Section Six: Homeless Services Priority

Insure appropriate emergency shelter and/or transitional housing and services for people who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless by distributing Emergency Shelter Grant Program Funds and Homeless Shelter Assistance Trust Funds to support agencies across the state in meeting these needs.

Strategies, Objectives &

Measurements

The Outcome Statement related to the Homeless Services Priority for Homeless Services and Prevention Activities is:

The State of Nebraska will improve accessibility for the purpose of creating suitable living environments or for the purpose of providing decent affordable housing by insuring appropriate emergency shelter and/or transitional housing and services for people who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.

The 2007 Outcome Indicators for Homeless Services Priority for Homeless Services and Prevention Activities include:

  • Overnight shelter will be provided to 20,000 homeless persons.
  • 70 units will be created in emergency shelter or other transitional housing.
  • 18,000 households will receive emergency financial assistance for the purpose of preventing homelessness.
  • 210 households will receive emergency legal assistance to prevent homelessness.

The three (3) strategies developed to meet this priority are to:

  • Provide emergency shelter, transitional housing and/or needed services or assistance to people who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.
  • Support and facilitate an active and effective regional Continuum of Care planning and delivery system focusing on a comprehensive approach to housing and service delivery to people who are homeless and near homeless.
  • Compile data via monthly reporting and disseminate the information to the regions for their use in developing effective planning and delivery systems that focus on comprehensive approaches to housing and service delivery to people who are homeless and near homeless.

Annual measurements for this priority for the third year of the five-year measurements include:

  • An estimated $2,800,000 (amount includes an estimate of Omaha’s ESG funds) in Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) and Homeless Shelter Assistance Trust Funds (HSATF) will be allocated to local agencies that serve people who are homeless and near homeless in order to make shelter, transitional housing and services available to people in need.
  • Agencies with approximately 70 programs across the state will provide assistance to an estimated 39,000 homeless and an estimated 42,000 near homeless in households across the state, which will result in appropriate services and emergency shelter, transitional housing and/or needed services delivered to individuals and families across the state.
  • Approximately $11,000 of HSATF will be allocated to address the needs of migrant farm workers who are homeless or near homeless.
  • Approximately $15,000 of the HSATF administration funds will support planning activities of the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness (NCHH) Continuum of Care committee (advisory committee to the Nebraska Homeless Assistance Program - NHAP), the NCHH Ad Hoc committee on Ending Chronic Homelessness, and the regional Continuums of Care.
  • An estimated 100 percent of ESG grantees (excepting domestic violence agencies) will report via Service Point with (Nebraska Management Information System Partners (NMISP). DV shelters will determine a process to unduplicate within each regional continuum of care.

Note: Of 70 programs funded by NHAP, 31 percent are domestic violence agencies; 69 percent are general or other populations.

Actions for the 2007 Program Year

Strategies and objectives require collaboration with housing and service agencies across the state to deliver needed emergency shelter, transitional housing, and services to people who may be homeless or near homeless in the 93 counties of Nebraska. The statewide continuum of care system helps insure that people who are homeless and near homeless are able to access needed emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive services in each of the counties. All are served by one of the seven continuum of care planning regions. Please refer to the regional continuum of care map on page 6-10 for delineation of the regions and the map on page 6-11 for distribution of funded agencies across the state.

Objectives and measurable actions planned between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008 are provided in the tables that follow. The strategies, objectives, and actions that the state plans to implement during the next year will help insure that the Homeless Services Priority is met.

Strategy 1:Provide needed services and appropriate shelter and/or housing to people who are homeless and/or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.
Objective #1: Maintain efforts to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless by: /

Performance Measurements

  • Providing assistance to households at imminent risk of becoming homeless by eviction for non-payment of rent or utilities.
[Focus is on prevention – keeping people housed and having effective discharge planning in place in all public institutions.] /
  • Approximately $650,000 will be allocated for near homeless; an estimated 42,000 persons at imminent risk of becoming homeless will be served with homeless prevention dollars.

Strategy 1:Provide needed services and appropriate shelter and/or housing to people who are homeless and/or at imminent risk of becoming homeless.
Objective #1: Maintain efforts to prevent individuals and families from becoming homeless by: /

Performance Measurements

  • Working with local agencies to provide case management support that addresses the long-term, root causes of the near-homeless status and supports self-sufficiency.
/
  • Approximately $2,800,000 will be allocated to serve homeless and near homeless; an estimated 81,000 persons who are homeless and near homeless will be served.
  • Analysis of data submitted regarding shelter, housing, and services provided.

  • Continuing to address underlying issues, such as unmet physical, social, and economic needs that result in higher emergency and transitional housing needs.
/
  • Qualitative data assessment of reasons why individuals and families access emergency shelters and transitional housing.

Objective #2: Provide support for emergency shelter and transitional housing as individuals and families move to permanent housing or permanent supportive housing. / Performance Measurements
  • Increase transitional housing options across the State.
/
  • The estimated 1,450 units of transitional housing units across the state will increase by a rate determined by the Ad Hoc Planning Team that is implementing the housing goals of the state plan on ending chronic homelessness. (Baseline established with Exhibit 1s.) State plan is in the process of being revised with strategies and action steps for the 2007-2008 grant cycle.

  • Support Behavioral Health’s development of a “Housing First” approach to homelessness, with a focus on partnering to develop more supportive permanent housing through the Super NOFA and other funding opportunities.
/
  • Development of a Housing First policy for the state of NE for those with extremely low income who experience serious mental illness and may be disabled.

Objective #3: Address the needs of migrant farm workers through targeted initiatives. /
  • $11,000 HSATF allocated for this targeted initiative; numbers of migrant workers served.

Strategy 2:Support and facilitate an active and effective regional Continuum of Care planning and delivery system focusing on a comprehensive approach to housing and service delivery to people who are homeless and near-homeless.
Objectives: / Performance Measurements
Objective #1: Support capacity building for Continuums of Care by providing:
(a)Technical assistance;
(b)Video conferences;
(c)Regional CoC Web site information;
(d)Support NMIS with funding. / (a)Increased capacity as a result of TA
(b)Videoconferences hosted and facilitated & face-to-face meetings per open meeting laws.
(c)Updated NHAP Web site.
(d)Statewide data on homeless/near-homeless
Strategy 2, Continued:Support and facilitate an active and effective regional Continuum of Care planning and delivery system focusing on a comprehensive approach to housing and service delivery to people who are homeless and near-homeless.
Objectives: / Performance Measurements
Objective #2: Support the NHAP advisory committee, which is the NCHH Continuum of Care Committee. / (1)$8,000 used to support the planning activities of the NCHH Continuum of Care committee.
(2)Year-End Report of Committee work.
(3)Homeless conference coordinated with the NE Housing Dev. Assoc. to increase knowledge base and provide training on homelessness and near homelessness issues. Funded with additional HSATF dollars.
Objective #3: Support the work of the NCHH Ad Hoc committee in implementing the plan to End Chronic Homelessness Through Increasing Access to Mainstream Services. / (1)$7,000 used to support the planning activities of the Ad Hoc Committee.
(2) Annual report on accomplishments of plan.
Strategy 3:Compile data via monthly reporting and disseminate the information to the regions for their use in developing an effective planning and delivery system that focuses on a comprehensive approach to housing and service delivery to people who are homeless and near-homeless.
Objectives: / Performance Measurements
Objective #1: Work toward full implementation of the statewide Nebraska Management Information System (NMIS) that will provide standardized, statistically accurate, and consistent information on the size and characteristics of Nebraska’s homeless and near-homeless populations. /
  • 100 percent of ESG grantees implement Service Point with NMISP, with DV shelters providing unduplicated counts through regional CoCs so statewide data can be accomplished.

Objective #2: Continue to develop and improve methods of tracking homeless and near homeless subpopulations and needs met.
[NMIS implementation of ServicePoint data collection statewide will replace manual data collection of currently funded agencies, excepting DV agencies, as of January 30th, 2007.] /
  • Reports of unduplicated clients served and services provided with homeless and near-homeless funding,providing a more comprehensive picture of people who are homeless and near homeless in NE. A more comprehensive count of persons who are chronically homeless is also anticipated.

The Nebraska Homeless Assistance Program (NHAP)

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG) funds are matched with Nebraska’s Homeless Shelter Assistance Trust Fund (HSATF) dollars. The combined funding is referred to as the Nebraska Homeless Assistance Program (NHAP). For the 2007-2008 grant cycle, the Homeless Shelter Assistance Trust Funds will continue to provide approximately 72 percent of the NHAP funding; the ESG funds provide the remaining 28 percent.

Because homelessness encompasses a wide range of conditions, the State strongly supports the continuum of care collaborative approach to addressing the needs of people who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The process promotes a coordinated, strategic planning approach for programs that assist families and individuals who are homeless and near homeless. This approach is viewed by NHAP as an effective community and regional-based process that provides a comprehensive and coordinated housing and service delivery system.

Additionally, state participation in the federal Policy Academy initiative has created increased collaboration across departments at the state level. One collaboration, with the Department of Health and Human Services – Behavioral Health Services, resulted in legislation to support a rental assistance program for persons who live with serious mental illness and experience extreme housing cost burdens. As this population is at high risk of homelessness, this new program and funding is a significant accomplishment. Currently, the state is in the process of revising its 10-year plan on ending chronic homelessness. Accomplishments during the first three years have been significant. The 2007-2008 grant cycle coincides with the anticipated adoption of the revised 10-year plan on ending chronic homelessness.

Nebraska Homeless Assistance Program Advisory Committee

State statute stipulates that the NHAP have an advisory committee. This advisory body is the Nebraska Commission on Housing and Homelessness (NCHH) Continuum of Care committee. The advisory body is composed of governor appointed NCHH members and at-large members who represent homeless and near homeless populations across the state. The 32-member committee provides input on policies, procedures, and priorities of the NHAP program. Regional continuum of care chairs or designees are members of this advisory committee. In this way, they participate in statewide planning on issues related to homelessness and near homelessness and the state’s 10-year plan on ending chronic homelessness and the plan’s current revision.

Nebraska Homeless Assistance Program Funding

An allocation formula is used in distributing NHAP grant funds. The formula helps ensure an equitable distribution of funds throughout the entire state. Criteria include a base funding amount, population, persons living in poverty, and factors considered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The allocation formula, developed with input from the advisory committee, allocates a $50,000 base to all regions and divides the remaining allocation equally between population, poverty, and pro rata figures for each region. The formula is reviewed and revised annually, if required. Revisions are based on economic summaries provided by the Public Policy Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

In order to reduce NHAP grant writing and administrative time, the NHAP adopted a two-year

Funding cycle in 2003. The 2007-2008 grant cycle is the second year of a two-year competitive grant cycle. Grantees must submit a renewal application in order to receive second year funding. Renewal applications describe any changes in programs and services and provide new budget information. Renewal applications are reviewed internally.

All renewal funding is based on the availability of ESG and HSATF funding; the performance of grantee, based on history and current goals; involvement of grantees in regional, sub-regional, and state continuums of care; use and accounting of prior year funds; and the status of ServicePoint/NHAP reports.

Distribution of NHAP Funds

As noted, the 2007-2008 grant cycle is a review of existing grantee applications only for determination and approval of second year funding. Applications will be reviewed by the HHS Administration, representatives from other collaborating departments, and the NHAP Specialist, who is charged with monitoring NHAP grantees. Renewal applications for the 2007-2008 grant year will be reviewed using the following criteria and point system; numerical weight is assigned to each section, with a maximum total of 100 points.

Section / Criteria / Points
Section I. Organization, Programs, Services / Describe any significant changes that have occurred in the organization (2 pts.) or the program (2 pts.). If a shelter or transitional housing program, provide information on units and beds (1 pt.). 5 pts. if “No Changes.” / 5
Section II. Budget Information / The application needs to include the budget on the forms provided. Please include a budget narrative page as well. Budget and audit show diversified budget funding sources.
1)Funding Sources – 15 pts.
2)Program Expense – 15 pts.
3)Budget Narrative – 15 pts. / 45
Section III. Performance Measurements / Submit data for type of project, services, population(s) served, characteristics of populations served, and racial/ethnic characteristics. Data is submitted via ServicePoint or NHAP report.
1)4.5 pts. per report section (10 sections)
Note: Comparative data with last year is not required because of implementation of ServicePoint. Increase or decrease in numbers served will be required in the 2008-2009 competitive NHAP grant application. / 45
Section IV. Certifications / Agreement through Certification of participation in local and regional continuums of care, the NMIS process of data collection, and Drug Free Workplace.
1)HMIS - 2 pts.
2)CoC - 2 pts.
3)Drug Free – 1 pt. / 5

The application timeline for the 2007-2008 renewal grant cycle is as noted. The RFA and application documents are available on the NHAP Web site.

Application Process Timeline and Description

Date / Action / Responsible Parties
December 8, 2006 / Public Notice and mailing of RFP and application. Posted tow NHAP Web site. / HHS-OE&FS
February 16, 2007 / Applications submitted to HHS-OE&FS / Applicant
February 23, 2007 / Any additional information needed from applicants is submitted. / Applicant
March-April 2007 / Review process. / HHS-OE&FS
April-May 2007 / Negotiation and allocation process. / HHS-OE&FS
June 2007 / Awards announced. / HHS-OE&FS

Nebraska Management Information System (NMIS)

It is anticipated that by the end of January 2007, the first unduplicated homeless count via ServicePoint will be run. Based on that assumption, when the 2007-2008 grant cycle begins on July 1, 2007, monthly reporting will be more accurate, as data continues to be entered by agencies on ServicePoint. The July 1, 2007- June 30, 2008 grant cycle will be the first full cycle for statewide reporting on ServicePoint. Domestic violence agencies will continue to work within the regional continuums of care and with the NMIS administrators in submitting unduplicated reports.

The HMIS focus for 2007-2008 will be continuing to monitor data integrity, as that is integral to a meaningful reporting system.

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NEBRASKA ANNUAL ACTION PLAN 2007

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Continuum of Care Regions

Nebraska Homeless Assistance Program (NHAP) Continuum of Care Regions

Region 1: Panhandle (Sioux, Dawes, Sheridan, Box Butte, Scotts Bluff, Morrill, Garden, Banner, Kimball, Cheyenne, Deuel counties)

Region 2: North Central (Cherry, Keya Paha, Boyd, Brown, Rock, Holt, Blaine, Loup, Garfield, Wheeler, Boone, Platte, Colfax, Custer, Valley, Greeley, Sherman, Howard, Nance, Hall, Merrick, Hamilton counties)

Region 3: Southwest (Grant, Hooker, Thomas, Arthur, McPherson, Logan,

Keith, Lincoln, Perkins, Dawson, Buffalo, Chase, Hayes, Frontier, Gosper, Phelps, Kearney, Dundy, Hitchcock, Redwillow, Furnas, Harlan, Franklin counties)

Region 4: Southeast (Polk, Butler, Saunders, Sarpy, York, Seward, Lancaster [Lincoln excluded], Cass, Otoe, Fillmore, Saline, Adams, Clay, Webster, Nuckolls, Thayer, Jefferson, Gage, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson counties)

Region 5: Northeast Knox, Cedar, Dixon, Dakota, Antelope, Pierce, Wayne, Thurston, Madison, Stanton, Cuming, Burt, Dodge, Washington, Douglas counties [Omaha excluded])

Region 6: Lincoln

Region 7: Omaha

NEBRASKA ANNUAL ACTION PLAN 2007

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NEBRASKA ANNUAL ACTION PLAN 2007

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NEBRASKA ANNUAL ACTION PLAN 2007

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