Partnering with your Public Housing Authority to help end homelessness

Audio conference – January 10, 2008

Strengthening Families Collaborative, a joint initiative of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the Child

Welfare League of America and the National Center on Family Homelessness

PHAs are key players in ending homelessness

Con Plan

PHA plan

COC plan

Community plans that bring federal resources

Why PHAs participate in Continuum of Care

• Can apply for housing resources through COC process

• Improved integration with service-providers of PHA residents

• Collaborative housing/services

• Free snacks

How PHAs can be involved in COC

• Become an active member of the CoC• Facilitate/host CoC meetings• Coordinate planning process and application

development• Apply for McKinney/Vento resources to create housing

(Supportive Housing Program or Shelter + Care)• Create housing opportunities using PHA resources

Strategies for PHAs to use SHP

• Use SHP resources to purchase and renovate property for use as permanent housing

• Work with a non-profit organization to obtain SHP leasing funds to lease units in Public Housing. Units would then be designated for this purpose

• Obtain SHP service funds to provide services to designated units in Public Housing set aside for persons who are homeless

Shelter Plus Care (S+C)A rental subsidy program that covers a portion of the monthly rent. Generally, tenants pay 30% of their income for rent, the rental subsidy pays the difference between the tenant share and the unit’s approved rent. 4 types:

• Tenant-based• Sponsor-based• Project-based• SRO

Vancouver, WA Housing Authority (VHA): key player in

ending homelessness

•Founded Council for the Homeless 1989•Formed agreement w/ City, County•Each provide Board reps, annual support

VHA collaborative projects that serve homeless people

• Four shelters, managed by nonprofits• Pinewood: VHA-owned transitional housing,

managed by homeless provider• Operation Homestretch: Continuum of

Care-funded transitional housing • Shelter + Care project

Other VHA projects

• Central Park Place: SRO on VA land: serving homeless persons & veterans

• Orchard Glen: transition-in-place housing & work force units

• Springbrook: used tax credits to create mixed income development (w/ YMCA)

VHA partner in Strategic Housing Plan

• Purpose: Guide community planning efforts over 5 years and inspire future work.

• Goal: Obtain up to 1,250 new subsidized housing units for households below 30% AMI – through rental assistance & new construction – using federal, state, local and private resources.

Housing Authority of Portland• Planning: ED and staff active in statewide and

local plans to end homelessness and COC• Permanent Supportive Housing: public housing

units and 400 units of special needs housing• Short-term rent assistance: manage on behalf of

two cities and county • Shelter + Care: 7 grants

Examples of regional collaboration among PHAs

• Sound Families: 7 PHAs in Seattle/King County area

• Bridges to Housing: partnership among 4 PHAs in two states

• Regional collaboration among PHAs and jurisdictions in 4 counties.

Regional Housing Managers: CD directors, PHAs, HUD

• Group went after an earmark – creativeUsed for a number of policy objectives. Helped fund

Housing Connections, Bridges to Housing, advocacy on State housing trust fund, research on 811s.

• Continuing benefits: -- Housing policy issues that affect region

-- Reduces urban-rural barriers

-- Emergency planning

Partner with PHA to prevent homelessness

Section 8s are gold: partner with PHA to support S8 retention. Examples:

• VOA’s eviction prevention program, funded by Louisville, KY metro government and PHA.

• Housing Authority of Portland: Short-term Rent Assistance fund – eviction prevention $$

Issues for advocates

• Locally: Monitor S+C management

• Locally & nationally: Get to know challenges facing PHAs, such as reduced HUD operating subsidies and change to asset management

Websites

• To find out contact info for your local PHA: http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/pha/contacts/states/ca.cfm

• Technical Assistance Collaborative, Boston: Curriculum on the role of PHAs in addressing homelessness www.tacinc.org

• Bridges to Housing: 4-county, housing and services for high need homeless families www.bridgestohousing.org

• Council for the Homeless: Nonprofit working to end homelessness in Clark County, Washington. www.icfth.com

Thank you!

Sally Erickson, Homeless Program Coordinator

City of Portland, Bureau of Housing & Community Development

421 SW 6th Ave., Suite 1100

Portland, OR 97204

Email: serickson@ci.portland.or.us

Phone: 503-823-0883

www.portlandonline.com/bhcd