|
April 2016
Are your fiscal staff confused about budget
categories, administrative caps, the “45%?”
Register today for our upcoming webinar to ensure your organization understands our fiscal policies and procedures, including invoicing, budget caps,
revisions, budget categories, and allowable expenses.
FREE Webinar
Thursday, May 2, 10 – 11:30 am
Determining the right time
to end assistance with a client is one of the hardest decisions a service
provider must make. Ben Noll from Friendship Place will present on tools and
strategies providers can use to help prepare both themselves and consumers for
the transition away from financial and/or case management assistance during an
National Alliance to End Homelessness webinar.
FREE Webinar: Closing a Case: Knowing When to End Rapid Re-Housing Assistance
Wednesday, April 27, 11 a.m.
The Consolidated Homeless Grant guidelines (section 7.3) requires lead/subgrantees
provide information on the Washington Residential Landlord Tenant Act (RCW
59.18) to households receiving rent assistance. Grantees may also create their
own materials to hand out to households. You can find a copy of what Clark
County uses on our website under grant materials. http://www.commerce.wa.gov/Documents/Landlord-Tenant_Clark%20County.docx
Information on the Landlord Tenant Act can be shared by
providing a hardcopy or link to the document “Your Rights as a Tenant in
Washington State” on the Commerce website: http://www.commerce.wa.gov/Documents/Tenants%20Rights%20and%20Responsibilities.pdf
Additional information on tenant rights can be found at http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/issues/housing/tenants-rights
On April 4, 2016, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) released guidelines stating that bans on individuals with
criminal backgrounds by housing providers and in real-estate related
transactions may violate the Fair Housing Act (FHA). Such bans have a
disproportionate impact on African-Americans and other minorities
overrepresented in the criminal justice system.
Consolidated Homeless Grant (CHG) leads and subgrantees need to be aware that all state
and federally funding housing providers must abide by the Fair Housing Act.
Blanket bans on criminal history and other eligibility criteria that have
intended or unintended discriminatory impacts may be in violation of the FHA
and can lead to penalties and legal ramifications against landlords and other
housing providers. Please contact your CHG program manager if you have
questions. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=HUD_OGCGuidAppFHAStandCR.pdf
A National Public Radio article describes the new
guidelines and the disparate impact of criminal records bans in housing: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/04/04/472878724/denying-housing-over-criminal-record-may-be-discrimination-feds-say
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the estimated
median family incomes (MFIs) and income limits for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. Make sure to update your
eligibility forms and targeted prevention screening with current income limits.
The HMIS Training Catalog is now updated with many training opportunities
in March and early April. These trainings are either webinar based or located
in Olympia at the Department of Commerce. All HMIS users must take new
software training before they can start using the new HMIS software, Clarity. All new users must take both the “HMIS New User” and “HMIS
New Software” trainings offered back-to-back, in-person, or as one complete
webinar.
 |
The Washington Low Income Housing
Alliance is excited to announce that registration for
the annual Conference on Ending Homelessness is now open. The conference will
take place May 11 - 12, 2016 at the Spokane Convention Center in Spokane, Wash. As the largest annual convening of
homelessness stakeholders in Washington State, it will bring together over 600
people regionally and from neighboring states. This year's program will
offer a wide diversity of direct service and advocacy skill-building trainings,
networking opportunities, and opportunities to discuss ways we can
collectively continue to strengthen our state's movement to ensure all people
have access to safe, healthy, and affordable homes.
|
Pre-Conference Supportive Housing Services Medicaid
Training May 10
In addition to the Conference on
Ending Homelessness, two additional trainings will take place the day before
the conference begins on May 10. We will be offering a Pre-Conference Supportive Housing Services Medicaid
benefit training for permanent
supportive housing providers and those interested in using this new,
targeted Medicaid benefit. We will also be offering an Emerging Advocates Program advocacy training for people with
direct experience of housing instability/homelessness.
| 
