Serving Homeless Familiesthrough “Housing First”

Presented by

Beyond Shelter

1200 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 600

Los Angeles, CA 90017

(213) 252-0772

HUD CONTINUUMOF CARE MODEL

OutreachIntake

Assessment

Emergency Shelter Transitional Housing

Supportive Housing

Traditional Housing,no services

THE “HOUSING FIRST” APPROACH

Moves homeless persons into permanent rentalhousing as quickly as possible, with servicestraditionally provided in transitional housing

programs instead provided after relocation intopermanent rental housing.

TWO PREMISES OF HOUSINGFIRST

Permanent housing should be the central goal ofour work with people experiencing homelessness.

By providing permanent housing assistanceimmediately and up front, we can significantlyreduce or eliminate the time people experience

homelessness.

COMPONENTS OF HOUSINGFIRST

§ Crisis Intervention and Stabilization

§ Intake, Assessment & Planning

§ Assistance Moving into Permanent Housing

§ Home-Based Case Management(can be time-limited & transitional or longer-

term, depending upon need)

STEP 1: CRISIS INTERVENTION& SHORT-TERM STABILIZATION

This phase usually includes emergency shelterservices and short-term transitional housing gearedto special needs, i.e. domestic violence, substance

abuse treatment, stabilization, while efforts to accesspermanent housing are accomplished.

STEP 2: SCREENING, INTAKE& NEEDS ASSESSMENTS

Can occur immediately or after crisis intervention andemergency services have been provided.

The “needs assessment” should result in a Plan ofAction, developed with the participant, and which caninclude both short- and long-term goals and concrete

“next steps.”

STEP 3: ASSISTANCE MOVINGINTO PERMANENT HOUSING

§ Overcoming barriers to accessing affordablehousing.

§ Assistance applying for housing subsidies,move-in funds, etc.

§ Tenant/landlord education.

§ Assistance conducting housing search &negotiating with landlords.

STEP 4: PROVISION OF HOME-BASEDCASE MANAGEMENT

§ Intensive during the first 90 days.

§ Intensifies during crises.

§ Includes connecting people to communityresources and services to meet their

particular needs.

§ May include longer-term case managementfor vulnerable and at-risk families and

individuals.

ADAPTATIONS

There is no single model for “housing first”programs. A “housing first” approach can be

implemented by one agency or it can beaccomplished through the collaboration ofdifferent agencies, each providing specific

services.

Administration

Program Director

Case Management Supervisor

CaseManager

HousingSpecialist

A Sample Basic Model

Housing Resources Supervisor

CaseManager

CaseManager

HousingSpecialist

A SampleCollaborative Model

Agency A(shelter, crisis-center)

Short-term casemanagement

Agency B(housing agency)

Housing relocation

Agency C(social service agency)

Transitional, home-basedcase management

Agree to collaborate forComprehensive

Service Provision

ASSESSING

PLANNING

LISTENING

E DUCATING

A DVOCATING

Serve Different Participant Needs

Housing Resources& Relocation

§Housing Assistance§Tenant Education§Rental Assistance Programs

FOR OWNERS/MANAGERS

§Available to assistwith tenant/landlordissues

Serve Different Participant Needs

Housing First: Recognizes that DistinctFunctions

Serve Different Participant Needs

§Accessing Needed

Resources & Services

§Problem Solving

§Life Skills

§Parenting Support

§Money Management

§Household Management

§Crisis Intervention

§Other Supports

Case Management

FOR PARTICIPANTS

PermanentHousing Services

The provision of services to helpfamilies’ access and sustain housingincludes working with the client toidentify affordable units, access housingsubsides, negotiate leases, overcomebarriers, such as poor tenant history,credit history and discrimination basedon ethnicity, gender, family make-upand income sources.

Factors to Consider in AssessingHistory & Needs

Good housing assessment and planningtakes into account family housing historyand needs, as well as strives to honor andpromote housing and neighborhood choiceinsofar as possible. The following factorsare important to assess, as they will guidethe development of housing plans:

Income/Budget

What resources does the family have?

Is the family receiving all benefits forwhich they qualify (TANF, childsupport, SSI, tax credits, etc.)?

What debts does the family have?

Employment History

What is the parent’s work history?

Has the head of household workedrecently?

What hourly wages has the HOHearned in the past?

Experience as a Tenant

Has the family ever held a lease in theirname?

How many times has the family moved in thelast 12-24 months?

How many times has the family beenevicted?

What were the reasons for eviction?

Criminal History

Does the participant have a criminal record?

What was the nature of the offense(s)?

How long ago was the crime committed?

Is the participant on probation or parole?

Documentation

Does the family have documentation for allfamily members?

If not, what documents are missing and whatsteps need to be taken to replace them?

What to Look for…

Housing First Components:

1. FAMILY SIZE: This determineshow many rooms the family willneed. When possible, largerfamilies are placed in houses, notapartments.

2. INCOME/BUDGET: What resources does thefamily have? Ideally, families should pay 25-30% of their income for rent. Often, however,families end up paying 50% or more.

Relocation plans are not based simply on thefamily's reported income. Their debts(outstanding utility bills, etc.) and othermonthly expenses, such as childcare,transportation, and medication, will alsodetermine what they can really afford for rent.

3. TENANT HISTORY: How many timeshas the family moved? How manytimes has the family been evicted?What were the reasons for eviction?Was there ever any destruction ofproperty involved? Some of thisinformation will be provided by theparticipant; previous landlords canalso supply information.

4. SUBSTANCE ABUSE: Will themother participate in a 12-step orother community-based recoveryprogram? If so, the program in thenew neighborhood is evaluated.Staff also avoid relocating the familyto any neighborhoods in which theparticipant used drugs or alcohol inthe past.

5. CRIMINAL HISTORY: In fairness to theparticipant, criminal history needs to beaddressed on an individual basis andoften requires the building of rapport tohear “the entire story.”

6. HOUSEKEEPING SKILLS: Howproficiently does the participant clean herhome, or do you expect them to cleantheir home? How much experience doesthe participant have with maintaining ahome?

This is important to know should theparticipant have a landlord with highexpectations for cleanliness. Askingabout housekeeping practices also opensthe door for discussing ways tomaintain a home.

7. SUPPORT SYSTEMS: What support doesthe family have? Relatives? Friends?Do/will they attend a religious institution orare they members of any otherorganization? Do they want to move nearthose supports?

Systems of support are crucial to the long-term success of families. They serve asemotional, physical, mental and spiritualoutlets that assist families with the dailychallenges of living).

8. HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS: Areany family members disabled and inneed of special accommodations?

Sometimes multiple generations willlive together, and older family membersmay have special needs to consider.

9. PERSONALITY OF LANDLORD/MANAGER: Since landlords andproperty managers will be veryimportant people in the lives ofparticipants, staff members get toknow them and ensure that they aretrustworthy. At the very least, thelandlord must be consistent andreliable.

10. SCHOOLS IN THE AREA:Do the parents want tochange schools or remainnear the school theirchild(ren) currentlyattend(s)?

11. ACCESSIBILITY OF PUBLICTRANSPORTATION: For mostfamilies, this is critical. Of course,if the family has a car, access topublic transit may not be a toppriority.

12. DISTANCE TO/FROM PUBLICTRANSPORTATION: Whatservices does the family needmost? How will they get to thoseservices? Are family membersemployed or do they go to school?If the family does not relocate nearwork, school or services, theyneed to be near publictransportation.

13. CRIMINAL ACTIVITY IN THE AREA:Is the neighborhood safe? What isit like at night? Sometimes it helpsto ask the local police departmentabout the incidence of crime in agiven area.

14. PERSONALITY OF NEIGHBORS:Case managers attempt to find outsomething about the neighbors aswell as the neighborhood. Whenplacing a family with children,consider whether there are childrennearby or whether the neighborsappear to be intolerant of children.

15. COST OF UTILITIES: Areutilities included in the rent?If not, what sources ofenergy are used for cookingand heating? On average,what have tenants in thatunit paid for utilities?

16. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CLIMATE OFTHE COMMUNITY: Is thecommunity racially integrated or isit homogeneous? Is there a mix ofeconomic classes or does aparticular socio-economic classpredominate?

Housing Relocation Plan

A Housing Specialist helps the clientto identify and off-set (as much aspossible) barriers to securinghousing.

The Housing Specialist also workswith the client to identifyappropriate, and reasonable,housing search goals.

Housing Resources

1. Newspapers’ classified ads,“pennysavers” and other localpublications (print and electronic).

2. Property management companies –housing specialists look for these inthe local “yellow pages” phone bookor local apartment association.

3. Real estate offices: the offices oftenhave listings of rental housing, andagents may own or have investorswho invest in rental properties.

4. “For Rent" signs – housingspecialists look for units withadvertised vacancies.

5. Local Housing Authorities (tenant-based vouchers for Section 8 andShelter+Care).

6. Nonprofit developers (tax credit andproject-based Section 8 properties).

§ Permanent supportive housing

§ Service-enriched housing

7. Private developers, including those injurisdictions with inclusionary zoningordinances.

8. Friends and relatives

9. Fellow members of clubs andorganizations

§ Religious institutions

§ Social and civic organizations

Move-In Resources

1. DPSS.

2. DCFS.§ Family Reunification Program

§ Other programs

Move-In Resources

3. Countywide move-in fundscoordinated by Beyond Shelter.

4. Victims of Crime/Police Depts.

Move-In Resources

5. Family savings plans.

Housing SearchStrategies:

Marketing & Outreachto Landlords

“Marketing” The Program

“Marketing” the program is one ofthe best tools to use in developing apool of landlords and managementcompanies who are willing to rentdirectly to your clients.

§ Know What Landlords’ Primary Wantsand Concerns Typically Are:

§ Rent paid on time

§ Someone to call

§ Property damage

ACCESSING PRIVATERENTAL HOUSING

§ Craft Your “Selling Points” Accordingly:

§ Benefits to owners

§ Pre-screened tenants

§ Tenant education

§ Case management support (home visits; budgeting,household management assistance)

§ Landlord “hotline”

§ Organizational history of success

§ Educate and dispel myths/stereotypes

ACCESSING PRIVATERENTAL HOUSING

MARKETING MATERIALS

§ Agency and/or program brochures

§ One-page informational handouts

§ PowerPoint presentations

§ Program videos and PSAs

MARKET TO WHOM?

§ Large private landlords

§ Mom and pop landlords

§ Property management companies

§ Other entities…

MARKET AND OUTREACH:WHERE & HOW?

§ Cold Calls & Community Searches

§ Neighborhood searches – TargetedOutreach

§ Door to door

§ Internet listings

§ Newspapers (National vs local, communitypapers; “Pennysavers”; etc.)

§ Cold Calls & Community Searches(Cont’d)

§ Local Yellow Pages or local apartmentassociation for listings of propertymanagement companies

§ Real estate offices: the offices often havelistings of rental housing, and agents mayown or have investors who invest in rentalproperties

§ Housing Authority lists (City, County,and/or State PHAs)

Drive-by Searching Tips

To search neighborhoods in largeurban areas, which might otherwisebe overwhelming:

§ Pick an area between oneand five square miles

§ Search the selected areathoroughly

§ Drive an area more thanonce, if necessary

MARKET AND OUTREACH:WHERE & HOW? (Cont’d)

§ Networking§ Associations (e.g., Apartment Owner’s Assoc)

§ Los Angeles

§ Long Beach

§ Housing conferences (e.g., Southern CaliforniaAssociation of Nonprofit Housing or SCANPH)

§ Informal opportunities (Always Be ThinkingHousing!)

TENANTEDUCATION

Tenant Responsibilities Curriculum

§ Identifying housing that is suitable

for your family.

§ Understanding your rental

agreement, and when, where, how

and to whom you pay your rent

§ How to be a good neighbor

§ Money management

§ Maintaining your home on a budget

§ Identifying a maintenance problem

and what to do about it

§ How to communicate with a

“problem” landlord

§ Housing and sexual harassment

§ Getting involved in your community

Tips for InitialMeetings with Landlords

A housing interview is just like a jobinterview…key questions to cover(Don’t take anything for granted!):

§ What should you (ie, family) wear?

§ How should you present yourselfand your story?

Tips for InitialMeetings with Landlords

§ How are you going to control thekids?

§ Have we thoroughly prepared inorder to avoid surprises?

Maintaining StableHousing & PositiveRelationships with

Landlords

Maintaining Good Relationships

§ Follow-up with landlord – callregularly, get feedback on rentalsituation

§ Keep your commitments – respondwithin the timeframes promised;intervene/mediate when appropriate

Take Necessary Action toAddress Problems

§ More frequent home visits and phonecontact

§ Reevaluate and adjust case plans

§ Linkages with community-basedresources and services, including rent-to-prevent eviction, detox, DV counseling,etc.

§ Landlord-tenant mediation

Lessons Learned

§ Be cautious about clustering multiple familiesin a single building

§ If possible, check the property status ofprospective rental units/buildings due to theforeclosure crisis

§ Non-monetary incentives work with landlords

Lessons Learned (Cont’d)

§ Understand the needs and wants oflandlords

§ Document, Document, Document allcommunications with landlords

§ Myth: landlords do not want to rent tohomeless families or agencies servingthem

Lessons Learned (Cont’d)

§ Landlords’ relaxing screening criteria(e.g., overlooking an eviction) for yourclients but not for the general public isnot a violation of fair housing laws, whichonly cover protected classes (race,gender, creed, etc.)

§ Proof is in the pudding: landlords call uswhen they have vacancies.

Maintaining Good Relationships

§ Go the EXTRA MILE

§ Host owner appreciation events, such asbreakfasts; present plaques or certificates

§ Get to know something personal about thelandlord i.e. birthday and send cards, orfavorite football team and offer souvenirs, etc.

§ Remember…

Landlords are like elephants…theydon’t forget the good or the bad!

TRANSITIONAL

Home-Based

Case Management

The primary functions of home-based casemanagement are to provide assistance to clientsin life skills development and to link clients to

other community organizations that provideservices which they need. In Housing First, these

services are most often “time-limited” and“transitional.”

They are often focused on helping the familyovercome the trauma experienced during an

episode of homelessness, to enable the family toregain stable living patterns or to develop stable

living patterns for the first time.

Some clients require more intensive home visitsthat include demonstrations of house-keeping

skills, money-management and budgeting,development of grocery lists, parenting support.

Others need only assistance in identifyingresources in the community and monitoring/support to insure that they do not lose their

housing if a crisis occurs.

THE FIRST THREE MONTHS

Experience has shown that formerly homelessfamilies are most at risk for another episode of

homelessness during the first 90 days inpermanent housing.