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BUCKS COUNTY SHARED LIVING PROGRAM Creating Affordable Housing… Affordably

BUCKS COUNTY SHARED LIVING PROGRAM Creating Affordable Housing… Affordably. What is Shared Living? Shared Living partners multiple individuals in an apartment in order to lower the costs to each. Our program is targeted to those being served by the Bucks County Behavioral Health System

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BUCKS COUNTY SHARED LIVING PROGRAM Creating Affordable Housing… Affordably

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  1. BUCKS COUNTY SHARED LIVING PROGRAM Creating Affordable Housing… Affordably

  2. What is Shared Living? Shared Living partners multiple individuals in an apartment in order to lower the costs to each. Our program is targeted to those being served by the Bucks County Behavioral Health System (MH/MR, D&A, Forensic & Transition age youth)

  3. Why Shared Living? Just about all of our referrals and participants have income between $700~$800 per month (average income of our referrals is $780±) In most parts of suburban Philadelphia, that’s about the cost of a one bedroom apartment. With the Housing Authority’s waiting list closed, and limited funds available for subsidies, Shared Living helps create an economy of scale and a path to independent living

  4. What are the Basic Requirements to Enter Shared Living? • Our Program Has Four Basic Requirements • Individual* must be a Bucks County resident • Individual must be ready & willing to live in an independent shared living scenario • Individual must have a case manager or peer support specialist • Individual must have net income of $600 or more per month • Although it is not impossible to use Shared Living for families, • we have opted to concentrate our efforts on individuals.

  5. What Makes Serving Families in Shared Living More Difficult? Let’s say you match a parent & child with another parent & child. The rent would could only be split 2 ways instead of 3, so now you need each parent to have income in excess of $1000 per month as their rent would be somewhere between $400~$450 per month, or 40%+ of their income each. That doesn’t leave much residual income, especially with a child.

  6. Do You House Men & Women Together in Shared Living? NO!

  7. How Does the Shared Living Program Operate? • Our Program Consists of the Following Parts • Program Coordinator • Selection & Support Committee • (ours is made up of reps from MH, BHS, D&A &TAY)

  8. Is the Shared Living Program Subsidized Housing?

  9. NO! Whatever the rent is, it is paid by the participants. However…

  10. A lease in the name of more than one party has some inherent issues that can lead to problems. All tenants owe the entire amount rent. For example, if the rent is $900 per month and three residents share that sum equally, each paying $300, but resident #3 pays late or not at all, then all tenants are late, and could be evicted.

  11. To avoid this problem, the program pays the rent, and the participants pay the program. This also allows us to remove a “problem” resident and replace them with one on the waiting list. We do the same with the utilities. We do not, however, get involved with the cable, internet & telephone

  12. What is the Shared Living Process? • A case manager or peer support specialist fills out the Referral & Additional Information Form • Individual Will Be Scheduled, At a Mutually Agreeable Time, to Meet With the Program Coordinator & To View The Required Presentations • The Information Will Be Reviewed at the Next Selection & Support Meeting, the Referring Case Manager and/or Peer Support Specialist Will Be Scheduled To Speak With The Committee, Either By Phone or in Person, to Answer Any Questions Related to the Individual • Potential Roommates Meet Over Lunch • Potential Roommates Meet View the Apartment • If everyone likes the roommates and apartment, they sign their lease • We take the roommates to the Habitat ReStore so that they can select whatever furnishings the don’t already have- couches, tables, dressers, etc) • They move in. ALL REFERRALS CAN SAY NO AT ANY TIME, FOR ANY REASON DURING THE PROCESS, UP TO SIGNING THE LEASE

  13. Who Signs The Lease? All Participants Sign The Lease This is vital, as we want them to have a year or more of good rental history, and a year or more of good credit history When needed, our organization co-signs.

  14. What Does Shared Living Cost? With our program, we allocate $2,000 per person. That’s not per month or per year. $2,000 per person. Period.

  15. How Is That $2,000 Allocated? • We allocate $300± per person for the security deposit • We allocate $300~$700 for furnishings (beds, couches, sheets, towels, plates, etc.) • The remaining $1,000 per person is used as a reserve fund to cover non-payments of rent or utilities in the event of having to remove someone from the program or other circumstances

  16. The Forms • Referral Form • Additional Information Form • Needs/Haves Form • Housing Handbook The handbook contains the program rules & restrictions, and is signed by the individual, the case manager & the program coordinator www.bucks-lhot.info/SharedLivingProgram.htm

  17. What are the Basic Restrictions of the Shared Living Program? • NO alcohol or illicit drugs allowed in apartment • NO overnight guests • NO parties • NO pets (except service animals)

  18. Thank you. Any questions?

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