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Connecticut HPRP Training

Learn about Housing Retention and Assessment Plans in this HPRP training session by CT Coalition to end homelessness. Understand goals, services, and strategies for successful housing stability.

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Connecticut HPRP Training

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  1. Connecticut HPRP Training Assessment and Housing Retention October 6, 2009 Sponsored by the CT Coalition to end homelessness

  2. Agenda • Introduction to the session • What are we trying to accomplish? • Who are we serving? • What are the people we serve asking for? • Housing Focused Case Management • Assessment and Housing Retention Plans • Case Studies

  3. HPRP is a step toward transformative change

  4. HPRP Program • Goal is to use resources to achieve meaningful impact in reducing homelessness • Time limited focused intervention • Dependant on effective transition to mainstream resources • Outcome driven • New HEARTH Act will continue prevention and re-housing aspects of HPRP

  5. Housing Stability requires linkages between homeless and mainstream services

  6. Intended Outcomes of Connecticut HPRP Program • Reduction in length of stay in homeless shelters or in homelessness • Reduction in the number of persons experiencing homelessness for the first time • Reduction in number of repeat episodes of homelessness • Successful housing retention and stability • Increases in income • Most will be documented through HMIS

  7. Relationship Between HPRP and HEARTH Act • Hearth Act provides Emergency Solutions Grant (20% of federal funds for homeless assistance) • Includes traditional shelter and outreach of the Emergency Shelter Grant Program • Expands eligible services to include homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing • 40% of ESG grant must be spent on prevention and rehousing • Expands definition of homelessness to include those at imminent risk of homelessness • Losing housing in next 14 days with no place to go and no resources or support networks to obtain housing

  8. Who are we serving? • Families and individuals in a temporary crisis and at risk of losing their housing. • Families and Individuals chronically at risk of losing their housing. • Families and Individuals who are in imminent risk of losing their housing and out of options. • Families and Individuals who are currently homeless or living in a place not fit for human habitation.

  9. Categories of Assistance • Prevention • Diversion and Rapid Re-Housing Refer to Screening Tool

  10. What do we know? • On the night before entering shelter: • 40% of homeless people came from another homeless setting • 40% moved from a housed situation • 20% came from institutions, hotels/motels, or unspecified • Most common prior living situations • 28.5% staying with family/friends • 24.3% staying in another homeless facility • 13% streets or places not meant for human habitation • 13% from a home they owned or rented

  11. Use of Homeless Services • Few homeless people move from shelters to transitional housing to permanent • Individuals • 65% stayed in shelter for less than 7 days • Median LOS in shelters: 18 days • 5% were sheltered for 6 months or more • Families • 50% stayed in shelter for less than 7 days • Median LOS was 30 days • 10% were sheltered for 6 months or more

  12. What are people looking for? • Safe affordable housing • Some people will have lost jobs and are behind on bills and rent • Some people have been barely making it for a long time • Some people will be in crisis and about to lose their housing • Some people will be homeless or have been homeless in the past • Some people will not have had stable housing before

  13. Everyone is looking for: • A safe affordable place to live • Community • Services appropriate to their needs • Choice • Money enough to live on • A role in the community and in their families • A chance for their children and themselves to get ahead

  14. Housing Focused Case Management:Stages in the Process • Outreach and Engagement • Assessment and Education • Goal Setting and Housing Retention Planning • Evaluate Progress on Goals and Revise Accordingly

  15. Housing-Focused Case Management Tasks • Determine eligibility and program type • Educate people about available housing options and prepare for the expectations of each • Establish housing stability as a service goal • Identify skills and supports needed to maintain chosen housing option • Assist people to secure or increase their incomes • Refer or provide other needed assistance

  16. Housing-Focused Case Management Tasks • Plan for and assist in housing retention tasks • Paying rent • Clearing up debt • Unit/apartment maintenance and upkeep • Complying with the lease and following house rules • Accessing services and supports • Revise Housing Retention Plan as needed

  17. Engagement Strategies • Introduce yourself and how you can be helpful • Repeated, predictable, non-intrusive patterns of interaction • Listen to felt needs • Respecting boundaries • Allowing people as much control as possible over interactions • Be patient and persistent

  18. Goal-Based Assessment • Assessment is a product and a process • Assess the history of housing successes and failures • How person/ family became homeless, lost employment/ income • Successful housing situations • Preferences • Financial issues, credit problems • Uninsured with medical needs • Concrete needs such as transportation or child care • Implications of disabilities or service needs on housing stability • Understand participants’ short and long term goals and their plans to resolve or improve their situations Refer to Prevention Application Tool

  19. Participant Education • Housing options, eligibility and expectations of each • Eligibility for resources including on-going rental assistance, benefit income, job training or transportation services • Expectations of tenancy • Rent payment • Quiet enjoyment • Maintaining apartment • Financial realities • Application process and timelines

  20. Finding Common Ground • Negotiation Strategies • Link proposed option to client’s aspirations • Frame move as intermediate and identify future options • Reflect on persons experience in housing to better understand current needs • Open up discussion of other options • Test available options with peers • Negotiate to improve skills/resources to access/maintain preferred option

  21. Finding Common Ground • Worker should be forthright about the reasons for assessment and what they are able to access • Worker has to be clear that this is a time limited resource • Worker should anticipate reactions to disagreement and remain connected

  22. Developing the Housing Retention Plan Listen to the Participants • Elicit and listen to the family or individual and reflect back to clarify and check understanding. • Goal setting is an individual process • Empathize about goal setting and unmet goals • Be clear about what you can or can not provide • Listen to person’s perception of past successes and struggles in accessing or maintaining housing • List and discuss strengths that may facilitate reaching goals • List and discuss resources that may assist in reaching goals

  23. Developing the Housing Retention Plan • Positively reinforce all achievements along the path toward reaching goals and objectives • Normalize any setbacks that may occur and help the person develop alternate strategies or new objectives that are attainable • Do not over promise: The resources here are time limited and not designed to meet all needs

  24. Housing Plan Goals • Assessment and Goal-Setting: Housing Stability • Housing retention issues (identify factors that precipitated current crisis and past housing instability) • Income (does individual or family qualify can they maintain housing on present income) • Employment (is the employment steady and sustainable) • Rental history (is the person housed, is it sustainable, is housing access going to be difficult) • Utilities (are the utilities active, are there arrears, is it in the name of the head of household, can it be connected) • Credit (are there delinquencies, consumer debt, does it affect ability to pay rent, get utilities turned on, can the household access housing) • Legal (evictions, warrants, claims, etc) • Other supports needed to maintain housing

  25. Housing Plan Goals • Assessment and Goal-Setting: Financial Stability • Education and Training • Relates to job skills and ability to access a higher paying job • Access to Health Care • Can the individual or family access and do they have insurance? • Childcare • Access to childcare to cover work hours, cost and location • Transportation • Is this a barrier to increasing income? • Other Areas to Support Housing Retention • Maintain apartment and comply with lease • Negotiation skills • Support systems • Social Services

  26. Components of the Housing Plan • Goals • Goals set as a team of clients and worker • Focus on the issues that affect housing retention – base on what caused the current crisis and previous episodes of housing instability • Immediate and longer term goals clear • Focus by phase • Use the plan for the intervention • Steps to reach goal clearly defined and measurable • Longer term needs require connections to other resources.

  27. Components of the Housing Plan • Client and Worker Role • Separate Plan for Prevention and Diversion / Re-housing • Reflects areas of the assessment • Prioritizes areas for work • Sets time frames for work to be accomplished

  28. Components of the Housing Plan • Resource Identification • Clearly defines resources needed to access and/or maintain housing including: income, rental voucher, credit repair, legal services, employment assistance/support, financial planning and management, access to affordable medical services and/or child care, educational support (for HoH and/or children), access to social services such a mental health, substance abuse, etc.

  29. Resources and Referrals Develop protocols Identify Resources • Job training • Unemployment Insurance • Social Security (SSA, SSI, SSDI) • Child Support Assistance • Veterans Administration • Public assistance, TANF • Medicare • Medicaid • Food stamps • WIC • Child Care subsidy (TANF) •  Domestic Violence Services • Services for People with Physical Disabilities • Ryan White Program • State Children’s Health Insurance • VA Medical Services • TANF Transportation services • Medicaid Transportation Services • S+C , SHP subsidy • Section 8, Public housing • HOPWA • Chemical Dependency Services • Mental Health Services • Health Clinics with sliding scale • MRDD Services

  30. Evaluating the Housing Plan • Measure Success • Uses documented steps to reach goal and benchmarks set • Uses phases to gauge expectations and progress • Identifies need to renegotiate goals and resources

  31. Programmatic Interventions • Allowing time for engagement • Allow time and assist in assembling needed documents: • financial assistance • housing applications • Conduct 0n-going assessments • Track outcomes • Teach advocacy skills • Build motivation • Celebrate successes

  32. Thank You Questions? Contact Suzanne Wagner suzanne.wagner@earthlink.net (917) 612-5469

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