1. 2.09 Tips to Creating a Partnership With Your Public Housing Authority
2017 National Conference on Ending Homelessness
July18, 2017

2. What We Do
We shelter.
We provide services to help individuals and families achieve their goals.
We deliver a spectrum of housing services.
We operate Rapid Rehousing and Permanent Supportive Housing programs.
We help empower people to build a support network, increase income and remain stably housed.
We end homelessness.

3. Our Programs Housing First shelter and Housing First programs
76 % of all homeless individuals in Utah are sheltered at The Road Home – we shelter about 1,000 men, women and children each night in winter
Housing priorities for Families, Veterans, Individuals who are Chronically Homeless, Elderly and otherwise vulnerable
Develop housing strategies for long-term shelter stayers
Central Housing Agency for families in Salt Lake County
Rapid Rehousing and Progressive Engagement
Permanent Supportive housing for most vulnerable individuals and families

4. Partners Services Housing Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake
Utah Community Action
Prevention, Diversion, Family Support, Food Pantries, Head Start and more
Volunteers of America, Utah
Outreach, Youth, Detox, Treatment
Fourth Street Clinic
YWCA & South Valley Services
Domestic Violence shelters, Family Justice
Many others
Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake
Salt Lake City Housing Authority
Salt Lake City, County, State
Low Income Housing Tax Credit Properties and other Landlords and Property Managers in Salt Lake County

5. Tips - Find Common Areas
Overlap in target populations
Housing Authority Commission Members
Connections to local government
Areas of Advocacy
Mission goal in common – to help people obtain and retain housing

6. Tips – Staff Relationships
Develop relationships and frequent contacts between staff at all levels
All HA staff can advocate within their agency for new initiatives and partnerships
Help HA staff to obtain all the required documents, forms and signatures for applications, drive clients to appointments and orientations at Has
Work with HA Program Managers to partner on new grant opportunities
Include HA Directors in community planning and advisory groups

7. Tips – Proactively Engage
Provide helpful data, research, information
Show up to HA public hearings
Provide input in writing for every Housing Authority Annual Plan
Serve as a link between landlord and client and keep the HA informed of any issues
Help clean out a trashed unit

8. Tips – Resident Advisory Board
All Housing Authorities have them
Input and Recommendations from RABs are taken seriously by Commission
Understand Their Perspectives and Concerns
With limited number of vouchers, anything that is set-aside for one population affects the remainder. Remind them that homeless individuals are already part of the waiting list group.

9. Examples – Just a Few of Many
Housing Retention Program – The Road Home & Utah Community Action staff on-site at the Housing Authority to provide support to formerly homeless households who are identified by the HA as being in jeopardy of losing a voucher.
CoC Rental Assistance (and many others) contracted to and managed by the HA and The Road Home provides the case management.
Project Based Sec. 8 vouchers contracted to The Road Home for permanent supportive housing.

10. Stay Engaged for the Long Term
If you get a no, find out why and look for the next best thing
Start small – pilot programs.
EXAMPLE: We advocated for a HCV preference for formerly homeless households who accessed Rapid Rehousing with Progressive Engagement and were later identified as needing long term assistance. What we got is the HA commitment of CoC (old Shelter + Care and new Rental Assistance) to our Family Progressive Engagement Coordinated Access process. And a small number of HCV set aside for those who no longer need the services required by S+C and could move on to a rental assistance only program.

11. Helping people step out of homelessness and back into our community
Michelle Flynn
The Road Home
210 South Rio Grande St
Salt Lake City, Utah 84101