Chapter XXI: Homeless Assistance Recovery Program

Effective: October 2008

Introduction

The Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s (MSHDA) Homeless Assistance Recovery Program (HARP) provides a waiting list preference for homeless households for rental subsidy through MSHDA’s statewide Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program. HARP also provides the participants with collaborative supportive services through the local county Continuum of Care (CofC) service provider network. Each CofC in the state has a Lead Agency that works with local homeless service providers to identify and certify that the applicants are homeless. The service providers will assist the HA by helping applicants to complete paperwork and other HCV program requirements, obtain security deposits, and find and maintain rental housing. When a HCV participant leaves the program, the voucher will be filled with an applicant from the HARP waiting list. When the HARP waiting list is exhausted in a county, applicants for the HCV program will be selected from the current HCV waiting list for that county. Preference will be based on residency or employment in that county and date/time of application. Please see Chapter II. Waiting List Management for more information.

All HCV regulations are followed including the waiting list process once the applicant has been certified by the Lead Agency.

Section A: Definition of Homeless for MSHDA HARP Program

1. The Applicant household must be “homeless,” as defined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) homeless criteria; and
2. The Applicant household must currently be actively engaged in services provided through a qualified and publicly supported emergency shelter, transitional housing program, homeless service program, TBRA, Shelter Plus Care, Supportive Housing Program, Permanent Supportive Housing (SHP), Transitional Supportive Housing (TSHLAP, TIPLAP, or Rapid Re-Housing). Note: CofC’s may elect on a county wide basis to require that households must have been continuously engaged in these services for an extended period of time (at least 28 days); and,
3. The Applicant household must provide certification from the service provider (in 2 above) that they have attained the skills necessary to maintain long-term stability in permanent housing; or
4. A resident of a nursing facility who desires to leave the nursing facility, but has no housing to return to.

HUD defines the term “homeless” or “homeless individual or homeless person” as:

1. an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and
2. an individual who has a primary nighttime residence that is:
   1. a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill);
   2. an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
   3. a public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.

The term “homeless” or “homeless individual” does not include any individual imprisoned or otherwise detained pursuant to an Act of the Congress or a State law.

Section B: Coordinated Action Plan (CAP)

Each CofC area has developed a Coordinated Action Plan (CAP) through its local Continuum of Care Planning Body that defines more specific criteria and procedures pertaining to implementation at the local level. Participating communities may designate more specific homeless sub-populations (e.g., homeless families with dependent children, chronically homeless single adults, survivors of domestic violence) but may not restrict eligibility to specific disability groupings (e.g., mentally ill, developmentally disabled). The CAP will articulate the CofC’s plan for outreach, applicant certification and referral, supportive contact with participant households, supportive contact with landlords, evaluation/reporting, and accountability.

Staff delegated by the Director of MSHDA must approve this plan prior to its initiation.

The CofC’s failure to follow through on commitments articulated in the CAP may result in termination of assignment of any further HARP vouchers to that locality.

Section C: Community Service Provider (CSP) Certifications

Community Service Providers serving the homeless in participating counties will be designated by MSHDA as appropriate agencies to determine homeless eligibility of the applicant for HARP. One of the CSP agencies will be designated by the CofC and approved by MSHDA as the Lead Agency that will coordinate activities between the various participating CSP agencies.

Using the Certification of Eligibility and Residency for HCV Program HARP (MSHDA/HP-531) the CSP will certify that:

1. The applicant household has been actively engaged in a qualified publicly supported emergency sheltering program, transitional housing program, homeless service program, or independent living preparation program (as defined by the local Continuum of Care in their MSHDA approved CAP); and;
2. The applicant has attained the skills necessary to maintain housing stability in independent housing with the help of a voucher; and;
3. The referring CSP is able and willing to commit to providing continuing outreach and supportive contact to the applicant household to support success in maintaining long-term housing stability.

Section D: Waiting List Maintenance

All counties will maintain an open waiting list for the HARP Program. As the HA receives certified HARP application referrals from the Lead Agency, the HA will place the name on the open HARP waiting list in the appropriate county of residency.

When a voucher becomes available, the HA pulls a name from the HARP waiting list. The Lead Agency is contacted by the HA to assist in locating the applicant and to help the applicant with paperwork and in housing locating assistance.

• The HA contacts the applicant and begins the HCV eligibility process.
• If an applicant is not eligible, the HA sends an Application Denial/Program Termination (MSHDA 1634b) to the applicant noting removal from the HARP waiting list.

When few or no applicant names are on an open HARP waiting list, the HA contacts the Lead Agency for new referrals.

A TBRA preference within the HARP waiting list will be maintained in counties where the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program through the MSHDA Office of Rental Development and Homeless Iniatives is available. When applications are pulled from the HARP waiting lists, applicants on TBRA will be given priority preference, followed by other applicants on the HARP waiting list in that county who are not receiving HOME TBRA assistance.

MSHDA staff and the HA must follow procedures contained in Chapter II, Waiting List Management.

Section E: Participation in the Program

Once the applicant’s name has been pulled from the HARP waiting list, the applicant is processed for their housing choice voucher consistent with MSHDA’s HCV program utilizing the same forms, income verification process, criminal screenings, policies and procedures, et cetera.

Section F: Applicable Forms Listing