HOUSING SOLUTIONS FOR CHILD WELFARENational Center for Housing and Child WelfareRuth Anne White, Executive Director

September 2010 North Carolina Drug Treatment Court Conference

On the official reports filed when a child is placed in foster care, you won't often find "homeless" as the primary reason for the placement. But you probably should.

"What is actually a housing issue is disguised as another issue," says Steve Hayes, director of family and children services for Guilford County. "For example, a woman with children fleeing a domestic violence situation has a housing issue."

Or a single parent who lost her job because of substance abuse and is now in treatment, but having trouble making the rent - that's a housing issue, too. From WFAE Julie Rose 8/9/10

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.

The NCHCW Approach

NCHCW makes the housing-child welfare connection on three key levels: Policy: Housing and child welfare policies must reflect the real

needs of families. For example, NCHCW revived $20 million in funding for FUP so that child welfare can appropriately match housing needs with services.

Program: Communication between systems is key. Bringing system chiefs together can result in resources for cw families and youth. For example, HACLV set aside 50 vouchers for youth.

Practice: All workers must know about resources and where to get them. NCHCW cross-trains front line workers and improves relationships.

Housing Matters

Housing affects families at each decision point in the child welfare continuum. Children from families with housing problems are: More likely to be investigated by CPS (Culhane et al, 2004) More likely to be placed in out-of-home care (Courtney et al,

2004) Longer stayers in foster care (Jones, 1998)

Thirty percent of children in foster care are there because of housing problems (Doerre & Mihaly, 1996; Hagedorn, 1995; Thoma, 1998).

Housing poses a special challenge for which cw workers are uniquely ill-equipped (English, 2005).

Housing is Cost-Effective A $20 million investment in FUP means that more than 9,000 children can

return home. This will result in a savings of $134 million in foster care expenditures. (Harburger and White, 2004).

It costs approximately $53,500 to serve a homeless young person on the street or in residential treatment but supportive housing for one young person costs only $5,300. (Van Leeuwen, 2004).

"If we can invest resources that we now spend to have kids in foster care to help stabilize their families so that they can take care of their own kids, that would be better for the kids, better for the families, and better for the child-welfare system," Donald says. "The system's past failures are not due to lack of resources. They really are not. And that definitely includes Baltimore City." Instead, she says resources have been poorly allocated. It is cheaper to provide services for families than to house kids in group homes, which can cost the system $72,000 a year per child. (MD DHR Secretary Brenda Donald, June 10, 2009, Baltimore City Paper)

ASFA and Housing

Without housing resources, states will continue to fall short of the ASFA goals of safety, permanency, and well-being.

In a 2001 review of family preservation and family support programs, Chaffin, Bonner, and Hill found that programs designed to meet basic needs were more effective at preventing recurrence of maltreatment than programs which offered parenting and child development-oriented services.

Eamon and Koppel (2004) found that “Norman” families (those families assisted with housing subsidies) had reduced rates of out-of- home placement, fewer days in substitute care, and a greater rate of reunification resulting in significant cost savings to the department.

How can CW begin to address housing? Acknowledge the difficulty that the lack of housing

tools poses to frontline cw staff. Consider the advantage that cw workers have over

homeless shelter workers in preventing family and youth homelessness.

Train cw workers on housing issues and resources. Partner with housers to provide housing tools to cw

workers. Participate in conversations governing the distribution

of community housing resources.

Housing Resources

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

What is the Family Unification Program (FUP)? FUP is a housing program for families and aging-

out youth in the child welfare system. At minimum, FUP provides Section 8 vouchers to child welfare families.

FUP is a local level collaboration between Housing Authorities and Child Welfare Agencies.

FUP is designed to strengthen and stabilize families and assist aging out youth reach independence.

What is the status of FUP? From 1992 through 2001, HUD awarded an average of 3,500

vouchers to FUP. In 2000, Sen. Bond added youth ages 18-22 who left foster care

after age 16 as an eligible population for FUP. From 2002-2007, Congress provided funding but HUD opted

not to fund FUP . On July 3, 2009, HUD awarded new 2,551 vouchers to 37

PHAs. On August 5, 2010, HUD awarded 2500 vouchers – 100

(or 531,000) to Greensboro, NC. HUD has $15 million to issue a NOFA this fall.

Typical FUP Partnership

Department of Children and Families (child

welfare)

IFP or Supportive Housing CM

U.S. HUD

Local Public

Housing Authority

(PHA)

Family

Landlord

Funding and referrals

Signed MOU

Housing assistance and case management

Funding for Sec. 8 vouchers

Pays rent on time

Issues voucher to youth

Pays rent on time

Info and cooperation

What are the Benefits of FUP? For PHAs: increased ability to serve clientele, more

Section 8 vouchers, administrative fees. For CWAs: expanded access to housing solutions for

families, caseworkers. For families: affordable housing, stability,

reunification, exit from the child welfare system. For the community: it is the preferred and most cost-

effective alternative to foster care for homeless families. This has been shown to be true with families in recovery as well.

Establishing a FUP Begin to ask questions regarding the housing needs

in your community; consult cw direct service workers.

Map out current housing resources. Conduct a cost analysis. Document the need for FUP in your community. Approach your partner (PHA, CWA) to exchange

ideas, observations, and plans.

Establishing a FUP (cont.)Dedicate Section 8 subsidies to FUP

determine a reasonable number of vouchers to set aside for the programset a local preference orapply to HUD for FUP vouchers

Build the Partnership Gain an understanding of the mission and

limitations of your partner agency Lay out and agree upon the responsibilities

of each partner agency Specify the type and duration of services to

be provided to FUP families upon lease-up Write and sign a detailed Memorandum of

Understanding

Elements of an Effective Partnership Appoint liaisons Reliable

communication Regular meetings Patience Cross training Staff support

Invite in additional partners

Seek additional funding for services

Solicit feedback from program participants

Frequently Asked Questions What if a family has a criminal record, history of

drug and alcohol abuse, or owes money to the PHA?

Can a family’s voucher be taken away if they fail to comply with FUP?

What records are we supposed to keep? Why do CWAs close cases so soon after families

move in to their permanent housing?

NCHCW Technical Assistance In addition to presentations to national

groups, NCHCW provides direct technical assistance based on the existing level of partnership, resource-sharing, and expressed need of each community. Technical assistance requests generally fall into one of three categories.

NCHCW Policy Agenda

Policy FUP Press Conference(s) to raise awareness, recognize FUP

champions, families, and youth Convene HHS and HUD to raise Children’s Bureau

participation in housing options for child welfare FCIA implementation Reintroduction of A Place to Call Home Act CAPTA reauthorization. Increase SSFP funding and argue for federal child welfare

funding flexibility. HEARTH Act implementation.

Program Improvements Agenda

Build capacity to provide TA to FUP sites (5 intensive sites).

Formalize and fund the FUP loaned executive network. Add training materials, video to website. Increase the amount of communities that enact “FUP

Plan B” through outreach and education. Convene cw folks and housers at regional and national

housing solutions meetings – first to be held at Community Access Unlimited in Elizabeth, NJ.

Practice Improvements Agenda

Partner with each of the National Child Welfare Resource Centers to infuse housing interventions into existing and new training materials.

Provide Keeping Families Together and Safe cross-training in FUP sites.

Increase capacity to field housing questions from front line child welfare staff, families and aging-out youth.

Work with HUD PD&R to study the effect interaction of FUP and FSS on family functioning and cw workforce retention .

Exemplary Sites

State of ConnecticutState of IllinoisVancouver, WASan Francisco, CA

Contact information Ruth White, MSSA

Executive DirectorNational Center for Housing and Child Welfare6711 Queens Chapel RdUniversity Park, MD 20782(301) 699-0151rwhite@nchcw.orgwww.nchcw.org