2010 HOME Conference - Staying Housed

CHRISTY RESPRESS, MSW

PATHWAYS TO HOUSING DC

Staying in HousingH.O.M.E. ConferenceSeptember 16, 2010

1

Supportive Housing: A Permanent Home

Supportive housing is permanent affordable housing

Supportive housing is high quality subsidized housing that fits well into neighborhoods

Supportive housing units offer features that foster independence and dignity (i.e., kitchen & bath in each unit)

Supportive housing tenants sign and abide by lease agreements, pay rent, and enjoy the same pride in their homes as their neighbors

Supportive housing is linked to high quality and sustainable support services that help people achieve greater levels of self-sufficiency

Who Benefits from PSH?

Several studies show reduced timed spent homeless & housing retention rates of 75-85% for some of the most disabled tenants

Improvements in physical health, mental health and substance abuse recovery

Evidence of superior outcomes in a form of PSH called Housing First.

PSH/Housing First found to increase housing stability and behavioral health outcomes for high need families

Studies also show improved health outcomes for persons living with HIV/AIDS

Supportive Housing Services

Organizes and delivers individually tailored and flexible supportive services linked specifically to supportive housing units.

Leverages community based services to meet tenant’s needs.

Emphasis on long-term services planning to achieve personal life goals.

Develops independent living skills and greater levels of self-sufficiency in gradual steps over time.

Responds to periods of crisis or increased needs immediately.

HOUSING -BASED CASE MANAGEMENT

Basic Service Strategies

Tasks

Educate people about available housing options and expectations of each

Identify skills and supports needed to maintain chosen housing options

Establish housing stability as a service goal

Assist people to secure an income

Tasks

Prepare for the expectations of each housing opportunity

Plan for and assist in maintaining housing (paying rent, apartment maintenance and upkeep, complying with the lease, and accessing aftercare services and supports)

What services do tenants need to help them remain in housing?

Pre-tenancy & Move-in assistance

Employment

Money Management

Activities of Daily Living

Access to Benefits

Providing education about medications and medication management support

Assisting tenants to develop skills needed to live in the community

Services cont’d….

Eviction Prevention

Crisis Intervention Planning

Legal Issues

Credit Issues

Supporting tenants’ recovery from substance abuse

Assisting with socialization and recreational activities

GOAL BASED ASSESSMENT AND SERVICE DELIVERY

Getting & Keeping People Housed

Case Management: Engagement Strategies

Pro-active outreach

Introduce yourself and how you can be helpful

Repeated, predictable, non-intrusive patterns of interaction

Responding to felt needs

Respecting boundaries

Allowing people as much control as possible over interactions

Be patient and persistent

Listen

Goal Based Engagement & Assessment Strategies

Explore what the persons/ family’s choice means

History (i.e. housing, employment)

How person/ family became homeless, lost employment/ income

Preferences

Financial Issues

Implications of disabilities or service needs and how this relates to goal

Long term goals, particularly as relate to children

What Are People Asking For

A Safe Affordable Place To Live

Community

Services Appropriate To Their Needs

Choice

Money Enough To Live On

A Role In The Community And In Their Families

A Chance For Their Children And Themselves To Get

Ahead

Education: Clarify What You Can Offer

Housing Models and Expectations of Each

Expectations of tenancy

Rent payment

Quiet enjoyment

Maintaining apartment

Financial Realities

Application process and timelines

Building Motivation for Change15

Assessment

Stages of change

Intervention

Motivational Interviewing

Negotiation

Harm Reduction Strategies

Stages of Change16

Provides a tool for assessment of where person is in their awareness of problem behavior and desire to change developed by Prochaska, DiClemente and Norcross

Breaks down the process that people typically move through to change a problem behavior

Seen as a wheel and normalizes set backs and repeating the process

Stages of Change17

Precontemplation

Contemplation

Preparation

Action / Relapse

Maintenance

Differences in the Model18

Most programs are designed for the action stage

Sees cycling through the stages several times as normal, not as failure

Interventions match where person is

Resistance is seen in terms of not understanding where someone is

Workers focused on the process of change

Motivational Interviewing19

Way to work with people in the precontemplation and contemplation stage of change

Helps to resolve ambivalence and get a person moving along the path to change

Client is treated as an ally

Worker serves to persuade rather than coerce

20

Precontemplation…not seriously considering change

There is little or no consideration of change in the foreseeable future.

Ex: “I don’t have a problem- you’re my problem!”

Tasks: Increase awareness of need for change and concern about the current pattern of behavior; envision possibility of change.

Goal: Serious consideration of change for this behavior.

Working with someone in Precontemplation Stage

Ask them about their life goals and point out that having good health may help them reach those goals (ex. Need to take care of your feet if you want a job where you may be standing all day)

Provide them information about other people living with that challenge (ex. Diabetes, high blood pressure, overweight)

Provide education on health related topics

Instill hope and listen

22

Contemplation…thinking about change

The stage where the person examines their patterns of behavior and the potential for change in a risk-reward analysis.

Ex: “I know that I shouldn’t smoke cigarettes, but I’ve tried to stop before and I always start smoking again. I don’t think I can do it”.

Tasks: Analysis of the pros and cons of the current behavior and the costs and benefits of change.

Goal: A considered evaluation that leads to a decision to change.

Working with someone in Contemplation Stage

The worker can say “yes, I know it’s hard to quit smoking. What difficult things have you accomplished in the past?”.

What do you think is getting in the way of stopping smoking now?

How would your health change if you quit smoking?

Ask, “Given everything else in your life, how important is it to you that you stop smoking on a scale of 1 to 10?”.

Resolution24

Recognizing change is ideal outcome but accepting alternatives to reduce harm

Providing user friendly services including low barriers for participation, informal atmospheres, flexible hours and locations.

Offering services to people where ever they are

RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF TENANCY

Maximizing Housing Retention

Tenant Selection

Know Fair Housing Laws

Pre Application

PSH Eligibility

Credit Check?

Criminal Background Check?

Reasonable Accommodation?

Family Size

Reasonable Accommodation

If you have a disability that interferes with your ability to access or use housing your landlord may not:

Refuse to let you make reasonable modifications to your dwelling or common use areas, at your expense, if necessary for the disabled person to use the housing. (Where reasonable, the landlord may permit changes only if you agree to restore the property to its original condition when you move.)

Refuse to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices or services if necessary for the disabled person to use the housing.

Eviction Prevention

Reasons: Lease Based

Timeframe

Process

Communication

Appeal

Prevention

Maintenance and Repairs

Landlords responsibility

Painting

Plumbing

Electrical

Cable ?

Appliances ?

Timeframe for Repairs

Cleaning Schedule (what is covered)

Expectations for Up-keep

What is covered (unit, garage, yard, etc)

Unit Maintenance

Fire Safety

Maintaining Appliances

Inspections

Hording

Storage

Quiet Enjoyment

Tenants have the right to enjoy their homes

The right not to be disturbed without causeNotice of RepairsNotice of Inspections

Reasonable protections from noise

Reasonable protection from criminal activitiesSafe

Tenant can not interfere with others rights and can not be interfered with

Rent Payment

Rent is due on the 1st (?) of the month

Notice of non-payment is sent on? Communication Structure

Available resources to pay back rent

Payment Plan is possible but not assumed

Eviction Process in Court Timeframe

Building Amenities

What is included (pool, lawns, driveways, common areas, security)

Rules for Use

Policy on Guests

Tenants can not be excluded from Building amenities

Rules may apply

Appeals

People have the right to contact a lawyer

People can appeal to the courts, HUD (fair housing), government

People have a right to a lease which spells out all the rights and obligations of tenancy

People have a right to all tenant selection decisions in writing as well as eviction notification.

WORKING WITH LANDLORDS AND

MANAGING AGENTS

Maximizing Housing Retention

Working with Landlords

Engagement

Pro-active outreach

Introduce yourself and how you can be helpful

Be persistent and reachable

Know fair housing law

Responding to needs

Recognize that they own the property

Be patient and persistent

Working with Landlords

Assessment of what is needed

Eligibility Standards

Rent payment

Maintaining apartment

Allowing quiet enjoyment

Keeping apartments filled

Assistance with problem tenants

Working with Landlords

Provide Education

What services do you have available

Knowledge of tenancy expectations

Positive experiences with other projects

Make a plan

Try starting slowly

Re-evaluate

Defining Expectations

How often will you talk?

How will you know when there is a problem?

What are the expectations for common problems?

What is the communication process to tenants / service provider

How can you negotiate this without seeming too much of a social worker?

Common Issues

Rent Delays

Frequent Visitors / People Moving In

Suspected Criminal Activity

Problems with Neighbors

Frequent Repair Requests

Hoarding / Problems Maintaining Apartment

911 calls

Strategies

Educate tenants on their rights and responsibilities

Ensure all tenants understand the lease

Be familiar with the eviction protocol

Check in with the landlord regularly

Visit tenants in their apartment as much as possible

Ensure resources are available when needed

Establish a communication structure

Ensure all roles are clear: Tenant; Landlord; and Service Provider

Final Thoughts

Maintaining housing is a primary goal.

Many people may not make it in their first apartment. Use this as an opportunity for learning.

Get creative in your interventions!

Contact Information

Christy Respress

Pathways to Housing DC

crespress@pathwaysdc.org

www.pathwaystohousing.org

202-529-2972, xt. 120