# Presentation: 701483

## Housing Strategies        That Work

- Ann V. Denton
- Advocates for Human Potential
- 512.282.1401

## Where is the money?

- “We must build a national campaign to house the poor.  There is plenty of money out there!  We are not short of money.  There’s plenty of money in this country to house the poor.”
- James Rouse
- “We are a disgrace to the free world.”
- 1988

## Permanent Supportive Housing 

- “Improving access to mainstream health and human services that are coordinated with housing for persons who are chronically homeless.”
- Ann O’Hara
- Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.

## Permanent Supportive Housing 

- Permanent Supportive Housing is a concept that includes all forms of housing for people with disabilities.

## Permanent Supportive Housing 

- Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) includes housing assistance designed to make housing affordable to people on SSI.  This includes housing development strategies that result in affordable units and includes the use of rental subsidies.

## Permanent Supportive Housing 

- Permanent Supportive Housing includes funding for supports and services needed and voluntarily accepted by residents of housing.

## What Works

- Know your target population and what they need.
- Use systematic strategies―make a plan that meets the needs of YOUR community.
- Include “mainstream” housing resources as well as HUD McKinney/Vento programs.
- Target Medicaid for services.
- Leverage State/local planning or system change efforts.  Consolidated Planning and Olmstead planning are two examples.
- Use a small wins strategy at first―achieve a modest but feasible goal.

## Poverty and Disability

- The housing problems of people with disabilities are more about poverty than disability.
- People living on SSI incomes or below do not have the resources to afford housing.
- PSH strategies MUST include methods to make  housing affordable.

## Poverty and Disability

*Priced Out in 2002 *study
- SSI housing affordability standard = 30% of income
- Nationally, 105% of SSI needed to rent a one bedroom unit
- Nationally, SSI equal to 18% of median income
- State SSI supplements do not close housing affordability gap

## Subsidized Housing Resources

- HUD McKinney/Vento
- Shelter Plus Care
- Supportive Housing Program
- Section 8 SRO
- Permanent housing bonus – Up to $750,000
- Mainstream housing resources
- Section 8
- HOME
- State/local “bridge subsidies”
- Analysis of resources controlled/influenced at State level

## Two Housing Approaches

- Housing development/rehabilitation
- Complex activity that takes time, expertise, and multiple sources of funding
- Needed in markets with close to 100% occupancy rates
- Creates supply of permanent supportive housing
- New mixed-income approaches
- Rental assistance
- Can be done more quickly with rent subsidies and services funding
- Works best in markets with at least a small vacancy rate in existing units
- Master leasing, scattered-site models, links to mental health bridge subsidies
- _Both_ approaches are important in a long-term plan

## Medicaid

- Must be core component in long-term plan for services
- State Medicaid approaches
- Rehabilitation option
- Medicaid waivers
- Targeting Medicaid for substance abuse services
- Work within budgetary constraints―Lead with our strengths
- Use other services funding (i.e., PATH, SAMHSA block grants) to fill in gaps

## Housing First

- Pathways model
- Capitalize on value of housing as an outreach/engagement tool
- Give people what they need first
- Permanent housing, not transitional or congregate programs
- SSI, Food Stamps
- Have sufficient and flexible services available to support the model.

## Housing First

- Essential Components:
- Choice
- Making housing affordable:  rental subsidies, affordable development
- Services and supports:  intensive, wrap-around approach.

## Examples of Successful Efforts

- District of Columbia―Homeless people with mental illness/co-occurring
- Policy priority for new DMH administration
- New Medicaid Rehab Option approved
- Emphasis on consumer choice/permanent housing
- Rental assistance and housing development strategies
- Maximizing McKinney/Vento permanent housing
- Use of bridge subsidies linked to Section 8
- Involvement of PHA
- Providers with “housing first” expertise.

## Housing Strategies      that Work

- Create a comprehensive plan for permanent supportive housing.  This plan should be written so that it can be included in other housing planning efforts.
- Develop strategic partnerships.

## Housing Strategies      that Work

- Types of strategic partnerships:
- Service provider spins off a CHDO to undertake housing development.
- Consumer group partners with non-profit developer to build small apartment complex.

## Housing Strategies      that Work

- Types of strategic partnerships:
- Homeless coalition creates non-profit organization to manage a service campus.
- Domestic violence shelter partners with banks and for profit developer to build transitional housing for shelter graduates.

## Housing Strategies      that Work

- Types of strategic partnerships:
- A NAMI affiliate works with existing community groups to develop three Section 811 projects.
- Service provider and local government create a rental subsidy program serving a specific target population.

## Housing Strategies      that Work

- Types of strategic partnerships:
- Church group creates CDC to develop a full menu of housing options for users of their emergency assistance programs, including rental subsidies and transitional apartments.

## Housing Strategies          that Work

- Types of strategic partnerships:
- Consumer group works with the national Home of Your Own program to create home ownership opportunities for people on SSI.
- CDC develops 100 units and seeks out a service provider to recruit up to 20 people with mental illness who have rental subsidies to lease units.

## Housing Strategies      that Work

- Types of strategic partnerships:
- Tax credit developer works with a housing authority to identify households with subsidies that can help meet tax credit requirements for low income housing.