Life After HPRP Barbara Poppe, Executive Director, USICH March 26, 2012

2 Overview 1.Introduction to Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness 2.Success of HPRP 3.HUD Programs Using Lessons Learned from HPRP 4.Other Funding Available to Keep Programs Moving Forward 5.The Importance of Retooling Crisis Response 6.Take Action: Opening Doors Across America

3 Opening Doors No one should experience homelessness. No one should be without a safe, stable place to call home.

4 Opening Doors Goals 1.Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness by Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans by Prevent and end homelessness for families, youth, and children by Set a path to ending all types of homelessness

5 Opening Doors: Five Themes 1.Increase leadership, collaboration, and civic engagement 2.Increase access to stable and affordable housing 3.Increase economic security 4.Improve health and stability 5.Retool the homeless crisis response system

6 Retool the homeless crisis response system Objective 10: Transform homeless services to crisis response systems that prevent homelessness and rapidly return people who experience homelessness to stable housing. This is precisely what HPRP was designed to do.

7 Success of HPRP HPRP saved over 1.2 million Americans from homelessness Provided the right amount of intervention to those in need quickly Efficiently spent dollars on best practices like rapid re- housing Drove systems change: helping transform homeless services into systems that can end homelessness, not just manage it

8 Lessons Learned from HPRP Make the most impact by rapidly finding permanent housing for people who have just fallen into homelessness using short-term interventions. Ensure flexibility of using funds for both rapid re-housing or prevention/short-term assistance tailored to the community. Smarter planning and coordination with CoCs when serving families makes for better results.

9 HEARTH Act and new Emergency Solutions Grants HEARTH Act (2009) established new Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program, now fully implemented at $286M. New ESG program takes rapid re-housing and prevention elements of HPRP and makes them permanent areas of focus for CoCs and service providers. HUD encourages all ESG recipients to invest more in rapid re- housing and elements of HPRP that were proven to work.

10 CoC grants CoC grant funding is another opportunity to implement programs following the practices of HPRP. CoC grants can be used for rapid re-housing programs and should be used as such where appropriate. CoC funding can also be repurposed from transitional housing to transition in place models to provide more permanent housing options with existing resources.

11 Repurposing to Transition in Place Transitional Housing Is expensive. Often provides more intervention than is needed. Can be destabilizing when families are forced to move upon program completion. Transition in Place allows conversion of existing transitional housing resources to be converted in to permanent affordable housing for families and individuals. Not all transitional housing can or should be converted, but for families without high barriers to stability this model can be effective and can save money.

12 Tap into Funding that is Available: Mainstream Resources Medicaid (HHS): 2010 federal expenditure = $275 Billion The Affordable Care Act increases opportunity for funding for homeless services Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance (SSA) VA Health and Pension Benefits Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (HHS) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (USDA)

13 Tap into Funding that is Available: Rapid Re-Housing Supportive Services for Veterans Families (VA) New Grant Per Diem funding for Transition in Place models (VA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (DHS)

14 Importance of Retooling Crisis Response Systems level coordination of programs is essential to using resources wisely as we move forward toward an end to homelessness. At Risk of Homelessness Prevention Outreach Drop-in Centers Emergency Shelter Treatment Transitional Housing Supportive Services Permanent Supportive Housing

15 Desired/Reformed State Housing Crisis Occurs Multiple entry points Eviction Release from institutional care Personal or family crisis Rapid Response System Assess and develop re- housing plan Prevention and Diversion Street Outreach Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing Rapid Re-Housing Stable Housing Targeted to individual needs Affordable housing Reunification with family Permanent supportive housing

16 Rapid Response Framework: The 3As Access -Prevent -Divert - Admit to Shelter Assessment Assign Permanent Housing Intervention - Rapid Re-Housing - Affordable Housing - PSH

17 Critical Components of a Rapid Response System of Care Access to services: centralized access, coordinated street outreach, integration with mainstream systems Assessment of family situation/needs to right-size the intervention: prevention, diversion, admit to shelter Assign to housing intervention: prevention, rapid re- housing (RRH), affordable housing, and permanent supportive housing

18 Opening Doors Across America: A Call to Action Life after HPRP? Join USICH and partners across the country. Need a sense of urgency – community wide and cross- government strategic planning is pivotal Now is the time to invest in and act on strategies proven to make an impact

19 Opening Doors Across America: A Call to Action States & Communities are encouraged to… 1.Align your community plan with Opening Doors 2.Set targets and measure results 3.Act strategically 4.Partner

20 Join Opening Doors Across America: Tools to Help Visit the USICH Toolkit:

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