Braiding Resources to Collaboratively 

Develop and Strengthen Housing & 

Services Partnerships

January 9, 2023
Welcome

Facilitator

Lori Gerhard

Director, Office of Interagency Innovation

US Dept Health and Human Services (HHS)

Administration for Community Living (ACL)

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Today You Will Discover:

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• Key connection points and approaches for developing partnerships 

between community living support service providers and rental housing 

assistance providers.

• Steps to identify and align funding and programs to create a 

comprehensive service and housing system.

• Key components of the partnership development process and lessons 

learned from other successful models.

• Strategies to strengthen and incentivize collaborations over time.
Instructions for Zoom

Audio Options

• Use your computer speakers, OR dial in using the 

phone number in your registration email.

• All participants are muted.

Questions and Comments

• Please actively use chat throughout the meeting, 

especially for your comments.

• To ask a presenter a question, please use the Q&A 

function.

Or, send your question or comment via email to 

HSRC@ACL.HHS.GOV

This event is being recorded.

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POLL

Does your state or local community have 

partnerships between community living support service 

providers and rental housing assistance providers?

Yes

No

Unsure

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Poll Results

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Federal HHS + HUD Partnership

US Dept. Health and Human Services (HHS)

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Melissa Harris

Deputy Director, Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group (DEHPG)

US Dept. Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Richard Cho

Senior Advisor for Housing and Services, Office of the Secretary 

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Collaborative System for 

Rental Assistance and

Access to Supportive Services

Whitney Joy Howard, Lead Supportive Housing Program Manager, 

Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA), Washington 

State Dept. of Social and Health Services

Pam Parr, Executive Director, Spokane Housing Authority

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Braiding Resources to Collectively Develop 

and Strengthen Housing and Service 

Partnerships 

Home and Community Services Division, Washington State 

Department of Social and Health Services 

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
WA State Home and Community Services

Philosophy

• Most people want to live as independently as

possible for as long as possible.

• ALTSA embraces the belief that individuals

with high care needs can be supported in the

community in a variety of settings by offering

waiver and state plan services that provide

alternatives to institutionalizations.

• Goal: Offer options to individuals requiring

long-term care services in the least restrictive 

setting while honoring client choice and 

preference.

ALTSA Housing Team

• Statewide team of Housing Program

Managers who work to administer

housing resources and Supportive

Housing services to ALTSA eligible

clients.

• Housing team acts as liaisons between

field, various contractors and available

Long-Term Services and Supports.

• Increase housing resources for ALTSA

clients.

11 Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Braiding Resources to Support Person-Centered Services

Participant

Subsidy

Housing

HCBS:

Transition Assistance

In-Home Services

Supportive Housing

12 Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Housing Collaboration Work

13 Washington State Department of Social and Health Services

Collaboration with:

• WA State Housing Trust Fund

• WA State Housing

Finance Commission

• Department of Commerce

• All 37 Public Housing Authorities

throughout WA State

• Local housing developers, nonprofits,

and property management

companies.
HCS Partnership with Spokane Housing Authority

• 2016 – HCS created RFP and accepted Spokane Housing Authority’s (SHA) proposal to

administer the ALTSA subsidy statewide.

• Contract provides administrative fee

• HCS & SHA collaborated to develop a program that could be administered like a Housing

Choice Voucher but incorporated the flexibilities HCS needed.

• Housing Committee established to create exception to policy process

• Contract term is three years. Initial contract $130k/2 years; most recent $8 million/3 years.

14 Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
15 Washington State Department of Social and Health Services

Not you average Housing Authority. . .

• Innovation, collaboration and

flexibility

• Braiding together funding and

programming

• Looking for loopholes
Innovations that Grew out of the Partnership

• User friendly and low barrier application process and timely voucher issuance.

• Centralized subsidy administration statewide.

o Established interlocal agreements with PHAs for local HQS inspections

• Dedicated staff on both HCS and SHA teams focused on ALTSA subsidy.

o Efficient communication and coverage to keep processes moving forward

• HCS provides training and outreach to field staff and contracted providers.

o Creation and sharing of educational materials

o Monthly drop in training sessions

o Quarterly Informational Webinars

o Meeting and trainings with community partners

o Discharge planning conferences

16 Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Panel Discussion - Key Components to Partnership Building

WA State Dept of Social & Health Svc.

Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA)

• Whitney Joy Howard, Lead Supportive Housing Manager

• Jonnie Matson, Housing Program Manager

• Elizabeth Prince, Project Director for Roads to Community Living and

Housing Unit Manager

State/Local Public Housing Agency

• Pam Parr, Executive Director, Spokane Housing Authority

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Landlord Incentives

US Dept Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Nicholas Bilka

Policy Advisor

Office of Housing Voucher Programs

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Housing Choice Voucher 

Landlord Retention and 

Recruitment Resources

Resources for PHAs, Landlords and 

Local Stakeholders

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HCV Landlord Guidebook

• The purpose of the HCV Landlord Strategies Guidebook for PHAs is to share strategies that 

PHAs can implement to improve landlord participation in the HCV program. 

• In an attempt to provide all PHAs regardless of size or location with tools they can use, the 

Guidebook includes a range of strategies that vary in cost and complexity.

The strategies broadly aim to:

• Increase Recruitment

• Increase Retention

• Improve Responsiveness

• Improve Tenant-Landlord Relationship

• Improve Inspections Process

• Minimize Bureaucracy

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What Local Governments Can Do

• Landlord Symposiums

• Damage Mitigation Funds

• Landlord Incentives

• Funding Landlord Liaisons

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Quick Links to HCV Landlord Resources

• HCV Landlord Resources on HUD.gov

• HCV Landlord Resources on HUD Exchange

• HCV Program Landlord Testimonials

• HCV Landlord Strategies Guidebook

• Landlord Participation Research Studies

• Landlord Listening Sessions Summary

• HVC Landlord Symposium Toolkit

• PHAs Role in the HCV Program

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Chat Question

What technical assistance could the HSRC 

create to help support the development of 

rental assistance and supportive service 

partnerships in your state or region?

Please access the chat to submit your response.

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Q & A

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HSRC Website

acl.gov/HousingAndServices/Whats-New

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Upcoming HSRC Webinars

1. Housing & Transportation

2. Forming Partnerships with Continuums of Care (Spring)

The HSRC’s What’s New webpage will be updated with webinar details and registration 

information. Also sign up for ACL Updates so that you can receive immediate notification for 

this and other webinars to come.

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Please complete our short feedback form:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JBYGGZZ

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We want to hear from you! 

Please email us at hsrc@acl.hhs.gov

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Acknowledgment

This presentation was supported by the U.S. Administration for 

Community Living through a contract with Mission Analytics Group, Inc. 

(Contract number HHSP233201500060I) which subcontracted the work 

to USAging. The views expressed do not necessarily represent the 

positions or policies of the Administration for Community Living / 

Department of Health and Human Services.