201 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Tenth Floor
Anaheim, CA 92805
Tel: (714) 765-4300
Fax: (714) 765-4360
www.anaheim.net
HOUSING AUTHORITY AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT
DATE: OCTOBER 24, 2023
FROM: HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
SUBJECT: SENIOR SAFETY NET PROGRAM - APPROVAL OF TRANSFER OF FUNDS TOTALING $1,000,000 TO EXPEND PROGRAM
SERVICES
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): YES ITEM # 01
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Governing Board of the Anaheim Housing Authority, by Motion:
1. Approve the transfer of $1,000,000 to the Senior Safety Net Program, with said proceeds coming from the Housing Authority held Low-Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund, in the amount of $500,000, and the other $500,000 deriving from housing developer voluntary contribution funds; and
2. Authorize the Executive Director, or her designee, to execute all documents related to the administration, management, and implementation of the Senior Safety Net Program to provide a range of rental assistance and supportive services to Anaheim seniors, which includes minor modifications to program guidelines; and
3. Increase the Housing & Community Development Department’s FY 2023/24 budget by $500,000.
BACKGROUND:
On February 4, 2020, the Anaheim City Council approved the operating guidelines and funding allocations for the Senior Safety Net Program (SSNP). The program was brought before City Council to address increasing community concerns regarding the housing and economic stability of seniors aged 55 years and older. Guideline approval included the establishment of three distinct SSNP components: 1) case management aimed towards assessment and appropriate service connection, 2) emergency assistance for one-time financial hardships tied to potential housing displacement, and 3) tenant- based rental assistance for a period up to 12 months to promote housing stability. The program utilized a progressive engagement approach; assessing participants for need and matching appropriate resources to address identified needs.
The case management and emergency assistance components of the program have been administered by the Anaheim Community Services Department’s Active Older Adult Senior Safety Net Program Update
October 24, 2023
Program. Staff handling the SSNP are located at the Downtown Anaheim Community Center however the SSNP resource is available Citywide.
Under the program design, the first point of contact for seniors in need is Community Services case management staff who can facilitate resource connections. Examples of such services can include connections to food services, utility assistance and medical care. If the need is housing based, staff conduct an eligibility review for assistance under the SSNP.
Under SSNP, emergency assistance is offered as part of the available resources for seniors aged 55 and older. Eligible households are eligible for up to $3,000 in one-time assistance to help secure housing or prevent the loss of permanent housing. For example, if a senior has a rent arrears balance but can otherwise pay their rent, this one-time assistance can be essential to preventing an eviction and/or homelessness.
Given that many seniors are on fixed income, SSNP also has some capacity for longer term assistance under specific perimeters. For applicants aged 62 and older, referrals could be made to the SSNP Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA). TBRA assistance is funded by HOME Investments Partnership Program funds, a program of the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The City of Anaheim is a HUD entitlement jurisdiction and receives an annual allocation of HOME funds.
At the inception of the program (2020), a total of $645,000 was allocated to SSNP. The sources and uses were as follows:
Funding Source Amount Program Component
CDBG $45,000 Case Management
Housing Set-Aside/HHAP $250,000 Emergency Assistance
HOME $350,000 Tenant-Based Rental Assistance
The funding allotted for the first year was all exhausted within 12 months. As a result, staff sought to identify other sources of funding to continue the program. The sources that have been used to date, along with the number of persons served, are as follows:
Program
Component
Households
Assisted*
Total Funding
Issued
Funding
Source
Timeframe
Case Management 254 $135,000.00 CDBG Feb. 2020 –
present
Emergency
Assistance
193 $673,270.61 Set-Aside
HHAP
Feb. 2020 –
present
Emergency Rental
Assistance
34 $269,875.94 ERAP May 2023 –
present
Tenant-Based Rental
Assistance
28 $269,768.00 HOME Nov. 2020 –
present
Total $1,347,914.55
*Households assisted in each category are not mutually exclusive, households may receive various forms of assistance as long as they are deemed eligible for each component.
Senior Safety Net Program Update
October 24, 2023
As reflected in the chart above, during the last two years, staff has requested authorization to allocate Homeless Housing Assistance Prevention (HHAP) funds to SSNP. HHAP funds are provided directly to cities to use for a variety of activities to assist persons at risk of, or currently experiencing, homelessness. At this time, staff is no longer recommending the use of HHAP, due to some guidelines changing. The changes, primarily the requirement to use the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) when utilizing HHAP funds, makes it cumbersome to use these funds for the SSNP population. Seniors assisted under this program primarily have a financial need and HMIS is intended to track and assist persons who are chronically homeless and generally have greater needs above and beyond housing alone.
DISCUSSION:
Between 2016 and 2019, regional Point-In-Time Count numbers showed a 200% increase in senior homelessness within the City of Anaheim. In the last year, the Anaheim homelessness system served 433 seniors through funded partner agencies, independent of the Senior Safety Net Program. Of those served, 7% were newly homeless, experiencing unsheltered or sheltered homelessness for the first time.
Understanding that seniors are the largest growing subpopulation of people experiencing homelessness in Anaheim, SSNP program staff across all departments have jointly prioritized retooling the program to ensure it meets rising needs. As part of programmatic changes, it is necessary to infuse additional dollars into SSNP. While the discussion on funding is ongoing, HCD staff has identified two available funding sources that could provide a temporary bridge to meet present demand: 1) housing set- aside funds and 2) developer voluntary donation funding. Staff recommends utilizing $500,000 in housing set-aside funds to assist with TBRA, the largest anticipated need of the program. Most households presently being referred to SSNP have been assessed to need ongoing rental assistance due to being on fixed incomes amidst rising rent costs.
Additionally, staff suggests an additional one-time infusion of $500,000 from the developer voluntary donations fund; a voluntary contribution collected when housing developers begin construction of new units in the City. Due to the infrequent nature of the funding, staff suggests these funds be used to support one-time emergency assistance requests.
The following table lists the updated funding recommendations and availability of HCD funds for the Senior Safety Net Program:
Funding
Source
Amount
Allotted
Available
Funding
Existing or
New Funds
Allotment
Frequency
Program
Component
CDBG $45,000 $45,000 Existing Annual Case
Management
HHAP $500,000 $0 Existing One-Time Emergency
Assistance
HOME $350,000 $68,134 Existing One-Time Tenant-Based
Rental Assistance
Current Total $895,000 $113,134
Senior Safety Net Program Update
October 24, 2023
Funding
Source
Amount
Allotted
Available
Funding
Existing or
New Funds
Allotment
Frequency
Program
Component
Housing Set-
Aside
$500,000 $500,000 New One-Time Tenant-Based
Rental Assistance
Voluntary Dev.
Donations
$500,000 $500,000 New One-Time Emergency
Assistance
Proposed Total $1,895,000 $1,113,134
At program inception, city staff utilized available funding conservatively and established pilot program guidelines while the extent of need was not yet known. Two years into administration of the program, staff has an increased awareness of current needs and has found that program guidelines could be adjusted to better address needs. Two key recommendations are to 1) increase emergency assistance to $5,000 and 2) to allow greater flexibility in the TBRA program such that assistance can be extended to 24 months. The latter, greater time frames in the TBRA program, allows staff time to work with seniors to identify alternative housing options, potentially in other Housing Authority programs or with family. It is noted that staff continue to work on other potential solutions as well. For example, a priority in admission to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher is now in place for seniors who have or will exhaust the TBRA option and staff continues to work on the production of new affordable housing throughout the City.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
Increase the Housing & Community Development Department’s FY 2023/24 budget by $500,000 for current year program costs. Future years will be subject to City Council’s approval of budget appropriations. The increase will be allotted equally to the Low and Moderate Income Housing Asset Fund and Developer Voluntary Donation Fund. There will be no impact to the general fund.
Respectfully submitted,
Grace Ruiz-Stepter
Executive Director
Anaheim Housing Authority
Attachment:
1. Senior Safety Net Program Guidelines and Operating Procedures