Virginia Balance of State 3.11 Creating Effective Governance Models for Reducing Homelessness in Your Balance of State CoC Nichele Johnson Carver, MS July 24, 2018

The Department of Housing and Community Development(DHCD) is the lead support agency (collaborative applicant) providing staff to the various committees and work groups. Assoc. Director Homeless and Special Needs Housing (1) CoC Program Coordinator (1) – main focus BoS (not only responsibility) Program Manager (1) Program Administrators (3) HMIS- Homeward (HMIS for 4 CoC in VA) Intro – the DHCD team Collaborative Applicant/Planning/HMIS DHCD performs a variety of functions such as performance monitoring, engagement and education of stakeholders, submission of the HUD funding applications, and HMIS administration in collaboration with Homeward

Discuss the uniqueness of the 38 independent cities (only 41 independent cities in the country and all of Virginia’s cities are independent)

To reduce the length of homelessness State Policy Federal Requirements Goals: To reduce the length of homelessness To reduce the number of new cases of homelessness To reduce the number of individuals returning to homelessness Virginia’s Housing Policy Agenda Purpose of the Housing Policy Agenda: Identify & implement actions to enable quality, affordable housing which will strengthen families and communities and foster economic growth

Approach to ending homelessness State Policy Changes System Transformation Funding Changes Technical Assistance

DHCD funding Community Based Funding Application – combination of Federal (ESG) and State homeless funding* Panel Review of the 27 applications Negotiations with each community for which agencies we will fund Contract with individual organizations based on the application, review, and negotiations * HUD CoC funding is not included in this process Our application season How they are doing as a system boils down to individual projects Purpose of negotiations To discuss funding recommendations To discuss proposed activities To discuss proposed grantees To clarify information presented in the application

Virginia Balance of State 73 Counties and Cities 500 miles from most western county to most eastern county of the BoS Census: 1.5 million 2018 Point-in-Time (preliminary): 718 Persons in households w/out children: 421 Persons in households w/ children: 297 Unsheltered: 165 Veterans: 36 (4 CH) Chronic Homeless: 38 LPG Range: 5 to 147 (Average 60) Comprised of 12 local planning groups

Local Planning Groups Requirements: Have Governance Policies, a Board, Committees, and Standards that align with the BoS CoC. Have open meetings at least every other month, and publish notices of their meeting agendas and minutes Elect Steering Committee and Sub-Committee representatives Conduct Point in Time (PIT) and Housing Bed Inventory Chart (HIC) at least annually (provided to collaborative applicant)

LPG requirements cont. Submit Annual Performance Reports (APR) to HUD (where applicable) Participate in HMIS (if applicable) and adhere to the BoS’s HMIS Policies and Procedures maintained by Homeward Use system level data (HUD and state) to make LPG decisions Support the priorities established by the BoS CoC aligning with state and federal policies

BoS Governing Board Balance of State Steering Committee - The CoC Steering Committee is the lead decision-making body and board responsible for planning for the use of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CoC resources and coordinating these funds with other relevant resources in the jurisdiction.

Steering Committee Responsibilities Providing overall direction and leadership Making all formal decisions of the CoC Strategic planning and goal setting Approving the selection of the Monitoring and Selection Committee (Ranking Committee) Monitoring and evaluating both system wide and individual program performance Establishing priorities for and making decisions about the allocation of CoC resources Disseminating information to all members of the local planning groups HMIS, Data, and Performance Committee Uniformed/Coordinated Assessment System Committee Services Coordinating Committee Monitoring and Selection Committee (Ranking Committee) Each LPG has either a centralized or multiple coordinated access points that cover entire geography In addition to access points, each LPG has one phone number where persons can access services The Vulnerability Index - Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (VI-SPDAT) is the common standardized assessment tool (Approved Spring 2015)

Crater Area Coalition on Homelessness (CACH) Three homeless service providers Nine communities represented in the local planning group Includes the independent city of Petersburg

Petersburg Prominent during the Civil War – there was the battle of Petersburg After the War many free blacks settled there because it was one of the only safe spaces in VA Population of 76% AA

Petersburg Crime rate is 95% higher than rest of VA Median household income is 51% lower than rest of VA Graduation rate is 14% lower than rest of VA This is not an exhaustive list of the struggle

Petersburg Pilot Project Housing Stability for Chronically Absent Homeless Students Partnership of: The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, Petersburg City Department of Social Services, Petersburg City Public Schools, and St. Joseph’s Villa Available Services (provided by St. Joseph’s Villa): Housing stabilization case management Resource referral and follow-up Landlord mediation Housing location assistance Short-term rental and utility assistance Host home support (including financial)

nichele.carver@dhcd.virginia.gov Housing Program Manager Nichele J. Carver Housing Program Manager (804) 371-7113 nichele.carver@dhcd.virginia.gov