Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority

1. Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority Indiana Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Continuum of Care Eligible Activities August 7, 2009

2. IN - HPRP • IHCDA Community Services Staff • Rodney Stockment, Manager • 317.233.1814 • rstockment@ihcda.in.gov • Lynn Morrow, Department Assistant • 317.233.1810 • lymorrow@ihcda.in.gov • Lori Dimick, Homeless Program Manager • 317.232.7117 • ldimick@ihcda.in.gov • Kelli Barker, ESG and HPRP Program Representative • 317.233.4611 • kbarker@ihcda.in.gov

3. IN - HPRP • IHCDA Community Services Staff • Kirk Wheeler, HMIS and HPRP Project Director • 317.709.3441 • kiwheeler@ihcda.in.gov • Kelly Pickell, HMIS Program Representative • 317.709.6447 • kpickell@ihcda.in.gov • Suzanne Grenough-Patrick, HMIS Program Representative • 317.730.2883 • sgrenough@ihcda.in.gov

4. IN - HPRP Resources • IN - HPRP Power Point Posted • http://www.in.gov/ihcda/3120.htm • HUD – HPRP Notice and Webcasts – wealth of good information! • www.hudhre.info • Virtual helpdesk and searchable FAQs • National Alliance to End Homelessness • www.endhomeless.org • Best Practices, guides • Corporation for Supportive Housing • www.csh.org • Information on permanent supportive housing

5. IN - HPRP Categories of Eligible Expenses: • Financial Assistance – direct assistance on behalf of an eligible participant • Housing Relocation & Stabilizations – services to eligible participant intended to restore permanency. • Data Collection and Evaluation • Administration

6. IN - HPRP Financial Assistance: • Short term Rental Assistance ( up to 3 months) • Medium term Rental Assistance (4 to 18 months) • Security deposits • Utility deposits • Utility payments • Moving cost assistance • Motel/ Hotel vouchers

7. IN - HPRP Financial Assistance: Rental Assistance • May be used to allow households to remain in current rental unit or to help to obtain and remain in new rental units they select. • No program participant may receive more than 18 months of rental assistance under the HPRP. • Eligibility for rental assistance must be certified at least every 3 months (including income verification.) • Rental assistance may pay up to 6 months of rental arrears if payment allows the participant to remain housed.

8. IN - HPRP Financial Assistance: Rental Assistance • Rental units must meet “rent reasonableness” standards. In Indiana this will be determined by the GoSection8 software. • Calculated rental assistance will require that eligible households pay 30% of their adjusted income toward rent. • HPRP rental assistance cannot supplement any other federal, state or local housing subsidy.

9. IN - HPRP Financial Assistance: Security and Utility Deposits • Deposits may co-occur with other forms of HPRP assistance and may be given to participants receiving other forms of housing subsidy, e.g. HUD-VASH vouchers) if they do not overlap. • Utility deposits may also pay for up to 6 months of utility arrears, provided that the householder has the account in his/her name or provides proof of financial responsibility, e.g. cancelled checks or receipts from the utility. • Deposits must be reasonable and common to the community.

10. IN - HPRP Financial Assistance: Moving costs • Reasonable moving costs, e.g. truck rental, may be paid. • Short term storage (up to 3 months or when the participant is in rental housing) may be paid. • IHCDA would encourage Central Access agencies to explore community volunteers to assist with moving costs.

11. IN - HPRP Financial Assistance: • Motel and Hotel Vouchers – IHCDA would strongly discourage the use of HPRP funds for temporary motel/hotel housing unless no other alternatives are available in the community or for a short time while awaiting an already identified rental unit. • Other costs – the actual costs of managing check requests, writing eligible checks and maintaining the appropriate accounting may be allocated to the Financial Assistance section of the grant.

12. IN - HPRP Financial Assistance: Eligible Activities • APT associates suggests not trying to recover deposits. • HPRP funds may be used to assist a person leaving transitional housing as a result of “timing out” of the program. • Rental assistance requires that the householder be the lease holder. Family “leases” are not eligible. • Cost of inspections for habitability are considered to be under the financial assistance category.

13. IN - HPRP Housing Relocation and Stabilization: • Case Management – arranging, coordinating and monitoring the delivery of services related to housing needs. • Outreach and engagement • Housing search and placement • Legal services • Credit repair

14. IN - HPRP Housing Relocation and Stabilization: Case Management Services may include: • Developing, securing and coordinating services • Monitoring and evaluating participant progress • Assuring the participant rights are protected • Developing an individualized housing and service plan, including a path to housing permanency • Counseling

15. IN - HPRP Housing Relocation and Stabilization: Outreach and Engagement • Funds may be used to publicize the availability of HPRP services. This might include use the 211 system or a systematic outreach to area shelter providers, as well as print brochures or flyers.

16. IN - HPRP Housing Relocation and Stabilization: Housing Search and Placement • Funds may be used for “services and activities designed to assist … in locating, obtaining and retaining suitable housing.” • This may include landlord communications, making moving arrangements, using an on line housing search, e.g. Indiana Housing Now or setting up utility accounts.

17. IN - HPRP Housing Relocation and Stabilization: Legal Services • HPRP funds may be used to help people stay in their housing, e.g. legal advice related to eviction or tenant-landlord relationships. • HPRP funds may not be used to assist householders with mortgage issues. • IHCDA recommends that each Central Access agency attempt to utilize pro bono legal services, e.g. Legal Aid, whenever possible.

18. IN - HPRP Housing Relocation and Stabilization: Credit Repair • HPRP funds may be used for services targeted to assist “… with critical skills related to household budgeting, money management, accessing a free credit report and resolving personal credit issues. • HPRP funds cannot be used to pay outstanding credit balances unrelated to housing, even if that would improve the person’s access to rental housing.

19. IN - HPRP Housing Relocation and Stabilization: Ineligible Activities • Employment training • Education (i.e. fees, tuition, books, etc.) • Transportation • Food, household items, clothing • Furniture and appliances • Child care

20. IN - HPRP Administrative Costs: Allowable Costs • Accounting for the use of grant funds • Preparing reports for submission to IHCDA (HUD and OMB) • Obtaining program audits • Training for administrative or case management staff as their role is directly related to the HPRP

21. IN - HPRP Administrative Costs: Disallowed Costs • Cost of issuing financial assistance • Cost of providing Housing Relocation and Stabilization services • Costs of data collection and evaluation • Costs of housing inspections All such costs should be allocated to an eligible category!

22. ___ Concern: _________________________________________________________________________ Response: ________________________________________________________________________ ___ Concern: _________________________________________________________________________ Response: ________________________________________________________________________ IN - HPRP Habitability Inspections • Required upon initial placement of a program participant and annually thereafter. • Re-inspection required upon a change in tenancy. • Not as stringent as HQS inspection; however a HQS inspection is acceptable. • Habitability inspection should be complete prior to lease signing and is specific to the unit for which rental assistance is provided.

23. ___ Concern: _________________________________________________________________________ Response: ________________________________________________________________________ ___ Concern: _________________________________________________________________________ Response: ________________________________________________________________________ IN - HPRP Habitability Inspections • Habitability inspectors should be familiar with rental unit amenities and will be asked to enter all supported units into GoSection 8 for rent reasonableness. Training will be provided later in the fall of 2009. • Inspections are not required to maintain a participant in existing rental except if a child less than 6 y/o may be exposed to lead risk. • A new form is available for Habitability Inspections and will be part of the September training.

24. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ IN - HPRP

25. IN - HPRP Next Week’s Topics: • Contracts – Sub recipient and vendor • Budgets – Required IHCDA budget information

26. HPRP – Learning to Get Along