|
C. Expand and Better Coordinate RRH Resources
<br />While a limited resource in Lane County, RRH services can fill
<br />an important gap in the system’s efforts to house households
<br />as quickly as possible. RRH provides, in a progressive and
<br />individualized manner, short- to medium-term rental assistance
<br />along with housing-focused services in an effort to rapidly move
<br />households out of homelessness. RRH operates as a progressive
<br />assistance model whereby the least amount of assistance needed
<br />to end a client’s homelessness is offered first, and that assistance
<br />is increased or continued only if and when the household needs it
<br />to sustain their tenancy. RRH resources should be highly flexible.
<br />Similar to other housing interventions, RRH should be distributed
<br />equitably, not equally. That is, each household receives a unique
<br />service and assistance package that fits their household needs
<br />(equity), rather than all households receiving equal (or the
<br />same) amount of assistance regardless of individual household
<br />circumstances, strengths, and housing barriers. This applies to
<br />both the intensity and frequency of supportive services as well as
<br />the amount and duration of financial assistance.
<br />Of note, while financial assistance is a critical component to any
<br />RRH project, strong case management and housing services are
<br />often equally or more important to the project’s success. A typical
<br />RRH grant should include at least 40-50 percent of the funds going
<br />to support case management and housing search activities (labor).
<br />Financial assistance should be flexible, but limited to only what a
<br />household needs. This means that the tenancy support services
<br />in RRH play a critical role in a project’s success and the delivery
<br />of high quality tenancy supports requires training and ongoing
<br />professional development for case managers, housing navigators,
<br />managers, and fiscal staff.
<br />RRH projects are difficult to operate and require a very discreet
<br />set of housing-focused skills. TAC recommends a review of all RRH
<br />projects to ensure each has the capacity to deliver RRH services
<br />well. This includes a focus on staff training, provider capacity to
<br />make timely payments to landlords (within 2-3 business days
<br />when necessary), the ability to co-locate in shelters and other
<br />emergency settings so services can reach those who need it most
<br />regardless of their physical location and in accordance with the
<br />Coordinated Entry Prioritization protocol, targeting criteria, and
<br />other performance factors. Standard documentation expectations
<br />should be in place to expedite RRH enrollments and allow for quick
<br />payments for units in order to remain competitive in the tight
<br />housing market. RRH providers should also be fully engrained
<br />into a system-wide landlord and housing partner outreach and
<br />relationship management strategy, as described below. Lane
<br />County should also consider using RRH for people with higher
<br />vulnerabilities than the current coordinated entry protocol allows
<br />(thus the need for highly tuned supportive service and tenancy
<br />supports) and targeting limited PSH units to replace the RRH
<br />subsidy should some households still need permanent affordability
<br />after the RRH intervention is complete.
<br />Generally, TAC recommends consolidating RRH resources in any
<br />given community so that the RRH providers can tailor their work to
<br />this type of intervention. If and when new or increased RRH funds
<br />are available, TAC recommends those resources be awarded to a
<br />smaller group of providers who can then deliver RRH services in
<br />settings across the county. RRH, similar to PSH, is a system-wide
<br />resource and when many providers receive small amounts to serve
<br />their own clients, this dilutes the quality and level of services that
<br />can be delivered overall.
<br />Specific RRH Recommendations
<br />1. Use RRH resources as a system-wide intervention not
<br />constrained to any one provider, even if funds are managed
<br />and delivered by a discreet set of highly skilled organizations.
<br />2. Create system-wide RRH written standards and expectations,
<br />including training expectations, focused on households with
<br />higher vulnerability, and flexible, progressively administered
<br />housing and financial assistance.
<br />3. Coordinate with and participate in a system-wide landlord
<br />and housing partner outreach and relationship management
<br />strategy (see Landlord Engagement Strategy recommendation
<br />further below).
<br />4. Include training and expectations related to housing first, crisis
<br />response, client choice, and progressive assistance. Training
<br />should also include tenancy support models that focus on
<br />tenancy access and preservation rather than clinical or other
<br />long-term personal outcomes.
<br />5. Incorporate four dimensional tenancy supports (Breadth,
<br />Depth, Frequency, and Duration) as a foundation for
<br />housing services.
<br />6. If Lane County were able to identify an additional $500,000 in
<br />annual RRH funds (from any or multiple sources), $350,000
<br />of which would focus on individual adults and the remaining
<br />targeted to families, significant strides could be made in
<br />promoting private market rental connections. At an average
<br />cost of $4,000 per household in assistance (services and
<br />financial assistance combined), this would allow Lane County
<br />to serve an additional 125 households annually with flexible,
<br />client-centered housing services. This $4,000 recognizes that
<br />some households may need only a security deposit and light
<br />rental assistance, while others (particularly those who score
<br />for PSH but no PSH is immediately available) may need
<br />longer-term financial and tenancy support assistance).
<br />STRATEGIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
<br />PAGE 14
<br />May 13, 2019, Joint Work Session – Item 1
|