Innovative Rent Assistance Preventing & Ending Homelessness Replicable Models

1. City of Portland Bureau of Housing & Community Development Innovative Rent Assistance Preventing & Ending Homelessness Replicable Models National Alliance to End Homelessness Conference July 2006

2. Heather Lyons City of Portland, Bureau of Housing and Community Development421 SW 6th Ave., Suite 1100Portland, OR 97204503-823-2396 Evaluator: Transitions to Housing Program Thomas L. Moore, Ph.D. Herbert & Louis, LLC PO Box 304 Wilsonville, OR 97070-0304 503-625-6100

3. Portland’s Experience • Advocates push for rent assistance • Transitions to Housing (T2H) Program - 2001 • Outcomes bring $ and support • Short Term Rent Assistance Redesign (STRA) • Adapting the Model for Chronically Homeless: Key Not A Card - Fall 2005

4. Flexibility Key to Model • Collaborative decisions on core elements (eligibility, subsidy limits & options, follow-up, outcome measures and data design) • Support independence of agencies • Outcomes = Funding • Adapt as needed

5. T2H - Purpose To provide flexible and outcome focused rent assistance to use as a “tool” to: 1) Prevent families and individuals from experiencing homelessness AND 2) End the experience of homeless by placing people quickly into permanent housing

6. T2H - Project Features • Diverse partnering agencies • Flexibility and timeliness of assistance & service package • Standardized evaluation protocol, outcome goals and follow-up intervals • Limited regulations and prompts to spend more and help out for more time • Adapts to fit agency mission & capacity

7. T2H - Eligibility • Homeless, or at an immediate risk of being homeless, or living in unsafe conditions • Gross family income 20% (now 30%) or less than Area Median Income • Residing or planning to reside within a geographic limit • Currently not residing in subsidized housing

8. T2H - How it works • Application & move-in fees • Security deposits • Rent/Mortgage subsidy (lump sum, tiered, tapered, or constant) • Payment of housing-related debt to eliminate barriers to permanent housing • Generous Max subsidies by unit size

9. T2H - Evaluation Protocol • Common dataset across all agencies with ongoing group evaluation meetings • Enrollment; six, twelve, and eighteen-month follow-up; and case closing data collected by providers • Follow-up waves based on date of enrollment • Case closing based on final payment of rent assistance

10. T2H - Findings • 1749 households enrolled since inception of program through June 30, 2005 • 73% adult households; 27% families with kids • 25% of the primary “clients” have a past felony conviction or they were on parole or probation at enrollment • $1,250 average expenditure per HH

11. T2H - Findings- Overall Outcomes as of June 30, 2005 • 80% permanent housed at 6 months • 73% permanent housed at 12 months • 65% permanent housed at 18 months

12. T2H - Lessons Learned • Data captured in evaluation provides information on housing instability and secures future funding • Flexibility with Accountability is key • Homeless Prevention and “Housing First” model is cost effective and works for multiple populations & agencies • Collaboration across diverse agencies provides learning opportunities for all

13. Adapting the Model Short-term rent assistance redesign (STRA) & “Key Not A Card” rent assistance to help end chronic homelessness

14. STRA - Challenge • 28 different agencies, 6 different funding sources, 3 jurisdictions, and 1 housing authority • Contradictory eligibility criteria and program design • Multiple administrators and processes

15. STRA - Process • Part of 10 Year Plan – Systems change activities • 6 month long community based process • 6 month long jurisdictional negotiations • Final selection of administrative entity and approval by City Council and County Board of Commissioners

16. STRA - Process • Community and Jurisdictional process led to agreement on: • Program Model • Outcomes, Evaluation and Data Collection • System Supports (i.e., services) • Allocations Formula • Unified System and Administrator

17. Key Not A Card - KNAC • Focus on moving chronically homeless people off the street and into housing • Up to 18 months of rent assistance with average aid of $8,000 per household • Flexibility for providers – within a “Housing First” framework • Outcome Focused - 12 month follow-up after end of subsidy • Started October 1, 2005

18. KNAC Funding Recipients • Shelter agency to assist 25 CH women • Street engagement agency to assist 25 CH high-profile street dwellers identified by police • Multi-service agency to assist 22 CH adults. • Police select out of the 35 homeless adults with highest arrest rate • Collaborative of 8 agencies to assist 20 CH families with kids.

19. Male -  55% Female - 45%     18-21 - 3% 22-35 - 16% 36-54 - 74% 55+ - 7%  White - 61% African-Am - 25% Asian - 3% Native-Am - 10% Latino - 1% 16 children under age 17 14 were employed at entry 8 veterans      KNAC - Demographics

20. KNAC - Outcomes • 144 people in 119 households have been housed (1 project starts with transitional housing) •  of these, 99 people in 74 households have moved into permanent housing • 98.5% remained in stable permanent housing

21. Where else could this work? • Eviction Courts • Restraining Order Programs • Corrections - to support families after head of household is incarcerated • Mental Health - outreach/residential programs • Hospitals • Community Crisis Lines • Apartment Associations • Government Programs (TANF, SSI/D, Unemployment) • Housing Authorities • Employers • Substance Abuse Programs - outpatient/residential programs • Foster Care System • Head Start programs and Public Schools • And on, and on, and on

22. Thank You Copies of the Transitions to Housing final evaluation and “Home Again: A 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness in Portland and Multnomah County are available online at: www.portlandonline.com/bhcd For specific information to help replicate or adapt T2H, STRA, or KNAC - please contact Heather Lyons 503-823-2396 or Liora Berry 503-823-2391