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Final Report|Study of PHAs’ Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness
FINAL REPORT
Study of PHAs’ Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Office of Policy Development and Research
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FINAL REPORT
Study of PHAs’ Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness
Prepared for:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Washington, D.C.
Prepared by:
Abt Associates Inc. Lauren Dunton Meghan Henry
Eliza Kean
Jill Khadduri
February 2014
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the administrators and staff of the many public housing agencies that participated in the Web-based census and the follow-up telephone survey and who contributed information about their current practices in serving people experiencing homelessness.
A number of staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as well as the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness were involved in this project from the beginning, commenting on draft survey instruments and interim products. The authors thank Anne Fletcher, the government's technical representative and manager of this project for her careful comments on the draft report and her expert facilitation of staff involvement in the project across a number of HUD offices. Staff from the Office of Public and Indian Housing, including the Housing Choice Voucher Office, the Office of Community Planning and Development, especially the Special Needs Assistance Programs, and the Office of Policy Development and Research, were involved throughout, and we acknowledge and are grateful for their comments and input.
At Abt, Larry Buron, Scott Brown, and Azim Shivji provided valuable comments and analysis. Missy Robinson and Kathleen Linton provided expert production skills.
Lauren Dunton Meghan Henry Eliza Kean
Jill Khadduri
The contents of this report are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the U.S. Government.
Study of PHAs' Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................. ix Which PHAs Are More Likely to Make Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness? .. x PHAs and Community Efforts to Address Homelessness ........................................................xi
PHA Perceptions of Barriers to the Use of Housing Assistance by People
Experiencing Homelessness .................................................................................................. xii
Practices of PHAs and Their Partners for Helping People Experie ncing Homelessness Gain
and Retain Housing............................................................................................................... xiii
Encouraging Greater PHA Efforts to Use Mainstream Housing Assistance for People
Experiencing Homelessness ................................................................................................. xiii
1. Introduction...................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Purpose of the Study .........................................................................................................1
1.2 Background on PHAs ........................................................................................................3
1.3 Data Collection for the Study .............................................................................................8
1.4 Characteristics of PHAs in the Study .................................................................................9
1.5 This Report...................................................................................................................... 11
1.6 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 12
2. Extent to Which Public Housing Agencies Make Efforts to Serve People
Experiencing Homelessness................................................................................ 14
2.1 Extent of PHA Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness ................................ 14
2.2 PHA Characteristics Associated With Efforts to Serve People Experiencing
Homelessness: Type of Program and PHA Size......................................................................20
2.3 PHA Characteristics Associated With Efforts to Serve People Experiencing
Homelessness: Type of Location............................................................................................ 24
2.4 Summary .........................................................................................................................29
Study of PHAs' Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homeless ness
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3. Role of Public Housing Agencies in Broader Community Efforts to Address
Homelessness.....................................................................................................31
3.1 PHA Administration of Programs for Homeless Households and Special-purpose
Vouchers ................................................................................................................................31
3.2 Reasons for Not Participating in Local CoCs ...................................................................36
3.3 Relationships With Local Homeless Service Providers.....................................................37
3.4 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 41
4. Identifying and Addressing Barriers That People Experiencing Homelessness
May Face in Using Housing Assistance ...............................................................43
4.1 Frequent Change of Address ...........................................................................................44
4.2 Eligibility Screening and Verification of Homelessness ....................................................44
4.3 Assistance With Housing Search and Landlord Negotiation for People Who Are Trying
to Use Vouchers .....................................................................................................................45
4.4 High Turnover in Assisted Housing ..................................................................................46
4.5 Difficulty in Meeting Housing Costs .................................................................................47
4.6 Types of PHAs Reporting Barriers Homeless Households Face in Using Housing
Assistance .............................................................................................................................47
4.7 Summary .........................................................................................................................50
5. Public Housing Agencies and Partner Approaches for Serving Homeless
Households......................................................................................................... 51
5.1 Outreach to People Experiencing Homelessness.............................................................52
5.2 Eligibility Screening and Homeless Verification................................................................53
5.3 Placement Into Housing and Housing Type......................................................................55
5.4 Assistance in Locating Housing With HCVs .....................................................................60
5.5 Promoting Housing Retention ..........................................................................................61
5.6 Summary .........................................................................................................................63
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6. Options for Encouraging Greater Efforts to Serve Households Experiencing
Homelessness Among Public Housing Agencies ..................................................65
6.1 New Guidance From HUD ................................................................................................65
6.2 How HUD Can Encourage PHAs to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness ...............66
6.3 PHA Perspectives on What HUD Could Do ......................................................................67
6.4 How PHAs Can Work With Communities Using a PHA Preference System and Other
Approaches for Serving People Experiencing Homelessness .................................................70
6.5 What CoCs Can Do to Encourage PHAs to Assist Homeless Households ........................ 71
Appendix A. Web Census Survey Instrument ....................................................... 73
Instructions ............................................................................................................................ 74
Agency Information ................................................................................................................75
Section A. Your Agency's Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program .......................................75
Section B. Your Agency's Public Housing Program ................................................................87
Section C. Other Programs Administered by Your PHA ..........................................................95
Section D. Identifying Newly Admitted Households as Homeless ...........................................98
Section E. PHA Experience With Community Partners Providing Services
to Homeless People ............................................................................................................. 103
Section F. Barriers to Engaging With Homeless Households ................................................ 106
Section G. Moving to Work Agencies ................................................................................... 109
Definitions of Terms and Phrases Used in the Survey ........................................................... 112
Appendix: B. Study Methodology .........................................................................114
Census Survey ..................................................................................................................... 114
Follow-up Survey ................................................................................................................. 115
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Appendix C. Follow-up Telephone Survey Instrument .........................................117
Follow-up Survey of PHA Engagement With Homeless Households ..................................... 117
Section 1. PHA Role in the Continuum of Care and With Specific Partner Programs ............ 119
Section 2. PHA's Preference Systems .................................................................................. 122
Section 3. Barriers to Using the HCV and Public Housing Programs .................................... 126
Section 4. Other Programs Administered by the PHA ........................................................... 127
Section 5. Closing ................................................................................................................ 128
Appendix D. Full Multivariate Models and Estimates ......................................... 129
Description of the Multivariate Models ................................................................................. 129
D-1. Basic PHA Characteristics ............................................................................................ 130
D-2. Policy Choices and Combined Results ......................................................................... 132
Study of PHAs' Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homeless ness
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Executive Summar
Executive Summary
The use of mainstream housing assistance programs will be essential if the nation is to achieve the goals of the 2010 Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, including ending chronic homelessness
by 2015 and ending homelessness for
families, youth, and children by 2020. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has residential programs specifically targeted to people experiencing homelessness, but those resources are small by comparison with the 2.5 million Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) and the 1.1 million public housing units managed by public housing agencies (PHAs) across the country. This study was commissioned by HUD's
Office of Policy Development and Research to provide a status report on efforts by PHAs to serve homeless households with mainstream housing assistance resources. Data were collected from PHAs throughout 2012 and early 2013 using two approaches: a Web based survey of roughly 4,000 PHAs and follow-up telephone discussions with staff at
120 PHAs.
The study found that about a quarter (24 percent) of all PHAs were attempting to serve people experiencing homelessness by using their ability to prioritize some people over others on waiting lists for housing assistance and by removing barriers that make it difficult for homeless households to use housing assistance programs. Those PHAs had a strong general preference that put people
experiencing homelessness at or near the top
of the waiting list or they had created a limited preference within their public housing or voucher program for homeless households or they had modified the application of eligibility screening or other program rules to remove barriers to homeless households accessing and using h ousing assistance.
The study answers the following questions:
• What explains the degree to which a PHA contributes to efforts to end homelessness by using mainstream programs? What types of PHAs are more or less likely
to make attempts to serve people
experiencing homelessness?
• What role do PHAs play in community efforts to end homelessness? How do institutional relationships such as participation in Continuums of Care
(CoGs) affect PHA efforts to serve homeless households?
• What barriers do PHAs perceive as challenging their efforts to serve homeless households?
• What practices are PHAs and their community partners using to help homeless households gain access to housing and to remain stably housed?
• What can HUD and communities do to encourage or support stronger efforts by PHAs to serve people experiencing homelessness?
Study of PHAs' Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homeless ness
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xecu 1ve ummar
Which PHAs Are More Likely to Make Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homelessness?
Most PHAs are small, with inventories of
500 or fewer units of assisted housing, and many of those small PHAs manage only public housing developments and do not administer HCVs. Almost half (49 percent) of the national inventory of vouchers and public
housing is administered by the 119 PHAs with
more than 5,000 units.1 PHAs cover various service areas-cities, counties, towns, entire states-and their service areas often do not coincide with the CoCs that are the planning organizations for local, regional, or statewide efforts to end homelessness.
Larger PHAs are more likely than smaller PHAs to make an effort to serve people experiencing homelessness. Thus, more than half (53 percent) of the total national inventory of public housing and HCV units is controlled by PHAs that make efforts to serve homeless households. Size has an independent effect
on whether PHAs make such efforts, even when controlling for other PHA characteristics, such as the number of people experiencing homelessness in area in which the PHA operates. Larger PHAs may have more flexibility in their use of resources to create a limited preference for homeless households
or to cover the additional administrative costs that may be associated with serving people who have experienced homelessness.
1 References to “units” throughout this report, where not specified as units of public housing. refer to the total units of inventory managed by a PHA, including public housing units and the baseline number ofHousmg Ch01ce Vouchers adm1mstered by the agency.
Although large PHAs are more likely than smaller PHAs either to have limited preferences for homeless households or to modify the application of their screening
or other administrative practices, smaller
PHAs are just as likely as larger PHAs to have general preferences that place homeless households higher on the waiting list. It may be that smaller PHAs (typically
in areas with small numbers of people
experiencing homelessness) do not have the same concern as larger PHAs (typically in areas with large numbers of people experiencing homelessness) that a strong
general preference for homeless households
would result in turnover in their HCV or Public Housing programs used entirely for people experiencing homelessness.
Housing vouchers are used more often than public housing in limited preferences of
housing assistance made available on a priority basis to homeless households. PHAs with just public housing are unlikely to have a limited preference for a specific numbers of unit
units to whi ch they give people experiencing
homelessness priority access. However, PHAs with only public housing are about as likely as those PHAs operating only an HCV program
to have strong general preferences that put homeless households at the top of waiting lists.
PHAs in metropolitan areas are more likely
to make efforts to serve people experiencing homelessness, even after controlling for other characteristics of the PHA, as are PHAs with statewide jurisdictions.
Study of PHAs' Efforts to Serve People Experiencing Homeless ness
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Executive Summar
PHAs in areas that have large numbers of people experiencing homelessness are much more likely to make targeted efforts to serve homeless households than PHAs in areas with smaller numbers of people experiencing homelessness. Again, these efforts are likely to be limited preferences
or modifying screening rather than a strong general preference that places all homeless households ahead of others on the waiting list. Competition for PHA-assisted housing resources from other needy households (measured by the size of waiting lists for the
PHA's mainstream programs) does not appear to discourage PHAs from making efforts to serve people experiencing homelessness.
PHAs and Community Efforts to
Address Homelessness
A PHA's institutional involvement in local efforts to address and end homelessness
has an undeniable effect on whether the PHA chooses to make efforts to serve homeless households through its mainstream Public Housing and HCV programs. A difficult-to measure factor is the culture of individual PHAs. During follow-up interviews, many PHA staff pointed to the leadership role of the executive director or PHA board in shaping
the choice of whether to adopt preferences for
homeless households.
Nonetheless, analysis of the data collected for this study shows that participation in the CoG and policy decisions to administer programs explicitly targeted at people experiencing homelessness or other special-needs populations have a positive effect on a PHA's
willingness to make efforts to serve homeless households through the HCV or Public Housing program.
The administration of HUD programs explicitly targeted to homeless households has a notable effect on whether PHAs make efforts to serve homeless households through their mainstream programs. For example, nearly 50 percent
of PHAs administering HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (vouchers targeted for exclusive use by homeless veterans) prioritize homeless households for mainstream housing assistance in some way. PHA administration of HUD's Supportive Housing Program, Shelter Plus Care program, and Section 8 SRO Moderate Rehabilitation program (hereinafter referred to collectively as HUD McKinney Vente homeless assistance programs) has a similar effect, with more than half of PHAs that administer those programs making special efforts to serve homeless households with HCVs or public housing. Only 17 percent of PHAs that do not administer HUD programs targeted at homeless households make such efforts. The type of efforts that appear to be influenced by administering HUD's homeless assistance programs are the establishment
of limited preferences or modifying the application of screening or other rules but not strong general preferences. Of all of the basic PHA characteristics and recent policy choices and institutional relationships tested in multivariate analysis, the administration of HUD McKinney-Vente homeless assistance
programs is the only characteristic that has a clear (statistically significant) effect on whether the PHA has a strong general preference for
homeless households.
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Executive Summar
Whether PHAs administer special-purpose vouchers (SPV) for populations that are perceived difficult to house but do not necessarily experience homelessness
(for example, non-elderly people with
disabilities and families involved in the child welfare system) also has a clear effect on whether PHAs make efforts to serve people experiencing homelessness through their HCV or Public Housing programs. Forty-five percent of PHAs that administer SPV programs make some effort to prioritize homeless households for mainstream housing assistance, compared with 20 percent for PHAs that do not administer SPVs.
There is a distinct and positive relationship between a PHA's participation in the CoG and its implementation of efforts to serve people experiencing homelessness, most notably through a limited preference. A much larger share of PHAs that participate in the CoG have a limited preference than PHAs that do not participate.
With and without targeted efforts to serve people experiencing homelessness, many PHAs reported having formal or informal partnerships with organizations that provide services to current or formerly homeless households. A larger percentage of PHAs report such partnering arrangements than report making targeted efforts to serve homeless households. Regardless of whether they prioritize people experiencing
homelessness for their mainstream programs, PHAs partner with service providers, including public agencies, to meet the needs of the
homeless households among their residents.
PHA Perceptions of Barriers to the Use of Housing Assistance by People Experiencing Homelessness
PHAs perceive that the most common barrier for people experiencing homelessness in accessing housing assistance is that these applicants may be removed from the waiting list because they lack a fixed address and cannot be found when the PHA is ready to make an offer of assistance. Some PHAs
have implemented processes to overcome this barrier, including liberal reinstatement policies and the ability to update addresses via telephone and e-mail. Other barriers cited
by PHAs include homeless households lacking the necessary eligibility documentation as
well as needing housing search or landlord
assistance when using HCVs. PHAs try to overcome these barriers by engaging partner organizations to help homeless households gather the necessary documentation as well as implementing flexible rental history and criminal background screening that takes into account mitigating information and trying to prepare homeless households to be good tenants. Generally, large PHAs (5,000 or more units) cited these barriers more frequently,
as did PHAs that participate in the CoG or that make special efforts to serve homeless households in their mainstream programs.
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Executive Summar
Practices of PHAs and Their Partners for Helping People Experiencing Homelessness Gain and Retain Housing
PHAs are serving formerly homeless households through numerous approaches. Many PHAs develop either formal or
informal relationships with local community organizations, including public and nonprofit homeless service providers as well as
city or county departments of health and human services and mental health, to help provide services to people experiencing homelessness. In some instances, homeless households referred to the PHA through these partnerships receive a preference for entry
into the HCV or Public Housing programs.
PHAs have the option of creating project based vouchers (PBVs) by committing some of their vouchers for use in particular housing developments. Both te nant-based HCVs and PBVs are commonly used in
limited preferences and offered on a priority
basis to homeless households, often to the clients of a particular partner organization. In instances where a limited preference
for homeless households within the PHA's tenant-based vouchers (TBVs) and PBVs is utilized, 58 percent of such efforts use TBVs, and 42 percent use PBVs. PHAs interviewed for the study reported that it is feasible to
pair both types of vouchers with partner provided services. Although less common, public housing units also sometimes are provided to partner organizations through a limited preference for people experiencing
homelessness.
In addition to helping households with the documentation needed to demonstrate eligibility for housing assistance or (when applicable) verification of homeless status, partner organizations often provide housing search assistance for homeless households who are attempting to use HCVs. Finally, many of the PHA approaches to serving people experiencing homelessness promote housing retention through partner-provided supportive services such as case management, food assistance, employment and vocational training, transportation assistance, financial planning, life skills classes, substance abuse services, and mental and physical health care. Some PHAs also promote housing retention
by addressing any potential tenancy issues
through “ready-to-rent” classes.
Encouraging Greater PHA Efforts to Use Mainstream Housing Assistance for People Experiencing Homelessness
Subsequent to the data collection component of this study, HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) issued guidance through PIH Notice 2013-15 (HA) on strategies and approaches for serving people experiencing homelessness. The recommendations and
guidance set forth in the Notice are supported by the findings of this study.
Understanding which types of PHAs are currently strongly engaged in addressing homelessness helps shed light on potential opportunities for PHAs that have previously not made special efforts to serve homeless
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Executive Summar
households. Although it may be more challenging for large PHAs serving geographic areas with large numbers of homeless households to establish general preferences that put people experiencing homelessness at the top of the waiting list, such PHAs should be encouraged to take more of the actions
that this study shows many large PHAs are undertaking already. For example, HUD could encourage more large PHAs to establish a limited preference for homeless households and to work with their local CoC on the target population to which the limited preference should be directed and on the numbers of housing units needed. Further, HUD can encourage PHAs to work with advocacy and partner organizations on modifications to screening and other program rules that would benefit all applicants, including households experiencing homelessness. Work with partners can identify ways to operationalize such policies based on the guidance provided in the HUD Notice.
This study shows that small PHAs often create strong general preferences for homeless households. Small PHAs should
be encouraged to do so and to work with the CoC (which may often be a Balance of State CoC) to determine whether further targeting of a general preference to a particular subgroup of people experiencing homelessness would be appropriate. PHAs establishing a general preference that puts homeless households
at the top of the waiting list should use a definition of home/essness that is sufficiently narrow that applicants do not come to the top
of the list just by being declared “at risk.&rd