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The New Emergency Solutions Grants Program

The New Emergency Solutions Grants Program. Jenny Helbraun Abramson, Coordinator Sonoma County Continuum of Care Planning Group January 19, 2012. Interim Regulations Effective Jan 4. Interim regulation for new ESG program published December 5

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The New Emergency Solutions Grants Program

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  1. The New Emergency Solutions Grants Program Jenny Helbraun Abramson, Coordinator Sonoma County Continuum of Care Planning Group January 19, 2012

  2. Interim Regulations Effective Jan 4 • Interim regulation for new ESG program published December 5 • Builds on existing Emergency Shelter Grant program • Assists people to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after a housing crisis • Goal: to prevent people from becoming homeless or assist them to move from homelessness into permanent housing. New activities closely resemble those offered under HPRP (the Recovery Act-funded Homelessness Prevention & Re-Housing Program). • New Eligible Activities: • Housing relocation • Housing stabilization services (case management) • Short- and medium-term rental assistance (up to 24 mos.)

  3. Two Allocations in FY 2011-12 • In the FY 2011 budget, Congress appropriated a 40% increase in ESG funding for the new activities. • The first allocation was made and is subject to the old Emergency Shelter Grant program regulations. • The second allocation will be made soon: • Must exclusivelybe used for homelessness prevention assistance, rapid re-housing assistance, HMIS, and administration. • Jurisdictions must prepare a Substantial Amendment to their Consolidated Plan to receive the second allocation (guidance for this is coming).

  4. 2nd Allocation Sonoma County will receive a second allocation of $48,782 for the new program – technically to serve the Urban County (7 smaller cities plus unincorporated County). State FESG will receive about $3.9 million for the second allocation, to be awarded competitively to programs serving Santa Rosa and Petaluma. Sonoma County programs have regularly won over 10% of available dollars, so we can anticipate bringing in around $390,000 from this allocation.

  5. Eligible Activities Under ESG • Under the Emergency Solutions Grant program, funds can be used to support these costs: • [“Old ESG”:] • Street outreach • Emergency shelter • Administration • [“New Program” – continuation of HPRP:] • Homelessness prevention • Rapid re-housing assistance • HMIS

  6. Eligible Activities − “old ESG” • Street Outreach: Emergency care on the street • Emergency Shelter: No limit on staff costs; now allows cost of supplies and the cost of a hotel/motel stay (under certain circumstances) as allowable costs. • Hold Harmless provision: Recipient jurisdictions may opt to spend up to 100% of funds on prevention and re-housing. Funding for for street outreach and emergency shelter activities cannot exceed the larger of: • 60% of the jurisdiction’s annual grant OR • The FY 2010 old ESG funds committed for shelter and outreach.

  7. New Eligible Activities • Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing • Short and medium term rental assistance • Housing relocation • Housing stabilization services • Recipient jurisdictions have discretion to determine the type, amount, and duration of rental assistance, as well as the option to provide tenant-based or project-based rental assistance.

  8. Rental Assistance Requirements • Rental Assistance Lease: Program participants receiving rental assistance must enter into a written lease with a housing owner. • Rental Assistance Agreement: The program operator and housing owner must enter into a rental assistance agreement. • FMR Requirement for Rental Assistance: Total rent must comply with HUD’s rent reasonableness standards and cannot exceed the Fair Market Rent.

  9. Participant Eligibility

  10. Other Requirements • The regulations introduce new consultation/coordination requirements between ESG recipient jurisdictions and Continuums of Care. • Administration allowance: 7.5% of the recipient’s fiscal year grant may be used for administration (up from 5%) • ESG recipients must participate in HMIS. • HMIS activities can be charged to a self-standing HMIS budget line. • Coordinated/centralized assessment will be required. • Programs must have written standardsand policies for their ESG program.

  11. Other Requirements cont’d. • Evaluating client eligibility: Initial evaluation to determine eligibility, amount and type of assistance must be conducted in accordance with the coordinated assessment requirements and written standards above. • Re-evaluating eligibility: The participant’s eligibility (and the type and amount of assistance needed) must be re-evaluated at least every three months for prevention assistance, and annually for rapid re-housing assistance. • Process for terminating assistance and habitability standards are spelled out in the regulations.

  12. Questions? Resources: • Interim Rule in Federal Register: Vol. 76, no. 233, p. 75954-95994. • HUD’s Homelessness Resource Exchange ESG page: • http://www.hudhre.info/esg/index.cfm • Webinars at: http://www.hudhre.info/index.cfm?do=viewReadySETGo. • Sonoma County Prevention Providers meeting: • Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:00 noon-2:00 pm, at Catholic Charities, 987 Airway Court, Santa Rosa.

  13. Update on Local Planning Efforts Prevention Planning for the new ESG Rapid Re-Housing program design

  14. Prevention Planning for ESG • Prevention providers have been meeting since August to discuss • Performance measures for their programs • Prepare for new ESG opportunities • Find ways to work more collaboratively • Next meeting: Thursday, February 9, 2012, 12:00 noon-2:00 pm at Catholic Charities, 987 Airway Court, Santa Rosa

  15. Key Recommendations for ESG Planning - NAEH • Stretch resources: provide smaller amounts of assistance to more people. • Target prevention assistance to people who are most likely to become homeless This requires a focused effort: concerns about tenants being able to sustain their housing should be addressed through program design rather than by screening people out of assistance. • The evidence for the effectiveness of rapid re-housing is strong and therefore rapid re-housing should be prioritized. Ending homelessness requires a robust, community-wide system of rapid re-housing, and the new ESG funding should be combined with other resources to create that system. • Successful prevention and rapid re-housing assistance programs rely on a community-wide performance and outcome measurement process.

  16. Local HPRP Outcomes Just 3% of HPRP clients served in 2010 have appeared in shelters to date. The program was clearly effective with those served. Would those served have become homeless without this assistance? This question has been asked across the country. How can we target those most likely to become homeless?

  17. Targeting Prevention Services In 2010, three times as many families entered shelter from doubled up situations as from rental housing. But 2/3 of HPRP assistance went to people in rental housing. Only 1 in 10 of those served were doubled up.

  18. This is largely because of the heavy documentation burden and haste to implement, which resulted in simply targeting those who completed the documentation.Among single adults, it’s more skewed: people came from doubled up situations four times as often as they did from rental housing. HPRP served people in exactly the reverse proportions.

  19. Rapid Re-Housing Plans The HOME TBA program has provided a transitional housing “bridge” while families wait for a Section 8 voucher. HOME TBA partners are exploring how to change the program to a Rapid Re-housing model.

  20. Rapid Re-Housing Pilot • A 10-unit pilot will begin in February, assisting families with the ability to become self-sufficient within a year to quickly exit shelter. • Catholic Charities will provide housing case management for the pilot. For more information, contact: Jennielynn Holmes, Family Support Center jholmes@srcharities.org, 542-5426 OR Sheron Bradley, Sonoma County Housing Authority Sheron.bradley@sonoma-county.org, 565-7519

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