**SPECIAL** AGENDA AND NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING OF THE LOS ANGELES HOMELESS SERVICES AUTHORITY COMMISSION. Friday, October 17, :00 a.m.

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1 I FAX I TTY **SPECIAL** AGENDA AND NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING OF THE LOS ANGELES HOMELESS SERVICES AUTHORITY COMMISSION Friday, October 17, :00 a.m. Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 811 Wilshire Boulevard, 6 th Floor Los Angeles, CA AGENDA NO. ITEM AND DESCRIPTION PRESENTER PAGE Call to Order/Roll Call/Establishment of Quorum Agenda Items - The public will have an opportunity to speak to any agenda item when the item is called and before action is taken. A Request to Speak Form must be submitted to the Secretary prior to the completion of the agenda item. The Chair will determine the order of speaking and unless the Chair grants more or less time, the speaker s limit is two (2) minutes on each agenda item, subject to the total 20-minute period. 1.0 Consent Calendar (Unless a Commissioner removes an item listed in this section or a Request to Speak form on the item is received by the Chair from a member of the public, this section will be voted upon without debate or presentations.) 1.1 Approve recommendation for the re-assignment of CoC Contracts CA0499L9D and CA0511L9D providing transitional housing for transition age youth from Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to United Friends of the Children (UFC) and authorize the Executive Director to enter into contracts with UFC to operate these projects. 2.0 Approve the threshold evaluation results and hear potential appeals of the 2014 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program New Projects Request for Proposals (RFP). 3.0 Approve the quality evaluation results and hear potential appeals of the 2014 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program New Projects Request for Proposals (RFP). 4.0 Review and approve the Priority Listing for new and renewal projects for the 2014 Continuum of Care Competition application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on behalf of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care. 5.0 Authorize Executive Director to submit the 2014 Continuum of Care Competition application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on behalf of the Los Angeles Continuum of Care. 6.0 Review and approve the Rapid Rehousing Rental Assistance Policy for Homeless Families. Anna Reich Bialik Anna Reich Bialik Josh Decell Nancy Ma Jonni Miller

2 LAHSA Special Commission Agenda Friday, October 17, NOTICE OF CLOSED SESSION - PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT (Government Code Section (b)(1)) Commissioner Morrison Consideration for the Position of Executive Director Reconvene from Closed Session 8.0 Report on Closed Session Commissioner Morrison 9.0 Public Participation Each Public Participant speaker is limited to three (3) minutes and may address any topic within the Commission s jurisdiction. A Request to Speak Form must be filled out and submitted to the Secretary prior to the beginning of Public Participation. Subject to the total 20-minute period, each Public Participation speaker is limited to three (3) minutes. Adjournment Packets of materials on agenda items are available to the public during normal business hours at 811 Wilshire Boulevard, 6 th Floor, Los Angeles, CA For further information, you may call Upon request, sign language interpreters, materials in alternative formats and other accommodations are available to the public for LAHSA meetings. All requests for reasonable accommodations must be made at least three working days (72 Hours) in advance of the scheduled meeting date. For additional information, contact LAHSA at (213) or TTY (213)

3 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 811 Wilshire Blvd., 6 th Floor Los Angeles, CA Ph: Fax: TTY: MEMO To: Finance, Contracts and Grants Management Committee From: Daniel Fisher, Acting Director of Programs Date: October 10, 2014 CC: Re: Michael Arnold, Executive Director Authorization for Re-assignment of 2 Continuum of Care (CoC) Transitional Housing Projects Staff Recommendation: Approve recommendation to the Commission for the re-assignment of CoC Contracts CA0499L9D and CA0511L9D providing transitional housing for transition age youth from Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to United Friends of the Children (UFC) and authorize the Executive Director to enter into contracts with UFC to operate these projects. Background: Last year DCFS requested LAHSA s assistance in identifying qualified transition age youth (TAY) providers to operate the ten scattered site transitional housing projects that have been operated by the Department since the late 1990s. A workgroup was formed with DCFS and the Community Development Commission (CDC) to look into key issues that would be involved in transferring these HUD grants to qualified nonprofit providers of services to homeless youth. One of the issues identified was that a number of the scattered site units being used by DCFS for this transitional housing were properties developed with County funds and were committed for continued use as transitional housing for TAY youth by the Board of Supervisors. The majority of these units exist in properties that are managed and operated by UFC. Justification: In order to preserve these units for the provision of transitional housing to homeless TAY youth, United Friends of the Children has agreed to accept the assignment of these two CoC Subrecipient agreements and to operate these transitional housing programs. LAHSA has contracted with UFC for the provision of transitional housing services under the Independent Living Program (ILP) since the program s inception in 2004, and UFC is a well-respected provider of services to homeless transition age youth that has the administrative, fiscal and programmatic capacity to provide high quality housing and services under these contracts. Therefore staff recommends the approval of the re-assignment of these CoC subrecipient contracts to United Friends of the Children and requests authorization to enter into contracts with UFC to start November 1, 2014 in the remaining grant amounts indicated in the table below. Grant/Contract Number CoC Grant Start Date UFC Contract Term Total Amount Not to Exceed CAO499L9D to $60,506 CAO511L9D to $117,024 Staff has determined that administrative funding associated with these grants is adequate to cover LAHSA s administrative costs. - A Joint Authority Created by the City and County of Los Angeles

4 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 811 Wilshire Blvd., 6 th Floor Los Angeles, CA Ph: Fax: TTY: MEMO To: LAHSA Commission From: Anna Reich Bialik, Interim Funding Manager Date: October 17, 2014 G. Michael Arnold, Executive Director CC: Daniel Fisher, Interim Director of Programs Threshold Evaluation Results for the 2014 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Re: New Projects Request for Proposals (RFP) Commission Action Requested: Approve the threshold evaluation results for the 2014 CoC New Projects Request for Proposals and staff s recommendations regarding submitted appeals of those results. Background: HUD released the 2014 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Continuum of Care Program on September 16, 2014 with a deadline for the submission of applications by October 30, The 2014 NOFA allows CoCs to make funding available through reallocation for new Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) projects to serve chronically homeless individuals and families and new Rapid Re-Housing projects serving homeless families who are living on the street or in an emergency shelter. HUD also made funding available for a Permanent Supportive Housing Bonus project. LAHSA released the 2014 CoC New Projects Request for Proposals on September 19, 2014, and held a pre-proposal conference on September 23, The original deadline for the submission of new project proposals to LAHSA was Tuesday, September 30, 2014 at 3:00PM; the deadline was extended by two hours to 5:00PM on the same day due to technical difficulties. Threshold Evaluation Criteria: The 2014 CoC New Projects RFP established threshold criteria to ensure that submitted proposals met the basic requirements of the RFP, have the potential to be successful in the subsequent national competition and can successfully operate the program if awarded funding. The Threshold Criteria outlined in the RFP include: Completeness All required application documents are submitted. Target Population The project proposes to serve an eligible population as defined in the RFP. Housing Type The project proposes to provide an eligible housing type as defined in the RFP. Housing Emphasis - The amounts budgeted for financial/rental assistance meet the minimum caps set by HUD. Housing First All proposed projects adhere to the Housing First model of housing assistance as defined by HUD. - A Joint Authority Created by the City and County of Los Angeles

5 Coordinated Entry Participation Proposers must provide documentation and endorsement from the appropriate CES/HFSS system ensuring that individuals/families served will be identified and prioritized for housing and services through those systems. Experience - The proposer must have the minimum amount of experience required to be an eligible applicant as defined in the RFP. Past Compliance The proposer must have no outstanding monitoring or compliance findings. HMIS - Proposers must participate in the LA CoC HMIS implemented by LAHSA, or a comparable HUD approved system. Threshold Evaluation Results: As detailed in the attached table, LAHSA received a total of 29 proposals, 15 were submitted for Permanent Supportive Housing and 14 were submitted for Rapid Re-Housing projects. There were no proposals submitted for the Permanent Supportive Housing Bonus project. Based upon an evaluation of the criteria detailed above, it was determined that 1 of the 15 PSH proposals did not pass threshold, and 6 of the 14 RRH proposals did not pass threshold. Appeals: LAHSA received three letters from proposers who did not pass the Threshold Review phase of the competition. Weingart Center Association appealed based on their assessment that the reasons for the elimination of the submitted proposal would have been, in the past, addressed in the quality review phase, and not at threshold. The Whole Child requested the opportunity to resubmit the areas of the application that did not meet threshold. Los Angeles House of Ruth asserted that they do not agree with the threshold results and that specific areas of the application were submitted in error and do not represent the intentions of the organization. Staff Recommendations: Staff recommends the approval of the Threshold Review Results as attached to this memorandum and the denial of the appeal as there were no procedural errors in the Threshold Review Process. RFP Timeline & Next Steps September 19, 2014 Tuesday, September 23, 2014 Thursday, September 25, pm, Monday, September 30, 2014 October 10, October 17, 2014 October 17, 2014 October 17, 2014 October 30, 2014 RFP is Released Proposer s Conference & Questions due to LAHSA Q&A Released Proposals due to LAHSA Threshold Results presented at Commission for Approval Quality Recommendations Finalized Quality Results presented to Commission for Approval Deadline for Submission to HUD - A Joint Authority Created by the City and County of Los Angeles

6 FY2014 CoC Program RFP Threshold Results Number of Proposals Received and Passed, Appeals Received Subrecipient Project Type Number of Units Number of Beds Service Planning Area Proposal Request Threshold Deficiencies Threshold Result Appeal Submitted? Was Appeal process based? St. Joseph s Center PSH ,960 The Whole Child PSH ,196 Code of Conduct Submission Union Station Homeless Services PSH ,000 Mental Health America of Los Angeles PSH ,997 Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health PSH ,5,6,7,8 1,299,600 Ocean Park Community Center PSH ,840 Motor Cycle Riders for Homeless Parolee s PSH ,000,000 -Core Documents not submitted -A-2 was not submitted FAIL NO N/A Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health PSH , 4A-C, 5,6,8 1,299,600 PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) PSH ,960 Los Angeles Family Housing Corporation PSH ,189,968 SRO Housing Corporation PSH ,680 Special Services for Groups PSH ,500 St. Joseph Center PSH ,600 Step Up On Second PSH A-C 537,600 San Fernando Valley Community Mental Health Center PSH ,3 571,260 1 P age

7 FY2014 CoC Program RFP Threshold Results Number of Proposals Received and Passed, Appeals Received L.A. Family Housing Corporation RRH ,659 PATH (People Assisting The Homeless) RRH A-C 400,000 Special Services for Groups RRH ,382 Upward Bound House RRH ,674 Antelope Valley Domestic Violence Council RRH ,000/ TOT Housing Solution, INC. RRH ,740,000 Missing documents A-5, A-7, A-8, A-9. A-10, A-11, SF-424, CoC Integration Memo FAIL NO N/A Testimonial Community Love Center RRH ,095 Harbor Interfaith Services, Inc.-- with Interval House RRH ,790 St. Joseph Center RRH ,884 Weingart Center Association RRH A 495,854 Integrated Recovery Network RRH ,000 -Proposed to serve individuals/families coming from TH. -Program design not consistent with Housing First Model. A-2 was not submitted FAIL YES YES FAIL NO N/A Minesterios Vida Nueva Encontre En Cristo Jesus Los Angeles House of Ruth RRH blank 50 4A-C, 5, 6,7,8 250,000 RRH C 325,000 No Application documents or Core Documents submitted in Fileshare FAIL NO N/A -Proposed under an ineligible Applicant -Proposed to Serve families coming from Transitional Housing. -Program design not consistent with Housing First Model FAIL YES NO The Whole Child RRH ,148 -Proposed to Serve 20% from TH -Program Design Inconsistent with Housing First Model -Budget proposes less than 80% dedicated to R.A. FAIL YES NO 2 P age

8 Weingart Center Item 2.0 (2) The Mission of the Weingart Center is to empower and transform lives by delivering innovative solutions to combat poverty and break the cycle of homelessness. October 8, 2014 Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) Programs & Evaluations Committee 811 Wilshire Blvd., 6th Floor Los Angeles, CA RE: 2014 Continuum of Care Program New Projects Request for Proposals Threshold Review Results The Weingart Center Association, hereafter referred to as WCA is appealing LAHSA's threshold decision in the correspondence dated October 7, We believe that LAHSA in error in eliminating WCA's project from the competition at threshold. In LAHSA's past processes, the detailed reasons of this elimination would have specifically been addressed at the quality review phase and not at threshold and for this reason, we are appealing. To address the specifics in this document, it was stated that WCA did not meet threshold for the following reasons: 1. Proposes to serve families/individuals residing in Transitional Housing LAHSA made reference to the following: Per Section I-D of the RFP all families served under the RRH program component must be coming from a place not meant for human habitation or an emergency shelter. WCA proposed that, WCA's goal is to establish a RRH program that will provide a full spectrum, One-Stop-Shop Services Center for homeless families. (SEE Survey 3, Question 28) and Community Services and Outreach Division, which provides targeted outreach services for the most vulnerable population living on the streets of Los Angeles. (SEE Survey 3, Question 29). WCA believes that this is a clear indication that the program would focus on the eligible populations as stated in the RFP. In addition, WCA is a current HFSS provider in SPA 6, which is providing services to the same population. 2. Program Design is not consistent with Housing First LAHSA made reference to the following: Section E.2.4.d of the FY2014 CoC Program Competition states: (d) New Rapid re-housing projects created through the reallocation must serve households with children coming from the streets or emergency shelters and may include in part or whole, victims of domestic violence; however, those participants must meet the all other criteria for this type of housing (i.e.., household with children who enter directly from the streets or emergency shelter). Persons coming from transitional housing projects are not eligible. WCA proposed that, WCA currently serves households using a housing first model. If a family presents that is experiencing homelessness, the first attempt to place in crisis housing (or motel voucher) or transitional housing to immediately place the eligible family into a safe environment. During this short stay, the families will be further assessed to determine if they are eligible and appropriate for additional direct financial assistance. If they are appropriate for move in or rental assistance, the FSC staff will coordinate that process with landlord, identify an appropriate unit, and facilitate move-in. ((SEE Survey 2, Question 35). 566 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA Phone: Fax: weingart.org

9 WCA s approach in serving all families is to focus on first addressing the immediate need of homelessness by using several methods to be sure families are safe including crisis housing, motel voucher or transitional housing. Next steps would specifically assess all programs that a family would be eligible for, i.e., RRH would be one of those programs. If the ability to connect homeless families to permanent supportive housing is readily available, it would be the most used approach. The urgency of the family s situation would the determination. We believe that this clarification would be sufficient to overrule the decision to eliminate WCA from the competition and would ask for reconsideration. If there are any other clarifying questions, please feel free to contact Monica Guthrie-Davis at or via at monicad@weingart.org or Qualena McClung at or via at qualenam@weingart.org. Respectfully submitted, Sen. Kevin Murray (ret.) President/CEO

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12 Los Angeles House of Ruth PO Box Los Angeles, California October 8, 2014 Chair, Programs and Evaluation Committee Re: RFP Appeals (FY2014 CoC Program New Projects) Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority 811 Wilshire Blvd. 6th Floor Los Angeles, CA Dear Chair, Programs and Evaluation Committee: We are writing you today to appeal to the letter sent October 7, 2014 that stated that Los Angeles House of Ruth s application for the 2014 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program New Project Request for Rapid Rehousing Funds did not meet LAHSA s threshold criteria as listed in the RFP. We believe that we did indeed meet the threshold criteria and will address the following issues below. Please reconsider our request and our long standing history and success in helping families with children find rapid rehousing opportunities. Without these funds, many more families with children will be left without a roof over their head. As detailed in the letter, it was stated that Los Angeles House of Ruth did not meet threshold for the following reasons which we will address individually: 1. Proposed under an Ineligible Applicant for RRH. ACTUAL: According to the 2014 Continuum of Care (CoC) Program New Project Request RFP, Part C page 4 says "Eligible applicants for new RRH projects are nonprofit organizations applying as a subrecipient directly under LAHSA. Subrecipients applying for RRH must be within the boundaries of the County of Los Angeles." We are a non-profit organization applying as a subrecipient directly under LAHSA so we should be eligible to apply. 2. Proposed to serve chronically homeless families in a RRH Program. Actual: The webinar on Sept 23rd stated that all applicants must select CH beds when the option was listed to choose CH bed or non CH beds, so for the Worksheet we selected CH beds. On worksheet 5B of Workbook Part I-A4 under Project Participants Subpopulation, the excel charts do not have an option for literally homeless and only allow for us to choose Chronically homeless as an option for the area to show who we will serve under Persons in Households with at Least One Adult and One Child. However, this may have been misleading and throughout our narrative and program design, we state several times that we serve families only families with children as our main focus and we WILL serve only literally homeless families coming from the streets or emergency shelters and prioritized through the HFSS with RRH funds as eligible through this RFP. 3. Project will only prioritize referrals from the HFSS, Project has no real linkage with current system As stated on page 4 of the RFP, a priority of the RRH funds is to they must be prioritized through the HFSS. Our application stated that we would to exactly that. Los Angeles House of Ruth has worked with LAHSA for many years, has an MOU with our FSC in SPA 4 PATH, and has worked within the current system successful providing rapid rehousing services for homeless

13 Los Angeles House of Ruth PO Box Los Angeles, California families for years. Our MOU with the FSC in SPA 4 and our relationship with placing families with their assistance in rapid rehousing, indeed shows that we do indeed have a linkage with the Homeless Family Solutions System. 4. Project is not consistent with Housing First model: Page 6 of the RFP states that RRH follows a Housing First approach to help homeless families re house into community based units that they will retain after exiting the program. Here is what was written in our application "RRH is an extension of the model of Housing First that we have used for many years. We do not need to adapt, we are extremely successful in placing chronically homeless families in housing and assisting them in reaching their goals and maintaining their housing in the process. Families will be worked with on an individual manner." We use the Housing First method to determine our project goals. Through our case management services and the Individualized Case Plan, we are able to identify the barriers and issues that have led the family to homelessness and move the family into permanent housing. We have successfully utilized the Housing First model for years and in our application our narrative should have demonstrated this success. 5. Proposed to serve families from Transitional Housing. In our application, we did NOT propose to serve families from Transitional Housing in our application. We stated that 75% of families would come from emergency shelters and 25% of families we would serve would come directly from the streets. These are real numbers and we have several referrals from emergency housing on a regular basis. We would rely on the HFSS and FSC to help with referrals from either the emergency shelters or the streets to prioritize who we would serve first. Our agency does provide Transitional Housing as a separate program from this one and the RRH funds would NOT be used to serve families in Transitional housing and ONLY will be used for any families coming directly from the streets or from emergency shelters to be rapidly rehoused. We hope that addressing these threshold issues has shown your committee that our proposal is indeed in line with the goals and priorities of the RRH Program Component of the New Projects RFP. Our proposed LAHR Ruth Rapid Rehousing Program WILL serve families experiencing literal homelessness and coming from the streets or emergency shelter only; WILL prioritize highest need through HFSS; and WILL follow a Housing First model. Our 36 year history of serving homeless families and our goals to work within the HFSS to rapidly rehouse families with these funds should show you that we DO meet the threshold and allow us to continue on in the application process to Quality Review to be scored among similar proposals. Please let us know if we can answer any additional questions. Best, Jennifer Gaeta Executive Director, Los Angeles House of Ruth

14 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 811 Wilshire Blvd., 6 th Floor Los Angeles, CA Ph: Fax: TTY: MEMO To: Los Angeles Homeless Services Commission From: Jonni Miller, MSW, Family Systems Integration Manager Date: October 17, 2014 G. Michael Arnold, Executive Director Cc: Daniel Fisher, Acting Director of Programs Clementina Verjan, Acting Director of Policy and Planning Recommendation to Approve a Continuum of Care Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Policy for Re: Homeless Families Staff Recommendation: LAHSA staff recommends that the LAHSA Commission adopt the proposed LA Continuum of Care Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Policy for Homeless Families. Background: HUD CFR (Emergency Solutions Grant) requires that Continuums of Care develop written policies and procedures for determining and prioritizing which eligible families will receive Emergency Solutions Grant rapid re-housing assistance, as well as the amount or percentage of rent that each program participant must pay. The policies and procedures must also outline the maximum amount or percent of rental assistance that a program participant may receive. The Family Solutions Centers, funded primarily through City and County of Los Angeles Emergency Solutions Grant, implemented a policy in September 2013 that provided homeless families with low to moderate barriers to securing and retaining permanent housing rental assistance for up to six months with the possibility for an extension of up to a total of nine months in extenuating circumstances. The maximum rental subsidy was capped at 100% and 75% depending upon the number of months of assistance received and FSC providers were trained to utilize a step down approach when developing the rental assistance plan with the family. This policy has ensured the fair, equitable and standardized approach to the provision of rental assistance while still allowing providers the needed flexibility in creating a rental assistance plan which would best meet the needs of families. The policy also allowed service providers to utilize rental assistance from other funding streams immediately to or just following the issuance of ESG rental assistance. In 2014, funding for FSC-provided rental assistance was expanded through an infusion of funds from the Department of Public Social Services CalWORKs/GAIN program. These rental assistance funds were incorporated into FSC Rental Assistance Policy from the operating years However, DPSS limits the maximum number of months of rental assistance to four. During the 2014 HUD Notice of Funding Availability, HUD allowed Continuums to create rapid rehousing projects through two new processes: reclassification and reallocation of Continuum of Care Programs. This allowed LAHSA to work with family homeless services providers to create approximately $2 million in rapid re-housing programs through reclassification and $1.4 million - A Joint Authority Created by the City and County of Los Angeles

15 through reallocation. Similar to the requirements of CFR (Emergency Solutions Grant), HUD CFR (Continuum of Care Programs) requires Continuums of Care to develop written policies and procedures for determining and prioritizing which eligible families will receive Continuum of Care rapid re-housing assistance, the amount or percentage of rent that each program participant must pay and also outlines the maximum amount or percent of rental assistance that a program participant may receive. The Continuum of Care Rapid Re-Housing Program caps the maximum number of months that families may receive rental assistance to 24 months. This funding creates an opportunity to expand the length of time that a family is able to receive rental assistance allowing our homeless family system of care to provide rapid re-housing rental assistance to families who have greater barriers to securing and retaining permanent housing. Under the Continuum of Care Rapid Re- Housing Program, families may receive up to 18 months of rental assistance with the possibility of a six-month extension in extenuating circumstances. The maximum level of monthly subsidy is set at a level similar to that of the DPSS and Emergency Solutions Grants rental subsidy with a 50% maximum rental subsidy level starting in month nine. CFR outlines the process for determining the maximum contribution of rent that a family is required to pay while participating in a Continuum of Care Program. Integral to the success of a rapid re-housing program is the concept of progressive engagement which encourages a stepped approach to rental assistance. In order to allow rapid re-housing providers to deviate from this caps outlined in HUD and to implement rapid re-housing programs with a progressive engagement approach, HUD has allowed providers to adopt a Continuum approved rental assistance policy which can be utilized instead of the methods of calculating rent outlined in CFR To ensure a coordinated and standardized approach to the utilization of rental assistance, LAHSA is recommending that the Commission adopt a rental assistance policy applicable to all LAHSA rapid re-housing programs providing rental assistance to homeless families and not to just the HUD funded rapid re-housing programs. This will help to ensure that all rapid re-housing rental assistance funding is utilized in an equitable and standardized manner. The suggested Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Policy for Homeless Families is built upon the rental assistance policy utilized by the Family Solutions Centers. The Policy creates a tiered approach to the provision of rapid re-housing rental assistance, ensuring that rental assistance is provided in an equitable and standardized manner throughout the Continuum while still allowing a level of flexibility in the creation of a family s rental assistance plan. Justification: HUD CFR and requires that Continuums of Care develop written policies and procedures for determining and prioritizing which eligible families will receive rapid re-housing assistance, as well as the amount or percentage of rent that each program participant must pay. The policies and procedures must also outline the maximum amount or percent of rental assistance that a program participant may receive. The proposed Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Policy for Homeless Families will ensure an equitable and standardized approach to providing rental assistance while still allowing service providers some flexibility in developing rental assistance plans which will best meet the needs of the diverse array of homeless families in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care. - A Joint Authority Created by the City and County of Los Angeles

16 Policy: Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Policy for Homeless Families Submitted By : Jonni Miller, Family System Integration Manager, Programs Department Continuum of Care Policies and Procedures Submission Date 10/8/2014 Approval Date General: Policy Rapid re-housing programs administered through the LAHSA target families that are literally homeless and have income at or below set Area Median Income (AMI) requirements. Rapid re-housing programs will serve homeless families who have a diverse array of challenges to stabilizing their housing crisis and to securing permanent housing but who, through accessing community-based services for additional supportive service needs will secure an income adequate to maintain permanent housing at the conclusion of the program. Families are connected to an appropriate sized rapid re-housing program based on an initial, standardized assessment process. Families are connected to those programs which will most likely help address their housing crisis for the long-term Families which cannot reasonably be expected to achieve stability within the timeframe of the specific rapid re-housing program should be referred to other, more appropriate permanent housing opportunities such as service enriched housing. To ensure the coordinated and systematic utilization of resources available for homeless families living in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, LAHSA has developed a tiered approach to the use of rapid re-housing rental assistance. This tiered approach provides the Continuum with a spectrum of rapid re-housing rental assistance programs in order to target appropriate levels of assistance to best meet the needs of LA s diverse homeless family population. This policy applies to rapid re-housing rental assistance payments from the following funding streams: I. City and County of Los Angeles Emergency Solutions Grant: Rapid Re-Housing II. County of Los Angeles Department of Public Social Services CalWORKs Housing Assistance Programs for Families Participating in Welfare-to-Work III. Continuum of Care Rapid Re-Housing Programs I. Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Rapid Re-Housing Eligible homeless families may receive rental assistance for up to six months. Rental subsidies up to 100% of the contracted rent amount may be provided in months 1-3. Rental subsidies provided in months 4-6 cannot exceed 75% of the contracted rent. This maximum subsidy level is designed to allow rapid re-housing service providers maximum ability in setting rental assistance subsidies based on progressive engagement strategies. Rapid rehousing staff will institute tapering or stepped-down rental assistance structures so families will be confident they can take assume full responsibility of the monthly contracted rent, monthly utility costs, and other essential household costs at the end of the rental assistance period. ESG rental assistance may be provided in conjunction with rental assistance available from other funding sources by being issued prior to or just following another rapid re-housing subsidy. ESG assistance should be coordinated with the other subsidy by being issued at the same assistance rate or by beginning a step-down approach in conjunction with the other subsidy. The need for ongoing assistance must be assessed approximately every 90-days.

17 Request for Extension Extensions for assistance may be issued by LAHSA when extenuating circumstances arise that require additional assistance. LAHSA will consider, on a case-by-case basis, extensions of rental assistance for up to an additional 3 months for a maximum subsidy period of 9 months. Requests for extensions will require a clear plan to ensure that the family remains stably housed after the rental assistance period ends. Rental assistance in months 7-9, if approved, must be tapering or stepped-down rent subsidies with the understanding that the family can take over the entire rent at the end of the rental assistance period or that they will be transitioned to another housing option (including crisis housing). The subsidy in months 7-9 cannot exceed 75% of the contracted rent amount. Targeted Population for ESG Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance This rental subsidy targets families with low to moderate barriers to securing and retaining permanent housing and who would be homeless but for this assistance. Families require minimal service intervention and limited financial assistance in order to secure and stabilize in permanent housing. Eligibility for ESG Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Families must meet the following eligibility requirements: Be living in a place not meant for human habitation or residing in crisis housing, emergency shelter or transitional housing Have income at or below the set Area Median Income for this funding stream at program enrollment II. DPSS CalWORKs Housing Assistance Program for Welfare-to-Work Families Eligible CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work participating homeless families may receive rental assistance for up to 4 months. Rental subsidies up to 100% of the contracted rent amount may be provided in months 1-3. The rental subsidy provided in month 4 cannot exceed 75% of the contracted rent. This maximum subsidy level is designed to allow rapid re-housing service providers maximum ability in setting rental assistance subsidies based on progressive engagement strategies. Rapid re-housing staff will institute tapering or stepped-down rental assistance structures so families will be confident they can take assume full responsibility of the monthly contracted rent, monthly utility costs, and other essential household costs at the end of the rental assistance period. DPSS funded rental assistance may be provided in conjunction with rental assistance available from other funding sources by being issued prior to or just following another rapid re-housing subsidy. Housing Stabilization Program rental assistance should be coordinated with the other subsidy by being issued at the same assistance rate or by beginning a step-down approach in conjunction with the other subsidy. The need for ongoing assistance must be assessed approximately every 90-days. Request for Extension The number of months of available assistance under the DPSS CalWORKs Housing Assistance Program for Welfareto-Work families is limited to four months and cannot be extended. Targeted Population for Housing Assistance Program Assistance This rental subsidy targets families with low to moderate barriers to securing and retaining permanent housing and who would be homeless but for this assistance. Families require minimal service intervention and limited financial assistance in order to secure and stabilize in permanent housing. Eligibility for Housing Assistance Program Rental Assistance Families must meet the following eligibility requirements:

18 Be living in a place not mean for human habitation, residing in crisis housing, emergency shelter or transitional housing, temporarily staying with family/friends, or being evicted from a permanent housing situation Have income that does not exceed the minimum payment standard for DPSS (verification of eligibility to be provided by DPSS) Have time remaining in the DPSS 4-month housing assistance program III. Continuum of Care Rapid Re-Housing Programs CoC funded rapid re-housing programs may require program participants to pay a greater contribution towards the monthly contracted rent than the limits as outlined in HUD CFR provided that the program utilizes the policies and practices as outlined in this policy. Eligible homeless families may receive rental assistance for up to 18 months. Rental subsidies up to 100% of the contracted rent amount may be provided in months 1-3. Rental subsidies provided in months 4-9 cannot exceed 75% of the contracted rent. Rental subsidies in month 10 through duration of program participation cannot exceed 50% of the contracted rent. This maximum subsidy level is designed to allow rapid re-housing service providers maximum ability in setting rental assistance subsidies based on progressive engagement strategies. Rapid re-housing staff will institute tapering or stepped-down rental assistance structures so families will be confident they can take assume full responsibility of the monthly contracted rent, monthly utility costs, and other essential household costs at the end of the rental assistance period. The need for ongoing assistance must be assessed approximately every 90-days. Request for Extension Extensions for assistance may be issued by LAHSA when extenuating circumstances arise that requires additional assistance. LAHSA will consider, on a case-by-case basis, requests for extension of rental assistance for up to an additional 6 months for a maximum subsidy period of 24 months. Requests for extensions will require a clear plan to ensure that the family remains stably housed after the rental assistance period ends. Rental assistance in months 18-24, if approved, must be tapering or stepped-down subsidies with the understanding that the family can take over the entire rent at the end of the rental assistance period or that they will be transitioned to another housing option (including crisis housing). The subsidy in months cannot exceed 50% of the contracted rent amount. Targeted Population for CoC Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Families who experience moderate to high barriers to securing and retaining housing which require more intensive service interventions and a medium-term rental subsidy in order to stabilize in permanent housing. Families will have multiple barriers to housing that often require longer periods of time to resolve. Families must be literally homeless or residing in an emergency shelter or short-term crisis housing. Families residing in transitional or medium-term crisis housing will not be eligible for CoC Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance. Eligibility for CoC Rapid Re-Housing Rental Assistance Families must meet the following eligibility requirements: Be living in a place not meant for human habitation or residing in short-term crisis housing, or emergency shelter. Families residing in medium-term crisis housing or transitional housing are not eligible for CoC Rapid Re-Housing Have income at or below the set Area Median Income for this funding stream at program enrollment