Oct. 5, 2017
Please forward to your sub grantees and contact your OFAH grant manager
if you have any questions.
The Housing Assistance Unit recently underwent a reorganization of the
state and federal program management. The Office of Family and Adult Homeless
(OFAH) was created, bringing adult federal and state homeless housing funds
under one umbrella. Program management is now done at a regional level, with
one Commerce manager serving as a county’s contact for most adult homeless
housing funds in that county. This structure is in line with the Washington
State Strategic Plan and the Commerce commitment to systems-level work to end
homelessness.
The OFAH newsletter will include pertinent information for recipients of
state and federal homeless housing funds, including Tenant Based Rental
Assistance (TBRA), Housing for People with AIDS (HOPWA), Emergency Solutions
Grant (ESG), Consolidated Homeless Grant (CHG), Homeless Student Stability
Program (HSSP), 811, and the Balance of State Continuum of Care.
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Emily Burgess, Emily.Burgess@commerce.wa.gov 360.725.2942
Clallam, Jefferson,
Okanogan
Jessica Simon, Jessica.Simon@commerce.wa.gov 360.725.2955
Benton-Franklin,
Chelan-Douglas, Grant-Adams, Kittitas, Lincoln, Skamania-Klickitat
Megan Kendig, Megan.Kendig@commerce.wa.gov 360.725.2920
Clark, Cowlitz, Grays
Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, Thurston, Wahkiakum
Matt Mazur-Hart, Matt.Mazur-Hart@commerce.wa.gov 360.725.2926
Asotin,
Columbia/Garfield, Island, Kitsap, Pend Oreille, San Juan, Stevens/Ferry, Walla
Walla, Whatcom, Whitman
Julie Montgomery, Julie.Montgomery@commerce.wa.gov 360.725.2963
King, Mason, Pierce,
Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane City, Spokane County, Yakima
Jeff Spring, Jeff.Spring@commerce.wa.gov 360.725.2991
Updated 2017 PIT results are
posted on the Commerce website at http://www.commerce.wa.gov/serving-communities/homelessness/annual-point-time-count/. After further analysis of the results in
partnership with U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD), county totals were updated. For some counties, the new results show a substantial decrease in the unsheltered
population from previously published 2017 results. This decrease is due to additional
identification of duplicate entries and corrected classification from
“unsheltered” to “unstably housed” households living in structures such as
mobile homes, cabins and houses lacking one or more amenities.
If you have questions,
please contact your grant manager.
Critical HMIS Data Standard
changes went into effect on Oct. 1, 2017. The HMIS team has put together a
webinar on the changes and the impact on HMIS users. The webinar is available
on the HMIS page in the HMIS Training Registration Calendar.
At the end of September, Commerce
staff completed the fiscal year 2017 Continuum of Care Program NOFA for the Balance of
State. The Balance of State Continuum of Care covers the 33 small to mid-size
counties in Washington State. The annual
application is for approximately $6 million for programs that advance
the cause of ending homelessness. These U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) funds help support homelessness and housing service providers
throughout the state.
Commerce has published the 2017 Action Plan, which outlines the Washington State plan to
use formula funds from HUD to address housing and community development needs
outlined in the 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan. The Action Plan includes strategies for use
of the following federal funding sources:
- Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
- Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
-
HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME)
- National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)
- Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)
Review the plan to understand how federal funds are allocated to address
homelessness and a lack of affordable housing in Washington State.
We have addressed myths around the impact of employment on
disability benefits before, but this flier from SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access
and Recovery) addresses in
one handout some of the most common misconceptions. Find it here: SOARWorks Yes, You Can Work!
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Homeless Service Provider Grantee Academy
Commerce is hosting a grantee
forum on Wednesday, Nov. 1 and Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum, Washington. For additional information and
to register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/homeless-service-provider-grantee-academy-tickets-37671004990 Accommodations at Suncadia are limited, but there
are additional accommodations located nearby. Check with your program manager
if you have questions. We hope to see you in November!
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HMIS trainings
The HMIS Team offers ongoing
training for new and current HMIS users. Find information on the Commerce
website on the HMIS page here: www.commerce.wa.gov/hmis or contact Maylee Stevenson at Maylee.Stevenson@commerce.wa.gov.
The National Human Services Data Consortium (NHSDC) Fall 2017
Conference is happening
in San Diego on Oct. 11 and 12. Registration is still
open: http://www.nhsdc.org/
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Call for Session Proposals
The 2018 Conference on Ending
Homelessness is May 22 - 23 in Yakima, Wash. If you have
knowledge to share or an idea for a conference session, please submit a
proposal. Additional information here: http://www.wliha.org/conference
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