July 31, 2018
Please forward to your sub grantees and contact your OFAH grant manager
if you have any questions.
Pictured (L to R): OFAH Grant Managers Sarah Harrison, Kathryn Dodge, Julie Montgomery, Megan Kendig and Jessica Simon.
July brought two new staff
to the OFAH grant manager team. We are excited to welcome Kathryn Dodge, who previously
worked at Commerce in the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy. She brings
extensive homeless housing experience to the team, including working at the Whatcom Homeless
Service Center on coordinated entry.
Sarah Harrison also
joined OFAH this month. She brings recent experience as a Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) case manager at the
Community Action Council of Lewis, Thurston and Mason counties, as well as direct
service experience at Community Youth Services in Olympia.
OFAH Grant Manager county assignments and
contact information:
Sarah
Harrison: Asotin, Columbia/Garfield, Island, San Juan,
Skagit, Walla Walla, Whatcom counties
sarah.harrison@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-725-5073
Megan Kendig: Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Okanogan,
Pacific, Wahkiakum counties
megan.kendig@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-725-2920
Julie Montgomery: King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Yakima counties
julie.montgomery@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-725-2963
Jessica Simon: Benton/Franklin, Clallam, Chelan/Douglas, Jefferson,
Kittitas counties
jessica.simon@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360-725-2955
Kathryn Dodge: Ferry/Stevens/Lincoln, Grant/Adams, Kitsap,
Klickitat/Skamania, Mason, Pend Oreille, Thurston counties
kathryn.dodge@commerce.wa.gov
360-725-5072
All grantees, partners, and interested parties in the 34
counties of the Washington Balance of State Continuum of Care are invited to
submit a request for Continuum of Care Program Bonus Funds. New project
funding is available through the domestic violence bonus and standard
bonus opportunities in the 2018 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
CoC Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). Eligible project types include rapid
re-housing, joint transitional housing to rapid re-housing and permanent
supportive housing. Applications are due Friday, Aug. 17. For
more information, please visit the Commerce Continuum of Care
Program website.
HEN Expansion Update
Checking
HEN Eligibility and Aged, Blind and
Disabled (ABD) Enrollment in Benefits Verification System (BVS)
When checking HEN
eligibility in the Benefits Verification System (BVS), search by the client’s
first and last name, as well as Social Security number or Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) client
ID.
An important change to
note is that the first page to appear on the BVS screen indicates whether the client
is HEN eligible. Be
aware that if the status says ineligible,
this pertains only to HEN and not ABD clients. To check if a client
is ABD eligible, click on the current month (current month and two month in
arrears will show up automatically) to view the benefits the client receives
and determine if a client is receiving ABD benefits.
OFAH grant managers
recently sent out an email regarding these changes. If you have questions or
did not receive this email, please contact your grant manager.
Outreach
to HEN Eligible Clients
A reminder that Consolidated Homeless Grant grantees can access a list of all people with a HEN referral from DSHS. Please
review the following Q-and-A and reach out to your grant manager with
questions.
WHAT is the HEN referral list?
This list is held on a secure file site that contains personally identifying
information and contact information for everyone in the state who has a HEN
Referral from DSHS. The list is updated monthly. Staff with approved access can
sort the list by county to review names of people in their service area.
WHO can see the list?
Lead
grantee and sub-grantee staff who have access to the list must understand the
confidentiality and data share agreement responsibilities identified in the CHG Guidelines.
HOW do I access the list?
Contact your CHG lead grantee for more information.
|
|
|
Myth: Clients on Aged, Blind and
Disabled (ABD) are not eligible for essential needs items because they are
receiving a cash benefit.
Fact: Receiving
a cash benefit does not make a client ineligible for essential needs. If the requests
for essential needs items is greater than what is available, grantees can
prioritize those items.
|
|