Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable Housing Update March 11 th, 2013-April 7 th, 2013 April 8th, 2013

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1 Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable Housing Update March 11 th, 2013-April 7 th, 2013 April 8th, 2013 A/TCRRT Housing Activities Highlights for March 10 th, 2013-April 7 th, 2013: Update: A/TCRRT/ECHO Transition Planning for Homeless Persons from Correctional Settings Initiative (Phase 1: Jan- August 2012; Phase 2 Oct 2012-Sept 2013) Researching best practices on utilization of housing specialists as well as how organizations are currently using this strategy in Austin : attending meeting with representatives of ARCH, Salvation Army and TC Jail to discuss ways they can strengthen their working relationships. Update on ECHO Housing Work Group (which includes housing planning for reentry population): : ECHO Housing WG Key Highlights (Next meeting is ): (meets the third Wednesday of the month, 9a-11a, NHCD, 1000 E. 11 th St., 4 th Floor Conference Room) Veterans Housing Task Group: Michael Roth, Chair, x1326 Michaelr@hacanet.org Developing a landlord outreach for landlords currently taking VASH vouchers as well as a separate event to invite potential new landlords to network with/hear from landlords who are having success with taking veterans on VASH vouchers (July) Completing a VASH voucher best practice review Asking ECHO to develop a strategy to reach out to housing locators and corporate landlords to explore ways to incentivize serving veterans. HACA received an invitation to attend a national VASH Boot Camp in Tampa, Florida this month and we will be sending an Austin team ; will be sharing our boot camp experience as well as progress made in getting homeless veterans into housing using VASH vouchers and gathering information on strategies used across the country Employment and Income Stability Committee: Co-Chairs: Steve Kaiven, Chair, steven.kaiven@austingoodwill.org and Pete Salazar (psalazar@caritasofaustin.org (Meet the 2 nd Tuesday of the month@ Goodwill on Chicon ) Interested in working with ECHO assistance to develop a possible pilot project to share job leads for hard to employ persons Prevention Task Group: Co-Chairs: Jill Smith (jill.smith@co.travis.tx.us) and Dawn Perkins (dawn.perkins@austintexas.gov); Meet the second Thursday of the month, SafePlace) No update ECHO Updates: SOAR Training: first training was being held on March 21 st -22 nd and a second one scheduled for June 13 th -14th at Skyline Terrace; Lourdes Flores also gave an update on the first three SOAR applications that she is tracking. PSH Program Contacts List: ECHO has created a contact list for all case managers providing services in PSH> Volunteer Appreciation Event Announcement/Reminder: was held the night of the work group meeting. Affordable Housing Bond Update: Ann reported that an awareness campaign will be launched on April 10 th and she will send more information/details. They are raising funding to help develop materials for this awareness campaign. Update/Discussion: Continuum of Care Funding: Celebrating our Progress/Setting the Stage for Next Year HUD announced that we will be receiving funding for all Tier 1 Renewal programs; the bonus funding announcement will be later this spring. (see below and appendix for programs receiving funding). ECHO Coordinated Assessment Initiative: First Steering Committee held HUD TA being provided by a contractor with Corporation for Supportive Housing. Sandra Eames is representing the RRT on the Steering Committee A/TCRRT Housing Report

2 April 17 th, 10a-12p: Prioritizing Access to PSH : the second half of the ECHO Housing Work Group meeting will be a key conversation with PSH providers and stakeholders (with the HUD technical assistance provider) regarding Prioritizing Access to PSH. The purpose of the discussion will be to review the status of existing PSH/frequent users/vulnerable population initiatives, explore challenges and barriers that have surfaced, and how to move forward towards a community-wide system of prioritized access to PSH. The meeting will be held at NHCD, 1000 E. 11 th, 4 th floor conference room. April 17 th, 2p-4:30p: Rapid Rehousing : While the TA provider is in town, another meeting will be held to discuss to explore what rapid re-housing currently looks like in Austin, review some of the emerging best practices from other communities around the country, and discuss whether there might be a way to streamline and enhance the variety of existing programs in Austin with the goal of easing administration and improving outcomes For more info about this initiative or these meetings, contact Ann Howard or Jessie Aric of ECHO: annhoward@austinecho.org or jessiearic@austinecho.org) Permanent Supportive Housing Updates: TC CJP Justice Reinvestment Grant: 22 Units of PSH for Frequent Users of Jail: o No update. Contact Cathy McClaugherty for any additional information: cathy.mcclaugherty@co.travis.tx.us : HUD Renewals for Continuum of Care (through ECHO): HUD announced that all of Austin's Tier 1 renewals will continue to be funded by HUD. The notice also states that HUD will award additional grant funding in the coming year (to fund Tier 2 projects). Our 20 renewal projects total $5,118,195 and provides funding for 175 units of PSH, 71 units of transitional housing, and 127 housing vouchers (for a total of 373 units of housing). See appendix for listing of specific projects. Other Stories in the News Regarding Housing Issues: Dallas County working with Avalon Corrections to build a new halfway house in Dallas that is funded by TDCJ. They were unable to find an appropriate siting for such as this and approached with the county to utilize a 10 acre track at a local state jail area. Unsure if or when they may be losing the existing one which would be a big impact: New study on Pennsylvania halfway house outcomes by Penn. Dept of Corrections: Released in February 2013, this study examines rearrest/reincarceration/recidivism for Penn but includes measuring outcomes for all halfway houses (operated under contract or by the state) and by counties and cities. News articles in the northeast are focusing on the negative outcomes around the halfway houses: Link to Study: Update on Boarding Home Conversations Across the State: San Antonio launched its boarding home ordinance last fall and gave providers until March 1 st to register (with incentives built in for retrofitting for sprinklers). Only 31 boarding homes were registered by that deadline. The city had, however, inspected over 200 possible boarding homes since the ordinance went into effect. Of those 200 boarding homes visited, they identified only 50 that met their ordinance definition of a board home. Three boarding homes failed to respond to letters and they are moving forward with legal action to close them down (if they are still in existence). This news article interviews some of the providers who are complying and registering but challenges are identified including how most boarding home providers rent their housing and when they approach the owner of the property regarding the need to install sprinkler systems to comply, they are passing on those costs to the provider with increase rents which means they are having to increase their rents as well. Links to News Articles: o o Legislative/Policy Advocacy Update Related to Housing Issues (See Page 7 for Related Handout): : HB 691: Hearing held (start at 1:23 thru 2:18); this bill would allow for cities and counties to regulate halfway houses that serve persons on probation or parole (and does not have an existing contract with either). There was a substitute A/TCRRT Housing Report

3 of the bill (to comply with the Taylor amendment ); Several RRT partners testified (Jason Howell, Marc Levin, Jorge Renaud); was left pending in committee; working with partners to develop strategy to monitor its progress (Rep. Garnet Coleman is chair of the committee). Has not had any movement as of HB 3079: Bill would limit liability for persons leasing housing to a person with a criminal conviction (except it would not limit liability for leasing to a person with a violent crime conviction); assisted TCPC policy analyst in background research on federal limitations, etc.; bill is not yet set for a hearing (assigned to Business and Industry) Federal Sequestration Impact on HUD Funding/Texas: advisory to HUD continuum of cares across the country are advising local communities to plan on anywhere between 4-8% cuts in next year s funding. ; Local housing authorities are also facing loss of funding Veterans Housing Best Practices for VASH Vouchers Speeding Up Movement from Homelessness to House: CSH issued a primer of the Washington DC VASH Voucher project regarding their success in moving homeless veterans into housing with a VASH voucher (from 6 months to 30 days): Employment Issues: : HB 1188 (reducing liability for employers who hire former offenders): hearing held on Left pending in committee : U.S. DOL Training to Work Reentry Grant: issued March 18 th, due May 2 nd : For work release programming. We do not have work release at our local jails so we are not eligible for this funding : The National Transitional Job Network ( -- a national coalition dedicated to getting chronically unemployed Americans back to work) in collaboration with the Center for Law and Social Policy, has produced a new paper, Innovative City and State Funding Approaches to Supporting Subsidized Employment and Transitional Jobs, published by the University of California- Berkeley's Institute for Research on Labor and Employment as part of its Big Ideas for Jobs series. The paper highlights a number of public-sector agencies that have developed "outside the box" funding strategies to support TJ and subsidized employment initiatives. Also included are recommendations for state and city governments that are seeking to support subsidized and transitional employment solutions in an environment of scarce. Shared the report as well as the link to the NTJN website with employment stakeholders. ATCIC is in the process of developing and implementing a Supported Employment team to assist consumers facing multiple challenges with obtaining and maintaining employment (with Goodwill as a partner). The supported employment model is a little different from the traditional model. It is designed to help people diagnosed with co-occurring disorders find a regular job of their choice in the community and targets those individuals in the quadrants 3-4. It emphasizes rapid job-search and placement services, among other consumer-centered principles and practices. It does not require pre-employment training or workshops. (For more info, contact Darilyn Cardona-Beiler of ATCIC at darilyn.cardona-beiler@atcic.org ). For more information about housing related activities, contact: A/TCRRT Housing Issue Area Facilitator/ECHO Housing Work Group Co-Chair: Darla Gay darla.gay@co.travis.tx.us A/TCRRT Housing Report

4 2013 Reentry Housing and Employment Texas Legislative Issues As of HOUSING RELATED: Bill #: Filed By: Info on Bill: Status: HB 424: HB 691: HB 321: SB1804/HB2887 HB 3079: Burkett (Garland)/ Sheets (Dallas)/ Fletcher (N. Harris County) Phillips (Grayson Co.) Dutton Huffman Davis, John Thompson (Harris) EMPLOYMENT RELATED: HB 1188 HB321: Thompson (Harris Co) Dutton Requiring notice to be given to residents of group homes if a registered sex offender is accepted to live there Group home includes assisted living facility, transitional housing, boarding home, supportive housing Giving cities and counties the authority to regulate halfway houses (not under contract by probation or parole) Makes it a Class A misd to violate Would allow for dismissal/discharge of any deferred adjudicated offense if successfully completes probation Specifically states that that dismissal/discharge could not be used in denying housing or employment Establishes grants (not to exceed $7.5 million) for community collaboratives to provide services and coordinate care of persons who are homeless, persons with mental illness and persons with substance abuse problems Permissive language regarding collaborations incorporating strategies for persons recently released from prisons Lists expected outcomes including persons would receive employment that are incomes more than 125% above poverty level, completion of drug treatment and a decrease in local recidivism There will be an annual review by HHS and the state can recoup funds if not meeting outcomes Would limit liability for leasing housing to a person with a conviction (except does not preclude cause for negligence in renting to persons with a violent criminal conviction) Limiting liability for employers who hire persons with criminal backgrounds : Assigned to Human Services :Testimony taken on Helen Eisert testified about the impact this may have Left pending in committee at this time : Assigned to County Affairs : Assigned to Corrections : : Public hearing held ; TX Apt Association testified strongly opposed; RRT partners testified for/on bill; committee wanting more narrowness in the bill (type of crimes); member made it about private property rights; left pending Left pending : filed house : filed Senate : Referred to House Public Health : hearing held filed : referred to Business & Industry : referred to Jurisprudence HB1121 (Woolley) is similar but is deferring now to HB 1188 Jorge Renaud of TX CJ Coalition helped draft bill : Hearing held: See above under Housing See above A/TCRRT Housing Report

5 ECHO Continuum of Care HUD Renewal Funding Awards March 13 th, 2013 HUD announced that all of Austin's Tier 1 renewals will continue to be funded by HUD. The notice also states that HUD will award additional grant funding in the coming year for new projects (found in our Tier 2 list of projects). Our 20 renewal projects total $5,118,195. A/TCRRT Housing Report