Paying the RentDesigning State and Local Housing
Subsidy Programs
NAEH Conference February 8, 2007
Michelle Flynn
The Road Home, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Utah Overview
• Population 2.5 million• Highly Urban/ Highly Rural (1.9 million along Wasatch Front)
• Conservative voters/legislators (R-76; D-28)• Fair Market Rent for a 2 Bedroom is $714; a renter
would need to make $14.73/hour; minimum wage is $5.15
• 2006 SL County average rent is $774, up $133 from 2005; vacancy rate is 5%
• Homeless Count – 3,250 PIT;15,000 annual .6% of total population
• 86 % or 2,816 of those are along the Wasatch Front
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Overview of The Road Home
• 5,799 clients served:
• Emergency Shelter (500 / 850 per night)
• Emergency Assistance
• Housing (250 households daily)
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TRH Housing ProgramHousing screening and matching
• Transitional Housing - Approx. 26• Temporary Subsidies (TBRA, private, master
leasing) - Approx. 90• Deposit only - Approx. 50/year• Permanent Supportive Housing (Frontier Apts.
Shelter Plus Care, etc.) - Approx. 50• Other community programs (LifeStart, KRH, etc.) • Moving households directly to the most
permanent option available.
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Temporary Subsidy Programs in Salt Lake County
1. Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (HOME) 2001-07
• $475,000 annually for rental assistance and deposit
• SL County, SL City, West Valley City HOME funds; 90 vouchers
• Service Partner: The Road Home (TRH)• Administrative partners: SL County HA, West
Valley City HA• Rental assistance (up to 24 months) for
homeless individuals or families referred by TRH
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Temporary Subsidy Programs in Salt Lake County p. 2
2. HARP (Homeless Assistance Rental Program) - 2006 • $550,000 in 2007 ($300,000 HOME funds and $250,000
SL County General Funds) • Includes master leasing and tenant leasing• 75 to 80 vouchers• Rental assistance (up to 24 months) for homeless
individuals or families• Limited to referrals by SL County agencies – Criminal
Justice, Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Youth Services
• Case managed by referring agency• More than 50% of referrals must have County Jail
involvement
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Temporary Subsidy Programs in Salt Lake County p. 3
3. New Jan. 2007 - State TBRA from Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund
• $260,000• 40 vouchers split between City and County HA• Targeted populations: chronically homeless individuals or
families; single, female HOH receiving drug & alcohol treatment; youth aging out of foster care; individuals leaving jail or prison; general homeless
• Case management by referring provider
4. New Jan. 2007 State TBRA - Homeless Trust Fund• $40,000 for 5 to 10 vouchers• Mentally ill homeless Individuals discharging directly from
County Jail• Supportive Services by Valley Mental Health
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Temporary Subsidy Programs in Salt Lake County p. 4
5. Pathways Master Leasing • $75,000. 15 Master Leased Units. • Housing 1st for 17 Chronically Homeless
Individuals.• Supportive services by TRH, Valley Mental
Health, Volunteers of America, Fourth Street Clinic
• Pilot project for 10 year plan. Hoping to expand next year.
• All are still housed; senior housing, Shelter Plus Care, permanent supportive housing
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Process for Getting the Funding
• Why did we want this program? We saw families staying in the shelter with primary barrier: lack of resources for deposit/rent
• How did we get it started in 2001?– Bringing key funders to the shelter and
discuss how housing is less expensive and makes more sense
– Appeal to conservative base by focusing on helping families and children in need
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TRH Rental Subsidy ProgramsTenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA)
Program Targeted Population Vouchers Funds
City TBRA General Homeless 20 $75,000
County TBRA General Homeless 40 $300,000
West Valley TBRA General Homeless 20 $100,000
State TBRA Corrections, Substance Abuse, DV, Foster Kids, Chronic 40 (Total) $260,000
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Program Design:Who gets in to the program?
• Assisting the client every step along with way. Review and screen participants. Help match client with units, follow up with landlords. If they won’t be S8 eligible they might not qualify for this program.
• Barred households include: Lifetime sex offenses in the household, some criminal charges, significant money owed to Housing Authority.
• Client must agree to case management• Approx. 56% families; 44% individuals
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Program Design:Program Administration
• The Road Home splits the Admin fee with the Housing Authority
• TRH helps client fill out application, checks it and turns it in to the HA
• TRH fronts the deposit and pro-rate for first month’s rent, sends monthly bill to HA
• HA activates new tenant on TBRA and begins rent payment in 1st full month
• Monthly meetings to reconcile• Challenge of over/under leasing
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Partners Landlords!! Landlords!! Landlords!!
• Without Landlords all deals are off
• Case managers check in with landlords one time each month to follow up on rents, neighbor issues, etc.
• Sometimes negotiate deposits, rents, ending leases early
• Help tenants learn to work with landlords
• Taking Care of Housing First!
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Partners p. 2
• Working with Housing Authorities, funders and other administrative/service partners.
• Working with clients/tenants. Understanding program is temporary and case plans are required.
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Results
• TBRA Works!
• Taking care of HOUSING FIRST!– Priority is helping tenant adhere to terms of
the lease. CM checks to see if rent is paid on time, utilities paid, apartment is kept clean, neighbor issues
– Secondary is other service needs: child care, education, increase in income, referrals for counseling, SA and MH, etc.
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Results p. 2
• Uses existing housing stock in the community – appealing to landlords
• Limits multiple moves for a family, can stay in same home and transfer to a S8
• Increase capacity to serve families without building a bigger shelter
• Decrease length of stay in shelter
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TBRA Works! ResultsTotal Placements (2001-2006) 411
IP=Current Participants 98
PROGRAM EXITS
Shelter Plus Care 45
Section 8 75
Public Housing 11
Mod Rehab 2
Senior Housing 3
Total Permanent Federal Subsidy Exits 136 (43%)
Mental Health, Substance Abuse, FMR 102 (33%)
Deceased 7
Abandoned 9
Eviction 22
Noncompliance 29 (19%)
Overall Success Rate 76%
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What’s working/not working
• Lessons learned: Supportive Services are key• We have a Housing LCSW for extreme mental
health cases and crises• Strong partnerships with Mental Health,
Substance Abuse, Parenting, Domestic Violence • Weekly supervision for all case managers• Monthly check in with landlords• Intensive services after move-in• Must take care of Housing First!
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What to think about when designing your own program?
• How to get the money?• Working with Housing Authorities and
Partners? Existing relationships.• Specifics of the program: client profile, end
goal for client, capacity for administration and case management
• Showing results, outcomes, tracking information, goals for the future
• Remember to Take Care of Housing First!
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Goals: What’s Next
• 10 Year Plan to End Family Homelessness• Sec. 8 Voucher (Housing Authority) Preference
for “graduates” of TBRA programs. Shorten time of the temporary subsidy and with increased turn-over, serve more families with the funding
• Increase community collaborations around chronic families
• Growing supportive services dollars along with rental assistance dollars
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Contact Information:
Michelle C. FlynnAssociate Executive Director of Programs
The Road Home210 South Rio Grande StreetSalt Lake City, Utah 84101
(801) [email protected]
www.theroadhome.orgwww.utahcontinuum.org