DISCUSSION
There are two types of services associated with the administration of a rental assistance program: 1) Housing Navigation and 2) Housing Sustainability.
1. Housing Navigation – The services and resources provided to a household prior to signing the lease to rent a specific housing unit. These pre-lease services include:
- Housing search assistance
- Application and holding fee assistance
- Security and utility deposit assistance
- Property owner recruitment and incentives
- Moving expense assistance
- Tenant-readiness (i.e. addressing negative credit and/or rental history)
- Essential household items
- Renter’s insurance
See attached HUD Notice PIH2021-15 for a full list of EHV-eligible Housing Navigation Services.
2. Housing Sustainability – The services and resources provided to a household after signing a lease to rent a specific housing unit. These post-lease services include:
- Home maintenance
- Community and independent living skills
- Intensive case management
- Connection to all available resources
- Transportation
- Child care
- Landlord mediation
As a contingency of accepting EHV, the GGHA “is strongly encouraged to consult with its [Continuum of Care] and its other homeless services/victim services referral partners in establishing which activities it will undertake in support of EHV’s…”. To this end, the GGHA has enlisted the assistance of the Community and Economic Development Department staff to list non-profit service providers specializing in both Housing Navigation and Sustainability services to provide EHV-eligible households with the assistance needed to procure and maintain suitable housing units.
Currently, the City contracts with six (6) non-profit service providers to operate Rapid Rehousing (i.e., rental assistance) programs for Garden Grove residents. These service providers have active funding agreements enabling them to provide Housing Sustainability services to EHV-eligible households, which upon approval of the MOU, will be amended to include available EHV Service Fees to provide eligible Housing Navigation services.
The proposed service providers, as well as their estimated allocation of EHV’s and associated Service Fees are summarized in the following table.
Service
Provider
|
Estimated EHV Allocation
|
EHV Service Fee Amount
|
Interval House
|
15
|
$52,500
|
Community Action Partnership OC
|
10
|
$35,000
|
StandUp For Kids OC
|
10
|
$35,000
|
Families Forward
|
10
|
$35,000
|
Illumination Foundation
|
10
|
$35,000
|
OCAPICA
|
10
|
$35,000
|
Housing for Health OC*
|
52
|
$182,000
|
TOTALS
|
117
|
$409,500
|
*Housing for Health OC (HHOC) is made up of four (4) of the region’s most respected non-profit service providers (Mercy House, Jamboree Housing, American Family Housing, and Friendship Shelter) and works as a subcontractor of the State-funded, County-operated Whole Person Care (WPC) Program.