Memorandum

 

TO:

Diane Stoddard, Interim City Manager

 

Lawrence City Commissioners

FROM:

Shannon Oury, Executive Director

Lawrence Douglas County Housing Authority

DATE:

December 1, 2015

RE:

Community Shelter Clients

 

Narrative

The Lawrence Douglas County Housing Authority (LDCHA) was approached about the possibility of the agency administering a program to house current guests of the Lawrence Community Shelter (the "Shelter") if funding was provided.  The LDCHA confirmed that it could set up and run a program similar to the current HOME Transitional Housing program. The Transitional Housing program currently has 43 households on the waiting list.  Federal funding for the HOME Transitional Housing program has been significantly cut for the past three years to the extent that the Shelter and other social service agencies have a greater challenge finding housing for participants. See HOME Funding Chart.

 

The LDCHA’s current Transitional Housing program provides up to 24 months of rent subsidy and one-time grants for security and utility deposits.  Households rent from private market landlords and pay a portion of the total rent, with the LDCHA paying the difference between what the participant can afford and the total rent.  Monthly rent subsidy, utility and security deposit grants are paid directly to the landlord or to the utility provider.  The household enters into an agreement to participate in support services while in the Transitional Housing Program with one of the following partners:

 

·         Bert Nash Homeless Outreach Team

·         Catholic Charities Northeast Kansas

·         Heartland Community Health Center

·         Douglas County Sheriff's Reentry Program

·         LDCHA Resident Services

·         ECKAN

·         Family Promise of Lawrence

·         Independence, Inc.

·         Lawrence Community Shelter

·         Willow Domestic Violence Center

 

On August 11, 2015 the Lawrence City Commission allocated $100,000 in funding in the 2016 budget for a Transitional Housing program that will be aimed at reducing the homeless population now being served at the Lawrence Community Shelter.  The Commissioners agreed to identify the program requirements at a later date with a focus on housing as many households as possible with this funding.

 

On October 14, 2015, the Douglas County Commission allocated $50,000 to be used for housing families residing at the Lawrence Community Shelter. These funds are to be used with a preference for housing families and Douglas County residents using the Transitional Housing model of providing 24 months of assistance paired with support services.  This process has been started and 2 families have been issued vouchers and are looking for a unit.

 

Program Requirement Options: The following options have been identified as possible program requirements for targeted utilization of these funds.

 

Working participants

The rental assistance provided is based on approximately 30% of the household's income. This means more subsidy is required for households that have zero income as opposed to households that have income either through work or through Social Security disability income, benefits, or from other sources. The Shelter reports that 40% of its guests have earned income or SSI/SSDI assistance as of September 30, 2015. The Shelter has a total of 63 guests receiving income in some form.

 

Families

Of the households at the Shelter that are on the Transitional Housing waiting list, the majority are families ranging in number from 2 to 7 members. The cost of housing increases as the number of family members increase. The LDCHA estimates it could house 9 households, including households of one, for 24 months with $100,000. If the funds were directed at housing families only , the LDCHA believes it could house just 5 - 6 families for the same time period.

 

Bert Nash Clients

The Shelter estimates that 30-40% of guests at the Shelter are working with the Bert Nash Community Center. There has been a discussion of directing some funding to clients of Bert Nash.

 

Other Considerations

The LDCHA will want the program eligibility requirements to mirror its existing HOME Transitional Housing requirements. A copy of the program outline is attached.