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June 2016
Myth: I shouldn’t call my CHG program manager with this question; they
will think it’s a silly question.
Fact: Your CHG program manager loves to hear from you! There’s no such
thing as a silly question. We’re waiting for your calls and emails.
The Department of Commerce is required by the
Office of Financial Management to report fiscal year 2016 expenses in order to
close the state accounting books under a tight deadline. All CHG invoices through June 2016 are to be received by Commerce no
later than Monday, July 18. If you have sub grantees, please plan ahead
with them to meet this deadline.
Contact your CHG program manager today if you have
any concerns or questions.
We want our grantees to be aware that their
programs must comply with all federal, state and local nondiscrimination laws,
regulations and policies as stated in the general terms and conditions. This includes the Washington State Law Against
Discrimination and the Fair Housing Act and its amendments. Click the button below to read the May 23 memo from Tedd Kelleher and Kim
Justice to Commerce grantees.
The Housing Finance Commission
published this recent report providing a comprehensive and easy-to-understand primer about the increase in homelessness. This is a great educational piece to share
with board members, elected officials or even reference on your website or in
your own community newsletters.
The Washington Low Income Housing
Alliance has rolled out a new toolkit to combat criminalization of
homelessness. Local ordinances, designed
to move people who appear to be impoverished or homeless out of downtown core
areas, actually aggravate homelessness.
Being incarcerated can place enormous obstacles to finding housing or
employment on the backs of people who are homeless. They also cost communities considerably more
in tax dollars than does providing housing. Jail is expensive compared to
housing! Read and
download the toolkit.
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Webinar on the Toolkit
Pervasive myths and stereotypes
about chronic homelessness have led to the pursuit of 'solutions' - like
criminalization - that only exacerbate the problem and lead to more human
suffering. That's why the Washington Low Income Housing Alliance (WLIHA) created the
Toolkit to Combat the Criminalization of Homelessness. Please join the WLIHA
during our monthly topical housing webinar to learn more about the issues of
criminalizing homelessness and the resources and information included in the
toolkit.
Please register for Department of Behavioral Health Resources monthly
topical webinar on Housing - Decriminalizing Homelessness toolkit on June 30,
2016 at 8:30 a.m.
The Washington State Office of
Financial Management has hired TAP International, Inc. to conduct a performance
audit of the housing programs funded by the document recording surcharges
administered by the Washington State Department of Commerce.
The audit is designed to answer
the following two questions:
- Have the document recording surcharge funds been used effectively by recipients to address homelessness?
- How well is the Department of Commerce meeting its statutory requirements for the Homeless Housing and Assistance grant program?
Here’s what you can expect over
the next several months:
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All lead agencies will be asked to complete a short online survey about your programs and activities supported with the surcharge funds, the data collected about those programs and activities, and your experience in working with Commerce.
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Up to 11 lead agencies will be selected for a brief (two hours) in-person visit from TAP International.
- TAP International will conduct three focus groups – one in King County, one in western Washington, and one in eastern Washington – to gain additional insights from housing providers on whether the document recording surcharges have improved the effectiveness of your programs and resulted in reducing homeless.
The audit will result in a
written report to the Legislature, which is due by Dec.1, 2016.
Reed & Associates is wrapping
up their examination of the private for-profit documentation this month and
will produce a draft report on whether or not Commerce has set aside the
required 45 percent of the document recording surcharges for calendar year 2015. They
will meet with the Office of Financial Management and a landlord representative
to discuss the draft before a final report is released. Following the most recent period, Reed determined (with the
exception of $17,894) the expenditures were properly recorded and made in
support of private rental housing.
Katy Miller, of the US Interagency Council on
Homelessness, has written a great article on the basic concepts of landlord
engagement. Given that a rapid
rehousing program is dependent upon healthy landlord relationships, this is
timely information.
Does rapid re-housing (RRH) work for domestic
violence survivors? What about for people with high barriers to housing? How
will I know when to exit a household out of my RRH program? What does a
successful RRH program look like? What does case management look like for RRH?
Find the answers to these
questions and much more in the Rapid
Re-Housing Know-How series – a collection of fact-sheets, blog posts, and webinars by the
National Alliance to End Homelessness. Whether you’re new to RRH or you’ve been
leading the pack, there are lots of great resources available!
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is reporting that it has received complaints
from people around the country who say they have been contacted by phone
about a HUD award. The caller uses a HUD
regional office phone number when asked, and requests a fee for processing the
“award”.
Read our HMIS Training Catalog for full descriptions, requirements, and
more. We offer at least two trainings a month for new HMIS users and current
users on using Clarity HMIS. Please contact Maylee Stevenson ( maylee.stevenson@commerce.wa.gov) to
request a local training. We need a minimum of five attendees to hold trainings
outside of Olympia. Check our HMIS Training Catalog periodically for new training opportunities.
HMIS Questions?
View our HMIS Technical Assistance contact sheet for HMIS help contact information.
For general HMIS questions, check
out our HMIS website (www.commerce.wa.gov/HMIS) for resources and more.
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