Community Human Services Corporation

The Program Serves a Population with Great Needs:
New services include coordinated case management and the establishment of an emergency fund to assist with eviction prevention, avoid utility shut offs, and provide short term hotel stays when homes are found to be uninhabitable (utilities shut off, sewage problems, rodent infestations, etc.) for very low income people so they may maintain their homes or apartments or move to alternative safe and affordable units if necessary. All 200 program households to be served per year will be living below 250% of the federal poverty level and able to demonstrate that: a) they are in danger of losing their housing and; b) that the services offered by the agency will allow them to stabilize their housing situations beyond the short term. The majority of families served are African American, and many are single women with children. Families with children and individuals with co-occurring disabilities will be prioritized for accessing emergency fund assistance. United Way funds support an additional case manager and a flexible support fund to make payments to prevent evictions, move clients, intervene in utility shut offs, and/ or to provide short term hotel stays when the home is declared uninhabitable.

The Program Achieves Measurable Results:
Due to their strong commitment to the prevention of homelessness, the agency has engaged in eviction prevention work to the extent possible even though they have only been able to identify limited funding to date. Highlights of this work include:

• Placement of 125 new households per year into permanent independent housing each year, which they maintain for 7 months or longer; and
• Provision of case management and direct assistance to thousands of households per year and direct shelter to hundreds of individuals per year.

The Program Utilizes A Sound Approach:
While there are many programs across the region that offer short term assistance to avoid eviction, Allegheny County does not have an eviction prevention program. As unemployment rates and the costs of living continue to rise, the need for a more comprehensive strategy has become evident. The agency has a long history of working quickly and efficiently to assist families and individuals in the transition from homelessness to housing. The agency reviewed successful models in Indiana and in New York City, and is implementing portions of what they learned from both models. This agency has the potential to achieve community-wide impact by developing a comprehensive regional eviction prevention program.

The Proposal is Aligned with Preferred Outcomes:
This program aligns with the following preferred RFP outcomes:

• Meet Basic Needs to Remain Self Sufficient
  • 95% of all participants will demonstrate that they have increased their income in the first year.
• Prevent Homelessness
  • 85% of households will obtain and remain in stable housing for at least one year.
• Increase Household Financial Knowledge and Build Savings
  • 85% of households will demonstrate improved credit in the first year