Homelessness Prevention Screening - PowerPoint Presentation

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Homelessness Prevention Screening

Using the Screener

Implications of the Threshold ScoreSlide2

Purpose of the “Screener”

Target limited Prevention dollars to households who are most likely to become homeless

Utilize criteria that research has found are associated with increased risk of homelessness

Allow Grantees to determine how high they want to set their threshold

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Application of the Screener:

Applicant #1

Donna Smith

Female Veteran, Honorable Discharge. 40% of AMI.

Her job hours were cut by 50% recently, she was unable to pay her rent and lost her apartment two months ago. Since then she has been sleeping on her brother’s couch. Her brother’s landlord has told him Ms. Smith cannot remain in the apartment much longer; she should start looking for other housing. She wants SSVF assistance to move into an efficiency that has opened up in her brother’s building.

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Eligibility Condition I. Veteran Status

Eligible?

X

YES

___NO

VA Eligibility Requirements:

X

Served in the active military, naval, air service, National Guard, or Merchant MarineX Other than dishonorable discharge

Eligibility Condition 2. Very Low Income StatusEligible? X YES ___NOVA Eligibility Requirement:X Gross annual household income less than 50% Area Median Income for household size (grantee may set lower income threshold) Household size (all adults/children): 150% of Area Median Income for Household Size: $ 20,000Total Annual Gross Income from All Sources: $16,000 (40%)

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Eligibility Condition 3. Imminently At-Risk of Literal Homelessness

Eligible?

X

YES

___NO

VA Eligibility Requirements:

X

Imminent loss of current primary nighttime residence (housing an individual or family owns, rents, or lives in with or without paying rent; housing shared with others; and rooms in hotels or motels paid for by the individual or family); ANDX No other residence; ANDX No resources or support networks, e.g., family, friends, faith-based or other social networks, immediately available to prevent them from becoming literally homeless; AND

X At least one of the following: Has moved because of economic reasons two or more times during the 60 days immediately preceding the application for homelessness prevention assistance;X Is living in the home of another because of economic hardship;Has been notified in writing that their right to occupy their current housing or living situation will be terminated within 21 days after the date of application for assistance;Lives in a hotel or motel and the cost of the hotel or motel stay is not paid by charitable organizations or by Federal, State, or local government programs for low-income individuals;Is exiting a publicly funded institution, or system of care (such as a health-care facility, a mental health facility, or correctional institution) without a stable housing plan; OROtherwise lives in housing that has characteristics associated with instability and an increased risk of homelessness, as identified in the SSVF grantee’s VA approved Grantee Screening Criteria and Targeting Threshold Plan. VA approved housing situation(s):

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Targeting Criteria

Circle all that apply

Targeting Criteria

3

Has moved because of economic factors two or more times in the past 60 days

3

Living in a hotel or motel not paid for by charitable organizations or by Federal, State, or local government programs

3

Living with friends or family, on a temporary basis

3Being discharged from an institution and reintegrating into the community without a stable housing plan3History of homelessness as an adult, prior to any homeless episode occurring in the past 60 days3Households annual gross income is less than 30% of local Area Median Income for household size3Housing loss within 14 days

3

At least one dependent child under age 6

2

At least one dependent child age 6 – 17

2Veteran returning from Iraq or Afghanistan2Applied for shelter or spent at least one night during the prior 60 days literally homeless (shelter, place not meant for human habitation, transitional housing for homeless persons) 2Sudden and significant loss of income, including employment and/or cash benefits2Housing loss within 21 days1Rental and/or utility arrears 5Total Points (sum of VA targeting criteria circled points above)

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Application of the Screener:

Applicant #2

Norris Brown

Qualified Veteran, 20% AMI.

He has been living in a motel, paying the full cost, for the past three months. Before that, he was jailed, briefly, for his involvement in a bar fight. Mr. Brown has enough money to pay for three more weeks at the hotel; he is requesting assistance to relocate to an SRO or efficiency.

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Targeting Criteria

Circle all that apply

Targeting Criteria

3

Has moved because of economic factors two or more times in the past 60 days

3

Living in a hotel or motel not paid for by charitable organizations or by Federal, State, or local government programs

3

Living with friends or family, on a temporary basis

3Being discharged from an institution and reintegrating into the community without a stable housing plan3History of homelessness as an adult, prior to any homeless episode occurring in the past 60 days3Households annual gross income is less than 30% of local Area Median Income for household size3Housing loss within 14 days

3

At least one dependent child under age 6

2

At least one dependent child age 6 – 17

2Veteran returning from Iraq or Afghanistan2Applied for shelter or spent at least one night during the prior 60 days literally homeless (shelter, place not meant for human habitation, transitional housing for homeless persons) 2Sudden and significant loss of income, including employment and/or cash benefits2Housing loss within 21 days1Rental and/or utility arrears 8Total Points (sum of VA targeting criteria circled points above)

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Application of the Screener:

Applicant #3

George and Tamara Davis and Anita (3 years old).

George is a qualified Veteran. Household income: 45% AMI

The Davis family’s apartment has been condemned due to water damage. They have only 3 days to move out. They spent all their savings to move from another state after George returned from Iraq and are now requesting assistance to find new housing. They also have utility arrears that would have to be paid before they could obtain utilities in another housing unit. They have no family or friends in the state and out-of-state family members are unable to quickly come up with the funds to help the family secure housing.

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Targeting Criteria

Circle all that apply

Targeting Criteria

3

Has moved because of economic factors two or more times in the past 60 days

3

Living in a hotel or motel not paid for by charitable organizations or by Federal, State, or local government programs

3

Living with friends or family, on a temporary basis

3Being discharged from an institution and reintegrating into the community without a stable housing plan3History of homelessness as an adult, prior to any homeless episode occurring in the past 60 days3Households annual gross income is less than 30% of local Area Median Income for household size3Housing loss within 14 days

3

At least one dependent child under age 6

2

At least one dependent child age 6 – 17

2Veteran returning from Iraq or Afghanistan2Applied for shelter or spent at least one night during the prior 60 days literally homeless (shelter, place not meant for human habitation, transitional housing for homeless persons) 2Sudden and significant loss of income, including employment and/or cash benefits2Housing loss within 21 days1Rental and/or utility arrears 9Total Points (sum of VA targeting criteria circled points above)

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How the Threshold Works (cont.)

Threshold:

5

Threshold: 10

Threshold: 9

Donna Smith

(5 points)

YES

NONONorris Brown (8 points)YESNONODavis Family (9 points)

YESNOYES11Slide12

How your SSVF contract proposal affects the screening process….

Other Program Eligibility

Conditions

[target

population described in your proposal to VA]

Eligible?

___

YES ___NO

___ Not ApplicableAdditional Grantee Eligibility Requirements (must be VA approved):PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS’ INCOME MUST BE LESS THAN 30% AMI

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If you have proposed a special population

, you have another, automatic eligibility factor

Before you start “scoring” an applicant, s/he must pass

Stage One (Eligibility) of the screening process… which includes your program population.

How would the program’s

<30% AMI requirement

impact the three applicant households? Would they be

eligible

to be scored with Targeting points?Donna Smith 40% AMI Norris Brown 20% AMI

Davis Family 45% AMI Screened out in Stage 1Eligible in Stage 1Screened out in Stage 113Slide14

If you have three applicants for every opening in your program, how will you set your threshold?

If you had set your threshold at 9 points, you would have successfully screened in one of the three households: the Davis family has 9 points.

If your program requires applicants to have incomes <30% AMI, only one of your applicants would pass eligibility and be scored: Norris Brown’s income is 20% AMI. But his score is only 8.

X If your program requires <30% AMI *

AND

* sets a

threshold of 9 points, no one would be eligible for the

opening. 14Slide15

Now What?

If you have been providing SSVF Prevention assistance for the past year

, review the number and profiles of the households who applied and were eligible under your program’s requirements. What % did you have funds to assist? How might they have scored? Where would you set your threshold to screen out a majority of the applicants you had to turn away?

If you are a new SSVF grantee

, look at any data sources that might help you estimate the potential volume of applications. If your program will assist a special population, such as <30% AMI, or female Veterans only, etc., you should probably set a lower threshold, as those requirements act as an additional layer of screening.

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Next Steps

If you have contract proposal eligibility criteria, you’ll want to add these to your proposed Screening form.

Select the threshold you will propose to VA

Complete the Grantee Screening Criteria and Targeting Threshold Plan form and submit to your

RC by November 30

th

Receive approval from RCBegin using the Screener for Prevention applicants

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Next Steps

(cont.)

You’ll be transmitting the

Grantee Screening Criteria and Targeting Threshold Plan to your RC via email or USPS…so…Please include in your transmittal letter/email:

--Brief rationale about how you selected

your threshold score AND --Description of how you will track the impact of that score on your SSVF program’s screening, intake and/or caseload

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THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS WEBINAR!

The PowerPoint will be posted on VA’s SSVF Website:

www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp

Next month’s national call:

December 13, 2012

2:00pm – 4:00pm

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