Title
Alameda Housing Authority Presentation on the Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs)
Body
To: Honorable President Sarah Lewis and Members of the Social Service Human Relations Board
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2, hereafter referred to in this notice as “ARPA”) into law, which provides over $1.9 trillion in relief to address the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, public health, State and local governments, individuals, and businesses.
Section 3202 of ARPA appropriates $5 billion for new incremental Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs), the renewal of those EHVs, and fees for the cost of administering the EHVs and other eligible expenses defined by notice to prevent, prepare, and respond to the COVID 19 pandemic to facilitate the leasing through the use of the emergency vouchers, such as security deposit assistance and other costs related to retention and support of participating owners.
Under PIH Notice 2021-15, in May 2021, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated 70,000 EHVs to public housing authorities and issued guidance on the administration of these EHVs.
BACKGROUND
On May 10, 2021, HUD notified the Housing Authority of the City of Alameda (AHA) of its allocation of 57 EHVs and required AHA to accept these vouchers by May 24, 2021. Vanessa Cooper, Executive Director, indicated to HUD an acceptance of the 57 EHVs on May 13, 2021. This acceptance resulted in the issuance of the budget authority and administrative fees to support 57 EHVs on July 1, 2021.
DISCUSSION
EHVs are to assist individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness; at risk of experiencing homelessness; fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking; or were recently homeless and for whom providing rental assistance will prevent the family’s homelessness or having high risk of housing instability.
AHA worked in conjunction with the County of Alameda, the Housing Authority of the County of Alameda, the Berkeley Housing Authority, and the Oakland Housing Authority to craft appropriate policies for all four jurisdictions. In some cases, AHA and other Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) elected to implement the same policies, but in others the housing authorities each decided what was best for the jurisdiction in which they operate.
One of the differences between the EHV program and the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program is the manner of admissions into the program. AHA does not administer a waitlist for EHV, but rather, the County of Alameda is required to refer households from its Coordinated Entry System (CES). To receive and process these referrals, AHA must have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County of Alameda. To streamline the program for the County who must refer to all PHAs in its jurisdiction, AHA is working with the County and the other three PHAs to have one MOU under which all five entities will operate.
Another difference between the programs is EHVs allows for a payment standard of up to 120% of Fair Market Rents (FMR), which means an individual may look at a wider selection of units thereby mitigating a leasing obstacles faced by homeless. The units would still need to pass a rent reasonableness test to ensure that the AHA is not paying more than unassisted unit rents.
The MOU between PHA’s and the County of Alameda homeless entities, such as Project Roomkey and Building Futures, was signed on July 23, 2021. The MOU establishes the mechanism by which eligible homeless applicants are identified in the County’s CES and creates the process for issuing a voucher. Funding for the EHV program began July 1, 2021, and HUD is asking PHAs to streamline internal processes, where possible, to ensure success of this program.
The MOU was approved Board of Commissioners of AHA on August 18. The MOU is based on HUD’s outline, but some terms are PHA or jurisdiction specific. Notably, that the funding does not allow a jurisdictional preference and all referrals must come from the County’s CES. AHA has no control over who gets a voucher.
AHA staff begun initial outreach regarding the EHV program, including:
• Trailer Site Residents - The Village of Love provided AHA with names from the Alameda homeless trailer site. All three applicants have been issued a voucher following County approval. AHA assisted the residents with completion of the application and gathering of necessary documents to complete the referral packet.
• Radisson Hotel Resident Referrals - The County has referred 29 applicants to AHA who are all currently residing at this hotel through Project Roomkey. AHA has been visiting the hotel site, meeting with applicants, completing applications, and briefing clients.
• Tracking Referrals - Applications will be tracked using a common tracking sheet to maintain a record of names, sources, processing time for each step, and timelines. A summary, without any personal information is shown below.
• Vacant AHA Units - To expedite the lease-up process, all referrals are given a list of Alameda vacant units available through AHA in case the applicants prefer to live in AHA properties or units owned by landlords registered with AHA. However, applicants can use this voucher anywhere in the United States.
• Resident Services - Applicant referrals come with a Housing Navigator from the County. These navigators help applicants gather all the necessary documents and aid in getting applicants housed.
|
Category |
Total |
Notes |
|
Vouchers Issued |
20 |
Includes 3 from trailer sites |
|
Completed Applications with the County |
12 |
|
|
Applications Scheduled for Completion |
14 |
Scheduled for 09/22/2021 (waiting to receive the referrals) |
|
Transitional Age Youth (TAY) (Total Allocated = 5) |
0 |
Waiting for updates |
|
Domestic Violence (DV) (Total Allocated = 6) |
0 |
Waiting for updates |
|
Total |
46 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vouchers Awarded |
57 |
|
|
Vouchers Pending |
11 |
|
RECOMMENDATION
Presentation for discussion purposes only. No recommendation applicable.
Respectfully submitted,
By,
Shekhar Dubbani, Management Analyst
Housing Authority of the City of Alameda