Supportive Housing for Families

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Partnering for Progress Housing for
Transition-Aged Youth Columbus, OH April 22, 2014
Ruth White National Center for Housing and Child
Welfare
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The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare
(NCHCW)

• NCHCW links housing resources to child welfare
  agencies to improve family functioning, prevent
  family homelessness, safely reduce the need for
  out-of-home placement, and ensure that each young
  person who ages out foster care is able to access
  safe, decent, permanent housing.

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What are unaccompanied youth up against?

• According to the NLIHC, in 2013, the housing wage
  for an efficiency in Columbus, OH is 9.31,
  fulltime or 19,365 annually.
• This full report is available at www.nlihc.org.
• Existing (and unnecessary) gaps exist between
  agencies these gaps are costly.

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The bigger picture Everyone is living in their
parents basement

• More youth in their 20s and 30s are still at
  home than at any other time since the Great
  Depression.
• Average age of total financial independence was
  26 in 2000.
• A majority of current college seniors are
  planning on moving back home after graduation.
• Youth employment rate the lowest since 1940s.
• Many traditional entry-level jobs are now
  overseas.  Many entry-level jobs have no health
  insurance.
• Americans, 25-26, still get an average of 2,323
  a year from parents. One out of 8 Americans is
  getting food stamps.
•  

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What can be done at the state level to address
housing issues?

• Expand what works (Star House, Lighthouse,
  Daybreak)
• Capitalize on current flexibility and raise
  expectations of how federal and state child
  welfare dollars are used and who they are used
  for.
• Build statewide partnerships to create a range of
  affordable housing opportunities.
• Tap new and unusual streams of funding.
• Plan for the future

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Knit funding streams together to maximize time
for youth to achieve self-sufficiency
Age
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Independent Living
Title IV-E
Family Foster Care/Residential Unsheltered
Homelessness Sheltered Homelessness
FUP for youth
Regular Sec. 8 Other Subsidy Roommate Private
Housing/LL
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Leave no stone unturned when seeking housing
resources

• This is just a partial list of housing resources
  you can tap
• ARRA Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing
  Program (HPRP)
• Community Action Programs (received 1 billion in
  CSBG ARRA funds)
• HOME
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit
• City and State housing funds, SHFAs
• Private Landlords
• Public Housing Authorities Section 8 and PH
• Family Unification Program

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Making the Case

• For the Community it is the preferred option and
  its cheaper a 2004 cost benefit analysis showed
  that it costs Colorado 53,655 to maintain one
  youth in the criminal justice system, but it only
  costs the state 5,887 to provide housing and
  services.

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Barriers and overcoming them

• Legislative Federal (What has Congress done)
• Regulatory (How has HUD, HHS, or DOJ interpreted
  Congresss intent)
• Policy (What is your state doing with this
  information/opportunity)
• Is OH taking advantage of current federal law?
• Are state leaders partnering in ways that they
  can take advantage of current law?
• Does OH need ORC changes? If so, the youth voice
  will be the most effective way to get them.

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Some final thoughts on how to overcome barriers
to partnership

• Pay a visit to the states that have made strides,
  learn from their mistakes and achievements.
• Be honest beware of the halo effect
• Raise expectations. On everyone.
• Accelerate the pace of reform.
• Collaborations are the fastest, most efficient
  way to create a range of housing options.
• Get a seat at the table where housing resources
  are being discussed.

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Contact information

• Ruth White, MSSA
• Executive Director
• National Center for Housing and Child Welfare
• 4707 Calvert Rd
• College Park, MD 20740
• [phone]
• rwhite_at_nchcw.org
• www.nchcw.org