Veterans and Community Housing Initiative

Minneapolis“Cruse-Miller Garrison”

The IDEA

•Minneapolis VA Campus 218 efficiency apartment all permanent housing units

Why is this needed? Who says so?

• Wilder Survey on Minnesota Homeless• Report from Hennepin County Homeless Task Force on housing

needs for the next 10 years

• Idea: April 2000 Check & see if there was some support to create this type of housing

• Veterans who were succeeding in TH …no where to go—stay too long--relapse and get 2 more years TH

• Permanent Housing that is a “step-up” from Transitional or Rehab Facilities & who are cleaning up there credit history, housing history, staying sober, complying with the law, securing an income…who need help getting into permanent housing & who can live independently and stay lease compliant

Cruse-Miller Garrison

Presentation on the

Veterans and Community Housing Initiative

• Innovative Permanent Sober and Drug-Free Housing for Low-Income Single Adults

• Collaborative Effort:– Community Housing Development Corporation– VA Minneapolis Medical Center– Tiger Base LLC– Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority– Minnesota Housing Finance Agency– Department of Veterans Affairs—state and federal– The City of Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic

Development– Ramsey County Housing and Redevelopment Authority– Veterans, VSO and the UVLC….thank you

The Buildings

• Brick Exteriors designed to fit the character of the surrounding VA Medical Center campus and Fort Snelling

• Secure Entrances• Elevators in New Construction Buildings• Some Features in New Construction Buildings

for Individuals with Limited Mobility (benches in showers, electronic door openers at main entrance, elevator, no-step entry)

• Community Space and a Resident “Office”

The Location

• Between Highway 55, Minnehaha Avenue and 54th Street in South Minneapolis

• Located on Light Rail Transit (LRT) that runs to the Mall of America, the Airport, Lake Street and Downtown Minneapolis

• Located Across from the VA Medical Center

140 units:– 46 in New “North” Building– 76 in New “South” Building– 18 in Renovated Existing Houses– Studio Apartments with private kitchen and

bath– Initial Rents will be about $385 per month and

residents pay their own electric and phone bills

– Heat and cooling included in the monthly rent

The Units

Typical Lay-Out (not to scale)

Unit under-way…

The Units

• 46 Units can be Rented Starting August 1, 2006

• The Rest will be Ready by October 1, 2006!

Veterans & Community HousingMinneapolis VA Campus

“Cruse-Miller Garrison”

18 Rehabbed units6 in each building

• Professional Management on-site

• Off-Street Parking

• Service Partners: Catholic Charities and Tiger Base LLC will provide some on-site referral & supportive service coordination

Other Features

Important Notes

• NO rent subsidy available, ie NO Project-Based Section 8

• NO 24-hour front-desk service

• NO meal service

• NO guaranteed supportive services

The Residents• Single Adults • Veterans* and Non-Veterans• Women and Men • Sober and Drug-Fee – Alcohol and Drugs NOT

ALLOWED on the Property• Able to Live Independently and Pay Monthly

Bills• Able to Comply with a Lease and House Rules• Low-Income – earning below 50% of “Area Median

Income” – or less than $27,500 per year in 2006 (applies to 135 of 140 units)

• “At Risk of Homelessness” – i.e. because of their housing history, credit history, criminal history or low income, they may not be able to find other housing that is affordable, decent and safe

The Residents (continued)

• NO Registered Sex Offenders or Arsonists

• NO Violent Felony Convictions in the Past Three Years

• May be coming from Transitional Housing, Hospital Care, Drug or Alcohol Rehabilitation or Shelters

• Need to demonstrate some Housing History (including stays in facilities mentioned above) of 4 months in the past 3 years

• The apartment will be the resident’s only residence

• All other Histories (Credit, Criminal, Housing), if not Excellent, Should be Explained in a “Rent Resume”*

The Residents (continued)

Income and Ability to Pay Rent

• To be income-eligible for this housing, applicants must be below the annual income limit at the time they move in: To encourage a mix of incomes there are two main income limits:– In 85 units, the annual income ceiling is $27 ,500 for

2006 – In 50 units, the annual income ceiling is $16,500 for

2006– The Management Company will clarify what income

restrictions apply to a unit when taking inquiries about vacancies.

Income and Ability to Pay Rent (continued)

• Income may be a mix of sources including wages, entitlements, pensions, rent certificates, income from assets and savings, etc. – it generally does NOT include personal possessions (cars, furniture, etc)

• A resident will NOT be required to move out if their income rises above the ceiling after they move in

Income and Ability to Pay Rent (Continued)

• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to pay the monthly rent amount – either from cash, assistance or a rent certificate – and have sufficient income or assistance left over to cover their other household costs.

• An Application Fee of $35 is required for each application.

• Security Deposit of $300 required

Veterans• This Housing is intended to serve Veterans and

Non-Veterans• The Application Process will favor applicants

with verified veteran status until at least 51% of the units are occupied by Veterans.

• There can be more than 51% of the units occupied by Veterans, but not less

• With permission from applicants, the management company will work with both the state & federal Veterans Affairs to verify/confirm veteran status.

Veterans (Continued)

• A “Veteran” is a “person who served in the active military, naval or air service and have been discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable. Persons who entered on active duty after October 16, 1981 must have completed 24 continuous months of active duty or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty.”

• Other individuals who do not meet this definition may still be eligible for housing at this development, but their applications will not be favored in meeting the 51% veteran preference.

• This housing is intended for individuals who can live independently, follow their lease and pay their bills

• However, it is also intended for individuals whose histories are less than perfect:

• With an application for housing, Applicants must disclose and explain any blemishes in their housing history, criminal history, credit report or recovery issues.

• ** Applications will be reviewed by experienced property management professionals who will be able to make determinations based on the selection criteria and can consider extenuating circumstances and additional information.

“Rent Resume”

Applying for this Housing

• Here are some basic examples of providing a “Rent Resume”:

• These examples are not guarantees to provide housing in these circumstances – every application is reviewed case-by-case. This is an equal housing opportunity and tenant selection will be fair and reasonable.

– If an applicant has three DUIs and an assault charge in her criminal record, she should explain in her application that these charges were all related to alcohol abuse and she has since completed treatment and been sober for over a year. In this instance, it may be helpful to get a letter of recommendation from a treatment counselor that she is able to live in sober housing.

Applying for this Housing (continued)

• Examples, continued:– If an applicant has evictions in his housing history and

credit problems he should include in his application an explanation of these problems and assurance that he is working through them;

– If an applicant is on probation and has been in transitional housing, he would benefit from providing evidence that he is in compliance with the terms of his probation and a letter from the transitional housing director that he ready and able to live independently in sober housing.

Applying to this Housing (continued)

• Advocates, please be aware of the importance of directing ONLY those clients with a high probability of success in this housing to apply for it.

• Though any interested person is welcome to apply for this housing, certain applicants will not pass the screening process based on their history and should not waste the application fee if it is clear that they will not be appropriate – See the following Examples…

Applying to this Housing (continued)

• Examples of Background problems that will most likely result in denial of an application:– Alcohol or Drug-Related Crimes in the past three

months– History of Property Damage and Eviction Proceedings

with no explanation of how this behavior has been corrected

– Current Illegal Drug Use– Person has been living on the street for the past 4

years– On Sex Offender Registry– Person has no income and/or no way to pay for rent

and other household costs

Though some applicants will look good on paper, they may not ultimately succeed in this housing. If you, as an advocate, are aware of issues that will prevent these

individuals from living independently in a traditional property management

arrangement, it is in their best interest, your best interest, and our best interest if you work on stabilizing that person’s life BEFORE you refer them to this housing.

If Residents violate the terms of their lease or house rules, they will face action from the management company up to and including

termination of their lease.Eviction is not a desired outcome for anyone – it

hurts the individual’s ability to obtain future housing and causes extreme instability in a person’s life – possibly even homelessness.

That’s why we’re counting on you to help determine who in your facility is ready for this

next step – Permanent, Sober, Drug-Free Independent Living.

Interest List

• Interested persons should call BDC Management Co at 612-371-0766 and ask to put on the interest list - provide the following information:– Name– Address– Phone Number– Veteran Status