Homeless Emergency Aid Program (heap) Annual Report – Statewide

An Initial Assessment of California’s Homeless Emergency Aid Program: Assessing California’s Response to the Crisis APRIL 2020 California State University, Sacramento Division of Social Work and Institute for Social Research A Report prepared for the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council in the California Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency 1 Acknowledgments The Sacramento State research team would like to thank the administrators and other stakeholders who participated in our interviews and surveys about their experiences with HEAP. We also appreciate the direct service providers who took time from their important work to talk to us about the programs and services they are helping coordinate in their communities to address homelessness. We also wish to acknowledge the support of the College of Health and Human Services and the Division of Social Work at Sacramento State. Research Team • Arturo Baiocchi PhD • Jessica Newham Assistant Professor of Social Work Research Analyst II, Institute for Social Research • Susanna Curry MSW PhD • Fleur Monnet Marfori Assistant Professor of Social Work Graduate Research Assistant, Institute for Social Research Table of Contents Acknowledgments Research Team Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................................ i Key Findings about Funding ..................................................................................................................................................... i Key Findings about Strategies ................................................................................................................................................ ii Key Findings about Early Successes & Challenges ......................................................................................................... iii Section 1: Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................................................1 State of Homelessness in California .......................................................................................................................................1 A Short History of HEAP Funding .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of Report and Methodology ................................................................................................................................ 10 Section 2: How are grantees spending HEAP Funds? .............................................................................................................. 12 Allocation of HEAP Funds by Category ............................................................................................................................. 12 Services ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Capital Investments .................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Rental Assistance ....................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Youth Set Aside .......................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Differences in Spending between Cities and COCs ...................................................................................................... 18 Differences in Spending between Urban and Non-Urban Jurisdictions ................................................................ 19 Section 3: Strategies, Regional Coordination, and HEAP ........................................................................................................ 21 General Plans to Address Homelessness .......................................................................................................................... 21 Specific Strategies Regarding How to Prioritize HEAP ................................................................................................ 23 Strategy 1—Using HEAP to Develop Innovative Responses to Homelessness ................................................... 25 Strategy 2—Using HEAP to Scale-Up Existing Programs and Services ..................................................................27 Strategy 3—Using HEAP to Reassess and Revamp the System ............................................................................... 28 Section 4: Lessons Learned and Preliminary Outcomes ......................................................................................................... 30 Initial Concerns about the Flexibility of HEAP ................................................................................................................ 30 The Challenges and Success of Collaborative Planning ............................................................................................. 32 The Challenges Associated with Declaring a Shelter Crisis ....................................................................................... 34 The Challenges of Building Something New: Delays in Capital Investments ...................................................... 35 The Support of HCFC Staff .................................................................................................................................................... 35 Preliminary Perspectives on Impact of the Funds ......................................................................................................... 36 Summary and Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Appendix A: Survey Instrument & Results ................................................................................................................................. 40 Appendix B: Methodology and Factor Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 48 Appendix C: Glossary ........................................................................................................................................................................ 50 Appendix D: Allocation Tables ....................................................................................................................................................... 56 Executive Summary California has been facing a homelessness crisis, particularly in the last four years as communities across the state report substantial increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness. In response, the California State legislature passed SB 850 in 2018, providing $500 million in one-time funding to California communities through the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP). By February 2019, the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) had awarded 70% of funds through 43 Continuums of Care (CoCs)1 and 30% of funds to 11 large cities throughout the state of California. The HCFC has commissioned faculty researchers at California State University, Sacramento to design and implement a series of evaluation reports of HEAP. This report summarizes an initial assessment of the planning and implementation phases of the initiative. Drawing from a review of applications, 20 in-depth interviews and 40 survey responses out of the 54 jurisdictions, this report describes: • The variety of programs and innovative practices funded by HEAP in the past twelve months. • The overarching strategies that communities used to guide their funding decisions. • Early successes as well as challenges that communities have encountered while implementing HEAP. Readers of this report should note that the data and results presented are preliminary given that the report does not focus on first-year outcomes.2 Nonetheless, the findings discussed in this report regarding planning and implementation will help inform and frame ongoing evaluations of HEAP and other similar state initiatives. Key Findings about Funding We learned that most communities have invested the largest share of their HEAP grants toward providing direct services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. Over half of these services were fully operational as of Fall 2019. ● Ninety-two percent (92%) of communities used some portion of HEAP to provide direct services such as such as street outreach, system navigation and homeless prevention services; these investments will total $194 million (or represent 39% of all HEAP expenditures). 1 A Continuum of Care (CoC) is a community board that coordinates local homelessness planning efforts and disperses federal funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 2 A future report will provide more detail about specific programs as well as review first-year outcomes associated with the number of individuals and families assisted. i ● Many jurisdictions also prioritized HEAP towards capital investments to develop infrastructure projects like emergency shelters and navigation centers. These capital investments will total 36% of all HEAP expenditures, though amounts invested in these projects varied widely across communities. ○ Compared to other HEAP investments, many capital projects are still in the early Administration Youth Specific $21 Million phases of development and not yet Services 4% $33 Million operational. 7% ● While communities allocated smaller amounts of HEAP funds for rental assistance than other types of investments (approximately 12%), these Rental Assistance Capital programs were more likely to be fully $62 Million Improvements 12% $180 Million operational by Fall 2019 than other programs. 36% ● Approximately 7% of HEAP funds will support youth-specific programs. Administrators Direct Services $194 Million indicated that youth-specific programs also 39% receive a significant portion of the HEAP budgets for services and rental subsidies, so the actual allotment to youth programs will likely be higher than the initially reported youth-set aside budgets. Key Findings about Strategies Many local administrators indicated three basic strategies of how their communities approached funding decisions for HEAP. Many communities also blended aspects of these three strategies in their general approach to funding. ● Many jurisdictions (56%) approached HEAP as an opportunity to invest in new and innovative programs that address homelessness, particularly those that cut across different service sectors (e.g., healthcare, mental health, law enforcement etc.). ● A different strategy, indicated by approximately 38% of jurisdictions, was to leverage HEAP funds to scale up the existing capacity of current programs in the community. ● Similarly, approximately 26% of jurisdictions viewed HEAP as way to strategically improve the services system in their community by addressing specific deficits, gaps or bottlenecks in the system. ii Key Findings about Early Successes & Challenges Per its mandate, the HEAP application process was designed with an emphasis on expediency and flexibility. The goal was to provide emergency resources to communities as quickly as possible, but also to allow jurisdictions the flexibility to deploy funds in ways that best met the unique needs of their community. While some grantees expressed initial concern with this flexibility, most ultimately came to appreciate that HEAP allowed them to support programs and services that other funding sources could not. • Some administrators noted that they were not initially accustomed to the level of flexibility in the HEAP application and the “far fewer” guidelines about which programs could be funded or not, as compared to other federal and state programs. • Despite some initial apprehension and skepticism about this flexibility, many administrators indicated that HEAP allowed them to invest in innovative efforts to address specific gaps in their systems and underserved subpopulations. The flexibility of HEAP also made possible new collaborations with providers in other service sectors such as in healthcare and behavioral health. The collaborative planning process required to apply for HEAP was straightforward for some and politically challenging for others; the process generally brought new partners to the table or renewed engagement among stakeholders who had been less involved. ● Communities were required to engage in a collaborative planning process to identify and define their plans for HEAP—a process that was described as relatively straightforward by many of the administrators we interviewed. ● However, the process could be challenging for rural CoCs administering funds across large geographical jurisdictions spanning across two to four rural counties, particularly if they had little administrative infrastructure. Larger CoCs also faced challenges engaging in a regional coordination effort if they didn’t already have an existing regional plan in place. ● Involvement by new stakeholders, particularly city council members, was often described positively in interviews and as an “opportunity” for more information-sharing, education, and funding alignment. Nonetheless, some of these new stakeholders also ramped up the political nature of the process, particularly with respect to declaring a shelter crisis, making the process more challenging. A third of jurisdictions (36%) indicated that working within their community to declare a shelter crisis was a great challenge. ● Despite these challenges, 82% of respondents indicated that their community’s regional coordination has substantially improved in the past year as a consequence of HEAP. Similarly, iii 78% of respondents agreed that communication between providers, the CoC, and other stakeholders had also improved in the past year. Administrators also noted challenges related to capital investments (such as building a new shelter). ● The majority of communities (75%) indicated that preparing sites/properties for capital investments took longer than anticipated. Some communities described experiences in which sites fell through due to political reasons, such as stronger neighborhood opposition than anticipated. ● In 41% of communities, NIMBY-ism (“Not in My Backyard”) was viewed as a major barrier to getting projects implemented and/or operational. Communities highlighted that funds were awarded more quickly than state grants they had received in the past, and that up-front funding allowed them to plan according to their own community’s timeline. This report is intended to provide an introduction to the use of HEAP funding across California communities, and provide insight into experiences with the planning, award and implementation phase of HEAP from local administrators’ perspectives. One goal of the report was to provide insight that could inform decisions around how to allocate, award and monitor further state funding targeted at addressing homelessness. To that end, at the conclusion of this report we provide recommendations to guide future funding or implementation decisions. Later in 2020, we will provide further details regarding the actual use of funds across communities, and impact of HEAP across communities and across sub-populations of people experiencing homelessness. iv Section 1: Introduction The Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) was established by Senate Bill 850 (2018) as a response to the severe housing and homelessness crisis facing California. The initiative allotted within the State’s 2018-19 budget a $500 million, one-time, flexible set of block grants to help local communities throughout the state address the substantial rise in homelessness. By February 2019, the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) had awarded 54 block grants to 43 Continuums of Care (CoCs) and 11 municipalities throughout the state of California. Jurisdictions applying for HEAP were required to conduct a collaborative community process to determine how a one-time investment of funds could be best utilized within the context of their local communities. While the majority of HEAP funds had to be allotted to immediately assist Californians experiencing homelessness, or at imminent risk of homelessness, eligible uses of HEAP funds were intentionally broadly defined to encourage jurisdictions to tailor their HEAP plans to the specific local needs of their communities. This report summarizes an initial assessment of the implementation phase of the initiative, the findings of which will help researchers more effectively assess the impact of HEAP and similar initiatives in the future. Drawing from a review of applications, in-depth interviews with local administrators, as well as analysis of online surveys collected from most jurisdictions receiving HEAP, the report generally describes the variety of programs and innovative practices that have been funded by the initiative in the past twelve months across the state (Section 2). This report also provides insight into how jurisdictions strategized their funding decisions for HEAP (Section 3) as well as some of the early successes and challenges that communities have encountered implementing the initiative (Section 4). Finally, the report concludes by summarizing a set of recommendations for how researchers and policy makers can explore the varied and disparate impacts that funding initiatives like HEAP can have on local service systems. In the pages that follow, we continue this first section by summarizing the current state of knowledge on the homeless crisis in California, which provides important context for understanding the development of HEAP. Next, we review the key components of HEAP and its intended function as an emergency aid program. We finish this section by discussing the research goals and methodologies underpinning this report. State of Homelessness in California During the last four years, California has seen a substantial rise in the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness. According to most recent estimates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), approximately 151,000 Californians experienced 1 homelessness on any given night across the state in 2019—a figure that is 31% higher since 2015.3 This indicates that approximately 38 out of every 10,000 Californians experience homelessness each night, a per capita rate that is twice the national average (i.e., 17 per 10,000). Moreover, the majority of individuals experiencing homelessness in California (70%) are sleeping outside of shelters or housing programs (i.e., unsheltered homelessness). While official estimates of homelessness are imperfect and do not capture all forms of housing instability, the consistency of trends from the last four years nonetheless indicate a significant spike in homelessness throughout the state.4 Indeed, there is overwhelming evidence that homelessness has substantially affected nearly every community in California in the last four to five years. • Nearly 80% of jurisdictions in California report double digit growth in the number of individuals experiencing homelessness between 2015 and 2019 (e.g., on average communities in California reported a 40% increase in the last four years). • Most jurisdictions report acute increases in the number of individuals sleeping outside (i.e., unsheltered homelessness); an additional 35,000 Californians are estimated to be sleeping outside each night since 2015 (a nearly 50% increase). About a quarter of communities report that the number of individuals sleeping outside has more than doubled in their area during the last four years. • While much of the growth in homelessness and housing instability have been reported in urban communities (urban communities comprise two thirds of all the homeless reports in the state), rural and suburban communities have also indicated increases in local homelessness. On average rural communities report an 80% increase in homelessness during the last four years.5 This recent and significant rise of homelessness in California reverses a broader trend of gradually decreasing reports of homelessness from 2007 to 2015. Consistent with the rest of the county, most communities in California had been reporting declining trends across those eight years, that averaged net reductions of nearly 17% by 2015. The most recent data suggests, however, that much 3 It is important to note that the Point-in-Time Count provides only a snapshot of homelessness for one night. Over the course of an entire year many more individuals experience homelessness; this is because different individuals enter and exit—and sometimes return to—a state of homelessness over time. By rough approximation, 151,000 nightly homelessness could correspond to between 300,000 to 450,000 Californians experiencing homelessness during the course of a year. 4 Achieving an accurate count of all individuals experiencing homelessness within a geographic area is notoriously difficult for various reasons. While PIT counts may lack absolutely accuracy (in terms of accounting for every person experiencing homelessness within a county), they can nonetheless provide reasonable indicators of general increases and decreases over time when they are deployed consistently across years. The consistency of trends from the last four years, across various communities, indicate strong evidence that California is experiencing a substantial increase in homelessness— though the specific amount of increase is difficult to estimate given some changes in methodology over time. 5 It should be noted that a portion of the increases in homeless counts likely reflect improved methodologies that various communities have implemented over time to enhance the accuracy of the count (improved sampling, extrapolation techniques etc.). Because HUD does not adjust/control for the differences in improved methodologies across different communities, readers should note that it is difficult to estimate the precise amount of increase. 2 of this progress has been reversed in the last four to five years. Indeed, a majority of communities in California (53%) report a higher homeless count in 2019 than in 2007. FIGURE 1 : POINT IN TIME ESTIMATES FOR CALIFORNIA; 2007-2019 6 160,000 150,000 140,000 130,000 120,000 110,000 100,000 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 The increase in homelessness in California is also in stark contrast to the strong economic recovery and growth the state has nonetheless experienced during the last decade. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, California’s economy has experienced consistent and strong growth during the last 10 years, far outpacing most other states.7 During this time the unemployment rate in California also declined by nearly 60% from 9.7% in 2009 to a rate of 3.9% at the end of 2019.8 Despite these and other positive economic indicators, many Californians are nonetheless finding themselves in situations in which they are at-risk of experiencing homelessness as well as prolonged bouts of housing instability.9 The two most salient, and interrelated, factors that contribute to an increased prevalence of homelessness, despite California’s strong economy, are the state’s high levels of income inequality and cost of housing—both of which have increased in the past decade. Indeed, community levels of housing affordability, which are the strongest community-level predictors of homelessness,10 has 6 HUD reports estimates for homelessness every year, but it should be noted that most communities in California collect and provide this information to HUD only every other year (i.e., 2015, 2017, 2019), per the requirement and given the resources needed to conduct a Point-in-Time count. The chart reports the PIT results of just the odd years, as they correspond to years when most counts were conducted in California. In 2018, HUD did report a slight decline in counts between 2017 and 2018 for California, but this estimate was based mainly results of a few communities which had conducted a count in 2018. 7 California’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has averaged 5% yearly growth the last ten years, compared to the average of 3.6% yearly growth across the country during this time (not adjusted for inflation). [US Bureau of Economic Analysis, retrieved from https://www.bea.gov]. 8 US Bureau of Labor Statistics, retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.html. 9 Public Policy Institute of California (2019). Housing. Retrieved from https://www.ppic.org/wpcontent/ uploads/californias-future-housing-january-2019.pdf 10 Housing affordability generally refers to the ratio of housing costs to income; which is often calculated by comparing median income levels to median housing costs. Households that spend more than 30% on these costs are designated as burdened renters. Researchers have found that community measures of housing affordability (i.e., the percent of burdened 3 worsened in many of the most populous regions in California. A number of recent research findings highlight the complex relationship between inequality, housing and the growth of homelessness in the state. • California has a high level of income inequality, which has worsened in the last decade. Indeed, income disparities between California households are today greater than at almost any point during the past five decades.11 • While production of housing and rental units is increasing in the state, much of the growth has focused on the higher end of the rental and housing markets. Economists note that the share of low-cost rental units has declined substantially during the last three decades; just 25% of rental units are currently low-cost. Notably, the net number of rental apartments in the state under $1,000 a month declined by a third just between 2012 and 2017.12 • Four out of ten Californians (36%) are currently living in or near poverty, a rate that is higher than it was a decade ago.13 A number of studies highlight this large share of households in California cannot find housing they can afford. The average price for a house in California is 2.5 times the national average, making homeownership to many Californians inaccessible; the current rate of homeownership in the state is the lowest since before World War II.14 • Rents are also 50% higher in California than the rest of the country. So even with full-time employment, many Californian households struggle to meet basic needs—most of all the rising cost of housing. An estimated 55% of renters spend more than 30 percent of their total household income on housing (excluding the cost of utilities). In addition, nearly 30% of renters in California spend over 50 percent of their income on rent (severely rent burdened).15 • Notably, the nation’s three most expensive rental markets are all currently in California – including San Jose (median rent of $3,318 per month), San Francisco ($3,150), Los Angeles renters in a community) to be one of the strongest and consistent predictors of community-levels of homelessness. See for example: Byrne, Thomas, Ellen A. Munley, Jamison D. Fargo, Ann E. Montgomery, and Dennis P. Culhane (2013)."New perspectives on community-level determinants of homelessness." Journal of Urban Affairs, 35 (5): 607-625. 11 Top income earners in California (i.e., those at the 80th percentile and higher) earn today between 30% to 40% more than they did in 1980 (adjusted for inflation), while those in low income brackets (i.e., those at the 20th percentile or lower) earn between 10% to 20% less than they did forty years ago. [Public Policy Institute of California (2016). Income Inequality and the Safety Net. Retrieved https://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_516SBR.pdf]. 12 Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (2019). Documenting the Long-Run Decline in Low-Cost Rental Units in the US by State. Retrieved from https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/harvard_jchs_loss_of_low_cost_rental_housing_la_jeunesse_2019_0.pdf 13 The official poverty rate in California is 14%; however more comprehensive measures of household poverty (which incorporate housing costs) indicate that 36% of households in California are living in or near poverty. [Public Policy Institute of California (2019). Poverty in California. Retrieved from https://www.ppic.org/wp-content/uploads/JTF_PovertyJTF.pdf.] 14 Zillow Research (2019). U.S. Rents Continue to Rise as For-Sale Inventory Dries Up. Retrieved from https://www.zillow.com/research/u-s-rents-continue-to-rise-as-for-sale-inventory-dries-up-october-2019-market-report- 25987. 15 See footnote 9 4 ($2,614).16 Residents in these three metropolitan areas not only report some of the highest ratios of rent to income in the country (e.g., in Los Angeles the median rent represents 44% of the median income), but these communities represent the largest share of Californians experiencing homelessness (a combined 74,000 residents in these metro areas experience homelessness on any given night). Since 2014 median rents have increased by an average of 24% in these communities; these communities also report the largest increases in homelessness during this time (about 55% of the state’s total increase in homelessness between 2015 and 2019 were reported by these communities). FIGURE 2 : RENTAL INCREASES IN CALIFORNIA’S TOP THREE RENTAL MARKETS $3,500 San Jose $3,300 $3,323 San Francisco $3,100 $3,161 Los Angeles $2,900 $2,700 $2,603 $2,500 $2,281 $2,300 $2,187 $2,100 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 A Short History of HEAP Funding In response to the growing number of people experiencing homelessness in California, legislative leaders, with help from mayors of the eleven largest cities in the state, collectively mobilized to provide communities immediate access to emergency funding for programs and services. Passed in June 2018, SB 850 allocated $500 million in one-time block grants through the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) for Californian communities to address homelessness. HEAP was intended to provide interim funding until other funding was available. Approximately 70% of the $500 million was allocated to Continuums of Care (CoCs), which are local planning bodies that coordinate federal funding for housing and services addressing homelessness in communities. The other 30% was allocated to large cities in California with populations over 16 This is based on the Zillow Rental Index, which aggregates median rents across various rental types within the geographic market. [see source: https://www.zillow.com/research/zillow-rent-index-methodology-2393/] 5 330,000. The specific fund amounts were allocated based on a three-part formula based on the results of the 2017 Point-in-Time (PIT) Counts.17 More specifically: • $250 million was allocated to CoCs based on the total of their local 2017 PIT Count. • An additional $100 million was allocated to CoCs based on their respective total as a percentage of the overall statewide 2017 PIT Count. • $150 million was allocated to large cities based on their respective population size. Jurisdictions applying for HEAP were required to conduct a collaborative community process to determine how a one-time investment of funds could be best utilized within the context of their local communities. While the majority of HEAP funds had to be allotted to immediately assist Californians experiencing homelessness, or at imminent risk of homelessness, eligible uses of HEAP funds were intentionally broadly defined to encourage jurisdictions to tailor their HEAP plans to the specific local needs of their communities. General guidelines included the following: • HEAP funds could be used by CoCs or cities for a broad range of programs that would provide emergency assistance, including diversion activities, emergency aid, and prevention activities, to people currently or at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness. • Programs could be funded under three general categories: Services, Capital Improvements, and Rental Assistance. • In addition, communities were required to allocate at least 5% of funds to specifically support programs serving youth or young adults facing, or at risk of, homelessness. • No more than 5% was allowed for administrative costs. • Half of the funds awarded were required to be contractually obligated by January 1, 2020, and the remaining awards must be contractually obligated by June 30, 2021. Applicants were also required to provide evidence that their collaborative coordination process had engaged a wide range of stakeholders from different sectors in the community.18 Further, CoCs and cities with 1,000 or more people experiencing homelessness19 had to declare a shelter crisis that had 17 The Point-in-Time (PIT) count is a federal requirement for all local Continuums of Care. The PIT is a count of people experiencing homelessness (both sheltered and unsheltered) on a single night at the end of January. 18 Documentation of the collaborative process could be in the form of meeting agendas or minutes; sign-in sheets; or public comment logs. 19 Based on the 2017 Point-in-Time Count. 6 to be adopted by the governing body (e.g. a city council) of the jurisdiction within the CoC or large city.20 By February 2019, the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC)21 had awarded a total 54 block grants (totaling $499 million) to 43 Continuums of Care (CoCs) and 11 municipalities throughout the state. Approximately 70% of the emergency funding was ultimately allocated to CoCs ($349 million), while 30% was disbursed to 11 municipalities ($150 million). More specifically, the largest proportion of HEAP funds went to 16 urban CoCs (42% or approximately $208 million), followed by the eleven large cities (30%; $150 million). Seventeen suburban CoCs together received 22% of the total HEAP funds ($109 million), and 10 rural CoCs received 6% of total funds ($32 million). FIGURE 3 : HEAP ALLOCATION BY TYPE OF COC $109 Million 22% $150 Million 30% 17 Suburban CoCs 11 Major Cities $32 Million 6% 10 Rural CoCs $208 Million 42% 16 Urban CoCs To illustrate the general scope of HEAP across California, the below figure shows the geographic distribution HEAP funding allocation across the state. The map below presents dollar amounts as allocated by county jurisdictions—though it should be noted that funds were allocated primarily to CoCs, which were not always situated within a county office or not always aligned with county 20 Jurisdictions with fewer than 1,000 individuals included in the 2017 PIT were able to submit a waiver of the shelter declaration requirement. For more information about the shelter declaration requirement, see Homeless Emergency Aid Program Guidance, https://www.bcsh.ca.gov/hcfc/documents/heap_overview.pdf. 21 In Summer 2018, administration of HEAP funds was moved from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) within the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Applications for HEAP funds were due by December 31, 2018 and by January 21, 2019 HCFC had awarded the entire $500 million. 7 jurisdictions. The map also combines amounts awarded to multiple grantees within the same county; for example, combining grant amounts awarded to a large city and CoC within the same county. FIGURE 4: HEAP ALLOCATION AND 2017 HOMELESS POINT IN TIME COUNT BY CA COUNTIES As the map highlights, jurisdictions within every county received at least a proportion of funding from HEAP, whether the grantee was a CoC, city, or both located within any particular county. It should be noted, however, that counties often did not receive HEAP funds directly; rather, CoCs and municipalities operating within county jurisdictions applied and dispersed funds locally.22 Nonetheless, the map illustrates that the disbursement of HEAP funds corresponded to the 2017 PIT Counts. 22 In some situations, counties did receive funds directly because the respective CoC operates within a county’s departmental infrastructure of programs and services (e.g., such as a Department of Human Assistance, or Department of Housing). But in other situations, CoCs operate outside the purview of county government; they are situated within a municipal office or city department, or are completely separate from local government altogether and operate as non- governmental, non-profits. Adding to the complexity, in urban regions of the state multiple CoCs can operate within the same county (as for example there are four different CoCs in LA County), while in rural regions a single CoC can administer programs across a number of counties. For the sake of simplicity, the two maps illustrate the distribution of funds, as well as the 2017 homeless count, by county jurisdiction. 8 Figure 5: HEAP Allocation by Region and 2017 Homeless Point in Time Count 23 24 4% North and Mountain 4% 5% Central Valley Regional % of 2017 PIT 5% Regional Allocation 10% Central/Southern Farm 11% 16% Southern CA w/o LA 18% 23% Bay Area 25% 42% Los Angeles Region 36% 0% 20% 40% 60% In Figure 5, we present allocations across six regions in California (blue bars) compared to the total regional % of total individuals in the 2017 Point-in-Time Homeless Count (“PIT counts”; yellow bars). This graph illustrates that across regions, allocations were relatively consistent with the 2017 PIT counts. Per the mandate to provide funding as quickly as possible, HEAP funds were made available to nearly every grantee within 60 days of their completed application. However, HCFC often exceeded this goal and disbursed funds to most grantees within two weeks of their application submission. By January 10th, 2019—10 days after the application closed—HCFC staff reported that 85% of HEAP funds had already been disbursed. 23 The six-region regional grouping referred to as “CDSS/DAPB” was recommended in the following report: California Department of Social Services Research and Development Division (2001, August). The regions of California: Recommended Grouping of the counties for regional studies. Sacramento, CA: Author. Retrieved from https://www.cdss.ca.gov/research/res/pdf/multireports/RegionsofCalifornia.pdf. 24 Bay Area: Alameda CoC; City and County of SF (City and CoC); City of Oakland; City of San Jose; Contra Costa County CoC; Marin CoC; Napa CoC; San Mateo CoC; Santa Clara CoC; Sonoma CoC; Vallejo/Solano CoC; Watsonville/Santa Cruz City and County CoC. Central Valley: City of Sacramento; Davis, Woodland/Yolo CoC; El Dorado County CoC; Roseville, Rocklin/Placer, Nevada Counties CoC; Sacramento City and County CoC; Yuba City and County/Sutter County CoC. Central/Southern Farm: Bakersfield/Kern CoC; City of Bakersfield; City of Fresno; Fresno City and County/Madera County CoC; Imperial County CoC; Kings/Tulare CoC; Merced City and County; Salinas/Monterey CoC; San Louis Obispo CoC; Stanislaus CoC; Stockton/San Joaquin. Los: Angeles: City of Glendale CoC; City of Long Beach (City and CoC); City of Los Angeles; Los Angeles City and County CoC; Pasadena CoC. North and Mountain: Alpine, Inyo and Mono Counties; Chico, Paradise/Butte County CoC; Colusa, Glenn, Trinity Counties CoC; Humboldt County CoC; Lake CoC; Mendocino CoC; Redding/Shasta CoC; Tehama County CoC; Tuolumne, Amador, Calaveras, and Mariposa CoC. Southern California without LA: City of Anaheim; City of San Diego; City of Santa Ana; Oxnard CoC; Riverside CoC; San Bernardino CoC; San Diego CoC; Santa Ana, Anaheim/Orange County CoC; Santa Maria/Santa Barbara County CoC. 9 Purpose of Report and Methodology In September 2019 the HCFC commissioned faculty researchers at California State University, Sacramento to design and implement a series of evaluation reports of HEAP. This report summarizes an initial assessment of the implementation phase of the initiative, with the goal of providing insight into HEAP and ways to effectively assess its impact across service systems in California. In addition, this initial assessment was motivated by three research questions: 1) What are the variety of programs and innovative practices funded by HEAP in the past twelve months? 2) What are the overarching strategies that communities used to guide their funding decisions? 3) What are some of the early successes as well as challenges that communities have encountered while implementing HEAP? To address these questions, the research team conducted 24 in-depth interviews between October and November 2019 with local administrators from 20 communities receiving HEAP funding throughout the state (a sample of 16 out of 43 CoCs and four out of 11 large cities that had received HEAP funding).25 Each interview lasted approximately 45-70 minutes and explored a variety of topics associated with strategies, challenges and early success with HEAP. All interviews were audio recorded and analyzed by the research team.26 To assess whether the findings from these interviews could be generalized to other jurisdictions receiving funding, the research team next developed a standard survey to administer to all HEAP recipients.27 Questions for the survey were derived out of a thematic analysis of the interviews, and included a series of Likert-style questions in which respondents responded to the specific strategies, challenges and successes that were reported in the interviews. After field testing the instrumentation of these questions (see appendix A for final survey instrument), the researchers sent the confidential 25 We randomly selected five jurisdictions from each of the following categories (strata): 1) Large communities receiving over $9 million (n=18 communities), 2) Medium-sized communities receiving between $3 and $9 million (n= 17 communities), and 3) Small communities receiving under $3 million (19 communities). We also purposively selected nine (9) additional communities based on recommendations from HCFC. In total, we contacted 24 communities for interviews and completed in-depth interviews across 20 communities (16 CoCs and four large cities). In four communities, we spoke to administrators from both the CoC and the Large City that received separate HEAP funding. 26 All interviews were conducted by phone, with the exception of interviews conducted in Sacramento, which were conducted in-person. Thematic analysis of the in-depth qualitative interviews was conducted by two researchers, which revealed eight themes regarding communities’ strategies, barriers, successes, and recommendations regarding HEAP. 27 The survey instrument included a series of questions about how communities had planned and allocated funding from their block grants as well as a set of Likert-style questions and statement about how communities had strategized their HEAP investments (i.e., to what extent communities strongly agreed vs. strongly disagreed to certain strategies and priorities.) (See Appendix A for survey instrument). 10 survey to administrators in every jurisdiction receiving HEAP funding28 through the Qualtrics online platform. Ultimately, 40 out of 54 HEAP award recipients (CoCs and cities) responded to the survey, resulting in a 74% response rate.29 A general analysis of jurisdictions that did not participate in the survey revealed little differences to those that did participate—suggesting that the results of the survey are generally representative of all jurisdictions receiving HEAP funds.30 The research team also analyzed application submissions and tracking documents maintained by HCFC, which captured the total HEAP allocation amounts for each city or CoC, as well as the subtotals that jurisdictions initially proposed for the categories of services, rental assistance, capital investments, and the youth set-side (as well as amounts allocated to administration). These data sources also contained supporting materials that jurisdictions submitted as part of their HEAP application, which often included evidence of how administrators coordinated their efforts with their different stakeholders in the community, as well as various planning documents that they sometimes cited in their application (e.g., strategic homeless plans). In the sections that follow, we present the results of our analysis of these various data sources, and our attempts to triangulate findings that speak to the challenges, successes and lessons learned from the first phase of HEAP. 28 The survey was sent to the point of contact in every community that received HEAP funds on November 6, 2019 and communities were able to respond to the survey until November 20, 2019. 29 All data were kept confidential; no identifying information was shared with anyone outside of the research team, with the exception of communities who provided permission for us to share innovative practices in their community. 30 The research team conducted a general analysis of survey responses to assess any potential response bias between jurisdictions that participated in the survey and those that did not. The factors analyzed included the urbanicity of the jurisdiction, its regional location within the state, and its average HEAP allotments. While not an exhaustive analysis, the findings revealed little differences between jurisdictions that responded to the survey and those that did not. Nonetheless, jurisdictions from the Bay Area were slightly under-represented in the sample (20% of respondents but 24% of all applicants). while rural communities were slightly over-represented (22% vs. 19%). Despite these differences, the research team considers the results of the survey to be fairly representative. 11 Section 2: How are grantees spending HEAP Funds? As discussed in the previous section, HEAP funds could be used by communities for a broad range of programs that provide emergency assistance to people currently or at imminent risk of experiencing homelessness, including diversion activities, emergency aid, and prevention activities. Generally speaking, programs could be funded under four general categories of: Services, Capital Improvements, Rental Assistance, and Youth Set-Aside. In this section we explore how communities made investments in these categories, and the extent to which these projects or programs are operational. Allocation of HEAP Funds by Category As shown in Figure 6 below, across community applications for HEAP funding in late 2018, communities directed the highest proportion of total funds toward direct services (39%). Communities also prioritized capital improvements which account for 36% of HEAP allocations. Rental assistance made up 13% of total funds planned, administration made up 4% of total funds, and youth set-aside funds made up 7% of funds planned at time of application.31 Figure 6: HEAP Allocation by Category Youth Specific Administration Programs $21 Million $33 Million 4% 7% Rental Assistance $62 Million Capital Improvements 12% $180 Million 36% Direct Services $194 Million 39% 31 As discussed later in the report, these proportions have changed across communities in some categories. Updated figures will be provided in a later report. 12 Services In our survey sent to administrators in November 2019, almost all communities (92%) reported that they had allocated some portion of their HEAP grant to support direct services; services that directly help Californians either avoid or exit homelessness. According to applications submitted to HCFC, these investments into services will total approximately $194 million and will ultimately represent the largest share of HEAP expenditures (approximately 39% of all HEAP funds allocated).32 Figure 7: PLANNED FUNDS AND FULLY OPERATIONAL SERVICE PROGRAMS Services Used HEAP funds for services 92% Navigation services 56% Homeless prevention services 54% Street outreach 51% Short-term/comprehensive homeless services 38% Other services 31% Landlord outreach/mitigation 28% Safe parking programs 21% Fully Operational Diversion interventions 21% Funded Employment training 15% Criminal justice diversion programs 13% Program staffing 5% Direct health and hygiene services 5% Encampment clean up 5% Hospital discharge services 5% Case management 3% Health and safety education 3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% While there are a broad variety of services being currently funded by HEAP, the three most common as reported in our survey include navigation services (as reported by 56% of communities), homeless prevention services (54%), and street outreach (51%). 32 It is important to note that allocations for specific categories (services, rental assistance, capital investments, youth set- aside) as specified in community applications have changed in some communities. In a later report, updated data regarding specific dollar amounts spent in different categories will be available. 13 • Navigation services often resemble a case management intervention in which the focus is on assisting individuals and families find and secure permanent housing. Activities associated with navigation services often include: identifying barriers, assisting with the application process in the private market, guiding clients with subsidized housing applications and opportunities, or making connections to transitional housing programs if needed. • Homeless prevention services include a range of activities that target people at imminent risk of homelessness and intervene to help people remain housed. They may come in the form of short-term financial assistance, landlord mediations, assistance in qualifying for mainstream benefits, or other problem-solving solutions. • Street outreach involves the process of identifying and engaging people currently living outside, in an effort to reach people who may not otherwise seek assistance or come to the attention of a homelessness service system. As Figure 7 shows, communities are also using HEAP to fund a variety of innovative services including landlord mitigation (services to reduce evictions, as reported by 28% of communities) safe parking programs (21%), employment training (15%), and hospital discharge services (5%). On average, administrators reported that 88% of the services are currently either partially operational (39%) or fully operational (49%). In contrast, administrators indicated that 12% of these services were yet to be implemented. Notably, communities providing hospital discharge services or encampment clean up, indicated that all of the programs are currently operational (100%). Similarly, a high proportion of communities providing landlord outreach/mitigation intervention also reported these services as fully operational (82%). Capital Investments Approximately 87% of communities responding to our survey in November 2019 reported using HEAP funds for capital investments. In community applications submitted in late 2018, this included approximately $180 million (36% of all HEAP funds allocated). As the figure shows, 51% of communities are using funds to develop Emergency Shelters (the most common use of capital investment funding), while 26% are developing Bridge/Triage Shelters (which are often shelters integrated with a broad array of services so that they can serve as a bridge to more permanent housing). 14 Figure 8: PLANNED FUNDS AND FULLY OPERATIONAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT PROGRAMS Capital Investments Used HEAP funds for capital investments 87% Emergency shelter 51% Bridge/Triage shelter 26% Permanent supportive housing 26% Other capital improvements 26% Fully Operational Drop-in centers/day shelters 18% Funded Amenities/restrooms 15% Transitional housing 15% Small/tiny homes 13% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% A quarter of communities (26%) reported using capital investment to build more for Permanent Supportive Housing units in their community. • Permanent Supportive Housing programs combine low-barrier affordable housing, health care, and supportive services to help individuals and families lead more stable lives. Communities are also directing capital investments toward built projects that will provide daily amenities to individuals experiencing homelessness such as drop-in centers/day centers; public restrooms and showers. A number of grantees are also investing in transitional housing and small/tiny homes communities. Given the longer timeline needed to develop new property projects (i.e., site preparation, navigating zoning requirements etc.), few communities report that these programs are currently operational and serving individuals. On average communities indicated that only 12% of these programs are fully operational today, and 45% are partially operational; 43% of these projects were yet to be implemented. A discussion of why capital investments may be less likely to be operational at this point in the grant cycle can be found later in Sections 3 and 4 of this report. 15 Rental Assistance As shown in Figure 9, 85% of communities planned or allocated HEAP funds to support a variety of rental assistance programs. Applications for HEAP indicate that rental assistance will comprise the smallest share of HEAP funds; approximately $62 million or 12% of all HEAP funds allocated. Figure 9: PLANNED FUNDS AND FULLY OPERATIONAL RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS Rental Assistance Used HEAP funds for rental assistance 85% Rental assistance 67% Rapid re-housing programs 41% Motel vouchers 33% Flexible housing subsidy funds 33% Fully Operational Short term emergency housing interventions 26% Funded Eviction prevention strategies 18% Housing vouchers 10% Host homes 5% Other rental assistance or subsidies 5% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% The most common use of funds in this category include rental assistance (as reported by 67% of communities) and rapid re-housing programs (41%). • Rental assistance involves direct financial support to cover move-in costs, deposits, and the rental and or/utility assistance necessary to allow individuals to move immediately out of homelessness and stabilize in permanent housing. • Rapid re-housing programs focus on moving individuals and families from a state of homelessness into permanent housing by providing short-term rental assistance and services with the intent of reducing the amount of time spent experiencing homelessness. Rapid re- housing models often include services such as housing identification; rent and move-in assistance; and rapid re-housing case management and services intended to resolve 16 immediate crisis situations. These services are offered without preconditions (e.g., income, sobriety, employment) and tailored to unique household needs. Approximately a third of communities also reported directing these funds toward motel vouchers (33%) as well as a flexible housing general fund (33%). • Motel vouchers provide a temporary place to stay, generally utilizing a hotel or motel with which the referring agency has a prior agreement, but in some cases, temporary lodging selected by the individual. • A flexible housing fund/”pool” is a generally established to support the provision of rental subsidies in permanent housing to assist individuals and families; for bridge subsidies to property owners waiting for approval from another permanent rental subsidy source; vacancy payments; or project-based rental or operative reserves. Upon availability of rental subsidies, flexible housing subsidy funds are available for providers to assist clients with other move-in costs and intensive case manager services, often using a “whatever it takes approach” to aid clients in securing housing. Other uses of the rental assistance funding category included short term emergency housing interventions (26%), eviction prevention strategies (18%), housing vouchers (10%), and host homes (5%). On average communities indicated that 90% of these various services that they reported were either partially operationally (36%) or fully operational (54%). Among those who were providing eviction prevention strategies (18% of respondents), 86% reported that their programs were fully operational, the highest rate among rental assistance strategies. In all other types of rental assistance programs except for the general category “rental assistance” and the category “host homes,” at least half of communities indicated that their programs were fully operational. Youth Set Aside In jurisdiction applications submitted in late 2018, approximately $33 million (7% of all HEAP funds) were allocated to communities to address youth homelessness specifically. Jurisdictions were required to set aside at least 5% of funds for youth-specific programs or projects; some communities allocated a far higher proportion. In a May 2019 report, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) note that 36% of CoCs and 29% of large cities that participated in the study were using part of their HEAP youth set-aside funds for youth shelter, and this was the most common use of these funds.33 The second most common use of the youth set-aside funds was for transitional housing for youth, followed by Rapid Re-Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing (JBAY, 2019). It is important to 33 John Burton Foundation Advocates for Youth (2019, May). Youth homelessness in California: What impact has the five percent youth set-aside in the Homeless Emergency Aid Program had so far? San Francisco, CA: Author. Retrieved from https://www.jbaforyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/HEAP-Brief_May-2019_final.pdf 17 note, however, that 13 of the 30 CoCs who participated in the study were unable to report how they planned to use the youth set-aside funds because they had not yet finalized their contracts. In a later report, we will be able to provide further information on youth served through HEAP funding. Differences in Spending between Cities and COCs Figure 10: PLANNED FUNDS BY CATEGORY AMONG CITIES VS. COCS 7% Youth 9% CoCs Large Cities 12% Rental Assistance 13% 42% Services 30% 32% Capital Improvements 45% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% As previously discussed, approximately 30% of all HEAP funds ($150 million) were distributed directly to eleven large cities, while 70% ($349 million) were distributed to 43 CoCs. Figure 10 shows how these two groups of recipients (large cities and CoCs) allocated HEAP funds across the categories of capital investment, services, rental assistance and youth programs specifically. At the time of application, large cities collectively34 allocated a substantially larger proportion of their HEAP budgets toward capital investments as compared to CoCs (45% among cities vs. 32% among CoCs). Relatedly, the 11 large cities used a lower proportion of their HEAP funds for services (30% among cities vs. 43% among CoCs). However, there is some evidence that large cities coordinated with the local CoC in their applications for funding (in some communities both the CoC and the Large City received separate HEAP grants). In these situations, the Large City applicant often prioritized capital investments in their application (as for example, one Large City allocated 90% of their HEAP budget 34 The percentage bars in the chart represent the proportion of total amounts that each group collectively planned to allocate to the respective categories. For example, the first blue percentage bar depicts the summed amounts that CoCs collectively allocated specifically to youth programs as a proportion of the total amounts they received; CoC collectively allocated $25 million specifically for youth programs out of the $349 million that they received (or 7%). The specific amounts are based on the initial proposed amounts that jurisdictions indicated at the time of their application, which may have been modified after funds were received 18 toward new capital investments), while the CoC in these same communities prioritized services and rental assistance. More generally, however, both Cities and CoCs allocated similar proportions of their budgets toward rental assistance (12% and 13%, respectively) and youth-specific programs (7% and 9% respectively).35 Differences in Spending between Urban and Non-Urban Jurisdictions Figure 11: PLANNED FUNDS BY CATEGORY AMONG URBAN AND NON-URBAN JURISDICTIONS 8% Youth Set-Aside 9% 6% Rural Suburban 11% Urban Rental Assistance 8% 14% 59% Capital Improvements 54% 28% 17% Services 24% 46% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Comparing how CoC and large cities allocated their HEAP budgets, however, masks some notable patterns in how jurisdictions in rural and urban communities developed their budgets differently. Using the same urban, suburban and rural designations by which HUD identifies CoCs throughout the state, reveals that HEAP awarded 25 grants to jurisdictions within urban communities, 19 jurisdictions within suburban communities, and ten (10) jurisdictions within rural communities. As the Figure 11 demonstrates, these communities varied in their HEAP allocations, particularly with respect to capital investments and services. Both rural and suburban communities invested heavily in new capital investments (relatively speaking); these communities collectively allocated over half of their HEAP funds toward projects like a new shelter, navigation center or other built project. This may reflect the fact that rural and suburban communities have limited infrastructure and likely used 35 These figures have changed in many communities since time of application. Updated proportions will be provided in a later report. 19 HEAP as opportunity to make long term investments in their service systems. In contrast, jurisdictions in urban communities invested more heavily on direct services; some urban communities allocated three the times the relative amount to services compared to rural communities (46%-55% vs. 17%). While this pattern may seem to contradict the earlier stated finding that large cities invested more heavily in capital investments than services, it should be noted that the service expenditures of CoCs in these urban communities more than off-set the capital investments made by large cities. That is to say, CoCs co-located in the same community where a large city also received a HEAP grant, prioritized services even more than other urban CoCs. More generally, it is interesting to note that rural, suburban and urban communities allocated low proportions of their HEAP budgets on rental assistance programs compared to other use categories (between 8% to 14%). Also notable, rural and suburban communities invested slightly more in youth-specific programs than urban communities (8%-9% vs 6%). 20 Section 3: Strategies, Regional Coordination, and HEAP In the previous section, we reviewed the various homeless services and programs that jurisdictions throughout California have funded and implemented in the past year with HEAP. In this section, we delve more deeply into the underpinning strategies, and orientations, that guided how communities directed investments into either new or existing programs. Drawing from a set of in-depth interviews done with a subsample of local administrators involved in HEAP (n=20) as well as results from an online survey sent to all communities that received funding (n=40), we elaborate on how communities prioritized their use of funds given the requirements of the program but also the contingencies of their local context. We start by first describing some of the explicit strategic plans to address homelessness—planning documents that many communities cited and used to orient their HEAP planning. As we describe, some jurisdictions approached funding decisions about HEAP by leveraging a recently developed ‘strategic plan’ in their community as a blueprint, or framework for guiding discussions about HEAP. Nonetheless, some jurisdictions found that these plans were somewhat inadequate for HEAP and/or in need of general revamping. We conclude this section, then, by discussing three overarching strategies by which communities generally prioritized their HEAP investments, specifically. General Plans to Address Homelessness By design, HEAP encouraged jurisdictions to align their HEAP investments with an overarching community vision, if not a broader strategic plan, to address homelessness in their region. This was implied in the stated requirement that communities engage in a collaborative community process to define their goals and local plans for HEAP. Within the context of the various forums, city council meetings, and workshops that administrators hosted as part of this collaborative community process, a strategic homeless plan was often either cited or presented as a way to ground discussions about HEAP (these strategic plans were often cited in agendas, presentations and other documents which were submitted to HCFC as evidence of the community coordination). The general plans that communities either cited or submitted in their HEAP36 applications varied in content and structure, but at a general level most plans shared four basic key components. These included: • Defining the scope of need in the community with respect to homelessness (i.e., the local context of homelessness, the particular groups in the community more at risk of housing insecurity, etc.) 36 Beyond citing a strategic plan in their supporting documents, a few communities also submitted the strategic plan document as part of their HEAP application. During our interviews, administrators often referred to these strategic plans when discussing how their community first approached HEAP. Notably, administrators often emailed the research team these documents as a way of contextualizing in-depth interviews about HEAP. 21 • Summarizing the existing infrastructure of services in the region and, perhaps more critically, the “gaps” that persist across the continuum of programs (i.e., the dearth of rapid re-housing programs, permanent supportive housing, as well as triage shelters and diversion programs). • Outlining a series of generalized priorities or goals to address homelessness, such as improving the crisis response, expanding permanent housing options, and increasing collaborations between multiple sectors and stakeholders. • Identifying specific subgroups experiencing homelessness in the community that should be targeted for intervention (i.e., the chronically homeless, older adults, transitional age youth, families with children). Because these general plans articulated a community consensus about the needs, resources and goals to be pursued with respect to addressing homelessness, a number of administrators indicated that these documents served as frameworks for their preparation of their HEAP application.37 As one administrator noted about how their community approached the HEAP application: “we didn’t want to reinvent the wheel since we had this really extensive planning process between 2015 and 2016, and we kind of already had a good sense of what the needs were.” As more than one administrator described, their preexisting plans served as a “blueprint” or “roadmap” to guide the community discussion about the best way to make use of HEAP. Nonetheless, communities often had to modify and expand, and in some situations completely revamp, these strategic plans prior to application, given the requirements and unique characteristics of the initiative. • First, HEAP required that communities provide evidence38 that they had collaboratively developed plans for HEAP with a broad group of stakeholders—meaning that administrators applying for HEAP funds were encouraged to broadly think beyond their immediate jurisdiction to develop a vision of regional needs. Pragmatically this meant that administrators often had to reach out to new stakeholders who had not participated in the development of the original plan, such as service providers from different sectors (e.g. behavioral health, child welfare, probation) as well as members of the public and local politicians from surrounding jurisdictions. 37 Given that communities had only a few months to develop their plans, it is not surprising that some administrators and local stakeholders would leverage some of their past and ongoing collaboration efforts revolving around strategic plans to frame the particular goals and priorities for HEAP. A number of communities were also already committed to an ongoing 10-year plan to address homelessness, while others were already revamping and developing a new regional plan for the No Place Like Home initiative that largely aligned with a broader framework for addressing homelessness. 38 While HEAP did not require that communities submit a completed and finalized regional plan, applicants had to provide documented evidence that they had engaged in a collaborative process of identifying needs and goals for their use of HEAP funds. Most communities submitted materials which documented community meetings, forums, and workshops that they had facilitated to discuss and/or develop a regional vision of how to administer HEAP funds (e.g., agendas, forum registration). 22 • Moreover, administrators also had to take into account that HEAP was designed as a one- time source of emergency funding to be quickly distributed to communities. So while the initiative sparked new energy, and conversations in the community about regional coordination, administrators had to carefully shepherd the community process of defining goals and priorities for HEAP so that plans realistically aligned with the scope and timetable of the initiative. Our conversations with local administrators revealed a high level of variation in approaches to pre- existing strategic coordination around homelessness, and the specific coordination that they embarked on for HEAP. One survey item that explicitly asked administrators about their regional coordination indicated that nearly half (45%) had to substantially modify their strategic plans for homelessness for HEAP. In contrast, 30% indicated that they had made little to no changes to their strategic plans. Still, a quarter of communities (24%) reported that HEAP required a “completely new” regional effort altogether. Figure 12: LEVEL OF REGIONAL COORDINATION AT THE TIME OF HEAP When your community was applying for HEAP funding, was your regionalcoordination/plan… An existing plan with little to no change 32% An updated and revised version of an existing plan 45% Completely new 24% 0% 20% 40% 60% In sum, while these formalized strategic plans sometimes provided communities a broader framework to start conversations about HEAP, a number of administrators also found that these plans were somewhat out of date and not specific enough to guide funding decisions about HEAP. Consequently, many communities used HEAP, as well as other recent state funding, as an opportunity significantly modify, and in some cases completely revamp, these strategic plans. Specific Strategies Regarding How to Prioritize HEAP The survey sent to administrators included 13 questions that explicitly asked how jurisdictions strategized their use of HEAP funds (e.g., whether or not priorities aligned with a broader strategic plan). Derived from our in-depth interviews with 20 jurisdictions, these Likert-style questions asked 23 administrators to what extent they Agreed or Disagreed with specific strategies about HEAP (e.g., Do you agree that HEAP has allowed your community to pilot programs that are new to your area?). The results of our exploratory factor analysis39 of these 13 survey items indicate that responses could be grouped into three generalized orientations, or underlying strategies, in how most communities approached their HEAP funding decisions.40 These included: • A strategy to invest in innovative practices and support pilot-efforts to collaborate with different service sectors. • A strategy to scale up service capacity and increase the flow of individuals entering and exiting certain programs. • A strategy to reassess the broader system of services and address specific deficits, gaps or bottlenecks in the system. We elaborate on each of these strategies by comparing both the survey results and the findings from our interviews. While elements of all three strategies were present in how some communities made their HEAP plans, the results suggest that most communities aligned with one of three general strategies. FIGURE 13: HEAP FUNDING STRATEGIES 39 Exploratory factor analysis is a common statistical technique used in the social sciences to identify implicit patterns in how respondents answered a series of survey questions; how survey responses across several questions may cluster around common underlying factor(s) that are otherwise implicit in the data. Exploratory factor analysis was used in this context because our primary purpose was to identify a set of underlying latent strategies, or orientations, implicit in how administrators responded to the 13 survey questions related to HEAP priorities and goals. See Appendix B for further discussion of this analysis. 40 It should be noted that while these strategies represent distinct approaches, they are not mutually exclusive strategies. Indeed, a number of communities (approximately 15%) pursued a blended approach of all three strategies simultaneously. 24 Strategy 1—Using HEAP to Develop Innovative Responses to Homelessness One of the most common strategies expressed by local administrators in the in-depth interviews was to use HEAP funds to develop new innovative approaches for how their community responds to the current crisis of homelessness. Accordingly, HEAP is helping fund creative types of services, but also collaborations that are new to the community, including innovative models of outreach, diversion programs, and forms of rapid re-housing that combine different service elements. • Some communities, for example, used HEAP funds to pilot new outreach collaborations with local hospitals, behavioral health centers, or even law enforcement to staff an embedded outreach worker to explicitly help individuals experiencing homelessness access housing services and resources. As one administrator described, “these systems are often not talking to one another, so people fall through the cracks in our system—so HEAP is helping us address this by funding programs [that cut] across different systems.” “These systems are often not talking to one another, so people fall through the cracks in our system—so HEAP is helping us address this by funding programs [that cut] across different systems.” -CoC Adminstrator The results from our survey confirms that this orientation was a common strategy in many communities, and a dominant strategy in approximately 56% of jurisdictions. The exploratory statistical analysis indicated that across the 13 survey items about strategies, four specific questions elicited responses that were highly correlated with a common underlying orientation toward investments into innovative and new programs (see Table 1).41 TABLE 1: SURVEY ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES To what extent did HEAP allow your community to... Percent Agree 42 Pilot programs that are new to our community. 88% Collaborate with new partners. 90% Provide “proof of concept” that these programs work and are needed in our 63% community. Invest in programs and services that were otherwise missing in our community 95% 41 Combining the four Likert-Style items into a single construct resulted in a Cronbach’s Alpha of .738, which is generally associated with a high level of internal consistency. This factor also explained nearly 40% of the variance across all 13 survey questions. See Appendix B for factor loadings of each item. 42 Combined Agree and Strongly Agree responses. 25 While each of the statements were individually endorsed by most communities, the analysis revealed that approximately 56% of jurisdictions were distinctive in how they consistently agreed with all four items collectively.43 That is, the results suggest that a slight majority of communities were strongly oriented toward this strategy, often above and beyond the other two strategies that the statistical analysis also indicated as present. As the statements of these items suggest, this innovative-focused strategy leverages the fact that HEAP was intentionally flexible and could be combined with other funding sources to pilot new collaborative efforts, particularly with other “service sectors,” like child welfare, probation, or healthcare, which are not always integrated with conventional housing funds. As one administrator discussed, “HEAP is stretching people to think that you don’t just look at one (revenue) bucket. (Rather, we should ask) let’s see what other resources we have in the community to make these projects more viable.” “HEAP is stretching people to think that you don’t just look at one (revenue) bucket. (Rather, we should ask) let’s see what other resources we have in the community to make these projects more viable.” This strategy also oriented some communities to make long term investments into their homeless service system infrastructure that are otherwise difficult because of prohibitive start-up costs, such as investing in new emergency shelters and/or increasing the number of emergency beds available. • This sometimes meant making long-term capital investments to prepare a site for new development of “permanent supportive housing” in the community, or develop a multi- functional triage or bridge shelter that can provide individuals access to services and programs. • While traditional funding can support these programs, a number of administrators discussed that the start-up costs, such as preparing a site for development, are often cost-prohibitive for the year-to-year revenues for their community. “We are a very rural community,” described one administrator, “So for us, it’s very rare for us to have the resources to make these types of investments.” Some communities utilizing this general strategy used combined funding sources to develop a new program. Some communities utilized HEAP funds to fund one component of a program while using a current or future source funding for another component of the program. 43 While these questions generally elicited high levels of agreement by most respondents (i.e., most respondents indicated at least some agreement to one or more of these statements), approximately half of communities indicated marked these questions with Strongly Agree, while indicating less agreement with other questions. 26 • For example, one community combined Community Development Block Grant funds, HEAP funds, and California Emergency Solutions Housing (CESH) funds together to develop a navigation center. One administrator described this process as “Seeing different funding streams and how they match up together to get something done.” Strategy 2—Using HEAP to Scale-Up Existing Programs and Services During our interviews, a number of administrators described an explicit strategy to use HEAP as a reinvestment into programs and services that already exist in the community. Accordingly, HEAP was being used in this context less to change a strategic vision of the community, but instead to invest and increase capacity of the current plan itself. As one administrator discussed, “HEAP gave us the opportunity to really put our strategic plan into action.” A number of administrators similarly discussed that their community had been less interested in investing in new models of programs, as they were in investing in “tried and true” programs. “It’s not so much that we don’t know what works,” stated one administrator, “It’s just that we don’t have enough capacity to deal with the number of people who are on the streets today.” Indeed, a number of administrators discussed that the main goal of HEAP was to help increase the capacity of current programs and systems that are in place. “I know people are excited about new all-service shelters...but people are going to need somewhere to go more permanently after they are sheltered.” Another administrator similarly described that HEAP was being used in their community to “increase the flow” of individuals passing through emergency programs to eventual housing. As they described, It’s not enough to get people in a shelter...and then just have them waiting for a long time...we need to increase the flow in but also out of these programs. The follow-up survey sent to local administrators, which asked about their priorities and strategies for HEAP, further confirm this orientation. Our exploratory statistical analysis indicated that across the 13 survey items about strategies, three specific questions elicited responses that were highly correlated with a common underlying orientation toward scaling up capacity (see Table 2). The responses to the three questions often clustered together as a common factor, which subsequent analyses confirmed as having a high level of internal consistency as a single construct.44 All three questions tapped onto a common sentiment of scaling up capacity, increasing current levels of funding/investment in the infrastructure, as well as increasing flow of the system. Approximately 38% of communities consistently agreed with these statements collectively. 44 The three Likert-Style items indicated a Cronbach Alpha of .706, which is generally associated with a high level of internal consistency. 27 TABLE 2: SURVEY ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH SCALING-UP STRATEGIES To what extent did HEAP allow your community to... Percent Agree Scale up the capacity of our current programs. 92% Make long term investments in infrastructure that otherwise would not be possible with our 70% current levels of funding Increase the flow of individuals using our existing programs 84% This strategy seems to emphasize the fact that HEAP is a one-time source of funding; quickly scaling up capacity implies that one can eventually scale down these programs if funding were to stop. This strategy also emphasized the notion that increasing flow of individuals through the system of services will ultimately make the system more effective. One administrator highlighted the benefit of increasing flow, “if you create flow through your shelter, you’ve now doubled or tripled your capacity without having built more.” Strategy 3—Using HEAP to Reassess and Revamp the System The third distinct strategy shared by administrators framed HEAP as an opportunity for their jurisdiction to reassess its broader system of services and address specific deficits, gaps or bottlenecks in the system. This meant identifying a specific site or aspect of the system to intervene and improve, as for example investing in a navigation center because “many individuals fall through the cracks” or increasing the flow out of shelters by increasing rental subsides. While in some ways this third strategy was a mixed approach between the first and second strategies, administrators in these communities were more explicit that their HEAP investments aligned with an existing strategic plan for their system. As one administrator explained, HEAP was allowing them to “assess what was working and not in our strategic vision for the system and work to improve it.” One part of this approach involved leveraging planning efforts funded by the CESH program to identify these gaps and take advantage of the flexibility associated with HEAP to fund missing programs that might be hard to fund with other sources. For example, a number of communities noted that specific funding for outreach and diversion services is often limited. As another administrator discussed, “there’s very little funding for street outreach...and so we really appreciate the flexibility of HEAP because it helps us fill the gaps that housing funding can’t do.” This strategy also involved developing different programs in the community that are already being implemented in other parts of the state. Indeed, some administrators spoke at length about being inspired by projects in other communities—like tiny homes, safe parking programs as well as landlord mitigating services—which they hoped they could bring into their community to address gaps in services to specific subpopulations or for specific needs. 28 “We really appreciate the flexibility of HEAP because it helps us fill the gaps that housing funding can’t do.” – CoC administrator • “HEAP is allowing us to invest in evidence-based practices that we know are going on in other communities,” stated one administrator, “But these services have been slow to develop here, for whatever reason.” • As another administrator pointedly described, HEAP will help demonstrate “proof-of- concept” that programs like diversion, or safe parking programing, can work in their community, “Some of the local stakeholders are skeptical...there is some resistance to these new service models—we think if we can show them that these programs can work, we will be able to bring more local funding to these programs in the future. As with the other strategies, the results from our survey also confirm this last orientation. Our exploratory statistical analysis indicated that across the 13 survey items about strategies, two specific questions elicited responses that were highly correlated with a common underlying orientation toward reassessing and revamping the system (see Table 3). Moreover, the analysis revealed that approximately 26% of communities were distinctive in how they consistently rated these questions as “Strongly Agree” across both items. TABLE 3: SURVEY ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH REVAMP STRATEGY To what extent did HEAP allow your community to... Percent Agree Review and reassess our ongoing plans and priorities for addressing homelessness. 61% Develop a new strategic plan to address homelessness in our community. 45% 29 Section 4: Lessons Learned and Preliminary Outcomes In this section, we outline some lessons learned and preliminary community outcomes as reported by grantees. In interviews and surveys with administrators of HEAP funds, we asked communities to share their experiences with the planning, award and implementation phase of HEAP. • Communities discussed the initial distrust of the flexibility of HEAP, noting that the structure and requirements of HEAP were so different from previous state grants that they did not always know how to navigate the planning stage of the grant. • However, many communities felt reassured by the communication and clarifications provided by HCFC staff, and ultimately came to greatly appreciate the level of flexibility associated with the grant. Grantees also highlighted the challenges and successes they experienced in the collaborative planning stages, including the benefits and challenges of new stakeholder involvement. • The shelter declaration requirement was a topic of much discussion in interviews, and we share the insights grantees shared about the drawbacks, and unexpected benefits, of this requirement. • We also share interviewees’ discussion about challenges they are facing while implementing capital investment projects. We end this section by discussing benefits of the administration of the HEAP funds and grantee beliefs about the impact on people experiencing homelessness in California in the past year. Initial Concerns about the Flexibility of HEAP The HCFC intentionally designed the HEAP application process with an emphasis on expediency and flexibility. The goal was to provide emergency resources to communities as quickly as possible, but also to allow grantees the flexibility to deploy funds in ways that best met the unique needs of their community. While grantees widely appreciated the flexibility and ease of the application, they also described challenges associated with the short timeline of the process as well as some of vagueness and of the funding guidelines. • Grantees who were well-versed in the regulations of federal and state funding for homeless programs, noted that they were not accustomed to the “far fewer HEAP guidelines.” • Similarly, some grantees described concern about “too much openness” in how the three funding categories were defined (i.e., services, capital investment, and rental assistance/subsidies). Because these funding categories did not neatly align with the designations used by other funding sources, grantees noted a lack of clarity about what could or could not be funded. Consequently, some administrators found it initially difficult to “truly 30 trust” the flexibility of the funding, particularly when their communities began making ambitious plans about where and how to invest HEAP funds. Some worried that some of the projects being proposed in their community could later turn out to be ineligible for HEAP, or that rules about HEAP could change retroactively in the future. As one grantee described, they weren’t sure what they were “buying into” when they submitted the HEAP application, or “the strings that may become attached to the funding down the road.” Many grantees interviewed noted that the flexibility, short timeline, and involvement of stakeholders who had not been previously at the table made the process of receiving the funds somewhat “messy.” However, despite some initial apprehension and frustration, many communities nonetheless came to ultimately appreciate the flexibility of HEAP, particularly with respect to supporting programs and services that other funding sources could not. Indeed, as discussed in the previous section, many grantees indicated that the flexibility of HEAP allowed them to pursue a more innovative strategy toward investments. In particular, these flexible funds allowed communities to invest in innovative efforts to address specific gaps in their systems and underserved subpopulations, as well as encourage collaboration with providers in other service sectors such as healthcare and behavioral health. In particular, several smaller CoCs indicated that prior to HEAP, they had not previously formally partnered with behavioral health. As one grantee elaborated on the example of outreach services, “there’s not a lot of funding that allows you to support these types of outreach services. So HEAP allowed us to really ramp up these services.” Another grantee similarly reflected that despite initial concerns about flexibility, they “would not have wanted them [the state] to do it differently.” Moreover, while there was initial confusion by some grantees regarding the vagueness of the funding categories, most also noted that HCFC provided timely guidance to address these concerns. “The state [HCFC] early on began a really helpful monthly call-in office hours,” described one administrator. “During those calls you could hear a lot of questions and apprehension about what could be funded. But they [HCFC] did a really good job answering all of our questions.” • Other grantees agreed that HCFC provided strong and continual support to clarify some of the aforementioned vagueness, which helped them navigate the inherent tensions of developing a collaborative community plan for HEAP. “If I had a question I felt like I could just pick up the phone and call [HCFC staff]. They really helped reassure us that we were on the right path.” • One community discussed an example of HCFC staff coming to their community and presenting at the city council about the diverse ways that the HEAP funds could be administered. 31 The Challenges and Success of Collaborative Planning As previously discussed, HEAP required that communities engage in a collaborative planning process to identify and define their plans for HEAP—a process that was described as relatively straightforward by many of the administrators we interviewed. However, for those grantees without existing administrative infrastructure, collaborative planning was described as “a big lift.” For example, one rural CoC indicated that they had little administrative capacity to facilitate collaborative planning at a regional level; “[we] have zero staff dedicated to anything [specific], so trying to get buy-in from elected officials on why we should go after [funding] that they care or don’t care about was a big lift.” At times, smaller CoCs in particular were aware that HEAP was garnering more attention than previous sources of funding, which one CoC said necessitated “extra transparency” in the collaborative planning process. • This was particularly challenging for rural CoCs administering funds across large geographical jurisdictions that could span across two to four rural counties. • Larger CoCs also faced challenges engaging in a regional effort at coordination if they didn’t already have an existing regional plan in place. Said one administrator, “We have an active group of stakeholders in the CoC from the immediate community, but we weren’t as connected to folks in outlying parts of the county. So having to go out to those areas and bring them into the conversation was a challenge.” One urban CoC administrator also explained that the timeframe for coordination, even with an existing plan in place, was a “nightmare in itself” due to the multiple approvals needed before moving forward with plans, due to their complex governing structure. Many communities discussed seeing increased engagement by stakeholders who had not been previously involved, or had minimal involvement before the HEAP planning process. Many suggested that this was because of the new and flexible funding available, which allowed for new collaborations that may not have been as possible through other funding sources. As one grantee described, “As soon as there was money, I’ve never seen as many people show up to a CoC meeting.” Other administrators similarly described seeing new participants engage in their community forums and CoC meetings about HEAP, such as the District Attorney’s office and law enforcement. Some communities specifically noted a renewed involvement by Behavioral Health stakeholders. Another administrator from a large CoC indicated some of these participants were “not necessarily new,” but it was nonetheless surprising to see their increased level of involvement in the process. • Many jurisdictions described that new stakeholders who had been uninvolved or on the periphery of planning efforts in the past were now more active with the CoC due to HEAP. Indeed, in the follow-up surveys with communities, 88% of respondents agreed with the statement “different stakeholders are now involved and active in conversations about homelessness.” Moreover, in our interviews with grantees, new or renewed involvement by stakeholders was often described positively and as an “opportunity” for more information- sharing, education, and funding alignment. 32 The increased interest from elected officials, particularly city council members, was also frequently mentioned by grantees. Indeed, HEAP was explicitly designed to provide cities new sources of funding to address homelessness, and so this inherently brought in “new players.” • From one perspective, engaging the city leadership brought in new energy and determination into the conversation about homelessness. As one administrator explained: “many people don’t realize that the city doesn’t actually provide that many direct social services, these resources are really under the domain of the county or the CoC.” Nonetheless, “city council members often get an earful from constituents in their districts about homelessness, but they (the city) often has limited tools to proactively address these issues.” • Accordingly, HEAP represented an opportunity for the cities receiving funding to directly deploy resources to specific programs and services. Said one grantee from a midsized CoC, HEAP “brought cities to the table in a way that I have not seen before. There has never been so much interest by the cities in doing something about homelessness.” HEAP “brought cities to the table in a way that I have not seen before. There has never been so much interest by the cities in doing something about homelessness.” – CoC administrator From another perspective, however, the engagement with city officials brought some of their challenges. For one, administrators sometimes discussed that city council members did not always have a full understanding on the issue of homelessness, or more critically, know much about the existing infrastructure of services that already exist in the community. Some of these new stakeholders also ramped up the political nature of the process, particularly with respect to declaring a shelter crisis (described in the next section). It should be noted that while many communities described challenges with collaborative planning and administrative capacity, ultimately many felt that this process was worthwhile. In our follow-up surveys with communities, 82% of respondents indicated that they believed that their community’s regional coordination had improved as a consequence of HEAP. Similarly, 78% of respondents agreed that communication between providers, the CoC, and other stakeholders had also improved in the past year (see Figure 14). 33 FIGURE 14: OUTCOMES: PERCENT OF COMMUNITIES THAT AGREE WITH HEAP OUTCOMES Different stakeholders are now involved and active in conversations about homelessness 88% Our regional coordination has improved in the past year 82% Communication between providers, the CoC, and other stakeholders has improved 78% More people experiencing homelessness have been helped this past year 70% We have been able to address youth homelessness more effectively 63% The Coordinated Entry System has improved in the past year 58% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% The Challenges Associated with Declaring a Shelter Crisis Grantees noted that one reason city council members were more involved was due to the requirement that cities within a CoC declare an emergency shelter crisis in order for HEAP funding to be used. Some CoCs noted that the shelter crisis declaration process was useful for getting cities on board, while others felt the investment of time and political capital necessary to involve some cities was costly without much payoff. One community experienced “a lot of headache for nothing. At the end of the day, it didn’t increase any community’s commitment in [CoC].” In fact, as shown in Figure 15, in our follow-up survey 36% of communities indicated that working within their community to declare a shelter crisis was a great challenge. While some communities experienced these challenges, many also noted in interviews that HCFC was incredibly helpful in navigating the shelter crisis declaration process and with clarifying misconceptions. However, some CoCs with small cities who did not ultimately declare a shelter crisis were still involved in new ways. Some grantees indicated that the HEAP planning process was an opportunity to educate cities within their CoC about homelessness, about the CoC, and/or about regional coordination that was occurring. This was seen by some as valuable beyond the HEAP funding process itself. 34 FIGURE 15: LESSONS LEARNED Preparing sites/properties for capital investments took longer than expected 75% Implementing new programs/services took longer than anticipated 69% NIMBY-ism is a significant barrier to getting projects implemented/operational 69% Referral sources for new programs/service were 41% not always fleshed out before implementation Working to declare a shelter crisis in our 36% community was a great challenge 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% About half (41%) of jurisdictions also indicated that referral sources for new programs or beds coming on line due to HEAP funding were not always worked out between entities prior to implementing a program, sometimes complicating the implementation process. The Challenges of Building Something New: Delays in Capital Investments Administrators also noted challenges related to capital investments (such as building a new shelter). Some communities described experiences in which sites fell through due to political reasons, such as stronger neighborhood opposition than anticipated. • As shown in Figure 15, the majority of communities (75%) who responded to the survey indicated that preparing sites/properties for capital investments took longer than anticipated. In contrast, a much smaller proportion of communities (36%) felt that implementing services or programs took longer than anticipated. • In 41% of communities, NIMBY-ism (“Not in My Backyard”) served as a major barrier to getting capital investment projects implemented and/or operational. • In in-depth interviews, some jurisdictions explained that the higher risk associated with capital investments created more anxiety, and risk-averse communities sometimes had to pull out of an existing contract. Other communities had to locate a new site for a shelter because it took longer to develop a contract. The Support of HCFC Staff One of the most common experiences by grantees during the awarding and implementation phase was a feeling of reassurance provided by HCFC. In particular, grantees noted that the funds were 35 awarded much more quickly than state grants they had received in the past. One grantee noted, “the way they [HCFC] expedited the whole process, that’s very rare for government entities.” Many grantees also noted that the up-front funding was very helpful and allowed them to plan according to their own community’s timeline and schedule. Preliminary Perspectives on Impact of the Funds A majority of survey respondents (70%) agreed that more people experiencing homelessness have been helped this past year than in the year prior. We hypothesize that affirmative responses to this survey question were in part driven by whether or not communities had operational rental assistance programs (e.g. flexible housing subsidy funds, housing vouchers). We found a positive association between those who reported that all of their rental assistance programs were operational and agreement to this survey item. A majority of survey respondents (70%) agreed that more people experiencing homelessness have been helped this past year than in the year prior. Summary and Conclusion In this report we have provided a preliminary assessment of the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP), which was a response to the severe housing and homelessness crisis facing California. The initiative allotted within the State’s 2018-19 budget a $500 million, one-time, flexible set of block grants to help local communities address the substantial rise in homelessness throughout the state. By February 2019, the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) had awarded 54 block grants to 43 Continuums of Care (CoCs) and 11 municipalities throughout the state of California. Drawing from a of review documents, in-depth interviews with local administrators, as well as analysis of surveys collected from most grantee communities, this report described the variety of programs and innovative practices that have been funded by HEAP in the past year across the state. Findings indicate that most communities are prioritizing HEAP toward an array of direct services that assist individuals and families to either avoid or recover from homelessness as quickly as possible. Many jurisdictions report adopting new intervention models and practices, which warrant further investigation and study. Jurisdictions are also making long term investments in their service systems, either by developing new infrastructure (such as building new shelter and supportive housing units) and/or increasing the number of individuals accessing rental subsidies. 36 This formative assessment also explores how these funding decisions may reflect differing overarching strategies, and priorities, across jurisdictions in terms of their response to homelessness. Many communities are responding to the current homeless crisis by embracing innovative collaborations with different service sectors; a variety of services that are used by many people experiencing homelessness (behavioral health, health, etc.) but that are often siloed and disconnected. HEAP in this context has meant establishing, or reinforcing, new collaborative models and communication across service sectors. Communities are also prioritizing the need to scale up capacity of current programs; the current crisis reflects, in part, a mismatch between the need and capacity of the existing service system. HEAP in this context has meant reinvesting in models and programs that can be quickly scaled up and scaled down (if needed), such as rental subsidies and/or short-term interventions. Some communities are also focusing on specific bottlenecks and intervention points to improve the effectiveness and capacity of the system. This has meant going back to a jurisdiction’s original strategic plan and assessing specific areas, and programs, to be improved. While these strategies are not mutually exclusive, and indeed some communities are pursuing all three strategies simultaneously, they likely reflect different contexts and varying levels of infrastructure that exist across jurisdictions. That is to say, our findings suggest that administrators managing HEAP face different situations in terms of the local resources they can leverage to address homelessness, the number of stakeholders involved, and the capacity of the current system. These differences are likely acute between rural, suburban, and urban communities, which is an issue that also warrants further study. Finally, the report also describes some of the early successes as well as some of the unintended consequences or difficulties that communities have encountered. As we have discussed, some administrators were initially challenged by the overt flexibility and expediency of the HEAP initiative. Plans had to be developed, approved, and then implemented in a relatively short amount of time. Consequently, some investments into new programs, particularly those involving new capital investments, may have been overly-ambitious in their anticipated timetables. Administrators have run into challenges associated with zoning requirements, but also the political backlash of building and/or developing programs addressing homelessness within neighborhoods. Despite these challenges, jurisdictions report a number of important successes and system improvements. These include improvement in their respective referral systems (i.e., the Coordinated Entry System), improved communication between providers and stakeholders, and perhaps more importantly, increased capacity to address homelessness. Recommendations Readers of this report should note that the data and results in this report are not an evaluation of the effectiveness or impact of HEAP. Rather, they are intended to provide insight that can drive future decision-making regarding the evaluation of HEAP and the structure of additional funding sources 37 as they become available. With this goal in mind, we offer some recommendations for future planning and evaluation efforts: 1) For relatively flexible grants such as HEAP, jurisdictions receiving funding should have time to develop goals that are unique to their community and adequately measure progress toward those goals. In a funding initiative such as HEAP, in which the goal is to improve the local response to homelessness, it is clear that some funded programs emphasize prevention of homelessness, some emphasize safety of individuals currently experiencing homelessness, while others may emphasize reducing the length of time it takes to exit homelessness. Given that communities have invested differently into these programs, it will be difficult to define a single metric of success that captures all of these related but distinct goals. Thus, any future statewide evaluation of HEAP should take into account the distinct, and differential, impacts that HEAP funding may have had on local responses to homelessness. Focusing on a single metric on reducing homelessness—for example relying solely on future point-in-time counts—would misrepresent the distinct objectives pursued by communities and potentially miss many important measures of success across varying contexts and goals. 2) Some communities, particularly those in rural and suburban areas, expressed to us that allocations of HEAP based on need, and the high level of flexibility, allowed them to address long-standing gaps in their system’s ability to address homelessness. However, an uneven level of infrastructure or uneven existing level of collaboration with local partners meant that some communities struggled to allocate funds in a timely manner. We recommend additional technical assistance for jurisdictions that start with lower administrative capacity, and adjustment for the transition time in evaluation of impact for these communities. While it is important that future funding continue to support direct services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness today, these communities are also in need of sustained investment into their service systems. 3) In our conversations with jurisdictions, we learned that many were trying new approaches that they believed would resolve a gap or improve effectiveness in the way they addressed homelessness. However, we also learned that these new approaches sometimes introduced a new level of risk or required more time to develop than expected. It is very likely that some innovative models will result in better outcomes than others—though it is unclear how results and impacts can be assessed across these different contexts. Given this, we offer two recommendations: a) HCFC should support evaluations at the local level to help identify successful models and best practices as well as approaches that need reconsideration and redirection. We recommend that in a sample of jurisdictions engaging in innovative work, HCFC or other researchers conduct ongoing process evaluations and case studies of specific models that show promise in terms of having short term and long term impacts, as well have the potential to be duplicated in other regions of the state. These local process evaluations could also help identify how administrators and staff 38 can overcome early challenges and navigate sustained successes over time. These evaluations would also contribute to a wider understanding of the overall impact of HEAP in these communities. b) HCFC should support workshops and/or small learning communities to disseminate innovative uses of state funds and the support of innovative uses of the funds, or targeted around specific approaches. Such technical assistance may benefit communities that want to try something new but are struggling to allocate funds for or implement a new approach. In closing, communities across California are responding to an unprecedented housing and homelessness crisis. State initiatives like HEAP are supporting an array of approaches and programs to improve the local response to homelessness. While it is too early to assess the long-term impacts of these responses, the findings of this report suggest that more individuals and families experiencing homelessness are being helped today, systems are becoming more responsive, and a higher level or collaboration is occurring across service sectors, as a result of HEAP. While HEAP cannot by itself solve homelessness in the state, initiatives like HEAP can improve how communities respond to the crisis. 39 Appendix A: Survey Instrument & Results Researchers at California State University, Sacramento have been commissioned by the California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council (HCFC) to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP). This short online survey was created to explore how communities developed and ultimately administered their plans for HEAP funding. The goal of the survey is to aggregate responses across grantees and develop a broad, statewide picture of how communities have generally leveraged HEAP resources to more effectively respond to the crisis of homelessness. You have been selected to participate in this online survey because of your role in preparing your community’s application and administration of HEAP funds. The survey consists of approximately 20 questions and will take 10 to 12 minutes to complete. 1. Which of the below general types of programs has your community allocated to fund with your HEAP grant this past year? While your programs may be slightly different from those listed, choose those that are the closest descriptors. You may select more than one per category as needed, and/or write in “other” program types as needed. 1a. Services Used HEAP funds for services 92% Navigation services 56% Homeless prevention services 54% Street outreach 51% Short-term/comprehensive homeless services 38% Other services 31% Landlord outreach/mitigation 28% Safe parking programs 21% Diversion interventions 21% Employment training 15% Funds Allocated Criminal justice diversion programs 13% Program staffing 5% Direct health and hygiene services 5% Encampment clean up 5% Hospital discharge services 5% Case management 3% Health and safety education 3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% n = 40 40 1b. Rental Assistance Used HEAP funds for rental assistance 85% Rental assistance 67% Rapid re-housing programs 41% Motel vouchers 33% Flexible housing subsidy funds 33% Short term emergency housing interventions 26% Eviction prevention strategies 18% Funds Allocated Housing vouchers 10% Host homes 5% Other rental assistance or subsidies 5% n = 40 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 1c. Capital Investments Used HEAP funds for capital investments 87% Emergency shelter 51% Bridge/Triage shelter 26% Permanent supportive housing 26% Other capital improvements 26% Funds Allocated Drop-in centers/day shelters 18% Amenities/restrooms 15% Transitional housing 15% Small/tiny homes 13% n = 40 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 41 2. In the previous question you indicated the below programs that are currently being funded by HEAP in your community. Please indicate the current implementation status of these programs. To what extent are these programs allocated (i.e. money has been set aside or allotted to a particular provider), or operational (i.e. currently serving people)? Because a program type may include multiple programs or providers, please indicate whether some or all (or none) of the programs are currently allocated or operational. 2a. Services Used HEAP funds for services 50% 92% Navigation services 26% 56% Homeless prevention services 21% 54% Street outreach 23% 51% Short-term/comprehensive homeless services 13% 38% Other services 15% 31% Landlord outreach/mitigation 23% 28% Safe parking programs 8% 21% Diversion interventions 10% 21% Fully Operational Employment training 13% 15% Funds Allocated Criminal justice diversion programs 5% 13% Program staffing 5% Direct health and hygiene services 5% Encampment clean up 5% Hospital discharge services 5% Case management 3% Health and safety education 3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% n = 40 42 2b. Rental Assistance Used HEAP funds for rental assistance 49% 85% Rental assistance 31% 67% Rapid re-housing programs 23% 41% Motel vouchers 15% 33% Flexible housing subsidy funds 21% 33% Short term emergency housing interventions 10% 26% Fully Operational Eviction prevention strategies 15% 18% Funds Allocated Housing vouchers 8% 10% Host homes 5% Other rental assistance or subsidies 5% n = 40 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2c. Capital Investments Used HEAP funds for capital investments 12% 87% Emergency shelter 5% 51% Bridge/Triage shelter 5% 26% Permanent supportive housing 26% Other capital improvements 2% 26% Drop-in centers/day shelters 18% Fully Operational Amenities/restrooms 5% 15% Funds Allocated Transitional housing 3% 15% Small/tiny homes 3% 13% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% n = 40 43 3. You indicated that you allocated funds to other programs not listed in the previous question. Please tell us more about these programs and their current status (i.e. planning phase, allocated funds, or operational). ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Below are a number of statements describing how different communities have strategized their use of HEAP funds in the past year (2019). Some of the comments may accurately describe a strategy or perspective used by your community, while others may be less applicable. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about how your community prioritized the use of HEAP funds? Neither Prefer Strongly Somewhat agree Somewhat Strongly not to Disagree disagree nor agree agree answer45 HEAP allowed us to… disagree 4a. Invest in programs and services that were otherwise missing in our community 0% 2.5% 2.5% 20.0% 72.5% 2.5% 4b. Start on a new direction and vision for what our community can look like 2.5% 7.5% 15.0% 40.0% 25.0% 10.0% 4c. Make long term investments in infrastructure that otherwise would not be possible with our current levels of funding 10.0% 5.0% 12.5% 17.5% 47.5% 7.5% 4d. Invest more into previous programs we know work in our community 0 % 5.0% 5.0% 32.5% 55.0% 2.5% 4e. Keep an existing program running that would have otherwise closed or been scaled down 20.0% 2.5% 27.5% 17.5% 25.0% 7.5% 4f. Increase the flow of individuals using our existing programs 0% 2.5% 12.5% 42.5% 37.5% 5.0% 4g. Improve our prevention and diversion efforts so that fewer people are in the system 10.0% 7.5% 15.5% 25.0% 37.5% 5.0% 4h. Scale up the capacity of our current programs 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 47.5% 40.0% 5.0% n = 40 45 The analysis presented in this report excluded missing values and when respondents selected “prefer not to answer” therefore, the percentages shown here will differ slightly from the ones found in the report. 44 5. Below are a number of statements describing how different communities have strategized their use of HEAP funds in the past year (2019). Some of the comments may accurately describe a strategy or perspective used by your community, while others may be less applicable. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about how your community prioritized the use of HEAP funds? Neither Prefer Strongly Somewhat agree Somewhat Strongly not to Disagree disagree nor agree agree answer HEAP was an opportunity to… disagree 5a. Pilot programs that are new to our community 0% 0% 12.5% 37.5% 50.0% 0% 5b. Collaborate with new partners 0% 0% 10.0% 42.5% 45.0% 2.5% 5c. Provide “proof of concept” that these programs work and are needed in our community 0% 2.5% 32.5% 25.0% 35.0% 5.0% 5d. Review and reassess our ongoing plans and priorities for addressing homelessness 0% 5.0% 32.5% 32.5% 25.0% 5.0% 5e. Develop a new strategic plan to address homelessness in our community 17.5% 2.5% 32.5% 25.0% 17.5% 5.0% 5f. "Fill in the gaps” that we have identified in our existing strategic plans 0% 0% 12.5% 35.0% 47.5% 5.0% n = 40 45 6. In this last section, we provide a series of statements that describe lessons learned and/or challenges that your community may have experienced during the implementation of HEAP. We also ask you to consider some of the system processes and outcomes in your community that may have resulted because of HEAP. Neither Prefer Strongly Somewhat agree Somewhat Strongly not to Lessons learned in your community with Disagree disagree nor agree agree answer respect to HEAP disagree 6a. Working to declare a shelter crisis in our community was a great challenge 22.5% 10.0% 25.0% 17.5% 15.0% 10.0% 6b. Implementing new programs/services took longer than anticipated 2.5% 12.5% 15.0% 40.0% 27.5% 2.5% 6c. Preparing sites/properties for capital investments took longer than expected 0% 2.5% 22.5% 37.5% 37.5% 0% 6d. Referral sources for new programs/service were not always fleshed out before implementation 5.0% 20.0% 32.5% 25.0% 15.0% 2.5% 6e. NIMBY-ism is a significant barrier to getting projects implemented/operational 2.5% 7.5% 20.0% 30.0% 37.5% 2.5% n = 40 7. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding system outcomes associated with HEAP. Neither Prefer Strongly Somewhat agree Somewhat Strongly not to Disagree disagree nor agree agree answer Systems outcomes associated with HEAP disagree 7a. Communication between providers, the CoC, and other stakeholders has improved 2.5% 5.0% 15.0% 50.0% 27.5% 0% 7b. Different stakeholders are now involved and active in conversations about homelessness 0% 2.5% 10.0% 57.5% 30.0% 0% 7c. The Coordinated Entry System has improved in the past year 7.5% 2.5% 32.5% 37.5% 20.0% 0% 7d. Our regional coordination has improved in the past year 0% 5.0% 12.5% 52.5% 27.5% 2.5% 7e. Our community has been able to address youth homelessness more effectively in the past year 2.5% 10.0% 25.0% 42.5% 20.0% 0% 7f. More people experiencing homelessness have been helped this past year than in the year prior 0% 0% 27.5% 32.5% 32.5% 7.5% n = 40 46 8. When your community was applying for HEAP funding, was your regional coordination/plan... Completely new 22.5% An updated and revised version of an existing plan 42.5% An existing plan with little to no change 30.0% Prefer not to answer 5.0% n = 40 9. Have you had any challenges to active regional coordination/planning? Yes 47.5% No 35.0% Prefer not to answer 17.5% n = 40 10. In a few sentences, please describe some of the challenges your community has experienced with regional coordination/planning. If possible, please describe what type of technical assistance or support may be helpful for your community. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 47 Appendix B: Methodology and Factor Analysis Section 3 of this report summarizes the results of an exploratory factor analysis of our 13 survey items, which asked respondents to what extent they agree or disagree with a series of statements about how their community prioritized their HEAP funding. Exploratory factor analysis is a common statistical technique used in the social sciences to identify implicit patterns in how respondents answered a series of survey questions; how survey responses across several questions may cluster around common underlying factor(s) that are otherwise implicit in the data. More specifically, the analysis examines the covariation across similar survey items to indicate evidence of unobservable constructs, or latent factors, that may be influencing survey responses. This method is often used in fields like psychology where researchers often attempt to indirectly assess a latent construct like depression, intelligence, or attitudes more generally, through a set of related survey questions that have been validated with factor analysis. One goal of exploratory factor analysis is to identify the number and composition of underlying latent factors that may be structuring a set of recently developed survey questions; that is, to identify the number of implicit constructs that may underpin a set of survey items as well as indicate the specifics items that load to these constructs. Exploratory factor analysis was used in this context because our primary purpose was to identify a set of underlying latent strategies, or orientations, implicit in how administrators responded to the 13 survey question related to HEAP priorities and goals. Although the sample size was relatively small, an initial analysis of the 13 survey items indicated that data had a reasonable level of factorability. A correlation matrix of all 13 items revealed moderate levels of correlation across many items, and every item correlated at least .3 with one or more items. Moreover, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was .544, still above the commonly recommended value of .5 even with a relatively small sample size. The Bartlett’s test of sphericity was also significant (χ2 (91) = 172.353, p < .001). The exploratory factor analysis of the 13 Likert-scale items used a principal-axis factor extraction method, which indicated three to four possible factors. Initial eigenvalues indicated that the first three factors explained 39%, 26%, and 19% of the variance respectively. The remaining fourth factor explained less than 7% of the variance and was excluded given the low eigenvalue (below one), as well as the fact that a scree plot of these values showed a clear leveling after the third factor. To refine the interpretation of the three factors, a Varimax orthogonal rotation was used. This rotation had sums of squared loadings ranging from 2.79 to 3.45, and the grouping of items was similar to that of the cluster analysis. Below are the final nine items that aligned with the three strategies discussed in the report (ultimately named investing in innovation, scaling up capacity, and reassessing and revamping the system). Each item is presented with its corresponding level of agreement (the average percent score of the five-point scale) as well as its relative factor loading. The internal reliability of each construct (Conbrach’s Alpha) are also presented in the last column. 48 TABLE 4: SUMMARY STATISTICS OF EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS To what extent did HEAP allow your community to... Level of Factor Cronbach’s Agreement Loading 47 Alpha 46 Investing in Innovation 84% .738 Pilot programs that are new to our community. 84% .877 Collaborate with new partners. 84% .706 Provide “proof of concept” that programs work & are needed in community. 74% .485 Invest in programs & services that were otherwise missing in our community. 92% .664 Scaling up Capacity 79% .706 Scale up the capacity of our current programs. 82% .729 Increase the flow of individuals using our existing programs. 80% .618 Make long term investments in infrastructure that otherwise not possible. 74% .647 Reassessing the System 65% .638 Review & reassess our ongoing plans and priorities for addressing 70% .858 homelessness. Develop a new strategic plan to address homelessness in our community. 56% .772 46 Level of agreement in Table 1, and in subsequent tables, refers to the average that all respondents rated each item on a five-point Likert-scale (where 0=Strongly Disagree and 4=Strongly Agree). To ease interpretation, we converted the average of each item into a percentage score (as for example, converting the first item’s average of 3.38 into 84%) by using Cohen’s “proportion of maximum possible” method (i.e., which takes into account the scale’s range of lowest and highest scores possible). 47 Factor loading refers to the relationship of each item to a common underlying, latent, factor. Coefficients of .4 and greater indicate evidence that the item is correlated with a common factor. The factor loadings suggest that these items tap into similar orientations or general strategies. Given the strong relationship of the first two items, and the general relationships of the latter, we interpreted this first orientation as associated with piloting innovations in the community. 49 Appendix C: Glossary Rental assistance or subsidies Rapid re-housing programs: Rapid re-housing programs are geared to moving individuals and families from a state of homelessness into permanent housing by providing short-term rental assistance and services with the intent of reducing the amount of time spent experiencing homelessness. Rapid re-housing models were implemented across the country through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re- housing Program (HPRP), included as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009. Core program components include: housing identification, rent and move-in assistance, and rapid re-housing case management and services intended to resolve immediate crisis situations. These services are offered without preconditions (ex: income, sobriety, employment) and tailored to unique household needs. Rental Assistance: Short term rental assistance constitutes financial assistance to cover move-in costs, deposits, and the rental and or/utility assistance necessary to allow individuals to move immediately out of homelessness and stabilize in permanent housing. Long term rental assistance may come through a Housing Choice voucher. Flexible Housing Subsidy Funds: Flexible housing subsidy funds for local programs establish or support the provision of rental subsidies in permanent housing to assist individuals and families. Funds have been seen to be used for rental assistance, bridge subsidies to property owners waiting for approval from another permanent rental subsidy source, vacancy payments, and/or or project-based rent or operative reserves. Some counties (Santa Barbara and LA) use similar terms such as flexible housing subsidy pool or program. Upon availability of rental subsidies, flexible housing subsidy funds are available for providers to assist clients with other move-in costs and intensive case manager services, often using a “whatever it takes approach” to aid clients in securing housing. Clients eligible for these funds are usually targeted or high need. Some communities also use the term “flexible housing pool” to describe ongoing or longer-term subsidy supports. 50 Short Term Emergency Housing Interventions: Emergency housing interventions include, but are not limited to: • Navigation centers that provide room and board and case managers that connect people to services. • Street outreach services to connected unsheltered people to temporary or permanent housing. • Shelter diversions, including, but not limited to, homelessness prevention activities and other service integration activities to connect people to housing arrangements, services, and financial assistance. Housing vouchers: The Housing Choice Voucher Program (formerly known as Section 8) provides assistance to very low-income individuals and families, the elderly and the disabled to enable them to afford decent safe, and sanitary housing in the private rental housing market. They are administered by public housing agencies. Motel Vouchers: Programs that provide homeless people with a temporary place to stay (usually one to three nights), generally utilizing a hotel or motel with which the referring agency has a prior agreement, but in some cases, temporary lodging selected by the individual. Also included are programs that provide vouchers for use in one or more of the community's homeless shelters. Eviction prevention strategies: A range of strategies that help tenants remain housed. Examples of strategies may be communication/mediation, rent repayment strategies, financial assistance, training and education (such as helping tenants understand the eviction process and their rights), debt advice, legal assistance, and intensive case management. 51 Services Street outreach: The process of identifying and engaging people living in unsheltered locations, such as in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, encampments, and on the streets. It is a critical in reaching people who may not otherwise seek assistance or come to the attention of a homelessness service system. Outreach workers identify locations where people experiencing homelessness would naturally congregate. Ideally, street outreach would be systematic, coordinated, and comprehensive; housing focused; person-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive; and emphasize safety and harm reduction. Navigation services: Housing navigation services focus on assisting individuals and families to finding and securing a permanent home by identifying barriers, assisting with the application process in the private market, guiding clients with subsidized housing applications and opportunities, or making connections to transitional housing programs if needed. Hospital discharge services: At federal level, HUD encourages hospitals to understand their local homelessness assistance system and establish protocols for linking patients to systems of coordinated entry. In California, licensing provisions at Health & Safety Code section 1262.5 were amended on September 30, 2018, requiring hospitals to adopt certain discharge planning procedures and activities for homeless patients and improving planning for post-discharge care. An example of hospital discharge services is one employed the Glendale CoC wherein a discharge worker locates housing and links patients to services, such as mental health services, with the goal of housing stabilization and decreasing reentry into the hospital system. Health and safety education: Depending on the program focus, health and safety education towards homeless individuals can provide information about health conditions and wellness practices, but most importantly increase knowledge and access of services available throughout the existing health care system. In a drop in center or day shelter, health and safety education may take the form of groups focusing on drug and alcohol use, violence prevention, pregnancy prevention, and HIV/AIDs prevention. Street outreach health and safety education may focus more on screening for health conditions, harm reduction, and increasing access to medical services. 52 Criminal justice diversion programs: Programs that use strategies to divert people from formal processing and/or incarceration in the justice system. Since programs are usually designed to fit the needs of a community, a wide variation of programming exists from warn-and-release programs to intensive treatment services and check- ins with the court system. Homeless prevention services: Programs that target people at imminent risk of homelessness and intervene to help people remain housed. They may come in the form of rental housing subsidies, short-term financial assistance, landlord mediations, assistance in qualifying for mainstream benefits, or other problem-solving solutions. Landlord outreach/mitigation: Landlord engagement create and maintain important partnerships that can help people quickly exit homelessness. Strategies may include landlord recruitment, lease negotiations, housing search and inspections, having risk mitigation funds in place for what landlords consider as ‘high risk’ renters, mediators for landlord/tenant concerns and conflicts, landlord and tenant education on rights, responsibilities, fair housing, and financial management. Employment training: These program address barriers in order to create economic opportunities for homeless job seekers. Community-based and government organizations may partner with employers to hire and training people living in shelters or temporary public housing situations to provide job training opportunities. Some employment training programs may also pair professional skills training with life skills development training. Other potential barriers these programs may also address can include: missing or incomplete identification; lack of transportation, work appropriate clothing, or a working telephone number; and addressing multiple and possibly conflicting appointments with case managers, landlords, medical professionals, or requirements to check in with shelters or housing providers at certain times of the day. Diversion interventions: Strategies that help homeless individuals identify immediate alternate housing arrangements and, if necessary, connect individuals to services that financial assistance to help them return to permanent 53 housing. Diversion targets people as they are applying for entry into shelter or other “front door”/system entry points. Safe Parking programs: Safe parking programs provide safe places to park at night for homeless individuals living in their vehicles. Safe parking lots often have onsite monitoring or security, restroom access, and social service resources. They address fears of getting a ticket, getting towed, or being a victim of a crime. Program requirements may include proof of a valid driver’s license, vehicle registration, and insurance. Encampment clean up: Encampment clean up provides biohazard and trash clean up in homeless encampments. It may also include components of street outreach to provide access to homeless services or dismantling tents within homeless encampments, depending on existing local codes (such as camping prohibition codes or property zoning codes) or permits (such as temporary/permanent encampment permits). It may involve the coordination of multiple agencies such as public health, law enforcement, and social services. Capital improvements Emergency shelter: HUD defines emergency shelters as any facility with the primary purpose of providing temporary shelter for the homeless in general or for specific populations of the homeless and which does not require occupants to sign leases or occupancy agreements. Emergency shelters may be funded under Emergency Solutions Grants. Bridge/Triage shelter: Several models exist for bridge/triage shelters. Bridge shelters may function as a transitional housing for people who have been recently discharged from institutions. In San Diego, bridge shelters provide low barrier entry, housing navigators and other services, and oversight. In Sacramento, a triage shelter is a low barrier shelter that provides wraparound services for homeless individuals. The VA defines bridge housing as transitional housing used as a short-term stay when a Veteran has been offered and accepted as permanent housing intervention but is not able to immediately enter permanent housing. Stabilization and connection to services and housing appear to be common goals in bridge/triage shelter models. 54 Drop-in centers/day shelters: Drop-in centers/day shelters provide basic necessities such as food, clothing, personal care items, lockers, access to phones, computers, and email. There may be communal areas, showers, washer and dryer facilities on site. They may either offer services or link individuals to services that offer housing referrals, mental health services, employment training, education support, counseling, health education, parenting workshops, independent living skills workshops, computer training, and others. Transitional housing: Transitional housing providers a supportive, yet temporary, type of accommodation to bridge the gap from homeless to permanent housing by providing structure, supervision, support, life skills, and sometimes education and training. It’s an intermediate step between an emergency crisis shelter and permanent housing and may be more long-term and service intensive. Permanent supportive housing: Permanent Supportive Housing is a model that combines low-barrier affordable housing, health care, and supportive services to help individuals and families lead more stable lives. Small/tiny homes: The official International Code Council (ICC) definition adopted in August 2017 for a tiny house is a dwelling that is 400 square feet or less in floor area, excluding lofts. The construction code is available in is available in the 2018 International Residential Code Appendix Q Tiny Houses. It is up to each municipality and state to adopt appendix Q as a model code. Amenities/restrooms: Shelters, drop in centers, or safe parking lots provide amenities such as on-site restrooms and shower facilities, warming/cooling centers, or washer/dryer facilities. Mobile restrooms, showers, or washer and dryers are also an alternative to provide homeless individuals necessary hygiene amenities. 55 Appendix D: Allocations Based on Jurisdiction Applications Allocation Applicant Capital % Services % Rents % Youth % Admin % Other % Amount Alameda CoC $16,192,049 8% 74% 9% 5% 5% 0% Alpine, Inyo, Mono Counties $590,112 36% 13% 42% 5% 5% 0% Bakersfield/Kern CoC $2,603,226 48% 20% 22% 5% 5% 0% Chico, Paradise/Butte County - CoC $4,889,945 33% 40% 15% 8% 4% 0% City and County of SF - COC $17,107,315 24% 65% 4% 5% 2% 0% City and County of SF - LC $10,564,313 0% 0% 92% 5% 3% 0% City of Anaheim $3,690,886 41% 54% 0% 5% 0% 0% City of Bakersfield $1,247,754 90% 0% 0% 5% 5% 0% City of Fresno $3,105,520 0% 44% 29% 5% 5% 17% City of Glendale CoC $625,114 0% 51% 39% 5% 5% 0% City of Long Beach $2,869,833 64% 18% 7% 5% 5% 0% City of Long Beach - CoC $9,387,420 85% 1% 4% 5% 5% 0% City of Los Angeles $85,013,607 59% 31% 0% 5% 5% 0% City of Oakland $8,671,117 12% 76% 3% 5% 5% 0% City of Sacramento $5,645,700 79% 11% 0% 6% 5% 0% City of San Diego $14,110,398 14% 32% 32% 5% 0% 17% City of San Jose $11,389,987 22% 34% 35% 9% 0% 0% City of Santa Ana $3,690,886 90% 0% 0% 5% 5% 0% Colusa, Glenn, Trinity Counties - CoC $631,071 60% 15% 15% 5% 5% 0% Contra Costa County CoC $7,196,771 62% 19% 0% 14% 5% 0% Davis, Woodland/Yolo CoC $1,341,828 51% 20% 19% 5% 5% 0% El Dorado County CoC $1,448,324 59% 0% 6% 22% 5% 7% Fresno City and County/Madera County-CoC $9,501,363 0% 74% 10% 5% 5% 5% Humboldt County - CoC $2,565,245 32% 29% 29% 5% 5% 0% Imperial County - CoC $4,859,411 62% 14% 12% 5% 5% 2% Kings/Tulare CoC $2,635,249 46% 38% 5% 5% 5% 0% Lake CoC $1,298,634 0% 90% 0% 5% 5% 0% Los Angeles City & County - CoC $81,099,808 6% 68% 13% 5% 5% 2% Marin CoC $4,831,856 89% 6% 0% 5% 0% 0% Mendocino $4,921,968 91% 0% 0% 5% 3% 0% Merced City & County $1,338,105 30% 56% 0% 9% 5% 0% Napa CoC $1,234,588 81% 0% 9% 5% 5% 0% Oxnard CoC $4,857,922 0% 69% 10% 16% 5% 0% 56 Allocation Applicant Capital % Services % Rents % Youth % Admin % Other % Amount Pasadena CoC $1,428,216 10% 75% 0% 5% 5% 5% Redding/Shasta CoC $2,695,572 66% 2% 19% 8% 5% 0% Riverside CoC $9,791,805 44% 29% 17% 5% 5% 0% Roseville, Rocklin/Placer, Nevada Counties CoC $2,729,084 43% 0% 45% 7% 5% 0% Sacramento City & County - CoC $12,729,412 0% 29% 62% 5% 4% 0% Salinas/Monterey CoC $12,505,250 65% 10% 10% 10% 5% 0% San Bernardino CoC $9,389,654 2% 38% 43% 11% 5% 0% San Diego - CoC $18,821,668 5% 40% 30% 5% 5% 15% San Luis Obispo CoC $4,837,814 84% 6% 0% 5% 5% 0% San Mateo CoC $4,933,139 24% 61% 5% 5% 5% 0% Santa Ana, Anaheim/Orange County - CoC $15,568,716 81% 9% 3% 5% 3% 0% Santa Clara CoC $17,506,487 17% 71% 0% 11% 0% 0% Santa Maria/ Santa Barbara County CoC $9,385,186 47% 35% 4% 10% 5% 0% Sonoma CoC $12,111,292 56% 22% 4% 13% 5% 0% Stanislaus CoC $7,236,986 69% 12% 0% 14% 5% 0% Stockton/San Joaquin $7,148,364 85% 0% 0% 10% 5% 0% Tehama County - CoC $592,346 90% 0% 0% 5% 5% 0% Tuolumne, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa CoC $1,273,314 79% 5% 0% 11% 5% 0% Vallejo/Solano CoC $4,917,500 61% 20% 0% 14% 5% 0% Watsonville/Santa Cruz City and County CoC $9,674,883 25% 52% 4% 13% 5% 1% Yuba City & County/Sutter County $2,565,990 90% 0% 0% 5% 5% 0% 57