Innovative Rent Assistance Preventing & Ending Homelessness

Replicable ModelsNational Alliance to End Homelessness Conference

July 2006

City of Portland

Bureau of Housing & Community Development

Heather LyonsCity of Portland, Bureau of Housing and Community Development421 SW 6th Ave., Suite 1100Portland, OR 97204503-823-2396

Evaluator: Transitions to Housing ProgramThomas L. Moore, Ph.D.Herbert & Louis, LLCPO Box 304Wilsonville, OR 97070-0304503-625-6100

Portland’s Experience

• Advocates push for rent assistance• Transitions to Housing (T2H)

Program - 2001• Outcomes bring $ and support• Short Term Rent Assistance

Redesign (STRA)• Adapting the Model for Chronically

Homeless: Key Not A Card - Fall 2005

Flexibility Key to Model

• Collaborative decisions on core elements (eligibility, subsidy limits & options, follow-up, outcome measures and data design)

• Support independence of agencies• Outcomes = Funding • Adapt as needed

To provide flexible and outcome focused rent assistance to use as a “tool” to:

1) Prevent families and individuals from experiencing homelessnessAND2) End the experience of homeless by placing

people quickly into permanent housing

T2H - Purpose

• Diverse partnering agencies

• Flexibility and timeliness of assistance & service package

• Standardized evaluation protocol, outcome goals and follow-up intervals

• Limited regulations and prompts to spend more and help out for more time

• Adapts to fit agency mission & capacity

T2H - Project Features

• Homeless, or at an immediate risk of being homeless, or living in unsafe conditions

• Gross family income 20% (now 30%) or less than Area Median Income

• Residing or planning to reside within a geographic limit

• Currently not residing in subsidized housing

T2H - Eligibility

T2H - How it works

• Application & move-in fees• Security deposits• Rent/Mortgage subsidy (lump sum,

tiered, tapered, or constant)• Payment of housing-related debt to

eliminate barriers to permanent housing

• Generous Max subsidies by unit size

• Common dataset across all agencies with ongoing group evaluation meetings

• Enrollment; six, twelve, and eighteen-month follow-up; and case closing data collected by providers

• Follow-up waves based on date of enrollment

• Case closing based on final payment of rent assistance

T2H - Evaluation Protocol

• 1749 households enrolled since inception of program through June 30, 2005

• 73% adult households; 27% families with kids

• 25% of the primary “clients” have a past felony conviction or they were on parole or probation at enrollment

• $1,250 average expenditure per HH

T2H - Findings

• 80% permanent housed at 6 months

• 73% permanent housed at 12 months

• 65% permanent housed at 18 months

T2H - Findings - Overall Outcomes as of June 30, 2005

• Data captured in evaluation provides information on housing instability and secures future funding

• Flexibility with Accountability is key

• Homeless Prevention and “Housing First” model is cost effective and works for multiple populations & agencies

• Collaboration across diverse agencies provides learning opportunities for all

T2H - Lessons Learned

Adapting the Model

Short-term rent assistance redesign (STRA)

&“Key Not A Card” rent assistance to help end chronic homelessness

STRA - Challenge

• 28 different agencies, 6 different funding sources, 3 jurisdictions, and 1 housing authority

• Contradictory eligibility criteria and program design

• Multiple administrators and processes

STRA - Process

• Part of 10 Year Plan – Systems change activities

• 6 month long community based process• 6 month long jurisdictional negotiations• Final selection of administrative entity

and approval by City Council and County Board of Commissioners

STRA - Process

• Community and Jurisdictional process led to agreement on:• Program Model• Outcomes, Evaluation and Data

Collection• System Supports (i.e., services)• Allocations Formula• Unified System and Administrator

Key Not A Card - KNAC

• Focus on moving chronically homeless people off the street and into housing

• Up to 18 months of rent assistance with average aid of $8,000 per household

• Flexibility for providers – within a “Housing First” framework

• Outcome Focused - 12 month follow-up after end of subsidy

• Started October 1, 2005

KNAC Funding Recipients

• Shelter agency to assist 25 CH women• Street engagement agency to assist 25 CH

high-profile street dwellers identified by police

• Multi-service agency to assist 22 CH adults. • Police select out of the 35 homeless adults with

highest arrest rate

• Collaborative of 8 agencies to assist 20 CH families with kids.

KNAC - Demographics

• Male -  55%• Female - 45%    

• 18-21 - 3%• 22-35 - 16%• 36-54 - 74%• 55+ - 7% 

• White - 61%• African-Am - 25%• Asian - 3%• Native-Am - 10%• Latino - 1%

• 16 children under age 17• 14 were employed at entry• 8 veterans     

KNAC - Outcomes

• 144 people in 119 households have been housed (1 project starts with transitional housing)•  of these, 99 people in 74 households

have moved into permanent housing

• 98.5% remained in stable permanent housing

• Eviction Courts• Restraining Order Programs• Corrections - to support families after head of household is

incarcerated• Mental Health - outreach/residential programs• Hospitals • Community Crisis Lines• Apartment Associations• Government Programs (TANF, SSI/D, Unemployment)• Housing Authorities• Employers• Substance Abuse Programs - outpatient/residential programs• Foster Care System• Head Start programs and Public Schools• And on, and on, and on

Where else could this work?

Thank You

Copies of the Transitions to Housing final evaluation and “Home Again: A 10 Year Plan

to End Homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County are available online at:

www.portlandonline.com/bhcd

For specific information to help replicate or adapt T2H, STRA, or KNAC - please contact Heather Lyons 503-823-2396 or Liora Berry

503-823-2391