can be provided assistance under the program’s other criteria • Guiding Principal: “Would this Individual or Family be Homeless but for this assistance?” • Definition of homeless is as defined under the Mckinney-Vento Act

5. Mckinney-Vento Act, Definition of Homelessness • Sleeping in an Emergency Shelter • Sleeping in a Place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, abandoned buildings, streets/sidewalks; etc. • Staying in a hospital or other institution for up to 180 days but was sleeping in an emergency shelter or other place not meant for human habitation immediately prior top entry into the hospital or institution • Graduating from or timing out of a transitional housing program • Victims of Domestic Violence • All agencies and non-profits potentially participating in HPRP Program must effectively document status of homelessness and provide this with invoicing materials prior to issuance of any programmatic cost reimbursements

6. Eligible Activities HPRP is a New Program Under the Umbrella of ESG Direct Financial Assistance Housing Re-location Data Collection and Evaluation Administrative Costs; 5% allowed for program administration; County must share administrative allocation with subgrantees No Matching Funds Requirement Assistance should be focused on housing stabilization, linking program participants to community resources and mainstream benefits, and helping them to develop a plan for preventing future housing instability. Grantees should ensure that there is a clear process for determining the type, level, and duration for each program participant.

7. Direct Financial Assistance • Short-Term Rental Assistance: Rental Assistance may not exceed rental costs accrued over a period of three (3) months. Medium-Term Rental Assistance: Rental Assistance may not exceed actual rent costs accrued over a period of four (4) to 18 months. The grantee determines the amount of short-term and medium-term rental assistance provided, such as “shallow subsidies” (payment of a portion of the rent), payment of 100% of the rent charged, or graduated/declining subsidies. No household assisted under HPRP may receive assistance for any period longer than 18 months in duration; this includes rental assistance as well as assistance with utility payments. Rental assistance paid cannot exceed the actual rental cost, which must be in compliance with HUD’s standard of “rent reasonableness.”

8. Direct Financial Assistance, Continued • Rental assistance payments cannot be made on behalf of eligible individuals or families for the same period of time and for the same cost types that are being provided through another federal, state, or local housing subsidy program; e.g., Section 8. Utility and Security Deposit Assistance covering the same period of time in which assistance is being provided through another housing subsidy program are eligible, as long as they cover separate costs; e.g., a security deposit being used to help a Section 8 voucher recipient with acquiring a rental unit.

9. Eligible Program Expenses • Utility Payments: funds can be used for up to 18 months of utility payments, including up to 6 months of payments in arrears, for each program participant. • Moving Cost Assistance: Assistance with reasonable moving costs, such as truck rental, hiring a moving company, or short-term storage fees for a maximum of three (3) months, or until the program participant is in housing, whichever is shorter. • Motel/Hotel Vouchers: Assistance with reasonable and appropriate motel and hotel vouchers for up to thirty (30) days if no appropriate shelter beds are available and subsequent rental housing has been identified but is not immediately available for move-in.

10. Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services Case Management: arrangement, coordination, monitoring and service delivery related to meeting the housing needs of the program participants and helping them to obtain housing stability. Any individual or household that may receive benefits under HPRP must first meet with a qualified case manager for assessment, qualification and referral for HPRP benefits Outreach and Engagement: Services or assistance designed to publicize the availability of programs to make persons who are homeless or almost homeless aware of these and other available services and programs. Housing Search and Placement: Assistance to individuals or families in locating, obtaining, and retaining suitable housing Includes tenant counseling, assisting families and individuals to understand leases; securing utilities; making moving arrangements; representative payee services concerning rent and utilities; and mediation and outreach to property owners related to locating or retaining housing.

11. Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services, Continued Legal Services: Assistance can be provided for legal services to help people to stay in their homes, such as services or activities provided by a lawyer or other person(s) under the supervision of a lawyer to assist program participants with legal advice and representation in administrative court proceedings related to tenant/landlord matters or housing issues. Credit Repair: HPRP funds can be used for services that are targeted to assist program participants with critical skills related to household budgeting, money management, accessing a free personal credit report, and resolving personal credit issues.

12. Ineligible Activities and Expenses • HPRP’s intent is to provide funding for Housing expenses to persons who are homeless or who would be homeless if not for this assistance • Financial assistance or services to pay for expenses that are available through other Economic Recovery Act programs, for example, child care and employment training, are ineligible • HPRP cannot pay for the following expenses: construction or rehabilitation, credit cards bills or other consumer debt, car repair or other transportation costs, travel costs, food, medical or dental care and medicines, clothing and grooming, home furnishings, pet care, entertainment, work or education related materials, and cash assistance to program participants.

13. Additional Implementation GuidanceHomelessness “Risk Factors” • Program Design: Lead Agency may require that program Case Managers utilize a list of risk factors associated with potentially becoming homeless in determining whether a potential program participant should receive assistance under HPRP and the level of assistance, including: • Eviction within two weeks from a private dwelling • Discharge within 2 weeks from an institution in which the person has been a resident for more than 180 days (prison, hospital, mental institution, etc.) • Residency in housing that has been condemned by housing officials • Sudden and significant loss of income • Sudden and significant increase in utility costs • Mental Health and Substance Abuse issues • Homeless in last 12 months • List is not exhaustive Developed by: Lompoc Housing and Community Development Corporation

14. Implementation Guidance, Continued Participating agency staff under HPRP programs must document efforts to coordinate and acquire additional resources under the Economic Recovery Act for which program participants may be eligible, including but not limited to: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Department of Social Services FEMA-- Emergency Food and Shelter Program Workforce Investment Act– Department of Social Services Other considerations include coordinating and enrolling program participants in acquiring mainstream federal income support resources that they may qualify for, including: Food Stamps, Veterans Benefits, Medicare, Social Security Insurance, Social Security Disability Insurance; Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), among others.

15. Data Collection and Reporting Requirements Participating agencies and organizations under HPRP must provide data collection of required data elements under HUD-required Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Santa Barbara County is the lead System Administrator under HMIS and will provide technical assistance, guidance and documentation in this regard Participating agencies must insure client confidentiality and security of all program files and HPRP records Participating agencies must have current documentation related to financial statements and related agency operations information All program records, reports, documentation and other requested information must be completed and provided to county on a quarterly basis at a minimum All information is subject to upload and public scrutiny and review on the Federal Government’s recovery.gov website. Any future additional documents required under recovery.gov must also be provide; a timeline and schedule of the critical due dates and deadlines will be provided

16. Santa Barbara County Housing and Community Development Department Community Forum THANK YOU For More Information Please Contact: Division Manager – Carlos Jimenez, 568-3523 CDBG Human Services/Homeless Programs – Mike Sederholm, 560-1090 HOME, Program Analysis, Compliance Oversight – Brooke Welch, 568-3521 Annual Action Plan, CAPER, Compliance– Alex Dragos, 568-3522