Agenda Packet 5-13-19 Joint Work Session

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D. Create additional PSH & Increase Utilization Lane County has a significant population of highly vulnerable, long-term homeless individuals in both sheltered and unsheltered situations. The current PSH units throughout the county are underutilized and inadequate to meet the needs in the community. PSH is a proven model of housing that provides robust wraparound case management services with permanent unit affordability based on household income. Regarding utilization, Lane County should review all PSH projects to look for ways to make sure all available units/subsidies are used. This includes both better utilization of existing housing, whether private market or specifically subsidized, construction of housing specifically for PSH, and incentives to include project- based style PSH opportunities in other new housing development projects. Utilization also relies on a deep commitment to housing first principles and connections to the formal coordinated entry process. Lane County should consider written standards and expectations that require PSH providers to alert the housing referral system immediately when units become available or are anticipated to become available. PSH providers should move quickly in connecting with referrals and allowing for immediate access to PSH once those referrals are made. Further, annual and ongoing staff training protocol should be in place to ensure that case managers have the skills and capacity to help people retain their housing once they enter a PSH project, thus reducing rates of recidivism into homelessness and demonstrating better outcomes at the project and system level. Finally, Lane County should explore move-on strategies whereby mainstream housing vouchers replace the PSH subsidy to allow for permanent affordability for those who need a housing subsidy but may not need the intensive PSH service package once they are stabilized in housing. Move-on strategies rely on client choice and many clients will never sustain housing without the services PSH offers; however, some clients may be able to maintain their housing with a voucher that does not include those services. More efficient means of utilizing and providing services in the current PSH portfolio will not be sufficient for Lane County. Lane County must also identify new PSH units through both the creation of physical units and the provision of tenant-based or project-based rental assistance in existing housing. In identifying opportunities for increased utilization of existing resources or the creation of new PSH resources, Lane County should consider how to mitigate any additional costs or staffing issues that may arise for those mainstream or PSH providers willing to dedicate resources (e.g., participation in CE and HMIS). Specific PSH Recommendations 1. TAC recommends adding 350 new PSH units (new creation and repurpose and increased utilization of current existing units to be accessible to Extremely Low Income people experiencing homelessness). 2. In the past few months, Lane County has received funds for 60 housing first PSH units and 33 targeted Mainstream Vouchers.16 Lane County should continue to apply for and/or support developers in applying for these funds as appropriate. 3. Lane County has a significant pool of VASH resources specifically targeted to the Veteran population and should identify any barriers to efficient implementation, including project-basing some of the vouchers, and once these are resolved, consider expanding the program. 4. Ensure PSH is targeted to the most vulnerable single individual adults by making all referrals to PSH through Coordinated Entry. 5. Ensure PSH providers coordinate with and participate in system-wide landlord and housing partner outreach and relationship management strategies (see Landlord Engagement Strategy recommendation further below). 6. Ensure the crisis response system – especially case managers – understands how to leverage reasonable accommodations. 7. Consider increasing the PHA payment standard to allow greater competition of vouchers within the private market. 8. Ensure effective participation in system-wide landlord engagement strategies to increase access to units and quicker housing search (see Landlord Engagement Strategy further below). E. Implement Effective Move-On Strategies Move-on strategies are an emerging practice that allows mainstream or other affordable housing subsidies or units to replace the subsidy of a PSH project and thus free up the intensive service package the PSH project has to offer. Move-on strategies rely on a high level of coordination with local voucher systems and engagement with mainstream affordable housing owners to ensure that targeting is transparent and clear, and mitigate against any unintended consequences of transitioning a unit or household to a new subsidy or unit. The premise of move-on strategies is that some, though not all, households in PSH may continue to need the affordability of the subsidy but do not need the permanent supportive services that PSH provides. For these households, mainstream subsidies and units can replace the subsidy provided so that the PSH provider can use the subsidy and service package to house someone coming out of literal homelessness. While some households may need the housing assistance and services offered in PSH for the foreseeable future, there are households who may be able to “move-on” from PSH but have no other permanent housing options. Lane County should explore the different possible areas for move-on strategies to include preferences within the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) portfolio and in multifamily developments created with federal, state, or local financing. It is important to note that these strategies will result in no costs to the county, city or other entities. 16 Some of these will divert from homelessness. STRATEGIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE 15 May 13, 2019, Joint Work Session – Item 1