Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutExhibit 1Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Substantial Amendment Table of Contents Background 3 Consultation with the Continuum of Care 3-4 Summary of Citizen Participation Process 5 Match 5 Proposed Activities and Overall Budget 6-7 Discussion of Funding Priorities 7-8 Overall Budget 9 Written Standards for Providing ESG Assistance 10 Describe Process for Making Sub -Awards 10 Homeless Participation Requirement 10 Performance Standards 10 Second allocation of FY2011 funds for emergency shelter & street outreach activities 11 Requirements for recipients who plan to use the risk factor under paragraph (1)(iii)(G) of the "at risk of homelessness " definition 11 Centralized or Coordinated Assessment System 11 Monitoring 12 Attachment A: Policies & Procedures 13-14 Attachment B: Comments 16 Attachment C: Certifications Error! Bookmark not defined.16 ESG Program Administrator Contact Information Name (Last, First) Mensah, George Email Address gmensah@miamigov om L7N.k�b Phone Number 305-416-1978 ` . v3,'hy Mailing Address 444 SW 2 Avenue, 2 Floor. Miami, FL 33130 Declaration of FY10 Grant Funds Commitments, :< Activity Type Obligated Amount Homeless ss1 Lance $ 352,509.00 Hom essness Preven'l~i`= $0.00 Administrave Activities. $ 10,902.00 Total FY 2010 A 'Iiand " $ 363,411.00 ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment— DRAFT Page 2 of 17 Emergency Solutions Grant .(ESG) Substantial Amendment 11-12 This document is a substantial amendment to the City of Miami's Consolidated Plan FY2009-2014 and its Annual Action Plan FY2011-2012. The amendment addresses the second round of funding of the Emergency Solutions Grant program ($203,984). Interested persons are invited to review and provide written comments to this draft during a 30-day comment period ending May 13, 2012. Comments can be e-mailed to the attention of Robert Tazoe, rtazoet )maimigov.com or U.S. Mail to Attn: Robert Tazoe, 444 SW 2 Ave., Second Floor, Miami, FL 331.30. BACKGROUND Annually, the City has addressed emergency and transition shelter rehabilitation needs with its Emergency Shelter Grant block grant. With the passage of the Homeless "merge c&Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009 (HEARTH Act) and its proposed regulatory changes, th aCtty Will undertake expanded and new eligible uses of the grant. With the Act's implementation, the nam as, been changed to Emergency Solutions Grant indicating a broader use of funds. The City's first al o ation of $362,639 is subject to the Emergency Shelter Grant program regulations. The City's second alloc of $203,984 will be exclusively used for homelessness preventiotassistance, rapid re -housing assistance, at administration. For the FY2011-2012 secon allocation of SG funds, the subject of this Substantial Amendment, the city will budget ESG resources to e funds g%for rapid re -housing and homelessness prevention services. Between rapid re -housing and hom�lessnesprev ntion, service preference is being given to rapid re- housing services in accordance with ti e naticonaLpi.ir ty established for this course of action in Objective 10 of Opening Doors: Federal Strategic to Pre ev fliWnd Homelessness, which outlines the goal to "Transform homeless services to crisis res `onse systems tl tprevent homelessness and rapidly return people who experience homelessness to stab sing," (pg. 7) and is also noted in the Federal Register, whereby "HUD strongly encourages each jurisdiction to focus as much of its new ESG funding as possible on rapidly re -housing individuals and families livinon the streets or in emergency shelters," (Vol. 77, No. 18, 4339). Additionally, Secretary Donovan, in his video message to ESG recipients, further reiterated the need to invest in the rapid re -housing strategy above all, given its significant impact to helping get persons and families housed. It should be noted that even though the City is committed to rapid re -housing, it is also cognizant of the usage trend of HPRP dollars in our community, where the majority of the dollars have been needed in the homelessness prevention component. As such, we are waiting until the new ESG program evolves, to further gauge the community's needs and allocate additional monies towards homelessness prevention, should those be necessary. CONSULTATION WITH THE CONTINUUM OF CARE The Miami -Dade County, Florida, Continuum of Care (CoC) covers the entire county including the following communities: Hialeah, Miami, Miami Beach and North Miami. The Dade County Homeless Trust (Trust), charged with the responsibility of developing the Continuum of Care, consists of a 27-member Advisory Board comprised of representatives from State and local governments, businesses, nonprofit providers, educational and religious leaders, and formerly homeless individuals. Two of the Trust's Board members are City of Miami administrators, including Mayor Tomas Regalado and City Manager Johnny ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment— DRAFT Page 3 of 17 Martinez, P.E. Besides this representation, the Miami's Homeless Assistance Program (MHAP) is also a key component in the County -wide CoC and has been serving the City's homeless population via outreach activities since 1992 mainly in the form of referrals to a myriad of social services, including behavioral, mental, health, and supportive housing. It should be noted that, as part of the CoC agreement, the City of Miami does not operate any homeless shelters as these are operated by the County. For the past several years, MHAP has successfully implemented the City of Miami's Emergency Solutions Grant dollars to provide for outreach services, and it will continue to serve in this capacity for the new Emergency Solutions Grant dollars. Since Program inception MHAP has placed 70;481 individuals and families into the Continuum of Care. MHAP currently employs thirty three formerly homeless as Community Outreach Specialists (COS). They are assigned as teams of two and network with the City's ten Neighborhood Enhancement Team Offices (NET). As part of NET, MHAP carries out various community projects, such as building condemnations and site clean-ups. MHAP assists the homeless or near homeless during these � A operations. The program currently operates twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Estimates indicate that approximately 36% of the County's homele sA1ptip lation resides within the City of Miami (2011-2012 Action Plan, p. 37). The CoC is tasked with developing the master Ten-year Miami -Dade County community Homeless Plan which delineates a comprehensive strategy for the delivery and coordination of h'"ueless housing and services, for the entire County, including all its municipalities and jurisdictions. Itisis` c 1prised of: homelessness prevention and diversion; coordinated outreach, assessment and placeme tr�tmergency, transitional and permanent housing; and, supportive services. This Substantial Amendment incorporates the uit mots listed in 24 CFR Part 91 and the City of Miami's Citizen Participation Plan. In accordance to the 's G tzzen Participation Plan, substantial amendments to the Consolidated Plan and/or Annual Action Plan, ludm ` e ddition of a program or activity not previously described in the Consolidated Plan (or zn k Ann al. dion Plan) requires a public hearing and a comment period. As such, public notice of this subst ttal amendment- vastadvertised in the newspaper of greatest circulation, The Miami Herald and all persons ereIlrovided w1ti the 30-day comment period specified in the City's Citizen Participation Plan. A drafto this Substantial Amendment was also posted for public review on the DeRartment's web site, and at the Depai ti ient of Community Development offices. Starting in the Spnn`g, the Ci so#Miami consulted with the Miami Homeless Assistance Program and reached out to t e.' xust to begin d scussions on the new ESG regulations and to plan for the portion of the FY 2011-12 alloc 'on_restricted to melessness prevention and rapid re -housing. On Friday, April 13th it held its Public Meeti' ' at the Cha ma" '�" nershipHomeless Assistance Center)in downtown Miami to �' p ( gather public input anaMlback on its ' f ESG Round 2 monies. On April 20`i', it went before the Executive Committee of t `r.,,ust to present the draft of the Substantial Amendment and gather additional input. Then on April 27t', it n before .eBoard of the Trust to present the latest draft, further refine the document, andgarner their a pr al the `?a roved the use of the ESG homelessnessprevention and rapid pP � � approved re -housing in ways that: • Foster greater access to permanent housing, that is affordable to persons at or below 30% of the area median income given that this is the top need identified, as noted in the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness; • Leverage existing resources to achieve the program's match and case management requirements; • Coordinate across regional entitlement jurisdictions by utilizing standardized eligibility and assessment tools; • Allow for variations in the program design that responds to the needs and resources of the jurisdiction Some of the ten essentials to ending homelessness as issued by the Continuum of Care in its Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness include: Emergency Prevention Programs, Outreach to Homeless on the Streets, ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 4 of 17 Shorten the time people spend homeless, Rapid Re -Housing and Permanent Housing. These essentials will also be further reinforced by the City's plan for the implementation of Emergency Solutions Grants funding. The most recent Point -in -Time survey of homeless populations in Miami -Dade County was conducted in late January 2012, during which a total of 868 persons were on the streets with the majority of these, 535, located within City of Miami limits. The total number of homeless on City streets in 2011 was 487, amounting to a 9% increase in one year. To further analyze the City's numbers in 2012, approximately 66% of those homeless within City limits were situated in the Downtown Miami area (352 persons). The Point -in - Time survey also noted another 3,086 persons in Miami -Dade County were sheltered, be it in an emergency shelter, hotel/motel, transitional housing, or safe haven. Recent data further refines the County's homeless population's characteristics, noting that that 1 in 3 people experiencing homelessness are in families and 1 in 4 are children. Con ntly, the County has seen a sharp dtegincrease in the number of homeless families in the system, which have ,required additional expense in stays at local motels/hotels due to the lack of available space in shelters Aside from the lodging expenses, the hotel stays only further delay the Community goal of having perorisPhoi sed as quickly as possible. The local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is administere County -wide by the Homeless Trust. Providers who receive Trust funding are required to utilize the sytem. The providers submit monthly and annual progress reports which are used as part of their docum ntation for monthly billing, due to both the Trust and HUD. The system is also used to generate reports forail `''types of information, in particular our point in time co tlt and other HUD and Trust Board reportmg'he system is used for HPRP and for the County's ESG prose amillus House. Referrals from one program to another. are accomplished via HMIS. As required by the Interim Rule, data on all personv�served under SG will be entered into the HMIS system. Other systems which discharge persons mtdtiomeless ess,eg the jails, crisis units, foster care and hospitals) also utilize the HMIS. SUMMARY OF PART ICIPATION PROCES In order to bro e partic p frstakeholders and the homeless/formerly homeless community, the City decided to hold` �eghborhood�public hearing at the Chapman Partnership, the Homeless Assistance Center located in do,y'ntown Miami at t,550 North Miami Ave., on Friday, April 13, 2012, 10 a.m. At the meeting, City staff discussed the planndistribution methodology for Round 2 ESG funding and presented a proposed budget for the Round 2 fundi g. An e-mail notice about the hearing was sent to approximately 250 contacts including hom less shelters service providers, Continuum of Care participants and ESG, HOPWA and HPRP grant reci nts. At4liis hearing, the City welcomed comments on the record, as well as written comments. A public heari` g ca die Substantial Amendment will be held on May 10, 2012 before the City of Miami Commission. A suma of comments can be found under Attachment "B" to this document. MATCH In accordance with 24 CFR 576.201, program regulations require the recipient or sub -recipient to match the second allocation with an equal amount of funding from federal, state or local resources. The sub -recipient, Citrus Health Network, Inc. (Citrus), intends to match $103,240 of the ESG dollars with a grant from the Veterans Administration Supportive Services to Military Families (VA SSVF), which is intended for the same types of re -housing services. Citrus will match another $68,946 of the ESG dollars with in -kind resources. Finally, the recipient will utilize a match from the local Housing Opportunities for Persons with ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 5 of 17 AIDS (HOPWA) Long -Term Rental Assistance Program to meet the match requirement for $31,618 in Administration. T t j 4fir ctiyi MahmFuds ` q t, A InIn M - �FAs Rapid Re -housing $103,420 $i 10,.3,420 ;'' x a' x,$,Q; ' x' at€ F. 4 ,.s$0 Homelessness Prevention $68,946 K V F � '-i � $0 �i t'.�: RA! 4 °° $68 99*" 6 ����a . ,r E .75 j n ` �',SO t R�r z , Administration $31,618 } ?'r ,, 414.. ,$31,618 Total: $203,984 $,. ;646n WV F$3}1;648 PROPOSED ACTIVITLES AND OVERALL BU Citrus Health Network - Rapid Re -housing Activities Priority Need: High Description of Provide for Rapid Re -housing activities. Activity : Proposed Accomplishment: ESG Funding: Other Funding: Objective: Outcome: Start Date: Completion Date: Location: Performance Indicators: S 103,420.0 $ 103,420.00 (V Decent Affordable Affordability Upon Grant Execution 24 months from start date Assistingi24 persons who are literally homeless, ginhe street or in a shelter an miuiri em as quickly as possible into permanent housing with the goal of help " em achieve housing stability. Citywide Activity • At least 70% of the assisted households will remain in stable housing at least 90 days following the period of assistance; ■ At least 50% of the assisted households will not return into homelessness in the following 12 months; • At least 50% of the assisted households will increase or maintain their income level in the following 12 months. Citrus Health Network - Homelessness Prevention Activities Priority Need: . High Description of Provide for homelessness prevention activities Activity : Proposed Accomplishment: . Assisting 16 people at -risk of being homeless, thereby preventing them from becoming homeless in a shelter or unsheltered situation, with the goal of helping them regain stability in current housing or other permanent housing. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 6 of 17 ESG Funding: Other Funding: Objective: Outcome: Start Date: Completion Date: Location: Performance Indicators: $ 68,946.00 $ 68,946.00 (in -kind) Decent Affordable Housing Affordability Upon Grant Execution 24 months from start date Citywide Activity • At least 70% of the assisted households will remain in stable housing at least 90 days following the period of assistance; • At least 60% of the assisted households will not return into homelessness in the following 12 months; • At least 50% of the assisted households will increase or maintain their income level in the following 12 months. City of Miami Department of Community Development - Program Administration Description of Program Administration Activity : ESG Funding: $ 31,618.00 Other Funding: $31,618.00 Start Date: Upon Grant Execution Completion 24 months from start date Date: Location: 444 SW 2 Avenue, 2 Floor Performance • Issue payment to program landlords Indicators: package; DISCUSSIO 'UNDTNV PRIORITIES The City plans �to use its second a ity tion to fund Rapid Re -housing and Homelessness prevention activities, distribu he available amount on a 60% , 40% basis, respectively. This distribution is being made because the Ci Willy supports 's recommendation that the bulk of new ESG funding be utilized towards rapidly re-housttx ;;individuals gi eai the critical need for this activity and its ability to transition people out of the homeless `"4ss'stance sysitrn as quickly as possible. The City concurs with HUD's analysis that using ESG funds for rapt ,housit3gRefforts is very effective because it guarantees the immediate end to homelessness for a segment o Are fly low-income households and shortens their length of stay in a shelter. This activity will also suppose national goal of preventing and ending homelessness for families, youth and children in IO years, while furthering the national objective (#3) of providing affordable housing to people experiencing or most at risk of homelessness, as identified in Opening Doors the Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness (p. 30). As of April 31d, 2012, the City's HPRP program had worked effectively with 466 households served through homelessness prevention assistance and another 201 served through rapid re -housing assistance. We believe this obvious trend towards homelessness prevention activities was directly tied to the massive wave of foreclosures that hit South Florida three years ago, one of the top three areas in the nation hit hardest by the real estate collapse. Local data indicates that 806 foreclosures were filed in the City of Miami in 2009, another 917 were filed in 2010, and 606 were filed in 2011. Meanwhile, 2,297 lis pendens were filed in 2009, another 2,596 in 2010 and 1,898 in 2011. Fortunately, recent data does indicate a leveling off of City days of eceiving a request for payment ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT ' Page 7 of 17 homeowners who are in crisis. However, poverty levels are not following suit, and have in fact jumped up from 26.5% in 2009 to 32.4% in 2010 and 2011. Unemployment levels also play a significant factor, with recent reports indicating the Miami -Fort Lauderdale -Pompano Beach metropolitan statistical area's levels sit at 9% as of February 2012 (U.S. Dept. of Labor, U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, Metropolitan Area Employment and Unemployment report, Feb. 2012). Because the City is still in the midst. of an unpredictable economic recovery, it is difficult to ascertain or foresee how poverty and unemployment levels will evolve over the course of the coming year. As such, we will continue monitoring the socio-economic conditions of the City and modify our ESG funding strategy to further support homelessness prevention activities, should the need arise. The City anticipates several obstacles in addressing underserved needs including: (1) funding for social services at the federal, state, and local levels are declining and consequently, establishing on -going support services for persons who are on the verge of homelessness or formerly,baeless is difficult; (2) • unemployment levels in South Florida continue to be some of the hi estn the nation and lack of employment is a key factor in a person's ability to retain housing +-Ffliew is a limited supply of affordable housing units within City limits. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 8 of 17 OVERALL BUDGET FY 2011 Detailed Budget Table First Allocation $362,639.00 Emergency FY 2011 Second Allocation $203,984.00 Emergency Shelter Grants/ Grant Amount $566,623.00 Solutions Grants . Program Allocations Total Administration $42,497.00 ` First Allocation Second Allocation Total Fiscal Year 2011 Eligible Activities Activity Amount Reprogramme d Amount Activity Amount Activity Amount Emergency Shelter Grants Program Homeless Assistance $351,760.00 $0.00 $351,760.00 Rehab/Conversion $0.00 $0.00 ` $0.00 Operations $0 $0.00 -'; , , , " $0.00 Essential Services $ S~T7&0'00 $0.00 * $351,760.00 Homelessness Prevention 000 $0.00 • 50.00 Administration $10,87 ' x $0.00 _ S10,879.00 , �� .,s . .. , .,. Emergency Shelter Grants g y Subtotal S362,639.00 $0.00 $362,639.00 Emergency Solutions Grants Program Emergency Shelter** �a �r s �" z ' � $0 00 SO 00 Renovation**2 ? i y yE 1$0100 t . . $0°t0 5 lraF Operatic r ' Ly514'y�.' * a $0 00 33 rays sa , sf3 $0 00 Esser ¢7 errvice*• x % 4V $000 r h 50'00 URA Asst, tt,,nce * * a . Street Outreach - sentia Services** ,}s$0 , 00 ,. $0.00,, HMIS '�' � $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Rapid Re -housing '- � $0.00 S103,420.00 $103,420.00 Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services '��`�� $0.00. $103,420.00 $103,420.00 Tenant -Based Rental Assistance t• k Project -Based Rental Assistance $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Homelessness Prevention $0.00 S68,946.00 S68,946.00 Housing Relocation and Stabilization Services $0.00 $68,946.00 $68,946.00 Tenant -Based Rentala�> Assistance�� W $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Project -Based Rental •� Assistance $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Administration z ate? � , say $31,618.00 $31,618.00 Emergency Solutions Grants Subtotal r S0.00 S203,984.00 S203,984.00 F M, ,,a� .• . � ,. .. e Total Grant11 Amount: $566,623.00 **Allowable only' if the amount obligated for homeless assistance activities using funds from the first allocation is less than ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 9 of 17 the expenditure limit for emergency shelter and street outreach activities (see Section III.B. of this Notice). WRITTEN STANDARDS FOR PROVIDING ESG ASSISTANCE The City, in consultation with the CoC, will be preparing comprehensive standards for providing ESG assistance over the next several months. In order to make critically needed prevention and rapid re -housing assistance available more quickly, it has established abbreviated standards to be applied to this second allocation of FY1 1 ESG funds, which are based upon some of the basic standards established for HPRP. The City understands that the HPRP and ESG program rules are different in many ways, coupled with the fact that HPRP funding was significantly higher than ESG funding, so the goal is to be as strategic as possible with the ESG funds. This strategy will better refine itself as the ESG funds are put to use, and concurrently the standards for ESG assistance will have to be modified and adapted as;AQssons are learned. Please refer to Attachment "A" for Policies and Procedures. To ensure long-term compliance with program requirements, they pier the grant activities carried out by the sub -recipient, guaranteeing that program goals and require `ents.are met in accordance with HUD guidelines. DESCRIBE PROCESS FOR MAKING SUB -AWARDS The City of Miami's Department of Housing i ommunity Development is recommending the award of the second allocation of the Emergency Solutio�ns grant dollars. to Citrus Health Network, Inc. (Citrus), based on the latter's existent and established net r f partner agencies who facilitate the intake process and the agency's thorough knowledge of the nece ,nary case` anagement required by rapid re -housing and homelessness prevention activities. Aside from thikbitrus as ntracted to handle the City and County's governments,i su r� HPRP allocations, amongother local andhas bn successfully handling the program for approximately three years. HOMELESS PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENT This substantial a tr dtnwas presented in front of the Board f the Miami -Dade Homeless Trust which is composed of-members,`'ii c tiding the participation of threes formerly homeless persons. In addition, the neighborhood I vel public hearing took place at the Chapman Partnership, the Homeless Assistance Center, :d� located in down n, Miami at 155b orth Miami Ave. The center houses 456 beds for homeless families, single males, and s ngleV emales who ere also able to participate at the meeting. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS The performance standards for cooperation of the CoC. Based oh Homelessness prevention — the City le use of the ESG activities have been developed with the :ending available under both activities — Rapid Re -housing and jects that 24 persons will exit homelessness and another 16 persons will avoid homelessness under the grant. The City worked with Citrus Health Network, Inc. to establish an initial set of performance standards which it believes will evolve over time, along with the Emergency Solutions Grant. These standards are as follows: • Monitor the number of households assisted who return to shelters after Homelessness prevention or Rapid Re -housing Assistance is provided. At least 70% of households will continue to be in stable housing at least 90 days following the period of assistance; • Monitor the number of households that are assisted directly from the shelter; ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 10 of 17 ▪ Based on need, ensure that 100% of clients are being referred to other appropriate supportive services in the community; • Issue payment to program landlords within 14 days of receiving a request for payment package; ■ Leverage programmatic dollars by ensuring that assisted clients are contributing towards their recovery from homelessness. The most significant barrier encountered by homeless or formerly homeless clients in the City is access to safe, decent, and affordable housing. The City has a limited number of tenant based vouchers via the Housing Choice Voucher Program and is still working from a waitlist established back in 2008. Aside from this, Miami -Dade County manages over 9,000 public housing units but demand is extremely high and waitlists are lengthy. Very low income persons have few options available to them in South Florida in terns of finding affordable, permanent housing. SECOND ALLOCATION OF FY2011 FUNDS FOR EM.E • 'a WY SHELTER & STREET OUTREACH ACTIVITIES. The City of Miami is not utilizing funds from the second allocation of ESG or Y2011-2012 for street outreach activities. REQUIREMENTS FOR RECIPIENTS WHO PLAN TO USE THE RISK FAG ®.' \UNDER PARAGRAPH (1)(.III)(G) OF THE "A'FRISK OF HOMELESSNESS " DEFINITIO The City of Miami is not planning to use the risk fa min 24 CFR 576,2, under paragraph (1)(iii)(G) of the 'at risk of homelessness' definition: "otherwise es inch m g that had characteristics associated with instability and an increased risk of homelessness." ?` Fw� The City of Miami will be addressing t e'other six cothe at risk homelessness" definition in 24 CFR 576.2 definitions. CENTRALIZED OR COORDIN TEED AS E'S ENT,.: YSTEM The Homeless Trust provides a toll free ze omeless FIeI line witch serves to direct people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness to prevention an outreach seerv� , and allows for a centralized intake system. Families who call are directed to the Trust's prevention provider, Camillus House, who employs clinical staff. Families who are at risk of homelessness are provided an assessment to determine the best course of action. Families who require rental assist nce and legal services are provided with those services either through Camillus, HPRP, or as planned, ESG prevention and rapid re -housing programming. Families who require immediate shelter placement are referred to an outreach team for shelter placement. All families with minor children are provided shelter regardless of capacity. If we do not have room in our shelter system, outreach teams provide placement into a hotel until such time as a shelter bed becomes available. Single individuals also access services via our Helpline. The Trust contracts with agencies (City of Miami and Miami Beach) to provide homeless outreach County -wide (Miami provides 24 hour coverage). The outreach teams provide access into our shelter system and serve as gatekeepers into shelters funded by the Homeless Trust as walk-ins are not permitted. The Homeless Trust also contracts a team of clinical staff who serve as outreach workers for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Persons identified as chronically homeless are staffed into new programs and vacancies as they occur in Housing 1 St programs which place chronically homeless persons right from the streets into their own apartments, bypassing shelter. Families and individuals who wish to apply for transitional and permanent supportive housing programs (other than the Housing 1' and new permanent supportive housing programs) may apply directly to any provider funded through the Homeless Trust. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment— DRAFT Page 11 of 17 MONTI'ORING Existing monitoring procedures are sufficient to allow the City of Miami Department of Community Development to assure compliance with the new requirements. Sub -recipients have written agreements with the City of Miami. Each agreement details the requirements and outlines guidelines, objectives, and performance goals for the fiscal year. Sub -recipients are monitored on federal compliance requirements such as the documentation of income eligibility, timeliness of expenditures, and performance of goals. Monitoring is performed by the Department of Community Development. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 12 of 17 c. d. e. f. g• ATTACHMENT A: POLICIES & PROCEDURES Policies & Procedures for the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) The City's written standards for providing ESG Assistance as follows: A. Standard policies and procedures for evaluating individual's,andi}families' eligibility for .. u'7g ak;�,t assistance. a. Must be residents of the City of Miami; b. Must be homeless or at risk of homelessness as defined in 24 CFR § 57-vyith the exception of paragraph (1)(iii)(G) of the "at risk of homelessness" definition Household's annual income must be at or below 30% of AMI as determined us calculations per 24 CFR § 5.609. Case files must include a completed el specifications) that the household meets Records must be kept for each program pa provided to that program participant; compliaa 576.401 (a) and (b), and 576.401 (d) and (e); of assistance requirement in § 576.402. For each indi�ydual and family determined ineligibieta receive ESG assistance, the record must include douneiti©naof the reason for that determiYon. EligiblAses of Funds:�, a�nds may be used for rental application fees, security deposit, last months ent, utility paymert`' s deposits, moving cost assistance, and short- or medium -term rental assistanceds may be paiidlairty to a third -party provider; they may not be provided directly to the person applyingapplyilig for assistance he standards for orm and certification (which meets HUD criteria. cument: the services and assistance re ents under 24 CFR §576.101-106, en applicatcompliance with the termination B. Policies and procedures fo c, or iltion among emergency shelter providers, essential service providers, homelessness p e�ni'Ion"and other homeless assistance providers, and mainstream service and housing providers' All referrals to the ESG program will be coordinated through one centralized helpline where clients can phone in and be referred accordingly to a participating network agency to schedule a meeting to determine eligibility. Staff will evaluate all clients using uniform criteria and will complete standard HUD -required HMIS data entry. The ESG provider must: ■ Make assistance available to all eligible City of Miami households without regard to what agency provides shelter to the household; ■ Provide guidance to community partners about eligibility requirements and how to access assistance. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment— DRAFT Page 13 of 17 C. Policy and procedures for determining and prioritizing which eligible families and individuals will receive homelessness prevention assistance and which eligible families will receive rapid re- housing assistance. ■ In the rapid re -housing component, the program will first look at those persons who are currently homeless — meaning, as proven by referral from an outreach team or homeless program. ■ In the prevention component, we will focus on those households for whom homelessness is imminent because their landlord has begun the legal eviction process through the judicial system and the household lacks resources and support that could help them retain their housing. Our experience with our HPRP program tells us that those households who have been served with the court ordered eviction notice are most in danger because the legal proceedings have already begun. • At this point in South Florida, solely HPRP or ESG can assist the 1ousehold. In both rapid re- housing and homelessness prevention, the applicant will be sere0ased on a first -come, first -ready basis, given funding availability. D. Standards for determining the share of rent and utilities asts tha each program participant must pay, if any, while receiving homelessness prevention or rapid re-housing>assistance. Rental payments shall follow a declining subsidy schedule (see Figure 1) an' akeer the first two months, the amount of assistance gradually decreases so the tenant's share of rent increases Clients are responsible for contributing the part of the rent that is not covered by the ESG pro am. Finure 1 Month 12 3 qv iA 3�` �:� 5 J S.�'p6' '. $R i i'r `v. .e3, -Y� 10 # ..�_ .':.i�Y-, ` 'ltl "tU:A. .... 12�' ..,.A City Share of Rentr".:. 100% 100% 75% 50% 50% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% 25% E. Standards for determining'-h�ow long articular program participant will be provided with rental assistance and whether and hb he ountof assistance will be adjusted over time. • The ESG program will be used'to.� prove e'-s izrt term or medium -term rental assistance; with the initial assistance offered for a pet ;d of three months. However, assistance can be extended for up to twelve (12) months, if the pa�rti'cipant is able �O show progress towards financial sufficiency. ■ Once in the program, the participant wif1 equired to meet with a case manager not less than once per month to assist the program participan to order to ensure long-term housing stability and reduce the possibility of recidivism back into homelessness. F. Standards for determining the type, amount and duration of housing stabilization and/or relocation services to provide a program participant, including the limits, if any, on the homelessness prevention or rapid re -housing assistance that each program participant may receive, such as maximum amount of assistance, maximum number of months the program participant receives assistance; or the maximum number of times the program participant may receive assistance. A stabilization plan will be customized to each client and will include referring the household to other agencies that can provide assistance in improving the financial situation of the household; obtaining mainstream benefits, referrals to budget counseling, etc. At a minimum, the case manager will have contact with the household once per month to ensure that the household is stable and rent is being paid. The maximum amount of assistance for any household will be $6,000 in one programmatic year. The recipient, ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 14 of 17 Dept. of Community Development, reserves the right to modify these policies and procedures at its discretion via the issuance of Program Directives. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment - DRAFT Page 15 of 17 ATTACHMENT B: Com ENTs No comments were received during the public hearing that took place on April 13, 2012. Comment period still open until May 13, 2012. Any comments received prior to the deadline will be added in this section. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment— DRAFT Page 16 of 17 ATTACHMENT C: CERTIFICATIONS -& FORM SF424 To be attached prior to submission to HUD. ESG 2011-2012 Substantial Amendment — DRAFT Page 17 of 17