Converting Transitional Housing to Permanent Supportive Housing

1. Converting Transitional Housing to Permanent Supportive Housing Presented by: Colleen Bain Gold, M.Ed., L.S.W. Senior Vice President, Housing YWCA Columbus 65 S. 4th St., Columbus, Ohio 43215 (614) 224-9121, ext. 220 cbain@ywcacolumbus.org

2. Overview • To convert or not to convert? • Considerations • Step One: Evaluation • Step Two: Develop a Plan • Step Three: Policies and Procedures • Step Four: Implementation • Challenges • Critical Success Factors • Resources

3. To convert or not to convert? Potential benefits: • Long-term resident stability • Housing subsidy • Ability to engage/build relationships with clients • Increasing income, employment, and other skills • Resident self-governance • Program Development • Collaborative Partnerships • Outcomes measurement • Volunteer and donor relationships • Perceived funding preferences: • HUD appears to be moving away from transitional • Push for HHS legislation for services (SELHA) • PSH appears to be very cost-effective

4. Considerations • Population – does your population need/want, permanent, supportive housing; are they eligible? • Continuum of Care – does PSH make sense for your community and continuum of services? • Community impact – what impact will changing your program have on other providers; will it create a backlog in shelters? • Physical Space – are your units appropriate for PSH; do you have common space available for resident use? • Approvals – will your existing funders approve this transition? • Community Acceptance – will your stakeholders, neighbors, board members, etc. accept and support a transition? • Leases vs. “Participation” or “Occupancy” agreements • Housing subsidies - Are subsidies available? Will HUD issue of mixing SHP with Section 8 be an issue for you? Operating vs. Supportive Services? • Sustainability • Will the long-term dollars for services be there? • Need to be realistic about staffing needs for population

5. Step one: Evaluation • Data analysis – population demographics, length of stay, program completion (success) rate, recidivism, outcome measures, etc. • Client input and feedback – focus groups, surveys, confidential suggestions/concerns, Resident Council, etc. • Physical space needs – individual units, community space, “front-desk” space, etc. • Environmental scan – interview other providers, CoC representatives, shelters, what impact would a conversion have? • Financial analysis – operational (property management) and programmatic (supportive services) • Feasibility – talk to funders, board members, and other stakeholders to see if they will support the transition. • Best practices – explore other program models, program philosophies, what has and hasn’t worked with other programs, which program model suits your population?

6. Step Two: Develop a Plan • Start with a clean slate • Develop program philosophy • “Wet” versus “dry” housing • “Zero tolerance” policy, versus focus on eviction prevention • Intersection of property management and supportive services • Will services be voluntary? • Establish staffing plan/chart of organization • Seek technical assistance as needed • Identify (new and existing) funding sources for services • Identify new partnerships/collaborations to support your program • Develop staff training/orientation plan (include property manager, supportive services staff, maintenance, front desk, etc.) • Community notification plan • Timeline (should include all of the above) • Continuous Quality Improvement

7. Step Three: Policies and Procedures • Outreach/tenant recruitment • Tenant Selection Criteria • Leasing issues • “House” rules • Voluntary supportive services • Housing retention/eviction prevention strategies • Inter-disciplinary “team” meetings • Resident Council • Community relations • Data and tracking (HMIS)

8. Step Four: Implementation • Formal funder and stakeholder approvals • Budget and contract amendments as needed • Staff training and orientation (whether you are hiring new staff or not!) • Client and community notification • New leases for tenants • Good Neighbor Agreement • Collaborative partnership agreements • Supportive Services programming • Phased-in implementation if needed

9. Challenges • Developing a sustainable plan • Developing successful engagement strategies • Staff resistance to change • “That’s not how we do it” or “that won’t work” • Voluntary vs. “irresistible” services • Property management vs. supportive services • Dealing with “hard-to-know-how-to-serve” clients – (housing retention and eviction prevention) • Ever - changing funder preferences/requirements (HUD, state, local preferences) • What is considered “operating” and what is considered “supportive services?”

10. Critical Success Factors • Stakeholder “buy-in” • Dedicated and Qualified Staff • Individualized Programming • Creative Engagement Strategies • Creating community – physical space configuration • Blended Management • Property Management/Maintenance • Supportive Services • Clear eligibility criteria • Positive Community Relations • Quality Assurance and Program Evaluation • Sustainability strategies • Collaborative partnerships • Donor/volunteer stewardship • Diverse funding streams

11. Resources • NAEH: www.endhomelessness.org • Corporation for Supportive Housing: www.csh.org • Community Housing Network: www.chninc.org • Community Shelter Board: www.csb.org • Center for Urban Community Services: www.cucs.org • HUD: www.hud.gov • National Low Income Housing Coalition: www.nlihc.org • YWCA Columbus: www.ywcacolumbus.org • Commons at Grant: www.ncrcdd.org • Treasure Island Housing Development Inc: www.tihdi.org • Common Ground: www.commonground.org

12. Converting Transitional Housing to Permanent Supportive Housing Presented by: Colleen Bain Gold, M.Ed., L.S.W. Senior Vice President, Housing YWCA Columbus 65 S. 4th St., Columbus, Ohio 43215 (614) 224-9121, ext. 220 cbain@ywcacolumbus.org