FAMILY REUNIFICATION

HOUSING PILOT

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA

6.1 Partnering with Child Welfare Agencies to End Family

Homelessness

National Conference on Ending Homelessness

Washington, DC July 22-24, 2013

Alameda County, CA

Alameda County, CA

Population 1.5 million

14 cities, largest Oakland, Berkeley and Fremont

821 sq miles

Urban, suburban, and rural

High rental costs

Aprox. 4k homeless

73% single 27% families

Building Futures with

Women and Children

To build communities with women and children

where they are safely and supportively housed, free

from homelessness and domestic violence.

BFWC Services

2 emergency homeless shelters for women and children

(55 beds)

Domestic violence shelter (20 beds)

52 units of transitional and permanent housing for

formally homeless survivors of domestic violence with

disabilities

Full range of community domestic violence services

including support groups

Housing Resource Center that provides homeless

prevention and rapid rehousing services (including

Supportive Services for Veterans Families program and

Family Reunification Housing program)

Program Description: What

Rapid rehousing and homeless prevention program

Helps homeless parents obtain housing so child can be

returned to their custody

Helps parents not suitably housed relocate to safe,

stable housing

Helps families “in care” and at risk of homelessness

maintain permanent housing

Provides housing search assistance, case management

and rental subsidies

Program Description: $$

Funded by Title IV Foster Care Waiver Funds

Alameda County one of two in California using a federal

foster care waiver that block grants funds and allows for

innovative strategies to reduce costs and out of home

placements

Will operate from August 2012

thru June 2014 when waiver

expires.

Total funding = $850,000

How Did We Make this Happen?

Used data

Demonstrated overlap of foster care and shelter families

Demonstrated cost effectiveness of rapid rehousing

“Our expertise can solve your problem”

Made the case that stable housing supports successful family reunification and we know housing

Focus on housing services and some income supports, not the clinical or parenting needs of the families

How Did We Make this Happen?

Negotiated by EveryOne Home, Alameda County’s

CoC, rather than single provider

Built on existing relationships and success of HPRP

Program pilots are much easier to say yes to

Program Description: Who

For families in “Reunification” or “Maintenance” with

Child Welfare

Reunification = children currently in foster care and

parent(s) that Child Welfare is working with to reunite

with kids. Families have a housing need that must be

addressed as part of the reunification process.

Maintenance = children have been reunified with

parent(s) but the family faces a housing crisis.

Families who have lost housing due to children being

taken from home.

Program Description: Partners

Abode Services and Building Futures: family and

rehousing providers provide the direct services

EveryOne Home: takes referrals, developed forms

and procedures, manages reports

Alameda County Housing and Community

Development: administers sub-contracts

Alameda County Social Services Agency Child

Welfare: funder and source of referrals

Program Description: What

Housing Assistance Includes:

Housing Services: housing stabalization

plan, budgeting, connections to employment and

benifits, credit repair, applications to wait lists…

Housing location: search, applications, negotiating

with landlords, etc.

Financial assistance: One time costs such as, deposit and move-in costs, utility arrears

and deposits, application fees, motels

Rental subsidies for 3 months at a time, capped

Family pays up to 50% of income. Rent capped at $1,200 month

What We Are Learning?

Income makes a difference

19% of enrolled families have income over $1,000/month as reported at time of referral

36% have moved to PH so far compared to 13% of families with incomes below $1,000/month

The sample size is small so inconclusive

A number of families are choosing site-based TH

Some families in Reunification may benefit from longer subsidies and more services than rapid rehousing typically provides.

A pilot is an excellent opportunity to advocate for change!

What Are We Learning?

(as of 6/30/13)

Households referred to program = 88

Households enrolled = 78

HUD homeless individuals = 25%

Number of households into PH = 19

Number of households into TH = 4

For more information:

Building Futures with Women and Children

San Leandro, CA

Website: www. bfwc.org

Email: lvarela@bfwc.org

Phone: 510-357-0205 x202

Liz Varela, Executive Director

For more information:

EveryOne Home, Alameda County, CA

• Website: www.everyonehome.org

• Email: everyonehome@acgov.org

• Phone: 510-670-9796

Executive Director, Elaine de Coligny

• Email: e.decoligny@acgov.org