Fresno County CalWORKs Housing Support Program Overview
The County of Fresno, in partnership with the Fresno Housing Authority, offers the CalWORKs Housing Support Program to address the housing needs of families in the region. With a focus on assisting homeless individuals and those in need of supportive housing, the program aims to serve a significant number of households through financial assistance and case management services. Utilizing tools such as the Vulnerability Index and Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool, the program targets different lengths of assistance periods based on individual needs. The HSP process involves coordination with various entities like school districts, shelters, and the Housing Authority, with a goal to provide housing stability for vulnerable populations in Fresno County.
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Fresno County Fresno County CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP) CalWORKs Housing Support Program (HSP) Presented by: Laura Moreno, Senior Staff Analyst, Department of Social Services Shannon Welsh, Staff Analyst, Department of Social Services Tiffany Cantu, Supervisor, Fresno Housing Authority
The County of Fresno Department of Social Services is operating in partnership with the Fresno Housing Authority to provide the CalWORKs Housing Support Program
Fresno County is both rural an urban population 965,974 Long history of offering ESG and HPRP so it was a natural progression to request to be included in the HSP allocation Fresno is also part of the 100,000 Homes Campaign, 25 Cities initiative and Zero: 2016 In FY 13/14 the County of Fresno DSS served over 27,808 CalWORKs families and over 10,194 Welfare-to-Work (WTW) families. According to the most recent quarterly report for CalWORKs, the County of Fresno serves approximately 5% of the statewide CalWORKs population Approximately 1178 self-identified their household as homeless Fresno County Statistics HSP in Fresno County
Original Plan Asked for $1M to serve 146 households or 700 Participants We estimated that 44% (or 64 households) will require up to 60 days of assistance, 46% (or 67 households) will require 61 days to 6 months of assistance and 10% (or 15 households) will require 181 days to 1 year of assistance DSS is using the average cost of assistance provided per households under HPRP ($5,000) as the basis for service cost for this proposal Utilize the coordinated access system, The Vulnerability Index (VI), and the Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool (SPDAT), for families (VI-F-SPDAT), and Performance Management and Communications Platform (PMCP) and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
HSP Process Overview PROJECT ACCESS (FUSD) (Case Management ) Financial Assistance Project Access Other School Districts FAMILIES Homeless (Street/Motels) Shelters (FRM, MMC) HOUSING AUTHORITY (non FUSD) CAHM VI-SPDAT Street Case CalWORKs (Non WTW) Management Financial Assistance DSS Homeless Assistance Unit (non assisted clients) Future: DSS HA Unit (Assisted)
Initial Term - Feb June 2015 Implementation date: February 2015 Awarded $854,049 Adjusted Goal to serve 620 participants or 130 households Receiving referrals from shelters, Homeless Assistance Unit and School districts
Eligibility Criteria Initial Referral Criteria: 1. Be a CalWORKs recipient; and 2. A resident of Fresno County; and 3. Be homeless The purposes of the CalWORKs Housing Support Program in Fresno County, a household is considered homeless when it meets one of the following definitions: Sleeping in an emergency shelter; Sleeping in a motel; Sleeping in a place not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, abandoned buildings, streets/sidewalks; Victims of domestic violence; Family is lacking fixed and regular nighttime residence.
Overview of Services Provided Short to Medium term rental assistance Rental deposit assistance Appliances and/or furniture that are essential to ensure that rental meets basic habitability standards Case Management (i.e. budgeting; job search; transportation; medical appointment assistance; child care search; school attendance)
Policy Primary responsibility for the delivery of HSP services is carried out by the Fresno Housing Authority who employs a housing first and rapid re-housing model. Services include, but are not limited to: Rental Assistance (partial or full) Security deposits Utility deposits Moving costs Motel/hotel vouchers Paid shelter costs Making home habitable Case management Landlord engagement Legal services Credit repair Other
Expenditures To Date March 1 24, 2015 Rental Assistance (Deposits) = $11,419 Rental Assistance (Monthly rental payments) = $8,392 Furniture and appliances = $20,000 Utility Payment Assistance = $5,000 Progress towards goal Assisted 57 people 10 families
Program Challenges Working with other agencies such as the School districts and substance abuse treatment providers in determining homelessness No set processes defining as we go along Short time frame to implement and expend allocation Lessons Learned Accessing the best service for clients Client referred through HSP but a higher level of supportive service necessary to meet families need Being flexible and adaptable to change
HSP Success Story Why we do what we do ..
