Monarch Housing’s Blog!

USA Today reports that homelessness has been on the rise ever since the wave of foreclosures began in 2007. According to a study released in April by the National Coalition for the Homeless, 76 percent of homeowners and renters displaced by foreclosures are moving in with relatives and friends, 54 percent are moving to emergency shelters, and approximately 40 percent are living on the streets. (Respondents were allowed to give multiple replies to the survey questions.)

Six cities reported increases in the number of homeless people in emergency shelters and transitional housing, and representatives from 10 cities said they have seen an increase in households with children seeking homeless services. Although several reasons were given for these elevated numbers, foreclosure was the primary cause cited.

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We found this report on KnowledgePlex. State housing financing agency staff convened by the National Housing Trust during the National Council of State Housing Agencies spring training in Tucson, Arizona, discussed strategies they are using to keep viable projects moving forward despite falling tax credit prices. According to NHT, housing finance agencies have adopted five basic approaches to the market volatility: lowering minimum tax credit pricing, adding subsidies to transactions, modifying already adopted qualified allocation plans, providing additional credits to particular transactions and allowing developers to hike rents where the rent increases maintain agreed upon initial affordability limits. For a summary of HFA responses discussed at the roundtable, click here.

New Jersey’s strategies include:

1. Increase in basis limit,
2. Increase in maximum per project limits,
3. More flexible hardship clause mechanism (& non-competitive applications for less than $100,000)
4. Decrease equity pricing

Also held 2 meetings within the last 3 months with a group of core syndicators in an effort to stay up to date on current market conditions.

Did you miss last week’s rapid re-housing chat on KnowledgePlex?

If you did you can still review the audio and video in Windows Media format by clicking here.

Click here to view the PowerPoint for the Hennepin County Rapid Exit Program. For the Housing Opportunities for Women - Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness program click here.

To read all of our posts on Rapid Re-housing click here.

On May 22, 2008 KnowledgePlex hosted a web-based conference on Rapid Re-housing. The second of a two part series on new housing strategies for the homeless focused on rapid re-housing programs in the communities of Hennepin County Minnesota and Chicago Illinois. Panelist for this chat spoke to the impact rapid re-housing has had on the shelter system and the success they have seen in shorter lengths of stay in shelter and long term stability in housing.

Click here to view the PowerPoint for the Hennepin County Rapid Exit Program. For the Housing Opportunities for Women - Chicago’s Plan to End Homelessness program click here.

Rapid re-housing programs are gaining increased recognition as their ability to minimize shelter stay for minimal costs become apparent. With a focus on helping families return to housing and their communities more quickly, rapid re-housing programs reduce the strain on the shelter system and increase the success and stability of families as they live independently.

Marge Wherely of Hennepin County, Minnesota shed some light on the structure of their Rapid Exit program. In Hennepin County, 72% of families entering the shelter are aided through the Rapid Exit program and 95% of those families remain stably housed.

Families entering the shelter are immediately assessed to determine the level of housing barriers and placed into categories of low, moderate and high barriers to housing. Families with moderate to low barriers are referred to the Rapid Exit Program while families with more severe housing barriers are referred to other supportive housing programs that might be more suitable for their needs. Rapid Exit counselors begin to locate housing for the families based on their knowledge and relationship with local landlords. Families are connected to local non-profits for their service needs.

The average family will receive assistance, both financial and service oriented, for 3 to 6 months. A heavy emphasis is placed on connecting families with mainstream resources so as to transition and maintain support upon the termination of services from the rapid exit team. The average family receives $2,500 over a 3 - 6 month period for housing start-up costs. Families are actively involved in the development of their service plan and work with rapid exit counselors to determine the form of their financial assistance whether it be a one-time lump sum payment or a shallow subsidy over the course of a few months.

The success of Hennepin County’s Rapid Exit Program is due, in large part, to the collaboration between the County, Shelters and Non-profit service providers. At the County level, a re-organization of the way in which homeless service dollars are spent has enabled Hennepin County to guarantee start-up costs for housing to any homeless family that has located housing. In addition, a strong relationship with private landlords helps the program move families quickly into permanent housing reducing the average length of stay in shelter to 30 day.

Britt Shawver of Housing Opportunities for Women located in Chicago, Illinois highlighted the transformation currently taking place in Chicago. As a city that had an over abundance of 2-year transitional programs with very low success rates and a large percentage of clients entering and exiting the programs in 6 - 8 months, it became clear that a change in approach was necessary in order to see progress in the movement to end homelessness. After careful Read the rest of this entry »

Did you miss the KnowledgePlex chat on Helping Chronically Homeless Individuals Access and Stabilize in Housing?

To watch and listen to the video, which is in Windows Media format, click here.

A part of this chat included three PowerPoint presentation.

Click here to view the one used by Sam Tsemberis of Pathways to Housing.

Click here to view the one used by Arturo Valdivia Bendixen of Chicago Housing and Health Partnership.

Click here to view the one used by Norm Suchar of the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Did you miss the KnowledgePlex chat on Helping Chronically Homeless Individuals Access and Stabilize in Housing? A part of this chat included a power point on Pathways to Housing. To view that presentation as an Adobe PDF file click here.

On Thursday May 22 at 2:00 P.M. ET the second chat will be on the all important issue of Rapid Re-housing. For everyone interested in Rapid Re-housing this should be a high priority event. Click here for details.

This is the description provided by KnowledgePlex.

“Rapidly Re-housing Families Who Experience Homelessness”

Thursday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. ET

Rapid re-housing programs minimize the time families experience homelessness by providing short- and long-term rental assistance, housing search and placement assistance and home-based case management. The focus is on help families return to housing and their communities more quickly, reducing the strain on the shelter system. The panelists will describe the transformation of homeless shelter programs to ones that help families move into housing quickly. They will discuss the skills and staffing that a program needs to acquire, funding challenges, as well the broader impact on communities that adopt a Housing First approach.

Panelists

Britt Shawver, Housing Opportunities for Women, Chicago, IL
Marge Wherely, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN
Sharon McDonald, National Alliance to End Homelessness (moderator)

More information on this chat will soon be posted here.